It’s been a hot afternoon and the Scouts have done amazingly well! After enjoying some free time exploring Brugge, we visited two historic sites: Hill 60 and Essex Farm.

Hill 60 played a crucial role in WWI as a strategic high point. It’s especially known for its underground warfare, which left behind the massive craters we explored today. One of the most striking lessons was just how close the front lines were—described to us as the width of a cricket pitch.

At Essex Farm, we stood in the very place where John McCrae wrote his famous poem In Flanders Fields in 1915. The site was once an Advanced Dressing Station, and the Scouts took part in an eye-opening demonstration of how wounded soldiers would have been treated—don’t worry, the blood was fake!

After a cooked dinner at a local Scout HQ we gathered under the Menin Gate for their 20:00 service. The Last Post Ceremony is a daily act of remembrance for the British and Commonwealth soliders who died in the Ypres Salient during WWI and who have no known grave.

We placed 13 wreaths and had 19 flag bearers on parade. We also had the privilege of investing a Scout into Horsell Gladstone just prior to the service.