Visitors guide '1917, Total War in Flanders'

Frank Hurley

VISITORS GUIDE

03.06.2017 > 31.12.2017 IEPER | ZONNEBEKE | HEUVELLAND MESEN | LANGEMARK-POELKAPELLE POPERINGE | HOUTHULST

Koen Cornelus: p. 143 (top) Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis: p. 140 Kris Jacobs: p. 45 (top) Library of Congress (USA): p. 10, 11, 30, 87, 89 Lijssenthoek Archive: p. 130 (bottom) Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, Zonnebeke: p. 46, 47, 49, 50, 52, 55 (right), 56, 60, 67, 68, 69 (top), 71, 72, 77 (left), 148 Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr, Dresden (m.d.a Patrick Brion): p. 138 (top) Milo-profi Fotografie: p. 41 Ministère de la Culture, Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine (F): p. 141 (bottom) Ministère de la Défense, Memoire des Hommes (F): p. 116 Ministerie van Defensie, DOVO-SEDEE (Compagnie Poelkapelle): p. 32, 139 (bottom) National Library of New Zealand (NZ): p. 100, 104 (bottom) New Zealand Ministry of Culture and Heritage (NZ): p. 107 (top) New Zealand Rugby Museum (NZ): p. 105, 106 New Zealand Truth (28 August 1915): p. 104 (top) Ontario Archives: p.129 (bottom) Plugstreet 14-18 Experience: p. 111 Provincial Archives of Alberta: p. 154 (right) Provincie West-Vlaanderen: p. 8 & 38 (Instappunt Zuid), 35, 147 (left) Redmond’s Irish Pub: p. 97 Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge: p. 26 Sigfried Debaeke: p. 138 (bottom) Stephan Vanfleteren: p. 133 & 145 (right) Toerisme Heuvelland: p. 79, 93 (bottom) Toerisme Houthulst: p. 137 (bottom)

Toerisme Ieper: p. 8 & 37 (Instappunt Noord), 40 (bottom), 43, 96 (right), 147 (right) Toerisme Langemark-Poelkapelle: p. 151 (right) ’t Oud Gemeentehuis: p. 123 Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg (D): p. 12 (Lustige Blätter, 1917) US National Archives (NARA-USA): p. 118 Westtoer Wilfried Deraeve: p. 120 (right), 121 (top) Wilfried Manhaeve: p. 152 www.westhoekverbeeldt.be (private collection): p. 54

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Legal filing number WD/3029/2017/20 Every effort has been made to ensure that all the information published in this guide was as correct as possible at the moment of going to press. The responsible publisher cannot be held liable for any errors in respect of details such as addresses, telephone numbers, dates, opening times, etc., nor for any consequences arising therefrom. © 2017. All rights reserved. Nothing from the publication can be reproduced, stored in an automatic data file or made public, in whatever manner or by whatever means, whether electronically, mechanically or by copying, without the prior written permission of the responsible publisher. All texts and photographs remain the property of this publisher at all times.

INTRODUCTION The war has been raging for almost three years and has escalated into a worldwide conflict. All the warring nations are determined to do everything they can to achieve final victory. The boundary between military action at the front and other activities behind the front is becoming more blurred.

Science, technology, industry, the economy and society form the cogs in a gigantic war machine that is now operating at full capacity. The scale and intensity of the violence, the mobilization of millions of young men, the use of new weapons and tactics, the human cost and the massive destruction : these are things that have never before been seen in the history of warfare.

On the home front, the civilian populations provide new recruits for the army and supply them with everything they need to fight : food, arms and the other materials of war.

Production and consumption are geared exclusively to the war effort. Many suffer as a result of the shortages this creates.

Governments need powerful propaganda campaigns to avoid a breakdown in morale.

The depiction of the enemy is reduced to a caricature. Nationalism is rampant. In spite of the massive bloodletting on the battlefield and the commitment of all available resources, neither side is able to gain the upper hand. Even so, the leaders on both sides cling to the idea of total victory and the destruction of ‘the other’.

In 1917, the war also escalates in Flanders, with the Third Battle of Ieper as its grim apotheosis. The attempt to break out of the Ieper Salient begins with the explosion of huge underground mines during the Mine Battle or Second Battle of Mesen. One hundred days after the start of the Third Battle of Ieper and half a million casualties later, the front line has advanced by just eight kilometres. Men, animals and machines are stuck fast in the mud.

One hundred years later, the most important First World War museums and sites in the southern part of the Westhoek are ready to commemorate these momentous events.

In Ieper there is a summary exhibition, with war photography by Hurley & Wilkins and reworked contemporary images by Alderman. Zonnebeke tells how the devastated landscape around Passendale influenced the battle. There are also accounts of the roles played by the Irish (Heuvelland), the New Zealanders (Mesen) and the French (Langemark-Poelkapelle and Houthulst), as well as expos about the archaeology of the Mine Battle (Heuvelland), the use of artillery and munitions (Houthulst), the care of the wounded (Poperinge) and the advances in aviation (Langemark-Poelkapelle).

Walking, cycling and car routes will show you the way to the scars in the landscape and the numerous places of remembrance.

Introduction 1

2 

CONTENTS Map

5

IEPER

6 9 35 36

ZONNEBEKE

44 47 68 70

HEUVELLAND

78 81 87 92

EXPO In Flanders Fields Museum INFO-MODULES Ieper Salient What to do in Ieper?

EXPO Passchendaele 1917. Landscape at war INFO-MODULE Tyne Cot Cemetery Visitors Centre What to do in Zonnebeke?

EXPO Zero Hour 7.6.1917 – Archaeology of a Battle EXPO Zero Hour 7.6.1917 – Irish blood and Flemish mud What to do in Heuvelland?

MESEN

98 100 108

LANGEMARK-POELKAPELLE

112 114 118 122

POPERINGE

126 128 132

HOUTHULST

INFO-MODULE Ammunition 1917-2017 INFO-MODULE Drie Grachten What to do in Houthulst?

136 138 140 142

Calendar More publications

144 155

EXPO 100 New Zealand Faces of Messines What to do in Mesen?

EXPO The French army in the Third Battle of Ieper EXPO 1917, a turning point for military aviation What to do in Langemark-Poelkapelle?

INFO-MODULE Lijssenthoek Cemetery Visitors Centre What to do in Poperinge?

Contents 3

IEPER Expo In Flanders Fields Museum Grote Markt 34, 8900 Ieper +32 (0)57 23 92 20 flandersfields@ieper.be www.inflandersfields.be Info-module Entrance point North Hoeve Klein Zwaanhof Kleine Poezelstraat 6 8904 Boezinge (Ieper) Info-module Entrance point East Next to Hooge Crater Museum Meenseweg 467, 8902 Zillebeke (Ieper) Info-module Entrance point South Palingbeek Provincial Park Palingbeekstraat 18, 8902 Zillebeke (Ieper)

ZONNEBEKE Expo Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 Villa Zonnedaele Berten Pilstraat 5c, 8980 Zonnebeke +32 (0)51 77 04 41 info@passchendaele.be www.passchendaele.be Info-module Tyne Cot Cemetery Visitors Centre Vijfwegestraat, 8980 Zonnebeke info@passchendaele.be www.passchendaele.be

HEUVELLAND Expo Heuvelland Visitors Centre & Sint-Laurentius Church Sint-Laurentiusplein 1 8950 Kemmel (Heuvelland) +32 (0)57 45 04 55 toerisme@heuvelland.be www.toerismeheuvelland.be 4 Map

MESEN Expo Tourist Information Point (TIP) Markt 1, 8957 Mesen +32 (0)57 22 17 14 info@mesen.be www.mesen.be

LANGEMARK-POELKAPELLE Expo Guynemer Pavilion Brugseweg 126-128 8920 Langemark-Poelkapelle More info Langemark-Poelkapelle Tourism +32 (0)57 49 09 41 toerisme@langemark-poelkapelle.be www.langemark-poelkapelle14-18.be

POPERINGE Info-module Lijssenthoek Visitors Centre Boescheepseweg 35a, 8970 Poperinge More info Poperinge Tourism +32 (0)57 34 66 76 toerisme@poperinge.be www.toerismepoperinge.be

HOUTHULST Info-module Belgian Military Cemetery Poelkapellestraat 44, 8650 Houthulst Info-module Drie Grachten Ieperleedijkstraat, 8650 Merkem (Houthulst) More info Houthulst Tourism +32 (0)51 46 08 94 toerisme@houthulst.be www.houthulst.be

THE NETHERLANDS London

North Sea

UNITED KINGDOM

FLANDERS FIELDS

Calais

Lille

FRANCE

h ort

N

BELGIUM

Brussels

a

Se

FLANDERS FIELDS Yser

Exhibition Info-module

HOUTHULST LANGEMARK-POELKAPELLE

POPERINGE

YPRES

ZONNEBEKE Lys

HEUVELLAND MESEN Map 5

Diksmuide

Kortemark Hooglede

IEPER

Alveringem LoReninge

Houthulst LangemarkPoelkapelle

Vleteren

Poperinge

Ieper

Heuvelland Mesen

6  Ieper

Staden

Zonnebeke

IN FLANDERS FIELDS MUSEUM

Housed in the rebuilt Cloth Hall in Ieper, this museum has grown to become an important symbol of the misery of war and the rebuilding of the city after the Armistice.

The permanent exhibition will immerse you in the history of the First World War in the West Flanders front region. You will

PRACTICAL Tourism Ieper – In Flanders Fields Museum Grote Markt 34 8900 Ieper

MORE INFO +32 (0)57 23 92 20 flandersfields@ieper.be www.inflandersfields.be 01/04 – 15/11 every day, 10.00 – 18.00 16/11 – 31/03 Tuesday – Sunday, 10.00 – 17.00

learn more about the early months of the war of movement, the four long years of trench warfare in the Westhoek (from the beach at Nieuwpoort to the River Leie at Armentières), the end of the fighting in 1918 and the constant duty of remembrance ever since.

The temporary exhibition in the Royal Hall in the In Flanders Fields Museum will tell the story of the total war that raged during the Mine Battle of Mesen and the Third Battle of Ieper in the summer and autumn of 1917 (see p. 9). The images of the legendary war photographer Frank Hurley have a power like no other to burn these terrible battles into our visual memory (see p. 25). The photo-documentary project Recovering the Past by the London photographer Ian Alderman links a dangerous present day aspect of the war – the work of the DOVO-SEDEE bomb disposal unit – with the wartime past of Australian soldiers serving in the Ieper Salient (see p. 32).

Ieper 7

INFO-MODULES IEPER SALIENT

Entrance point North

Entrance point East

PRACTICAL Entrance point North

Klein Zwaanhof Farm Kleine Poezelstraat 6 8904 Ieper (Boezinge)

Entrance Point South

The three info-modules in the Ieper Salient show the starting position of the Allied armies on the eve of the Third Battle of Ieper. The films allow you to pause and reflect on the storm that was about to break, a storm that drastically redrew the nature of the landscape around Ieper.

8 Ieper

MORE INFO 01/04 – 15/11 every day, 10.00–17.45 16/11 – 31/03 every day, 10.00–16.45 Entrance point East

Next to Hooge Crater Museum Meenseweg 467 8902 Ieper (Zillebeke)

Entrance Point South

Palingbeek Provincial Park Palingbeekstraat 18 8902 Ieper (Zillebeke)

EXPO IN FLANDERS FIELDS MUSEUM

1917, TOTAL WAR IN FLANDERS

In the same way that the attacks of 11 September 2001 marked the start of the 21st century, so the outbreak of the First World War can be regarded as the start of the 20th century. The relatively peaceful 19th century came to an abrupt end in 1914 and the world threw itself into a conflict, the like of which had never been seen before. The roots of this conflict lay in the changing balance of power within Europe. The irreconcilable interests of the different states created almost perpetual international tension.

Feelings were running high and public opinion was excited still further by nationalist passion. In this way, what was initially

a regional conflict developed into a worldwide conflagration. Even so, most people thought that the war would be a short one : the troops would be ‘home by Christmas’.

