On Friday, 14 October 2011 at the Zonnebeke Town Hall students from Britain, Belgium and France will present their declaration for the future of Remembrance and how they can work together to remember the horrors of conflict.
The declaration will be the result of a four day intensive seminar organised by the Royal British Legion, UK and the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917.The two organisations have brought together the young people as part of the Royal British Legion's 90th birthday and part of the Passchendaele Museum's preparations for 2014.
The three nations were the key Allies on the Western Front during World War One, all three suffered terrible losses before the victory of 1918. Both organisations recognise that the events of 1914 - 1918 shaped our countries attitudes to how war dead and conflict are remembered.
"All our landscapes are affected by those years, the Belgian and French through the physical scars and the cemeteries and the UK's by the presence of war memorials in all our villages, towns and cities. All our nations have 11 November as a day of reflection, as we approach the centenary of those events we want the current generations to help preserve and develop the traditions of Remembrance so that they understand the sacrifices those men and women made. That is the purpose of the seminar. " Paula Kitching, the Royal British Legion
The students from the three countries will have the opportunity to discuss attitudes to war in their own countries and to visit memorial sites and battlefields as a group. They are also participating in the Last Post ceremony in Ypres.
The whole seminar is being filmed and will be available to watch online. The declaration will be made to the Alderman of Zonnebeke, Franky Boston of the Memorial Museum Passchendaele and John Farmer National Chairman of the Royal British Legion, who will take it to politicians and decision makers in the three countries.
"This is a great opportunity for two leading organisations to work together to support young people to take an interest in the past and to let them guide us in our future planning." Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 spokesman.
The event is starts at 15.00 at Zonnebeke Town Hall on 14 October 2011 and is open to the media. For further information contact
Paula Kitching This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 07720809481
Robert Lee This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Timby Vansuyt This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
