Le Quesnoy

A new mode of transport! We picked up the car and circled the airport a couple of times while we found our way via GPS. Very stressful. The roads are so narrow, the cars are on the right side of the road and Terry is on the left in the car! We found our way to Le Quesnoy and to our great surprise it was so tiny and very like Emmerdale farm. What we could not find was the hotel or anything that resembled a shop or anything much like signs of life. Eventually, we found a pub and after "parlez-vous Anglais" and then "no" we proceeded to use sign language to ask where the hotel was. Upshot - wrong place and no idea how to get to the right one. Who knew there were two Le Quesnoy!

We were staying at Hotel Terminus and the only way we found it was through Gus the kiwi who happened to be in the town centre. Thank goodness because otherwise it is like looking for a needle in a haystack and we were over the navigating. We caught up with Cathy and Wendy and had dinner in the hotel’s Moroccan restaurant. We all really enjoyed this. The girls had kiwis they could talk to and the food they enjoyed eating although we did need Wendy to translate the menu and act as an interpreter because no one spoke English, and why would they. Le Quesnoy is not a tourist town but it is special because it is the town that will not forget that the New Zealanders liberated it after four years of German occupation in 1918. This town is unique because it is a 16th-century walled city (Google it people) and to get in the kiwis got a ladder! The British wanted to bomb the town to clear the Germans but the kiwis did not want any civilian casualties so they would not.

 On Saturday we met in the town square with the students from Nayland College, Wendy and Cathy and started the tour with Herb. Our first stop was the cemetery; so well-tended. It was sobering to walk around reading the headstones and seeing the names of the 18-year-old men who gave their lives. Meanwhile the bagpipes were played and suddenly I had a cold.

From there we headed to the gravesite of the soldier who received the V.C. He fell 15 days before the war ended having fought in many of the gruelling battles in Gallipoli, Somme and Paschendale. Enter bagpipes, poetry recitals, readings and an accordion player; all very dignified and for many of the people there, quite emotional.

Next was lunch in the town hall provided by the local council. It was a simple lunch but delicious. Terry was particularly excited by the terrine. After lunch, there was a presentation in the town hall to show the history of the town and the details regarding the wall. Dear god! Terry was nodding off and I had to dig him in the ribs, especially when he started heavy breathing. Many others were asleep. Grace, Ella and I suffered through the 17th-century battles and a blow by blow account of the origin of each brick in the wall. Two hours we will never get back.

From there we walked to view the plaque at the site where the New Zealanders scaled the wall. At this point, one of our party read out the DCM citation regarding his father who was from Temuka. There were a few tears and it was special to be part of this. We sang the national anthem of both countries then the tour was over.

At night we had dinner with the two mayors from the neighbouring towns and the local people from the French society who organised the weekend. What a lovely night it was with great food, wine and many laughs. Some of the group had been coming to these celebrations for ten years. LuLu (who is 80 years old) played the accordion and sang songs. He was a real character and enjoyed the attention as much as we enjoyed listening to him.

The following day was the laying of the wreaths which was the official part of the town celebration. John Key came to this last year. To end the event the Nayland kids performed a haka and then it was all over.