But the war was destined to continue for four long years, each one more merciless and unrelenting than the last. Belgium was grievously affected from the start. The country was invaded and largely occupied by the Germans. For the next four years, the small Belgian army fought alongside Allied troops at the front in the Westhoek. The Third Battle of Ieper is a sad example of how all-consuming the war had become by 1917.

Ieper 9

TOTAL WAR Never before … had a collision of this scale between different nations taken place … was the number of countries involved so large and the violence so intense … had the whole of society become so involved in the conflict … was the final objective of the war the total destruction of ‘the other side’

ain, where national service in the armed forces had never previously been introduced. Mass ‘citizen’ armies were nothing new. They had been in existence since the end of the 18th century. But never before had their effect on society as a whole been so great.

The warring nations devoted more and more resources to the fighting in an attempt to persuade their populations to accept the need for all-out war.

Did you know ?

The French Prime Minister and Minister of War Georges Clemenceau emphasized the role of the people in the war. In his speech to the French Chamber of Deputies on 20 November 1917, he talked of a guerre intégrale, in which all available manpower and material resources, together with the nation’s psychological and moral strength, should be utilized to achieve final victory.

Mass mobilization ‘All-out war’ meant that everyone and everything in society was expected to support the war effort. In the first instance, this meant the deployment of mass armies. The pre-war professional and volunteer armies were supplemented with huge numbers of conscripts, even in countries like Great Brit10 Ieper

Did you know ?

Until 1909, the Belgian Army was made up of volunteers and young men selected by ballot. It was only in this year that the Belgian government introduced compulsory military service for one son in each family.

As a result of increasing international tension, this was extended on 30 August 1913 to all men older than 18 years of age.

civilians became blurred. By involving the population so heavily in all aspects of the war, they became a legitimate military target, so that there were far more civilian casualties than in any previous military conflict.

Everyone and everything To supply these mass armies, it was necessary to coordinate all economic activity for the production of weapons and other war provisions. At the same time, governments took steps to limit the consumption of their citizens at home. Food and fuel were rationed, and only limited quantities were available. Regulation and control also increased in many other areas of public life.

To keep the war economy operating, every labour vacancy needed to be filled. This not only led to a sharp fall in unemployment, but also saw women take over jobs that had once been thought only suitable for men. The boundary between soldiers and

Moral support The efforts demanded of them weighed heavily on the civilian populations in the warring nations. After just a few years, they were close to exhaustion. The governments tried to maintain morale by organizing large-scale propaganda campaigns, which cultivated an atmosphere of intense patriotism and unbridled nationalism. Both sides were not afraid to portray the enemy as the devil incarnate, a demonization that made the prospect of peace more distant than ever.

Ieper 11

Total resources All the industrialized nations used the very latest developments to make new weapons

with a range, mobility and destructive power that had never before been seen. The huge progress made by technology in the fields of aviation, communication, medicine, chemistry, etc., meant that both sides possessed instruments of war that raised levels of destruction to new and more terrible heights. New extremes of violence led to equally extreme levels of death. Above all, modern artillery had a huge impact, not only on people, but also on the landscape.

Total victory In spite of the mass bloodletting on the battlefields and the commitment of all available national resources, neither side was able to gain the upper hand. It seemed as though the war of attrition would last forever. Even so, political and military leaders continued to cling to their belief in total and unconditional victory. The military destruction of the enemy was no longer enough ; the enemy’s social fabric also needed to be overturned.

Only then was it possible to justify the huge level of sacrifice.

Did you know ?

The Catholic Church was the first organization to make systematic use of propaganda - the manipulation of public opinion - to spread its doctrine. During the First World War, the nation states of Europe did exactly the same. Hence the famous dictum : ‘Truth is the first casualty of war’. Since then, propaganda has become a part of modern life.

12 Ieper

For vengeance ?

It is no coincidence that the term ‘total war’ was coined in the 1930s, when National Socialism was at its height in Germany and its people were being made ready to fight a second global conflict.

The phrase was first used in the book Der Totale Krieg (1935) by Erich von Ludendorff (1865-1937), the general who had been the right-hand man of Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg during the First World War. Ludendorff thought that the German people had not committed itself fully during the war years. In contrast to Clemenceau, he thought that all aspect of society should fall under military control whenever war broke out.

Ieper 13

Final sketch of the British plan of attack for the planned offensive in Flanders, 18 May 1917.

14  Ieper

1917 IN FLANDERS After the end of the Second Battle of Ieper in May 1915, the front in Flanders stabilized. The major offensives in 1916 were fought elsewhere. However, in the spring of 1917 a new major offensive for the front in Belgium was planned.

Breaking the stalemate Since the autumn of 1914, the Germans had held the ridges around Ieper. The frontline bulged in the shape of a huge inverted S, passing around the city in the north and around the village of Wijtschate in the south. From these strategically favourable positions, the German troops had excellent observation over the entire region. During the winter of 1914 – 1915 and in the summer of 1917 trench warfare continued to rage, but neither side was able to force a breakthrough. Field Marshal Haig, who had been

the British commander-in-chief on the Western Front since December 1915, hoped to be able to break this stalemate. In the spring of 1917, his plan gradually took shape. His aim was to breech the German lines around Ieper, occupy the surrounding ridges, and push on to the railhead at Roeselare.

Once this had been achieved, a supporting offensive would be launched along the Flemish coast, assisted by an amphibious landing at Ostend. This would result in a two-pronged attack against the Channel ports which served as bases for German submarines, followed by a further advance into the hinterland that would roll up the German front.

Disagreement There was no agreement in the British ranks about the best way to carry out this planned offensive. Haig wanted to go for a quick and large-scale breakthrough.

Ieper 15

It is a weird, awful and terrible sight, yet somehow wildly beautiful.

For my part, Ypres as it now is, has a curious fascination and aesthetically is far more interesting than the Ypres that was.

Frank Hurley, 4 september 1917

However, the generals responsible for the attack – Herbert Plumer (commander of the British Second Army) and Henry Rawlinson (commander of the British Fourth Army) favoured a step-by-step approach.

They argued that the artillery should first destroy limited sections of the German defences, following which these sections would be occupied by the infantry advancing across no-man’s-land. The British War Cabinet was also in favour of these ‘bite-

and-hold’ tactics. This seemed to offer the best prospects of success against the German system of ‘defence in depth’, which since the end of 1916 had been based on a series of mutually supporting concrete bunkers. This allowed them to reduce the number of men in the front line, building up a reserve that could be used for counter­ attacks to eliminate any enemy successes against the forward positions.

Douglas Haig The British commander-in-chief Douglas Haig commanded several major military operations on the Western Front : the Battle of Neuve-Chapelle (1915), the Battle of the Somme (1916), the Battle of Arras and the Third Battle of Ieper (1917). The loss of human life was so tremendously high that his men give him the nickname of ‘Butcher Haig’. Even so, after the war he received numerous public honours and awards.

16 Ieper

On 7 May, Haig announced his plan for a summer campaign to his generals. Hubert Gough, commander of the British Fifth Army, was to be in overall charge of the offensive. This cavalry officer was known for the stubbornness with which he persisted with attacks, irrespective of losses.

Haig pushed through his own wishes, opting for a quick, large-scale breakthrough over a wide front and ignoring the concerns of the War Cabinet.

The overture – the Battle of Messines The Third Battle of Ieper was actually a series of attacks and counterattacks over a number of months. The preparations were started as early as April 1916. The battle commenced on 31 July 1917 and continued until 12 November 1917.

The first objective was the capture of the Mesen (Messines) Ridge. General Plumer

ordered mines to be set under the German positions over a length of 15 kilometres.

On 7 June 1917, 19 of these 24 deep mines were exploded. This carefully prepared operation was successful. 80,000 troops from nine divisions stormed the ridge with relatively light losses, although the New Zealanders met with strong resistance in the town of Mesen itself. The mine at Petit-­ Douve, which should have assisted their attack, was discovered by the Germans and destroyed.

Tunnel rats In his novel Birdsong (1993) the British author Sebastian Faulks paints a chilling picture of the activities of the ‘tunnel rats’, the rough mineworkers and tunnel-­ makers who dug the mines under the German lines.

Ieper 17

In spite of the success of the Mine Battle, the British failed to push on to the Geluveld plateau, behind which the mass of the German artillery was positioned. As a result, the flank of the Ieper Salient continued to be threatened by their guns. To make matters worse, it was not until 31 July 1917 that the main offensive was launched, giving the Germans plenty of time to strengthen their defences.

Hush and Strandfest A vital part of Haig’s plan was the attack by the British XV Corps along the coast at Nieuwpoort, supported by a seaborne landing at Ostend, known as Operation Hush.

It was intended that this attack should be launched at the same time as the attacks around Ieper, but the Germans acted first.

18  Ieper

On 10 July 1917, the German Marine Division launched Operation Strandfest, which captured the British bridge-head on the far side of the River IJzer at Nieuwpoort. Their advance was supported by 200 aeroplanes.

This German success made the British plans for an attack along the coast much more difficult, because they would now first have to re-cross the IJzer.

Not Geluveld, but Pilkem On 16 July, the British began a massive artillery bombardment to prepare the ground for their offensive in the Ieper Salient. On 31 July, 100,000 troops from nine divisions attacked the German positions. In the north, the French First Army formed a defensive flank to protect the advance of the British Fifth Army. The German Fourth Army, under

Did you know ?

The renowned German author Ernst Jünger served as a young lieutenant in the fighting at Pilkem. In his book In Stahlgewittern (published as Storm of Steel in English) he described in his inimitable style the chaos and horror of the battle.

the command of General Sixt von Armin, had taken all possible measures to meet the offensive. In the centre and on the left – the zone where the British artillery could fire accurately – the infantry advanced two and a half kilometres, over Pilkem ridge and as far as the Steenbeek stream. The British also captured Stirling Castle and Bellewaerde ridge, but the crucial Geluveld plateau remained in German hands.

A fine day’s work (Haig) The British troops only reached half way to their planned objectives : they had taken the ridge at Pilkem, but not at Geluveld. To achieve this, they suffered between 30 and 60% casualties. In particular, the German counterattacks caused heavy losses. Moreover, the German artillery behind Geluveld was still in a position to fire on future British attacks. Even so, Haig spoke of ‘a fine day’s work’ and Gough called it a ‘clear success’. In the meantime, heavy and persistent rain turned the battlefield into a swamp, which made the movement of troops and material extremely difficult. After an advance of two kilometres, the offensive was halted on 2 August.

Resumption without result General Gough decided to abandon the direct assault of the Geluveld plateau, knowing that a new frontal attack on this high ground would break against the strong German defences. Instead, he decided to attack over a broader front. However, the results of the Battle of Langemark on 16

Ieper 19

August were disappointing, mainly due to lack of effective artillery support. Only in the north were some minor advances made, with the French reaching their objectives on the Kortebeek and Sint-Jansbeek streams.

The 29th Division was the only British unit

Did you know ?

The German commander-in-chief, the Bavarian Crown Prince Rupprecht, noted in his diary that British prisoners of war ‘am liebsten ihre eigenen Offiziere erschossen, die sie auf die Schlachtbank führten.

Es sei genug der Schlächterei !’ (would like nothing more than to shoot their own officers who have sent them to this slaughter-house ; they have had enough of slaughter !)

20 Ieper

to capture all its objectives. Although Langemark was taken, there was no breakthrough.

The British were starting to get desperate.

Improving positions Although the prospects were bleak, Haig stuck to his original plan. Gough accepted this and the War Cabinet also agreed to the continuation of the offensive, even though its stated objectives had not been reached.

In the second half of August, up to 12 September, the British launched a series of local attacks to try and improve their positions. Little ground was won and casualties were high. On 25 August, Haig entrusted the capture of the Geluveld plateau to Hubert Plumer’s Second Army. More cautious than Gough, Plumer decided on a step-by-step approach. In the meantime, the warm weather during the pause in the offensive had dried out the battlefield.

