Today there were ceremonies to mark the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Passendale. The Queen went to the biggest of all the British Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemeteries, Tyne Cot (pictured above). Over twenty years ago I went to this battlefield and the memory of the seemingly endless rows of simple headstones is so moving. Looking at the ages of many of those commemorated - those who died in this terrible of battles is hard to bear. Worse still is the huge wall containing the names of those who died, but whose remains have never been found or identified. When a previous royal visit went to this cemetery 85 years ago he declared it to be one of the most compelling arguments against war - and in favour of peace.
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