Veterans visited the battlefields of Ypres as part of a special anniversary.

A total of 45 veterans, their wives and committee members of Huddersfield Army Veterans Association gathered at the town’s TA Centre ahead of their departure for Belgium.

Their trip was organised to celebrate 120 years of the association.

They arrived in Ypres in time to explore the attractive town centre and town hall, all of which were totally destroyed 100 years ago.

Huddersfield Army Veterans visit Ypres in Belgium - pictured is Veteran Tony Ashcroft at Tyne Cot

The following day they visited the World War One battlefield memorial site Hill 60, followed by the Passchendale museum and then the huge Tyne Cot cemetery where a wreath was laid and the Last Post sounded.

The standard was lowered by veteran Tony Ashcroft and the group continued into the small Colne Valley Cemetery, named by Colne Valley men from the Duke of Wellington’s men who served and fell nearby.

Finally they visited Essex Farm Cemetery, where the famous Flanders Field poem was written by a Canadian major.

Huddersfield Army Veterans visit Ypres battlefields in Belgium - pictured is Frank Smith, the oldest member stood next to the Arthur Poulter VC memorial in Erquinghem-Lys

The veterans returned to Ypres to prepare for a parade to the famous Menin Gate in full uniform.

They were given pride of place so that they could be first in laying a wreath after the Last Post was sounded.

On the final day the veterans visited Erquinghem-Lys to pay their respects to Private Arthur Poulter, a Victoria Cross holder from the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment.

Huddersfield Army Veterans visit Ypres in Belgium - veterans at the Menin Gate

Committee member Robert Sugden said: “Many veterans had not visited the area before and everyone was moved by the sad loss of life that had taken place and the beautifully maintained cemeteries.

“A very warm welcome was given wherever the Huddersfield veterans went and many cameras were trained on them from the multinational crowd – a star attraction indeed and a great compliment to Huddersfield.”

Erquinghem-Lys is the only French town to give the ‘Freedom of the Town’ to a British Regiment, they gave that to The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, on 12 November 2005, for it’s valiant defence of the tow against German troops in April 1918.

They later dedicated a large landscaped roundabout to the Regiment.