Plumer in command On 20 September, Plumer’s Second Army attacked along a 10-kilometre front on both sides of the Menin Road. The objective was an advance of just one and a half kilometres, with the artillery playing a key role both before and during the attack. The bombardment was the heaviest so far.

The German 121st Division and the Royal Bavarian Ersatz Division were hard hit and forced to retreat. The German counter­ attack troops made little progress. The ‘bite-and-hold’ tactics seemed to be working. After seven weeks, the front had now moved forward some six kilometres.

Polygon Wood and Broodseinde New attacks at Polygon Wood and Zonnebeke confirmed the apparent success of the new tactics, although losses continued to be high. The British advances put a huge strain on the German system of defence in depth. Haig planned a third ‘bite-and-hold’ attack for 4 October. This time the objective was the capture of the ridge at Broodseinde by the First and Second Australian Divisions and the storming of ’s Graventafel by the New Zealand Division. This was achieved after heavy fighting and the British also took part of Poelkapelle. However, once again no progress was made along the Menin Road.

Ieper 21

By now, Plumer had had enough and he decided to close down the 4 October offensive. The key parts of the ridge were still in German hands. Casualties had been huge.

Did you know ?

The Commonwealth of Nations or British Commonwealth is a union of 53 countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland (until 1949), Canada, India, Australia and New Zealand. Hundreds of thousands of Commonwealth soldiers lost their lives during the First World War. Many of them are buried in Belgium.

Passendale I On 4 October, it began to rain again. The ground soon became impassable, so that guns and munitions could no longer be moved forwards. Everything sank in the mud. Against the advice of Gough and Plumer, Haig decided to press on with the attacks. In spite of his misgivings, Prime Minister Lloyd George also did nothing to stop the offensive. An attempt to capture Passendale on 9 October was stopped dead by German barbed wire and machinegun fire, although there were minor gains further north. A new attack on 12 October suffered the same fate, with even bigger losses, particularly amongst the New Zealanders. Haig realized that any further attacks could only take place in good weather. In the meantime, the Germans abandoned their system of flexible defence and once again began heavily manning their front line.

22 Ieper

Passendale II By the end of October, the Allies had fought their way into a deadly salient in front of Passendale – a village that should have been taken on the first day of the offensive in July. The Canadian Corps under the command of Arthur Currie relieved the exhausted British, Australian and New Zealand divisions. Like Plumer, Currie favoured ‘bite-and-hold’. Currie planned three successive ‘bites’ : heavy bombardments followed by limited advances of half a kilometre over a narrow three-kilometre front.

On 26 October, the Canadians succeeded in capturing the forward line of German bunkers after bitter hand-to-hand fighting. A second advance was made on 30 October.

Losses continued to be horrific, with most units losing more than 50% of their men.

We arrived at Hooge, where the tunnellers are excavating a series of underground dugouts, which will be occupied by the headquarters of our infantry. It is a wretched job as they are working 25 feet below the surface level and most of the time knee-deep in mud. From the roof trickles water and mud, which they jocularly term ‘hero juice’, on account of it percolating through tiers and tiers of buried corpses.

Frank Hurley, 17 september 1917

Ieper 23

Even so, on 6 November the Canadians finally stormed the village of Passendale.

At long last, the ridge was now largely in Allied hands, although a section near Westrozebeke and the plateau at Geluveld were still held by the Germans, notwithstanding a final attack on 10 November.

The end and the balance Field Marshal Douglas Haig brought the Third Battle of Ieper to a close on 12 November 1917. The break-out from the Ieper Salient had failed ; the ground won was negligible. To make matters worse, this ground was difficult to defend and was surrendered almost without a fight in the spring of 1918. Total losses in the fighting were somewhere in the region of 450,000, a staggering figure for an exchange of territory of just eight kilometres.

24 Ieper

Third Battle of Ieper 1917 Phase 1 31 July-28 August Battle of Pilkem Ridge (31 July) Battle of Westhoek Ridge (10 August) Battle of Langemark (16 August) Phase 2 20 September-12 October Battle of the Menin Road Ridge (20 September) Battle of Polygon Wood (26 September) Battle of Broodseinde (4 October) Battle of Poelkapelle (9 October) First Battle of Passendale (12 October) Phase 3 26 October -10 November Second Battle of Passendale (26 October-10 November)

FRANK HURLEY & THE THIRD BATTLE OF IEPER

Together with his colleague, Second Lieutenant Hubert Wilkins, and assisted by just a driver and one or two other support staff, he set to work. He was under the nominal control of the department run by Charles Bean, the official historian of the Australian Army, who attached great importance to the accurate and objective recording of the realities of war. This was largely the task of Wilkins. Hurley’s job was to provide photographs for use in the press and propaganda.

Moving and perceptive

The mental image that we now have of the terrible conditions at the front during the Third Battle of Ieper has been formed to a considerable degree by the impressive wartime photographs of Frank Hurley : a shellblasted landscape of water-filled craters, scattered with ruins and populated by shadowy silhouettes, who on closer examination turn out to be people.

Wartime memory In the summer of 1917, the Australian Army appointed Frank Hurley to document their war effort on film and in photographs. He was given the rank of captain, which allowed him to travel the front unhindered.

The dangerous circumstances in which Hurley and Wilkins worked meant that it was not always possible to respect this strict division of tasks. The tremendous impact made by the war on both photographers is evident from every page of the diary that Hurley kept while he was at the front. He noted in detail the places he visited, the actions he saw and the effect this had on him. Working in the eye of the storm but with the detachment of a true professional photographer, Hurley was an astute and perceptive witness of the war. Together with his diary, his poignant photographs and films are a moving testimony of one of the worst conflicts in human history.

Systematic Hurley and Wilkins arrived at the front near Ieper at the end of August 1917. For several days, Bean guided them around the cratered landscape of the battlefields that would be their place of work. What he saw made a huge impression on Hurley. In his diary he wrote : ‘What a devilish sight it was. Every­ thing to the horizon has been shot away.’

Ieper 25

In an effort to visually record every aspect of the merciless fighting, Hurley worked systematically. He shot a series of photographs and films in which he detailed the artillery, the tunnel-builders, prisoners of war, the trenches, the battlefield, and troops marching to the front.

Mad In particular, the photographs made by Hurley when he went forward hard on the heels

of advancing Australian troops are especially powerful. He was constantly searching for the single image that would capture the very essence of the war. To achieve this, he was willing to risk falling victim to a sniper’s bullet or deadly fragments of shell. He was frequently under fire and was soon known as ‘the mad photographer ‘. By recording the heat of battle in this sensational manner, Hurley not only wished to inform the Australian public about the true nature of the war, but also pay tribute to

An adventurous life Born in 1885, Hurley had led a colourful and adventurous life before he arrived in Flanders during the First World War. At the age of just thirteen, he left home to go and work in the steel industry. After a few years, he returned to his parents, went to college and qualified as a technician. However, his love of photography was destined to determine the course of his life. In 1905, he became a professional photographer, specializing in the production of picture postcards. His experimental techniques and the originality of his compositions soon marked him out as a man of rare talent. In 1911, he took part in the expedition to the South Pole led

by Douglas Mawson. Three years later, he was back in Antarctica as the photographer for Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

The expedition’s attempt to cross the continent via the South Pole failed and their ship became trapped in pack ice, where it was crushed to splinters.

Hurley charted the destruction of the ship in a series of photographs that can now be regarded as a kind of timelapse photography avant la lettre. To finance his adventures, he also made a number of visits to photograph Java, with his images being used to attract tourists to this exotic destination.

26 Ieper

the heroism of the Australian soldiers. His sensitivity towards the misery of war is clear in many of his diary entries.

Photoshopping?

His feverish but ultimately fruitless search for the ultimate image finally made Hurley realize that the reality of the war was too overwhelming to make this possible. He found a solution by making composite photographs constructed from several different images, which in his opinion reflected the truth about the war in a more powerful and more believable way. However, this method of working was not accepted by his superior Bean, who regarded Hurley’s montages as unacceptable manipulations.

Bean was concerned that the photos would affect his credibility as a factual historian.

In this he was supported by the army leadership. Hurley refused to back down and so resigned from his post.

Ieper 27

28  Ieper

Ieper 29

Did you know ?

Other photographers have also had similar problems with the ‘dry’ photographic depiction of war, believing that such images fail to reflect the full emotional intensity of reality. A famous photograph

by Alexander Gardner, one of the very first war photographers, shows a dead sniper at his post during the American Civil War in 1863. It later transpired that Gardner had given reality a helping hand by having the body positioned there. The most famous photograph by the legendary Frank Capa – the death of a Republican fighter during the Spanish Civil War – is now also believed to have been posed.

Leaving Flanders In the meantime, Hurley had received permission to exhibit his montages in the spring of 1918 at the Grafton Galleries in London under the title Australian War Pictures and Photographs. The army staff allowed him to display six of his composites, on condition that this was made clear to the viewing public. Hurley withdrew his resignation and returned to duty. On 9 November 1917, he was ordered to provide visual material for the reporting of the war in Egypt and Palestine. Hurley left Flanders with the feeling that his work there was finished.

30 Ieper

Public success but lack of official recognition In May 1918, the public were able to admire Hurley’s composites in London. The most impressive piece was the photograph entitled The Raid, a 6 by 4.75 metre enlargement that even today has lost none of its spectacular power. The exhibition was a huge success, with up to a thousand visitors each day. Hurley was satisfied, but the disagreement about his use of composite photographs continued to follow him. For his work during the Third Battle of Ieper Hurley was only mentioned in despatches, whereas Wilkins was awarded the Military Cross.

His relations with the army deteriorated to such an extent that he resigned his commission again on 11 July 1918. In later years, he concentrated almost exclusively on photographic work in Antarctica.

Ieper 31

IAN ALDERMAN. RECOVERING THE PAST Two related worlds The London photographer Ian Alderman has been working for the past five years on the Recovering the Past project, which involves making a series of collages of two different photographs, related in theme but widely separated by time and distance.

One photograph is a contemporary digital image in high resolution of the work of the DOVO bomb disposal unit, whereas the other is a First World War photograph of Australian soldiers in Belgium or France.

The historical photographs used by Alderman are glass negatives, for which modern scans are available. He selects his images on the basis of their narrative content, visual clarity and artistic merit. His montages combine the dangers of the wartime past and the dangers that the relics of that past still pose today for the men of DOVO. The munitions in each picture form the link between both stories.

Alderman was inspired for the creation of his montages by the painting The Menin Gate at Midnight by the Australian artist William Longstaff and by the photographic composites of the legendary Frank Hurley.

In this way, the Recovering the Past project not only testifies to the bravery of Australian troops at the front in Flanders, but at the same time also pays tribute to the courage of the Belgian bomb disposal operatives of today. These two worlds, brought together in a single image, complement and reinforce each other. Where possible, this visual dia32 Ieper

logue is strengthened by additional elements, such as written notes, or by making visual links ; for example, between the primitive gasmasks of the war years and the modern biochemical protective suits worn

by DOVO.

Did you know ?

Each year DOVO-SEDEE collects some 150 tons of explosives in West Flanders. Until 1972, all wartime ‘duds’ were dumped in the North Sea. Since this was forbidden by law, DOVO now brings all collected munitions to their storage depot in Poelkapelle, where specialists clean and sort the shells by hand, before dealing with them on the basis of their country of origin (German, British, French) and type (detonator, calibre, length). Explosive-based shells are buried in an open field and blown up. The 5% of toxic shells with chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas are dismantled in a safe facility and neutralized.

Ian Alderman about Recovering the Past ‘This project gives visual recognition to two different stories, separated in time by 100 years. My sympathy for the men who fought in the Ieper Salient is matched by my respect for the bomb and mine clearance teams of DOVO. I do not feel any need to actually visit a war zone, so that I can photograph the direct consequences at first hand. But I feel great empathy with those who in the past had no other choice. It is impossible to explain how ordinary people – bakers, farm labourers, park keepers – dealt with the daily horrors of war : cut off from their

normal peaceful way of life, thousands of miles away from everything that was dear to them, forced to take part in a European war, where all that awaited them was death and burial in foreign soil. What must it have felt like for those who returned home safely, only to discover that their sacrifices and wartime experiences were not given the merit they deserved ? These are the questions that return to me each time I revisit the Ieper Salient. I have no answers to these questions, but the images in this project at least testify to my thoughts. Recovering the Past does not give the Australian troops a voice, but at least provides a forum in which they can be seen and recognized.’

