22/09/2026
Day 8 – Armentières to Poperinge Approx. 20 miles
A shorter ride today under overcast skies as we headed from Armentières back towards Poperinge. Less about mileage, more about stopping and taking in the stories along the way.
At Packhorse Farm Shrine Cemetery we found several men from the Lincolnshire Regiment, including the Proctor brothers, both killed on the same day in May 1915. It was another reminder of how these cemeteries hold not just military history, but family loss too.
At Kemmel Chateau Cemetery we came across several remarkable stories, including the grave of Count Ove Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, a Danish nobleman who served as an ordinary private in the Canadian Infantry.
We also met Boyd, a full-time gardener with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. He was a smashing lad and spent time explaining things we had wondered about during the trip. One example was why some headstones touch: sometimes two bodies were recovered together but could not be individually identified, so the stones are placed together over the shared grave.
Another unexpected moment came at Grootebeek British Cemetery, where I found the grave of Private Reginald John Northcott, 10th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment, killed on 26 April 1918 aged just 19. I have no idea whether there is any family connection, but after days of reading hundreds of names, suddenly seeing NORTHCOTT on a headstone stopped me in my tracks.
Once in Poperinge, we visited the old prison and death cells behind the Town Hall. Soldiers could spend a night there for drunkenness or overstaying leave, but some spent their final hours there before ex*****on. The preserved cell and ex*****on courtyard make the “shot at dawn” story very real and very uncomfortable.
We also visited the Hop Museum, which gave us a welcome look at the civilian side of Poperinge. Hops and brewing are a huge part of the town’s identity and a reminder that this was, and still is, a living community rather than simply a place on a battlefield map.
The highlight of the day was arriving at Talbot House – Toc H, where we are actually staying tonight.
Opened in 1915 by Army chaplains including Philip “Tubby” Clayton, Talbot House became an Every Man’s Club. Rank was left at the door and soldiers could come here for tea, reading, music, conversation, worship and simply a little peace away from the front.
It was named after Lieutenant Gilbert Talbot, killed in 1915, and we saw his original wooden battlefield grave cross during our tour.
What makes Talbot House special is that it is still a living museum. You can stay in the old house, sleep in the rooms and walk through the same spaces soldiers used more than a century ago. We had a brilliant tour and saw the Upper Room, Tubby Clayton’s portrait, the old rooms and some wonderful original objects.
And because it is still a working house, Dave provided the day’s lighter moment by wandering through the museum in his towel on the way to the shower.
I’ve also written a song about Talbot House. All my First World War tribute songs are on Spotify and YouTube under The Mercian Road, telling some of the individual stories we’ve been discovering along this journey.
Only around 20 miles today, but one of the richest days of the trip for people, stories and atmosphere.
