YPRES – When a dawn fog lifted over countless World War I cemeteries and monuments in Belgium and France Wednesday, the pandemic ensured that the remembrance of the millions killed in the 1914-1918 conflict was one of the loneliest ever.
Under the Menin Gate in western Belgium's Ypres, at the heart of the blood-drenched Flanders Fields, usually thousands gather to pay tribute.
On Wednesday, only half a dozen were allowed at the monument carved with the names of more than 54,000 fallen British and Commonwealth soldiers who have no known grave.
It made the mournful melody of the “Last Post" played by lone bugler Tonny Desodt even more poignant. “We don't do this for the crowds, even though their appreciation is welcome.