Ieper 33

Houthulst Forest

Bikschote Steenstraat

Poelkapelle Langemark

Pilkem

Boezinge

Passendale St.Juliaan Gravenstafel Broodseinde

Ieper

Polygon Wood

Hooge

Beselare Dikkebus

Geluveld St.Eloois

Wijtschate

Allied line on 7 June 1917 British advance by 15 June 1917 Allied line on 31 July 1917

Mesen

British advance by 4 October 1917 Allied line on 10 November 1917

Nieuwkerke

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7 km.

The progress of the Third Battle of Ieper, from the starting position on 7 June 1917 to the end of the fighting on 10 November 1917

34  Ieper

INFO-MODULES

IEPER SALIENT

31 July 1917. After a week-long heavy artillery bombardment of the German positions, the Allied infantry went ‘over the top’. The plan of commander-in-chief Douglas Haig was to break through the German front, advance on the Channel ports and perhaps even achieve final victory. However, things turned out very differently. The British and French divisions battered themselves to pieces in desperate attacks against the well-­prepared enemy defences. Bad weather and fierce German resistance resulted in four months of intense human suffering for both sides.

The entrance points North, East and South in the Ieper Salient highlight the preparation, implementation and outcome of the attack during the first days of the Third Battle of Ieper.

Entrance point North In the house of the rebuilt Klein Zwaanhof farm you will find information about the fighting that took place in the northern part of the Salient along the frontline that ran from Wieltje and Pilkem Ridge to the Canal

Zone at Boezinge. On 31 July, the Guards advance from this latter village, their left flank supported by French troops further along the canal.

Entrance point East This info-module is located alongside the memorial chapel, next to the rebuilt Hooge Chateau (now Hotel Kasteelhof ‘t Hooghe) and opposite the impressive Hooge Crater Cemetery. This was the crucial central sector of the 31 July offensive, with the capture of the Menin Road and the Geluveld plateau as the main objectives. The fighting was heavy and the casualties high.

Entrance point South In the Palingbeek provincial park you will learn more about the British and Commonwealth divisions who fought in the southern sector of the Salient : from Hill 60 (Wervikstraat, Zillebeke) to Sint-Elooi. The heavy artillery bombardments and the explosion of huge mines transformed the landscape into an unrecognizable confusion of craters.

Ieper 35

36

IJzer

Hoo

zer

WHAT TO DO IN IEPER ?

Staden

Houthulst

em

N8

Lo-Reninge

LangemarkPoelkapelle

Vleteren

4 N8

3

N38

Poperinge

1 2 11

8

12 Heuvelland

In Flanders Fields Museum Grote Markt 34, 8900 Ieper The In Flanders Fields Museum tells the historical story of the First World War in the West Flanders front region.

2 Menin Gate Menenstraat, 8900 Ieper This famous Commonwealth memorial from the First World War commemorates the names of 54,896 missing soldiers. The Last Post is played here at 8 o’clock each evening.

36 Ieper

Zonnebeke

7 8 10

IEPER

N3

1

6

9 A1

R33

5

N38

N8

A19

9 13

ie

Le

Mesen

3 Essex Farm Cemetery and John McCrae site Diksmuidseweg 146, 8904 Boezinge (Ieper) It was at this cemetery in May 1915 that the Canadian doctor John McCrae wrote his world famous poem In Flanders Fields.

4 Entrance point Ieper Salient North, Klein Zwaanhof farm and Yorkshire Trench Kleine Poezelstraat 6, 8904 Boezinge (Ieper)

7

Hooge Crater Museum and entrance point Ieper Salient East Meenseweg 467, 8902 Zillebeke (Ieper) A private museum with life-size reconstructions of scenes from the First World and a wide collection of weapons, equipment and photographs. The nearby entrance point explains the formation of the front and subsequent events in this central sector of the Salient.

This entrance points gives information about the formation and evolution of the northern sector of the Salient. The former British Yorkshire Trench, now an educative site, is within easy walking distance.

5 New Irish Farm Cemetery Briekestraat, 8900 Sint-Jan (Ieper) A Commonwealth cemetery with the graves of more than 4,500 fallen soldiers.

6 Saint Charles de Potyze Military Cemetery Zonnebeekseweg 385, 8900 Ieper This cemetery is the last resting place of more than 4,000 French soldiers, 600 of them in a mass grave.

8 Hooge Crater Cemetery Meenseweg 479, 8902 Zillebeke (Ieper) 5,800 Commonwealth servicemen are buried here. The cemetery was begun in October 1917, when Hooge was captured by the Allies at the start of the Third Battle of Ieper.

Ieper 37

9 Hill 60 Zwarteleenstraat, 8902 Zillebeke (Ieper)

one of the largest British cemeteries in the Westhoek. Its garden architecture makes Bedford House a unique site.

12 Mine crater Sint-Elooi Rijselseweg 214, 8902 Voormezele (Ieper) The British and Germans exploded many mines around the hamlet of SintElooi. The largest crater is the result of the explosion of a deep mine at the start of the Mine Battle in June 1917.

13 Entrance point Ieper Salient South, the Bluff Palingbeek provincial park, Palingbeekstraat 18, 8902 Zillebeke (Ieper)

This man-made hill from 1850 is known first and foremost for the underground war that was fought here during the First World War. The current landscape is the result of the explosion of a deep mine on 7 June 1917.

10 Hill 62 Canadalaan, 8902 Zillebeke (Ieper) This strategically important hill was captured by the Germans in June 1916, but was soon retaken by Canadian troops, albeit with massive losses.

11 Bedford House Cemetery Rijselseweg 152, 8902 Zillebeke (Ieper) This cemetery is situated in the former grounds of Rosendael Chateau and is

38  Ieper

This entrance point gives access to a unique wartime landscape, as well as providing information about the underground war and the evolution of the southern sector of the Salient.

CYCLING Ieper Salient Route (36 km) The Ieper Salient was created at the end of 1914 and formed an arc around the city.

Both sides dug in and developed complex networks of trenches and mine tunnels.

From May 1915 until August 1917, the position in the ‘small’ Ieper Salient remained more or less unchanged. More than half a million men of 50 different nationalities died here. As a result, the Salient was one of the Ieperboog most notorious spots on the Western Front. This cycle route will take you around and between the old front lines.

Passchendaele 1917, Hill 60 and the John Mc Crae site transport you back to the years between 1914 and 1918.

Start Ieper The route maps can be purchased at Ieper Tourist Office or online via shop.westtoer.be

de westhoek

Ypres Salient

FIETSROUTE 14-18 • CYCLE ROUTE 14-18 ITINÉRAIRE CYCLISTE 14-18 • FAHRRADROUTE 14-18

36 km

Start Ieper

Mine Battle Route (42 km) See p. 94

BY CAR Ypres Salient Car Route (70 km) This car route traces the story of the front around Ieper and the Great War in the Westhoek. Important sites of interest like Tyne Cot Cemetery, the Students’ Cemetery in Langemark, the Memorial Museum

IN THE SPOTLIGHT ComingWorldRememberMe CWRM wants to remember, help, reflect and connect. With this aim in mind, it brings together people from all around the world in organized workshops. In these workshops, everyone can make a clay model that remembers every victim of the First World War in Belgium. By the end of the 14 – 18 commemorative period, we hope to have 600,000 of these models.

In the spring of 2018, all 600,000 models will be given a central place in a glass land art installation by the artist Koen Van­me­ che­len in the Palingbeek provincial park in Ieper, a site that was once part of no-man’s land during the war years. This was a place where there was always fierce fighting and

Ieper 39

the installation will remind us of the futility of war : yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Through the engagement of all involved, this work of art will become a symbol of peace that transcends borders and generations.

More info Workshop Ieper Tue.-Sat., 13.30–18.00 De Kazematten, Bollingstraat 1, Ieper +32 (0)58 62 39 29 www.cwrm.be cwrm@vzwkunst.be www.facebook.com/ comingworldrememberme

Remembrance trees

It takes about 15 minutes to make a model and costs 5 euros. Half of this amount is donated directly to organizations that help children in physical or psychological need as a result of war situations. Each model-­ maker receives a certificate and a dog-tag with the CWRM stamp. The project is an initiative of the Province of West Flanders and forms part of the large-scale Gone­ West/Reflections on the Great War programme of events.

In the countryside around Ieper the old front lines of the period 1915 to 1917 are subtly marked by 138 remembrance trees. Aerial photographs attached to the trees – all highstemmed elms – allow comparison of the situation then and now. With the Ypres Salient Trees-application, you can digitally explore the landscape of the old battlefields.

Take part in this unique project.

You can make your model at one of the permanent workshops in Ieper and Nieuwpoort, or you can sponsor the project online. Or would you perhaps like to organize a mobile workshop ?

The app can be downloaded for free via the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

40 Ieper

Menin Gate

The Last Post

The Menin Gate is the most famous Commonwealth war memorial in Flanders. The stone panels are engraved with the names of 54,896 soldiers who went missing in the Ieper Salient and have no known grave.

The names include British soldiers before 16 August 1917 and all the troops from overseas territories (except New Zealand). The British missing after 15 August 1917 are commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Passendale (Zonnebeke). The Menin Gate was built on the site of a medieval city gate and was a spot passed by many thousands of Commonwealth troop on their way to the front in the Ieper Salient.

Since 1928, the Last Post – the final salute to the fallen – has been played every evening at 8 o’clock under the Menin Gate.

This sober ceremony is performed by the buglers of the Last Post Association. At 11 o’clock on 11 November, a special Last Post is held to commemorate the Armistice in 1918. Because the enemies of yesteryear lost equal numbers of their sons and fathers, they are now involved in this solemn annual act of remembrance.

Ieper 41

THEMED ITINERARIES 1917 tour Day programme 10.00 – 12.00 : In Flanders Fields Museum (see p. 7) Lakenhallen (Cloth Hall),

Grote Markt 34, 8900 Ieper

Passchendaele tour Day programme 10.00 – 12.00 : Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 (see p. 45) Berten Pilstraat 5,

8980 Zonnebeke 12.00 – 13.30 : lunch 13.30 – 14.30 : Polygon Wood (see p. 71)

12.00 – 13.30 : lunch 14.00 – 14.30 : Heuvelland Visitors Centre (see p. 79) Sint-Laurentiusplein 1,

8950 Heuvelland (Kemmel) 14.30 – 15.00 : Pool of Peace (see p. 93) Kruisstraat, 8953 Heuvelland

(Wijtschate)

Lange Dreve 5, 8980 Zonnebeke

14.30 – 15.30 : Tyne Cot Cemetery (see p. 46) Tynecotstraat 22,

8980 Zonnebeke (Passendale)

15.30 – 16.30 : Tyne Cot Cemetery (see p. 46) Tynecotstraat 22,

8980 Zonnebeke (Passendale)

42 Ieper

16.00 – 17.00 : Guynemer Pavilion (see p. 113) Brugseweg 126-128,

8920 Langemark-Poelkapelle (Poelkapelle) 17.30 – 18.30 : Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery (see p. 127) Boescheepseweg 35,

8970 Poperinge

TASTY ADDRESS Hooge Crater Museum Opposite Hooge Crater Cemetery, there is a unique First World War museum and theme cafe, housed in a restored chapel.

The life-size reconstructions of wartime scenes, as well as the large collection of weapons, equipment and photographs, mean that this museum is not to be missed.

You can also admire the extensive collection of trench art, while enjoying a delicious regional dish and a local Wipers Times beer in the pleasant cafeteria. Next to the museum stands the Ieper Salient entrance point East.

