Today is a public holiday in Belgium, to mark the end of the First World War. We had a formal civic commemoration at the town hall, with wreaths laid at the local war memorial beside it.

Inside, the municipal leadership posed with the pictures of two Resistance heroes who were recently honoured with Stolpersteine, little memorials fixed into the ground outside their houses.

The mayor made a speech in which he commemorate them but also called for tolerance and understanding at home as well as abroad. “Co-operation unfortunately doesn’t get you many clicks.”

I think an equivalent event in the UK would have had the town hall serving tea and biccies rather than bubbles, especially before lunch.

But I was moved as the brass band struck up the national anthem. (Missed the first line, unfortunately, but it’s similar to the second line.)