Royal British Legion members from South East Cornwall were part of a poignant pilgrimage to First World War sites.

County RBL chairman and standard bearer Steve Lewis, of Torpoint, and members from towns and villages in the district joined more than 2,000 people who paraded through Ypres to the Menin Gate in Belgium.

The Great Pilgrimage 90 event retraced the same route taken by veterans and widows in 1928, ten years after the Hundred Days Offensive which led to the Armistice of November 11, 1918.

Their journey also followed the same road trodden by Allied soldiers on their way to the front line.  

It is thought that such a large-scale event as the grand parade in Ypres may never be repeated.

County chairman Steve Lewis said: ’We were all so proud to represent our local communities at home, to pay our respects and honour the men of our towns and villages who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to deliver the messages of Remembrance written within the wreaths we laid.

‘Their names will not be forgotten. We all believe we have been part of a truly historic event.’

The ceremony itself, held within the high vaulted arch of the Menin Gate, followed a two day tour of the First World War battle fields, memorials and museums in locations such as Passchendaele, Flanders Fields, Thiepval, and Vimy Ridge.

A full report on the trip and more photos will be in tomorrow’s Cornish Times.