You can find other tasty addresses in and around Ieper on www.flandersfields.be/en

Hooge Crater Museum Meenseweg 467 8902 Zillebeke (Ieper) +32 (0)57 46 84 46 www.hoogecrater.com

Ieper 43

Hooglede Alveringem

LoReninge

ZONNEBEKE Vleteren

Houthulst Staden

Moorslede

Poperinge Ieper

Zonnebeke

Wervik

Heuvelland Mesen

44  Zonnebeke

Roeselare

LangemarkPoelkapelle

MEMORIAL MUSEUM PASSCHENDAELE 1917

The MMP 1917 tells the poignant story of the First World War in a gripping manner, with a special focus on the Third Battle of Ieper, otherwise known as the Battle of Passendale. Between 31 July and 10 Novem-

PRACTICAL Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917

ber 1917, some 450,000 men were lost, for a gain in territory of just eight kilometres.

For this reason, ‘Passchendaele’ has become a symbol of the mindless futility of total war. The MMP combines the interactive display of a contemporary museum, with the remarkable experience of the Dugout (an underground shelter) and the Trench.

Berten Pilstraat 5A 8980 Zonnebeke

MORE INFO +32 (0)51 77 04 41 info@passchendaele.be www.passchendaele.be Events: www.passchendaele2017.org Open every day from 09.00 – 18.00 Zonnebeke 45

VILLA ZONNEDAELE & TYNE COT CEMETERY

The exhibition Passchendaele 1917. Landscape at War in Villa Zonnedaele shows how the landscape in 1917 forced both sides to change their tactics, methods of attack and logistics. The physical and psychological impact of the crater landscape on the morale of the troops is also highlighted. The grounds of Zonnebeke Chateau, in which both the MMP 1917 and the local tourist office are located, are an ideal

starting-point for an exploration of the battlefields of 1917.

The well-known Tyne Cot Cemetery is less than three kilometres away. The new visitors centre in this cemetery, the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world, has an interactive and panoramic orientation table, which teaches you how to interpret a landscape destroyed by war.

PRACTICAL Villa Zonnedaele

Berten Pilstraat 5C 8980 Zonnebeke Open every day from 10.30 – 17.30

Tyne Cot Cemetery Visitors Centre

Vijfwegestraat 8980 Zonnebeke Open every day from 10.00 – 18.00

46 Zonnebeke

EXPO VILLA ZONNEDAELE

PASSCHENDAELE 1917.

LANDSCAPE AT WAR

One of the features of the Third Battle of Ieper was the influence that the ‘new landscape’ had on different aspects of the way the war was waged. By 1917, the battle zone was no longer a green and vegetated landscape, as had largely been the case during the First and Second Battles of Ieper (1914 – 15), but had been reduced to a confused mass of craters, mud and bunkers. This change in the state of the ground hampered both transport and communi-

cation. In the desolate moonscape, it was harder for troops to know where they were and there was also an absence of shelter.

Even the introduction of new equipment was not enough to keep the mud in check. The extreme conditions were a severe mental and physical trial for the troops. The impact of the new landscape on the conduct of the battle was total. But to understand events during 1917, it is first necessary to know something about the pre-war situation.

Zonnebeke 47

THE PRE-WAR SITUATION Ieper is ringed to the south and east by the West Flanders hill country (Heuvelland) and the Mid-West Flanders ridge. This semi-­ circular zone of undulating higher ground acts as the watershed between the rivers Leie and IJzer, with a succession of elevations and depressions in the space of just a few kilometres. The area is bounded to the north and south by wide valleys.

Settlements In 1914, Ieper was the largest and most important urban centre. By Belgian standards, it was a relatively small city of some 17,500 inhabitants, well-known for its his-

toric buildings but with little modern industry. In the wider surroundings there were several other small towns, such as Poperinge, Menen and Roeselare, as well as numerous villages. Large and imposing farmsteads were interspersed with smaller farms. Many of the buildings were still in the traditional half-timbered style, with wooden beams, mud walls and thatched roofs ; some were more solidly built with bricks and tiles.

One of the typical landscape features of the southern Westhoek was the high incidence of windmills and village churches, whose towers were often visible for miles across the rich green countryside.

Suspect windmills ?

In 1914, windmills were strategically important. Like church spires and castle towers, their height and location made them ideal orientation points in the landscape. In addition, signals about enemy movements could be sent by moving the vanes in a particular way. This explains why most of the mills were destroyed during the early days of the First Battle of Ieper. Even innocent vane movements could lead to dangerous situations. On 21 October 1914, two companies of the 2nd Bedfordshire Regiment were marching past a mill in Geluveld when they saw its vanes move a half turn. Just minutes later, they came under heavy German shellfire. They were convinced that the miller had signalled their position to the enemy and it was only with great difficulty that the poor man was able to convince them to the contrary !

48 Zonnebeke

Green and closed

Keeping water in check

The landscape around Ieper was largely agricultural, dominated by small mixed farms that combined crops and livestock.

Typical of these farms (and of most homes in the villages and hamlets) was the presence of a large vegetable garden, which was enclosed by walls or hedges. Additional margin planting along the roads and the boundaries of different plots of land also had a strong filtering effect on the openness of the landscape. This planting consisted of hedges, shrubs, wooded banks or even rows of trees. Together with the numerous woods and orchards, this gave the landscape a distinctively green yet closed aspect. This is sometimes referred to as a corridor or bocage landscape, because the different landscape elements appear and disappear amongst the greenery.

Managing water was a major problem around Ieper. Notwithstanding the many streams, groundwater and rain made many areas inaccessible. An efficient drainage system kept the pastures in the stream valleys passable. A new technique introduced shortly before the war was the installation of drainage pipes in baked clay. In some places dykes were constructed, to ensure that rivers, streams and ditches remained within their banks at high water.

This was particularly the case in the low-­ lying pastureland, which was frequently under water in the winter or after heavy rain, because of its minimal natural drainage.

The transport network Before the war, Ieper had a dense network of roads and railways. However, most of the roads were unhardened, at best strengthened with gravel or stones from the adjoining fields. Cobbled roads led to Komen,

Zonnebeke 49

Veurne and Menen. This latter road, the Menin Road or Ypernstrasse, ran through the middle of the battlefield during the First World War.

Castles and manor houses A special feature of the pre-war landscape around Ieper was the presence of numerous castles and manor houses, with idyllic parks and extensive estates. At the start of the 20th century, they were the epitome

of rural grandeur. However, many of their subsidiary buildings served more practical purposes, such as stables or servants’ quarters. The larger castles often also had a castle farm nearby, sometimes even in the castle park itself. These parks formed complex clusters of landscape elements within the corridor landscape. Sadly, the peaceful nature of these green oases was destined to be shattered by the unparalleled violence of the war.

Did you know ?

Polygon Wood is the remnant of a much larger wood. It once belonged to the abbeys of Zonnebeke and Nonnebossen, but in 1914 it was property of the Belgian state and had been used for many years as a military training centre, with a horse ring and a shooting range. The range was dominated by two artificial earthen hills, in front of which the targets were set. By 1914, only one of these two ‘buttes’ still existed.

In the spring of 1915, during the Second Battle of Ieper, this whole area fell into German hands. They turned it into a fortress, with bunkers amongst the trees and shelters built into the back of butte. On 20 September 1917, during the Third Battle of Ieper, part of this Wilhelm Line at the eastern edge of the wood was captured by the Australian First Division. Six days later, the Australian Fifth Division captured the rest of the devastated wood. Further attacks were blocked on the ridge behind the wood. In the winter of 1917 New Zealand troops attempted to break through in the Polderhoek park area, south of the wood, but without success.

50 Zonnebeke

The Flower Castle The 30-hectare park of the 19th century Polderhoek Chateau, sometimes known as the ‘Flower Castle’, was one of the most beautiful in the region. Its many greenhouses grew fruit, seedlings for the vegetable garden, plants for the flower garden and rare botanical species. The impressive entrance driveway was lined with magnificent floral borders.

When the front stabilized at the end of 1914, Polderhoek Chateau was in German hands. On 4 October 1917, British troops recaptured the northern part of the park, but could advance no further. The ground had been blasted beyond recognition and the Reutel stream, which ran through the park, was now a broad and impenetrable marsh. On 3 December 1917, New Zealand troops launched a new attack, but without success. It was not until the final offensive of the war in autumn 1918 that the shattered remnants of the castle were retaken. The castle’s owner, Octaaf de Landas, no longer had the courage to rebuild it after the Armistice.

1914 : THE STORM BREAKS The German Army invaded Belgium on 4 August 1914, with the aim of advancing quickly through the country to outflank the French Army and attack it from the rear.

However, the resistance of the Belgian Army was stronger than expected. In November, the fighting ground to a halt on the Mid-West Flanders ridge. The desire to dominate this high ground, with the threat it posed for the French Channel ports, resulted in successive years of almost non-­ stop fighting, in which the landscape played an important role.

The defence has the advantage In the autumn of 1914, during the First Battle of Ieper, the Germans quickly learnt that the landscape around Ieper was a green fortress, offering natural defensive advantages. Its hills, woods, dense planting and scattered buildings restricted visibility and made the countryside difficult to penetrate.

In short, it was an area better suited to defence than attack. Initially, both sides still thought in terms of a war of movement. Neither was familiar with the construction of defensive positions. As a result, at first the front lines were not continuous. The men fought in small groups from hastily prepared positions spread across the landscape, often no more than a stretch of hedge, a wooded bank, a drainage ditch or an isolated building. Small woods and farms were ideal for concealing troops and artillery.

Zonnebeke 51

Away from the main roads, the bocage landscape on the ridge had a disorienting affect on the advancing Germans. Often their enemy seemed invisible to them. Danger lurked behind every hedgerow and bank of trees. The defenders made clever use of new weapons, like the machine gun.

The greenery offered perfect cover and approaching troops could be mown down without ever knowing where the enemy’s fire was coming from. Before they realized that old style tactics would no longer work, both sides had suffered enormous casualties. However, the landscape not only played a key role in breaking the German advance, but its difficulties meant that it was hard for the Allies to resume the offensive as the battle progressed. Instead, they adopted a defensive approach. The stalemate that would lead to trench warfare was getting closer.

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The first winter The combatants realized that neither side was going to make a breakthrough and so concentrated instead on strengthening their own defences. The isolated positions along the front line were made continuous. Roads, ditches, hedges, tree lines and numerous other landscape elements were joined together to create an integrated system of defence, often running across stretches of open fields. Positions were chosen that allowed weapons such as the machine gun to dominate the terrain. Trench warfare was a fact. Between the two lines was an unoccupied area of no-man’s-land, protected on either side by barbed-wire entanglements.

Both armies dug in for a long winter.

During this first winter of the war – often referred to as the ‘Forgotten Winter’ – neither the Allies nor the Germans were prepared for the demands and rigours of war in the trenches. The need to permanently occupy the front line meant that it was necessary to build shelters for the men. At first, these were improvised. Troops scraped simple fox holes into the trench walls or nailed tarpaulins to trees to keep off the rain. All types of wood, including the doors and windows from ruined buildings, were used to make primitive accommodation.

The cellars of these ruined buildings were also much prized. Even the rubble of devastated farmsteads could give added protection against enemy fire. Faced with a lack of basic building materials, everything that could be taken or adapted from the landscape was used.

1915: DOMINANCE OF THE RIDGE Unexpected success The French, who had occupied most of the trenches around Ieper in the winter of 1914 – 1915, were relieved at the end of March 1915 by British and Canadian troops.

To try and break through the front, the Germans resorted to yet another new weapon : poison gas. On 22 April 1915, between Steenstrate and Poelkapelle, they released 6,000 cylinders of chlorine. A green-yellow cloud rolled slowly towards the Allied lines, where the surprised and terrified soldiers fled in panic. This gas attack, marking the opening of the Second Battle of Ieper, made a breach of six kilometres in the Allied

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defences. However, the Germans were equally surprised by their success and lacked the necessary reserves of men and material to follow up their advantage. This was compounded by the fact that that enclosed nature of the landscape once again impeded the advancing troops and worked to the benefit of the defenders, as they desperately tried to close the gap.

