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First World War battle fields commemoration

Daisy Wellsted of Selwood Academy took part in the centenary wreath laying ceremony at the Menin Gate memorial in Ypres Belgium on Saturday 3rd October.

The Menin Gate memorial commemorates fallen soldiers from the Ypres Salient and battles that happened between 1914 1918. There are the names of 54,406 British and Commonwealth soldiers carved in to the Menin Gate Memorial, who lost their lives and have no known grave in this part of Belgium.

Daisy and Alex Waldeck were part of the Battlefields centenary tour that is looking at the legacy of the First World War and asking the question, “Is remembrance more or less important after one hundred years?”

Daisy stepped forward with a member of the British armed forces and Dean Rogers from Whitstone School, in front of over two thousand local Belgian people and dignitaries. The last post was played by an army bugler and the wreaths were laid. This last post ceremony is a unique act of remembrance which is not seen anywhere else in the World.

Daisy said that it was a very moving experience and she was honoured to have been asked.

The 110 project: There are over 8,000 students taking part in the legacy 110 project; Daisy and Alex will teach all they have learned from the trip to 110 other people from her community; if each student taking part in the project reaches 110 people this will add up to 888,246 people – the same number of British and Commonwealth soldiers who died during the First World War.