Zillebeke Off The Beaten Path

In the battles that took place around Ieper one almost forgets what the civilians that lived in these parts had to go through. They lost everything they owned, just because two fanatic parts of the world decided to colide in their backyard. The few that stayed, often were killed in bombing or shootings. The others, driven from home and land, the people of this part of Flanders, returned after four long years and found nothing. The soil was ruined for a few decades and still every year a few tons of shells, granates and human remains are recovered in the fields and ackres surrounding the villages. Somewhere I read the wonderful fraze "Living in the land of the dead, we will not let ourselves ruled by death ".