The landscape as arbiter The Germans tried just as desperately to continue their advance with the limited resources available, but were held up by stubborn centres of Allied resistance, based around key elements in the closed landscape, which at this stage was still relatively intact. As in 1914, the mass attack slowly degenerated into a series of minor attacks.

Because the British made full use of the landscape, they were able to hold on in most places, even though their position at times seemed hopeless.

Instead of launching a large-scale counterattack to recover the lost ground, the British

decided to opt for a smaller, more easily defendable salient. The once prized ridge was abandoned – a decision that would have dramatic consequences for Allied offensives later in the war. For the time being, both sides settled back down into trench warfare. The Germans had been halted almost within reach of Ieper and from their new positions looked down on an idyllic landscape dotted with the hawthorn hedges, banks of trees and wooded thickets that had so hindered their advance.

1916: THE BUILDING WAR Both armies used the relative calm from the end of 1915 to the spring of 1917 to massively strengthen and extend their defences into a large network of trenches, shelters and bunkers. Behind the front, reserve lines were constructed, transport infrastructure improved and troop camps set up. All the landscape elements that could be used in these works were exploited, although the nature of the landscape itself often determined the form of the network.

Clearing the landscape The defences in the Ieper Salient differed significantly from those in other parts of the Western Front. There were two reasons for this : the type of ground and its poor drainage. In many places, the high water table made it difficult to dig to any depth. This meant that trenches needed to have complex drainage systems with pumps. The British tried to beat the water by installing 54 Zonnebeke

‘duckboards’ : plank walkways raised above the muddy bottom of the trench by wooden frames shaped like an inverted letter A. This frenzy of building activity meant that wood was a prized commodity in the Ieper Salient. Each day, tons of it were needed for construction or as fuel. To meet this continuous demand, many of the woods at or near the front were cut down, particularly those with mature, high-stemmed trees. Orchards and the trees around farms suffered a similar fate. Soon, low-growing shrubs and bushes were the only species left.

This clearance policy, combined with increasingly heavy bombardments, ensured that by the middle of 1917 the ridge had been denuded of all its woodland worth that name. This also drastically reduced the camouflage and cover available to attackers and defenders alike. Belatedly, both sides realized that it was wise to preserve the remaining elements of greenery. From then on, wood was systematically brought to the front from further behind the lines.

German defence in depth By 1916, it was the Germans turn to think seriously about their defences in the Salient. They realized it would be a long time before they could break through the Allied line and so they tried to make their own line impregnable, by installing secondary lines of defence in depth, running parallel to the front. Once again, the landscape in all its facets played a key role. The remaining low-growing greenery – hedges, shrubberies, etc. – was preserved for use as camouflage, as were the shells of damaged buildings. Trenches were built for preference behind hedgerows, to hinder Allied observation. As an additional measure, barbed wire was woven into the hedges to make any enemy advance as difficult as possible. Bunkers and shelters were hidden behind the walls of ruined farms or in tangles of woodland undergrowth.

Where protective cover of this kind was not available, every effort was made to exploit the relief of the ground, so that new Zonnebeke 55

structures remained unobtrusive. German positions closely followed the local topography and were strongly defended by barbed wire and machine gun nests. This relation-

Did you know ?

One advantage of the closed landscape for the Germans was that they were able to build numerous bunkers unseen by their enemy. If there was no natural cover, building sites and their approaches were camouflaged with netting or branches. Bunkers in open ground were never positioned on a height but were built into a slope, so that their silhouette would be less visible. Once finished, the bunker would be further hidden from view beneath a layer of earth or by the addition of wooden panelling and wickerwork. Other bunkers were built inside existing buildings ; some were even given their own false roof, windows and barbed wire ‘gardens’, so that they looked like civilian rather than military structures. The cluttered nature of the landscape and the use of camouflage made it difficult for this construction work to be observed by Allied ground and air observation. As a result, the true extent of the German defences remained unknown.

Using these techniques, by mid-1917 the Germans had built four lines of defences between the front line and Passendale. The Albrecht and Wilhelm Lines were largely networks of trenches and shelters. The Flandern I and Flandern II Lines consisted mainly of bunkers.

ship between the landscape and individual defensive lines was also reflected at a larger and more complex scale. For example, there was a clear connection between the location of the major lines of defence and the large, heterogeneous elements still existing in the landscape, such as villages or larger areas of woodland, which were often left between the lines as a form of ‘buffer’.

New tactics German defence in depth had major consequences for the way the war was fought.

They abandoned the idea of heavily manning the front line and trying to hold it at all costs. This was replaced by the concept of elastic defence. Henceforth, the front would be lightly defended by a series of strongpoints. Some distance behind the strongpoints, spread across the landscape were

Westrozebeke Bikschote Poelkapelle Langemark

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1 = Front; 2 = Albrecht-Stellung; 3 = Wilhelm-Stellung; 4 = Gheluvelt-Riegel; 5 = Flandern I-Stellung; 6 = Mittelriegel; 7 = Artillerie Schutz-Stellung; 8 = Flandern II-Stellung; 9 = Flandern III-Stellung

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1917 Geallieerd The Allied front front,66juni June 1917

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10 november 1917 10 November 1917

the Eingreifdivisionen, units ready to launch devastating counterattacks. The aim was to create an ‘empty’ battlefield, in which the enemy would bleed to death and where his artillery could find no large German targets.

Did you know ?

sance and balloons. At the same time, they systematically bombarded the identifiable high-lying elements in the landscape, in the hope of limiting the German advantage. To support this, increasing use was made of camouflage, initially to conceal their own observation posts, but from the middle of 1916 onwards to hide their artillery positions.

On 4 October 1917, the Germans wanted to hold the ridge at all costs.

For this reason, they deviated from their usual tactic of a gradual withdrawal and instead packed their reserve troops into the front line.

Unfortunately for them, this coincided with the launch of a new Allied attack. As result, the Battle of Broodseinde was a day of total chaos and heavy losses for the German Army.

The lower-lying British positions The British also strengthened their front line defences in 1916, but as their strategy was more focused on attack, they were not really interested in the idea of defence in depth.

The main disadvantage of the British was the fact that their positions were always lower than those of the enemy. This meant that with few exceptions the Germans on the high ground were able to observe the entire Salient and its hinterland. This not only made new construction difficult for the British, but also restricted their own observation possibilities. This was overcome to some extent by the use of aerial reconnais-

1917: A NEW LANDSCAPE Initially, the Third Battle of Ieper was only a part of the planned British offensive in Flanders. The final objective was the capture of the harbours of Zeebrugge and Ostend.

The Mine Battle at Mesen on 7 June 1917 signalled the start of the offensive, which straightened the southern section of the front in the Ieper Salient. After a delay, the second phase began on 31 July 1917. Following a heavy bombardment, the British tried to break out of the rest of the Salient.

One hundred days later, their infantry attack ground to a halt on the ridge at Passendale.

Zonnebeke 57

They had advanced just eight kilometres at an estimated cost of 245,000 Allied and 215,000 German casualties (killed, wounded and missing). In the process, they had turned the landscape into a moonscape of mud and craters. The third phase of the offensive – an amphibious landing behind the German lines to seize Ostend – was never launched.

Total destruction An important factor in the 1917 battle was the massive weight of artillery used by the British. In an effort to destroy the German defences, they almost literally blew the battlefield apart before they started their infantry attack. In a matter of months, the Salient was reduced to a lunar landscape.

No single landscape element was spared.

The nature of the ground, the bad weather and the destruction of region’s delicate drainage system meant that excess water 58 Zonnebeke

could no longer drain away. Some parts of the battlefield were transformed into a sea of mud. Roads and buildings were wiped off the map. Only the concrete bunkers survived. As a result, during the Third Battle of Ieper a new landscape was created, which influenced the way the war was fought for attackers and defenders alike.

No understanding Before the battle, the Allies had no real understanding of the possible consequences of their massive bombardment. They expected to make a rapid advance in good weather, as had been the case at Mesen.

On 31 July 1917, large areas of the ridges at Broodseinde and Passendale were still clothed in green. The Allies failed to realize that the scale of their bombardment was simply creating an obstacle – a devastated landscape – that would only get bigger and more impassable as the offensive wore on.

A world of difference in a month 4 October 1917 – the Battle of Broodseinde This attack by the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) captured the strategically important heights at Broodseinde and a large part of the Beselare plateau. The ridge showed signs of heavy damage by shellfire, but this was by no means total. The fields in front of Beselare were still full of grass and the Germans bombarded the new Allied positions from woods, hedgerows and buildings that were only half destroyed. Beyond the valley of the Heulebeek stream, the green Keiberg ridge was lined with trees. In the distance, it was even possible to see cows grazing happily in their green pastures. This idyllic landscape was in sharp contrast to the kilometres of devastated countryside leading back to Ieper 10 November 1917 – the Second Battle of Passendale After capturing the ruins of Passendale, the Canadians found themselves surrounded by an impenetrable sea of mud. In the distance, they could see the town of Roeselare on the horizon. The pleasant view towards the town could not have been more different from the endless wasteland of the battlefield. Throughout the following winter, the Allies continue to bombard this pristine countryside from their new positions on the ridge. The maximum range of the Allied guns determined the limits of the destruction. Everything in the landscape up to a distance of six kilometres beyond Passendale was annihilated.

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Tactical adjustments

Necessary pauses

During the Third Battle of Ieper, the Allies were obliged to change their tactics a number of times to take account of the ground conditions. The original British plan was based on heavy artillery support and far-­ reaching objectives. During the initial phase of the battle (31 July to 18 August), the massive British attacks failed to achieve the hoped-for breakthrough. A change of approach was needed. In the second phase (20 September to 12 October), use was made of ‘step-by-step’ and ‘bite-and-hold’ tactics. In a succession of more limited, better prepared attacks, the ANZACs were able to make good progress. Shelters and bunkers that could not be destroyed by bombardment were carefully surrounded and eliminated before moving on. The focus of the infantry assault was switched to the zones where most resistance was expected.

The success of the repeated ‘bite-and-hold’ attacks was dependent on the requirement for a pause between each advance, so that new lines of supply and communication could be laid. This made it possible to move forward the guns, supply them with fresh ammunition and bring up troop reinforcements. However, the haste imposed by the Allied timetable and the approach of the wet autumn weather meant that the Allies ultimately ran out of time. The third phase of the battle (26 October to 10 November) was characterized by rain, mud and minor advances at huge cost. The Canadians finally managed to capture the ruins of Passendale and the dryer ground on top of the ridge, but here the offensive petered out. The defensive tactics of the Germans and the total destruction of the landscape had brought the Allies to a halt.

60 Zonnebeke

Behind the creeping barrage The infantry are ground troops that fight on foot. The infantry’s deadliest enemy in the First World War was the machine gun, with its lethal rain of bullets. To ensure that the machine guns would not have the chance to mow down the advancing foot soldiers, the Allies developed the creeping barrage.

The infantry followed behind a slowly moving wall of shells. If they stayed close enough to this barrage, they would be in the German positions before the German machine gunners could emerge from their shelters. If, however, they ‘lost’ the barrage, the Germans would have time to set up their guns and do their deadly work. At Passendale, the mud and the crater landscape determined the speed at which the infantry could

follow the creeping barrage. However, the ground conditions were so bad that it was often impossible for the troops to keep up.

On other occasions, it was equally impossible to move the guns forward. On 12 October 1917, the New Zealand infantry were cut to pieces in the marshy wastes of the Ravebeek valley, because there was insufficient artillery in place to lay down the creeping barrage. The resulting massacre cost the New Zealanders 2,700 killed, wounded or missing.

New equipment Low-lying ground was quickly transformed into a sea of mud, but progress could also be difficult on higher ground. Shell craters remained full of water, between which the

Zonnebeke 61

troops had to wind their way forward over the slippery terrain. Sometimes the conditions were indescribable. During an attack of the British 95th Brigade at Polderhoek on 6 November 1917, the mud in the valley of the Reutelbeek stream was knee-high.

Some men sank in so deep that they could only be rescued with ropes after a 36-hour struggle to free them.

