The Third Battle of Ypres, universally known as Passchendaele, has epitomised for 100 years the sheer ugliness and cruelty of war. The number of casualties on both sides is thought to have been around half a million. The commemorations in Belgium this week and the widespread media coverage demonstrate how deep are the collective scars. Though the bitterness towards enemies may have faded, it was a missed opportunity not to have commemorated the battle with an equal number of representatives of both sides.