World War One Charity Walk
In Flanders, Belgium
In aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland
Organised by Cystic Fibrosis Ireland
Invite and Notes for Participants from Belgium
The Walk?Sunday 17th May 2015 over 14km commencing at 11am
Where? The walk will commence in the village of Loker (near Leper)at around 11am on Sunday 17th May near the Willie Redmond Pub and will finish in Mesen/Messines. The all-Ireland Peace Park in Mesen/Messines with its well-known round tower will be the destination of a 14km Peace walk.
What for?In aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland’s fund for organ donor awareness and transplantation
There will be 25 walkers from Ireland taking part in the walk and we would welcome walkers from Belgium or other countries who would like to walk with us. You must fill in the registration form below so we have an idea of numbers. The total number of walkers will be limited to about 50 people for safety reasons.
Why is the walk taking place?
Because of the 100th year anniversary, there has been much interest in World War One (WW1) and the involvement of soldiers from Ireland. The only part of WW1 where soldiers from Ireland north and south fought together in significant numbers was in the Battle of Mesen/Messines near the town of Leper/Ypres in Flanders, Belgium in 1917.
The Battle of Mesen/Messines took place on a ridge and involved the detonation of 19 huge mines under the enemy trenches. One of these huge craters, now known as the ‘Pool of Peace’ will be visited as part of the walk. These terrible explosions, heard in London, allowed the Irish divisions of the British army to capture their objectives with much fewer casualties than expected. A significant death however was Major Willie Redmond, killed at the Battle of Messines and buried beside a nearby convent and cemetery in Loker which is where the walk will commence. Willie was the brother of John Redmond who was the leader of largest Irish political party for most of WW1. Willie Redmond was a nationalist who had previously been jailed because he had campaigned for better land rights in Ireland. He joined the British army to hasten home rule for Ireland and to fight for the rights of smaller nations, including Ireland and Belgium.
The 14km walk will be along the low lying and flat Messines ridge (except for one small hill) and will include sites of both Irish and general interest along the way.
The monies raised will all be used to support the CFI transplant fund which provides grants to those who need to be assessed for or undertake a transplant in Ireland. It will also provide part support for a new data entry post in the transplant unit in Dublin.
We would be grateful if you would fill in the form below and return to:
Peter Minchin 5th May 2015
We will confirm if you have a place on the walk for numbers/safety reasons. Please note that for insurance reasons all walkers should be aged 18 years or over.
There is no cost to walkers living outside of Ireland.
NameMobile phone number
Please let us know if you are a person with Cystic Fibrosis: Yes No
We will forward you cross infection guidance
For further information please contact or visit our website