To counter these conditions, the British introduced new items of equipment, such as waterproof capes and thigh-length rubber boots. But it was not always to rain and mud that equipment needed to be adjusted.

During the warm, dry days of September 1917, the men were issued with shorts !

Challenges of the new landscape As the war progressed, the artillery were given an increasing number of tasks : destroying the enemy guns and bunkers, pre62 Zonnebeke

venting enemy reinforcements from moving forwards, providing creeping barrages, etc. However, machines and material were not always capable of dealing with the many challenges of the new landscape. In particular, when the Allied guns needed to move forward over open ground they were particularly vulnerable to counter-bombardment. Camouflage netting and painted panels offered a degree of protection, but the lack of good roads and a stable ground surface meant that guns often failed to reach their new positions in time or else sank into the mud after firing just a few rounds on hastily constructed platforms. Tanks also suffered the same fate. So too did the mules and horses used to bring munitions forward to the front lines, often slipping from the mud-­covered tracks into deep shell holes from which they never emerged. Because these ground conditions forced all forms of transport, from infantry to tanks, to use the few available roads, these roads became easy targets for the enemy guns.

Targeted firing and blind firing Good observation was essential to make the best use of artillery. The morning of 26 September 1917 was misty, protecting the ANZAC troops from prying enemy eyes as they advanced on Polygon Wood. Later in the day, the mist cleared and the sun began to shine : ideal weather for observation. Around midday, British aerial reconnaissance radioed that German troops were massing for a counter-attack. A short while later, this was confirmed by ground observers, who were able to pin-point the enemy concentration points and approach routes. As a result, the massed German infantry was subjected to heavy bombardment before they could even deploy. Where they were able to attack, they were mown down by a defensive artillery barrage and heavy machine gun fire. However, this type of targeted firing was not always possible.

When bad weather or other factors prevented good observation, the guns often had to fire ‘blind’ at points where they hoped the enemy would be.

In bunkers, in craters and under the ground The lack of shelter in a devastated landscape was a problem that the Germans had been able to solve even before the Third Battle of Ieper. Their defensive mindset and their concept of defence in depth allowed them to make best use of the landscape elements available to them. Their concrete bunkers were carefully sited and often able to withstand British bombardment. Reinforced cellars in damaged buildings served a similar purpose. This soon

became clear to the Canadians after they had stormed Passendale in November 1917. Many German troops emerged from the village’s cellars, which were often linked to each other. This forced the Canadians to eliminate these centres of resistance one by one.

In addition to concrete structures above and below ground, the Germans also made maximum use of shell craters, by linking them together with shallow trenches protected with barbed wire and by building primitive shelters into the crater walls. Living conditions in these craters were very hard. The troops often sat huddled together under no more than a tarpaulin, a piece of corrugated iron or a camouflage net. Sometimes they had no cover at all. This absence of protection meant that thousands died from Allied shrapnel.

Zonnebeke 63

After a time, the Allies were forced to adopt the same approach as the Germans. However, the reinforced craters could not accommodate all the men. Because providing shelter for large numbers of troops above ground was impossible during the Third Battle of Ieper, the British began to build underground tunnel systems known as deep dugouts. These were damp, smelly and plagued with vermin, but in the context of the battle offered relatively safe shelter and a minimal degree of comfort.

The titanic efforts of the engineers During the war, huge efforts were necessary to keep the roads usable. The continuous movement of troops, artillery, muni-

tions and material had to be carried out as smoothly as possible. However, in the new landscape the number of available roads was pitifully few. As a result, kilometres of duckboard tracks and narrow-gauge railways were laid across the wasteland of the battlefield. For the British, the immense task of keeping the conquered territory open to access was the responsibility of the Royal Engineers. In addition to maintaining roads and paths, they also built bridges over flooded streams, created storage depots, constructed shelters, aid posts and headquarters, provided camouflage, removed obstacles, extracted sunken guns from the mud, brought forward supplies and placed signs and tapes that would lead the infantry to their attack positions.

Did you know ?

The absence of roads had tragic consequences for the work of the stretcher-bearers and Krankenträger, the men who carried wounded soldiers from the battle­field. After the attack on 9 October 1917, conditions were so bad that it was impossible to remove all the wounded. When the New Zealanders took over the sector in preparation for a new attack on 12 October, they were amazed to see hundreds of injured men still lying where they had fallen two days earlier. After the battle, parties of men from both sides, sometimes under a Red Cross flag of truce, went out into no-man’s-land to search for those who were still alive, often helping to find each other’s wounded.

By the evening, all those who could be saved had been evacuated, including some British soldiers who had lain on the rain-soaked battlefield for four days without any form of help.

64 Zonnebeke

Old and new communication Good communications were essential for the success of any offensive. To achieve this, new tools such as telephones, telegraphs, light signalling and radio were used.

When the Australians attacked Polygon Wood on 26 September 1917, they even had wireless transmitters. Tanks were similarly equipped. If these modern methods failed (as they often did), officers in the field resorted to more traditional methods, such as runners, pigeons or dogs. On 6 November 1917, General Arthur Currie, the commander of the Canadians, first learnt of the capture of Passendale from a message carried by pigeon.

Practicing on models Good orientation on the battlefield was crucial. For this reason, large open-air scale models of the enemy positions were constructed, which the attacking infantry could

study. These detailed models showed all the roads, watercourses, woods, buildings, trenches, barbed-wire and shelters on the ground over which they would advance. This helped to make the men familiar with the basic landscape elements of the Ieper Salient, but the picture it painted was an idealized one of a landscape that had not yet been torn apart by ceaseless bombardment. This shelling removed most of the obvious orientation points, so that things often went wrong. In spite of the use of aids like white tape, lamps and signboards, troops on the shattered battlefield frequently lost their way, ran into each other or could not identify their exact position.

These could be costly mistakes. Orientation on the battlefield remained a problem until the end of the war.

Body and mind In contrast to previous conflicts, the soldiers of the First World War almost never felt safe, not only at the front but also behind it. In the surreal landscape of 1917, officers and men were subjected to huge physical and mental pressure. Fear had a new face.

In addition to physical ailments caused by lack of hygiene and the condition of the battlefield, psychological problems became an extra ‘invisible’ enemy. The ‘comforting’ pre-1917 green landscape was transformed

Zonnebeke 65

The roads [‌] are almost one continuous line of Australian troops, marching on to take over the front line, which they will do tomorrow.

I followed them along in the car, photographing and cineing.

Fiendish dust at times almost obscured the men, who laden with full equipment and sweat and dust begrimed marched on cheerfully as only Anzacs can.

Frank Hurley, 13 september 1917

into a crater field of death and destruction.

For many veterans, this image of a devastated battlefield remained fixed in their memories for ever.

The last witness of 1917 In the landscape of today the many cemeteries and monuments still testify to the

66  Zonnebeke

courage and endurance of the soldiers of 1917. Other less obvious landscape elements, like a copse, a hedge, a stream valley or a slope, are also a part of the history of the First World War. Every place in the region has its story to tell about how men fought and died here. In this sense, the landscape is the last witness.

The Passchendaele Archives No matter how impressive a visit to Tyne Cot Cemetery or the German military cemetery in Langemark or one of the other cemeteries and memorials in the region will always be, at all these places it is usually only possible to find the names of those who died. With the ‘Passchendaele Archives’, the MMP1917 want to give a face to those names and to tell the story behind each face. http://archives.passchendaele.be/

Zonnebeke 67

INFO-MODULE

TYNE COT CEMETERY VISITORS CENTRE

The landscape consists of different layers, to which different landscape elements have been successively added, changed or removed. Numerous traces of the past are still being found today. Using an interactive and panoramic orientation table, you can discover the different layers that have been preserved in the wartime landscape.

These natural relics can be viewed from the visitors centre at Tyne Cot and make it possible to interpret the military-historical

68  Zonnebeke

events of 1917. For example, the German concept of defence in depth can be explained in terms of relief. Similarly, the Ravebeek valley with its fragile drainage system will forever be linked with the tragedy of the New Zealanders on 12 October 1917.

Green landscape elements, such as hedges and woods, give insights into the Second and Third Battles of Ieper. Even centuries-­ old features like the medieval motte in Berlin Wood survived the inferno of 1917.

Did you know ?

When in 1999 the owner of Beecham Farm quite literally sank into the ground next to her home, it soon became clear that the foundations of the building had been constructed on top of an old tunnel system from the First World War. For safety reasons, the system was filled in, but not before it had been carefully measured and examined. Different elements suggested that it was a German dugout.

The roof was two metres below ground, in contrast to the dugouts nearer the original front line, which were generally deeper to withstand the heavier shelling.

This particular shelter was captured by the New Zealanders on 4 October 1917.

It offered accommodation for 4 officers and 66 men.

Zonnebeke 69

Houthulst

WHAT TO DO IN ZONNEBEKE ?

ge

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Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 Berten Pilstraat 5A, 8980 Zonnebeke Mesen The MMP 1917 is in the grounds of Zonnebeke Chateau and tells the story of the Battle of Passendale in 1917.

2 Villa Zonnedaele Berten Pilstraat 5C, 8980 Zonnebeke In this imposing manor house you can visit Passchendaele 1917. Landscape at war, an exposition about the crucial role played by the landscape during the Battle of Passendale.

70  Zonnebeke

Wervik

Leie

E403

elland

Staden LangemarkPoelkapelle

3 Tyne Cot Cemetery and visitors centre Vijfwegestraat, 8980 Passendale (Zonnebeke) With its 12,000 graves and 35,000 names on its memorial to the missing, Tyne Cot is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world, a silent witness to the bloody Battle of Passendale.

The visitors centre explains the battle and offers a panoramic view over the killing fields of 1917.

5 Polygon Wood Lange Dreve, 8980 Zonnebeke Polygon Wood is the site of Buttes New British Cemetery, with its New Zealand Memorial to the Missing. On the butte stand a memorial to the Australian Fifth Division. Each year on ANZAC Day – 25 April – there is a dawn ceremony at this cemetery. On the other side of the road stands the smaller Polygon Wood Cemetery. In the woods there are still the remains of several wartime bunkers.

6 Memorial column to the New Zealand Division ’s Graventafelstraat, 8980 Passendale (Zonnebeke) This monument in the hamlet of ’s Graventafel remembers the role played by the New Zealand Division in the Battle of Broodseinde on 4 October 1917.

4 Road to Passchendaele Monument, Maagdestraat, 8980 Zonnebeke Today, the Road to Passchendaele is a walking and cycling path, but on 4 October 1917 this railway line was the only way for the Australians to move forwards over the totally devastated landscape of craters and mud. You can follow in their footsteps from Zonnebeke to Tyne Cot Cemetery.

7

Crest Farm Canadian Memorial Canadalaan, 8980 Passendale (Zonnebeke) A monument commemorating the actions of the Canadian Army during the Battle of Passendale, which the Canadians suffered heavy casualties but finally captured the ruins of the village.

Zonnebeke 71

8 Scottish Memorial Ieperstraat, 8980 Zonnebeke

10 Cryer Farm Menenstraat, 8980 Gheluveld (Zonnebeke), only by appointment with a guide Steps lead down to a German underground shelter, which was used as a medical aid post, with pump room, operating theatre and waiting area for 50 soldiers. The post was used until September 1917.

11 Passchendaele Memorial Park Kasteelpark, 8980 Zonnebeke

This monument on the Frezenberg ridge remembers the 15th Scottish Division and their costly attacks at this spot during the Third Battle of Ieper. The site offers an excellent view over the battlefield.

9 German command bunker Gaverstraat, 8980 Zandvoorde (Zonnebeke)

Seven gardens in the shape of poppies remember the seven largest nations who fought in the region during the First World War. Each country has designed it own garden.

This bunker from 1916 shows the skill used by the Germans in their military constructions. The site can be visited free of charge.

