Day Trip to Le Quesnoy

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For our last day in Belgium before setting off to London, Richard & Catherine took us on a day trip to Le Quesnoy. This lovely little town has a special place in its' heart for New Zealand. During World War I, the Germans, who had violated the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, conquered the town with no great difficulty. Le Quesnoy was occupied by Germans for four years. Its salvation came on 4 November 1918, when New Zealand troops liberated the town. The town was occupied by 1,500 Germans who refused to give themselves up. 400 soldiers from the New Zealand division were wounded, 93 of these soldiers died and were buried in Le Quesnoy’s local cemetery. This liberation remains permanently etched in the memory of Le Quesnoy’s inhabitants. Despite the large physical distance that separate France from New Zealand, ties between the two countries remain very strong. Le Quesnoy regularly hosts New Zealanders who come to visit the memorial and the cemetery.
A delegation from the New Zealand Embassy in Paris visits the town on ANZAC Day and on 11 November to attend ceremonies each year, in memory of the soldiers. New Zealand soldiers have made their mark in the history of the town forever. To thank them for the incredible military feat that they achieved, the town of Le Quesnoy has offered New Zealanders a part of their wall forever, opposite the memorial. When you visit the memorial, you will find yourself, as it were, in New Zealand. The tributes to New Zealand are;
- the New Zealand gate of honour;
- the memorial garden;
- the New Zealand Avenue;
- the Dr Averill Street and Kindergarten;
- the twin towns of Le Quesnoy and Cambridge (Waikato).
We visited the New Zealand Memorial, walking along the memorial avenue. When the clock tower chimed the hour, they first played the New Zealand national anthem!
Le Quesnoy is a lovely small town with very few tourists, in fact I think we were the only ones. We found a small local cafe for lunch and then set off for home.
This evening we had a lovely Chinese meal in Belgium with all of the family, lovely!

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