The Irish Peace Tower, Mesen

The Irish Peace Tower- Mesen, originally uploaded by - di.

To quote from the Flanders 1917 website ...

We went on an evening walk through the fields and pathways surrounding the Irish Peace Village and this was one of the places we visited.

An Irish Peace Tower was inaugurated by King Albert II of Belgium, Queen Elizabeth of the UK and President Mary McAleese of Ireland some years ago and its quiet park and engraved stones attract a number of visitors.

During the Battle for Messines Ridge in 1917, the 16th Irish Division (southern and largely Catholic) and the 36th Ulster Division (northern and largely Protestant) fought side by side at Wytschaete, about three kilometres from Messines. It was the only time the two divisions went into battle together. The Tower commemorates this fact and those who lost their lives there.

Its construction was financed by the British and Irish governments together with private sponsorship. The inauguration was also the first public event undertaken jointly by a British monarch and a president of Ireland.