Michael Morpurgo’s young companion, Flora Fergusson, didn’t just write an article about the trip: she produced a 32-page book, complete with maps, photos and a note about the author (her, not him). “I knew nothing about Ypres,” she writes. “All I knew was that I was allowed to miss a day of school as it was going to be a very ‘educational’ trip.”
Flora’s tale is full of telling details, from the 6.10am start: “Michael was getting his sat-nav ready…he was anxious about getting the train, but [his wife] Clare was very laid-back about it. This contrast carried on all weekend.”
Once in Ypres, Flora notes the “exceedingly polite” drivers, the “delicious” fried eggs and “enormous” chips. The museum is “fascinating”, but she is most struck by the outdoor sites. “We visited the site of the Christmas truce and I found it truly amazing. I looked down the valley and wondered what a soldier in 1914 would have thought, standing in the same place.”
Later, she goes on, “I saw Private Peaceful’s grave...It was heart-breaking seeing all the names on the graves, some with messages from their families, some with no message at all…[At the Menin Gate] My mouth hung limply open as I stared at the rows and rows of names…I will always vividly remember my weekend and what the soldiers did to save their countries and loved ones.”
Flora ends on a lighter note. “A lady checking the passports said, ‘Are you the Michael Morpurgo?’ and Michael replied, ‘Yes’. As we left, she shrieked ‘WOW!’.”
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