72  Zonnebeke

WALKING

CYCLING

Walking in and around Zonnebeke

The Legacy Route (37 km) Zonnebeke is at the heart of the notorious Ieper Salient. In the Battle of Passendale in 1917, 450,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or went missing in 100 days for a territorial exchange of just eight kilometres. The grounds The Legacy of Zonnebeke Chateau are an ideal starting point for exploring the old battlefields. de westhoek

FIETSROUTE 14-18 - CYCLE ROUTE 14-18 ITINÉRAIRE CYCLISTE 14-18 - FAHRRADROUTE 14-18

37 km

Start Zonnebeke Three circuits are part of the Legacy Route : from the chateau grounds, close to the MMP 1917, one circuit leads to Tyne Cot Cemetery (8.5km) and another to Polygon Wood (9km) ; the third circuit is a walk around Geluveld (4.5 km). You can also follow the Canadian Remembrance Trail (6.5km) to Passendale or the Pioneer Route (11.7km), which tells the German story of the war.

Start Zonnebeke

Pioneer Route (38 km) This route takes you through the landscape of the old front region and tells the story of German actions during the Second and Third Battles of Ieper. Along the way, you will pass many relics of the war, such as German bunkers, cemeteries and memorials. You will also follow the routes used by the German transport units and experience at Pionier first hand the strategic significance of the rolling landscape to the southwest of Ieper. de westhoek

FIETSROUTE 14-18 - CYCLE ROUTE 14-18 ITINÉRAIRE CYCLISTE 14-18 - FAHRRADROUTE 14-18

38 km

MMP1917

Start Zandvoorde (Zonnebeke)

Zonnebeke 73

BY CAR Pioneer Route (75 km)

Ypres Salient Route (70 km)

With the car, you will explore the German front and its hinterland, where the ‘Pioniere’ were active during the First World War. These military engineers built and maintained trenches, bunkers, munitions depots, field hospitals, etc. For the local people, daily life under German occupation was hard. In the western part of the region, it was mainly PIONEER British, Irish, Australian and New Zealand troops who were engaged.

See p. 39

de westhoek

THE GERMAN MASTERS OF CONCRETE IN THE TRENCHES

TOURIST CAR ROUTE 14-18

zonnebeke - wervik - wervicq-sud (f) - bousbecque (f) comines (f) - comines-warneton - mesen 75

km

Start Zonnebeke

74 Zonnebeke

The route maps can be purchased from Zonnebeke Tourist Office or online via shop.westtoer.be

THEMED ITINERARIES In the footsteps of …

Harry and Ronald Moorhouse

find medical help for his son. The attack broke down and the troops were forced to return to their original starting positions.

Neither body was recovered.

Day programme 10.00 – 12.00 : Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 (see p. 45) Berten Pilstraat 5,

8980 Zonnebeke 12.00 – 13.30 : lunch

Harry, a former professional soldier, and his son Ronald both joined the army in 1914 and were posted to the 4th Battalion of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) in the 49th Division. Harry was wounded twice, but on each occasion returned to his unit. During the Third Battle of Ieper, Harry was in command of the 4th KOYLI, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. On 9 October 1917, the battalion was part of the divisional reserve. When the division’s assault troops were held up by heavy fire, the 4th KOYLI were ordered forward in support. Ronald, who by now was a captain in his father’s battalion, advanced with his company on the first objective but was mortally wounded. A short time later, Harry was shot dead by a sniper, as he left his headquarters to try and

13.30 – 15.00 : Tyne Cot Cemetery (see p. 46) The names of Harry and Ronald Moorhouse are engraved on the wall of the Tyne Cot Memorial at the back of the cemetery.

Tynecotstraat 22,

8980 Passendale (Zonnebeke) 15.30 – 17.30 : In Flanders Fields Museum (see p. 7) Lakenhallen (Cloth Hall),

Grote Markt 34, 8900 Ieper 17.30 – 19.30 : Evening meal in Ieper 20.00 : Last Post under the Menin Gate (see p. 41) Menenstraat, 8900 Ieper

Zonnebeke 75

In the footsteps of …

Francis Pegahmagabow (1889-1952)

Day programme 10.00–12.00 : Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 (see p. 45) Berten Pilstraat 5,

8980 Zonnebeke 12.00–13.30 : Lunch 13.30–15.00 : Tyne Cot Cemetery (see p. 46) Tynecotstraat 22,

8980 Passendale (Zonnebeke)

Pegahmagabow was born in Parry Sound, Canada. After the early death of his parents, he was brought up by other members of his tribe. Although native Canadians were not allowed to join the army, Pegahmagabow found a way around the rules and enlisted. He was posted to the 1st Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

In addition to being a crack shot, with 378 confirmed ‘kills’ as a sniper, he became the most decorated Canadian soldier of native origin and is one of just 38 Canadian holders of the Military Medal with two bars. He received these decorations for his bravery in carrying messages under heavy shellfire and for his daring work as a scout, in part during the Third Battle of Ieper. Pegahmagabow survived the war and returned to Canada, where he fathered eight children.

He became the head of his tribe and fought tirelessly for the rest of his life to obtain equal rights for his people.

76 Zonnebeke

15.00–15.30 : Crest Farm Canadian Memorial (see p. 71) Canadalaan,

8980 Passendale(Zonnebeke) 15.45–16.15 : Canadian memorial in Sint-Juliaan (see p. 122)

Brugseweg, 8920 Langemark (Langemark-Poelkapelle) 16.45–17.45 : Hill 62 (see p. 38) Canadalaan, 8902 Zillebeke (Ieper)

NEW BOOK

TASTY ADDRESS

The book Passchendaele 1917. Landscape at war focuses on the landscape in the southern part of the Westhoek, where the Third Battle of Ieper was fought in 1917.

The first part examines the building blocks and elements of the pre-war landscape around Ieper. Part 2 looks more closely at the interaction between this landscape and the war, with the destruction of 1917 as a turning point. Part 3 details the many reminders of the past that that can still be seen in the landscape of today and explores the role of the present-day landscape as the last witness of the war.

Brasserie De Volksbond

Buy the book Passchendaele 1917.

Landscape at war as reminder of your visit ! This unique publication can be purchased at the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 and Zonnebeke Tourist Office.

The Volksbond is the oldest catering establishment in Zonnebeke. The interior has remained more or less unchanged since the brasserie first opened its doors in 1923.

Many generations of visitors and local people have enjoyed a good glass of beer or a delicious meal. The beer card, with more than 200 different kinds, is regularly updated. Abbey beers and beers with spontaneous fermentation are permanent favourites. In addition to light snacks, those with more hunger can also choose from steak, rib-eye, pork rib, vol-au-vent, Flemish stew and fish pie. Or maybe you prefer simply to enjoy a beer (or two) with a plate of Passendale cheese, Alveringem paté or Zonnebeke fingers (dry sausage). In the summer, the large outdoor terrace at the back is a fun place to sit.

Ieperstraat 26 8980 Zonnebeke +32 (0)51 77 98 38 www.volksbond.be You can find other tasty addresses in and around Zonnebeke on www.flandersfields.be/en

Zonnebeke 77

LoReninge

Houthulst LangemarkPoelkapelle

Vleteren

HEUVELLAND

Poperinge

Ieper

Heuvelland Mesen FRANCE

78  Heuvelland

Zonnebeke

HEUVELLAND VISITORS CENTRE & ST. LAURENTIUS CHURCH During the First World War, no-man’s-land between the German and Allied lines ran through the middle of Heuvelland. This hilly region was strategically important, because whoever controlled the high ground had better observation over the front, which made it easier to defend your own positions and attack your enemy’s. It was also here that the memorable Mine Battle of June 1917 took place.

The municipality of Heuvelland consists of eight separate villages, in each of which traces of the war can still be found. In the flank of the Lettenberg – a spur of Mount Kemmel – there are four British bunkers that once gave access to an underground

PRACTICAL Sint-Laurentiusplein 1 8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland) MORE INFO +32 (0)57 45 04 55 toerisme@heuvelland.be www.toerismeheuvelland.be 01/04 – 15/11 Mon. – Sat. : 09.30 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 17.00 Sun. and public holidays : 10.00 – 16.00 16/11 – 31/03 Tue. – Sun. : 09.30 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 16.00 Mon. and public holidays : closed

headquarters complex. Make sure you don’t miss the magnificent views from the ridge.

The Bayernwald site in Wijtschate, with its trenches, mine shafts and bunkers, gives a unique insight into the way the Germans fought the war.

Remembrance of the events of the past and those who died as a result of them are anchored in the 30 or so Commonwealth war cemeteries in Heuvelland and by a number of dramatic elements in the landscape, such as the Pool of Peace mine crater in Wijtschate and the grave of the Irish nationalist William Redmond in Loker.

The brand new Heuvelland Visitors Centre is located in the former vicarage of the St. Laurentius Church in Kemmel. There, in 2017, you can visit an exposition about the material relics of the Mine Battle. In the church itself, the focus is on the contribution made by the Irish people during the Great War. Heuvelland 79

80  Heuvelland

EXPO HEUVELLAND VISITORS CENTRE

ZERO HOUR 7.6.1917 ARCHAEOLOGY OF A BATTLE

On 7 June 1917, the British detonated 19 powerful deep mines under the German positions around Wijtschate and Mesen on the high ground to the south of Ieper. With almost half a million kilograms of explosive, this was the largest man-made explosion ever seen up to that time. It was only exceeded when the atom bomb was dropped on Japan in 1945. Even a century after the event, the traces of this ultimate manifestation of ‘total war’ in Flanders are still evident in the landscape, both on the surface and underground.

The Wijtschate Salient The region to the east and south of Ieper is dominated by the Mid-West Flanders ridge,

which eventually joins with the West Flanders hills in Heuvelland. During the First World War, the front in this region ran in an inverted S-shape around Ieper in the north (the Ieper or Ypres Salient) and around Wijt­schate and Mesen in the south (the Wijtschate Salient or Messines Ridge), with Hill 60 acting as the hinge. The Germans held the higher ground and dominated the front beneath them.

The battle under the ground After February 1915, both sides attempted to break the stalemate at the front in Flanders by using new weapons. One of the first of these new techniques was actually quite old : mining under the enemy’s positions to

Heuvelland 81

blow up his defences. This was done using the principles of the peacetime mining industry, but because the substrata consisted of soil, not rock, it was necessary to shore up the mining galleries with wooden props, although the Germans also used prefabricated frames with mortise and tenon joints. The height of these tunnels varied from 1.20 to 1. 50 metres and their width from 0.70 to 0.85 metres. The Germans dug most of their tunnels from sloping entrances. The British generally preferred to dig vertical shafts built in accordance with the principles of well construction : the support structure would sink under its own weight by digging from the inside out and by adding successive new sections on top.

The nature of the ground played an important role in this operation. Under the top layers of soil, there were several water-­ retaining levels, beneath which was an impervious layer of blue Ieper clay. This made mining very difficult.

82 Heuvelland

In the spring of 1915, the British command set up special tunnelling companies to carry out its mining activities. The Australian and Canadian armies later did the same. The men in the tunnelling companies were often peacetime carpenters and coal miners, or labourers who had worked in sewer and underground railway construction before the war. It was only later that the Germans created dedicated mining companies (Mineure) ; at this stage, they assigned specific engineering units to carry out mining operations at divisional level.

Shallow and medium-depth Initially, the tunnellers and mineure had great difficulties with the saturated water-­ retaining levels (‘running sands’ or schwimmsände). This meant that tunnels could only be dug a few metres under the surface. Since both sides were doing exactly the same, the mine war in 1915 was largely

a cat-and-mouse game of undermining and being undermined. Sometimes, the opposing mining teams even broke into each other’s tunnels. In addition to blowing shallow mines under enemy positions to create a crater on the surface, the miners also exploded camouflets or Quetschminen, which were designed to collapse the enemy’s tunnels.

By the end of 1915, the British had developed methods for penetrating into the blue clay, in part through the use of steel tunnel sections. On 27 March 1916, they detonated the first medium-depth mines at the blue clay level under the German trenches at Sint-Elooi. However, the resulting craters were captured by the Germans in the subsequent fighting and strengthened as part of their defences. From here, the German Mineure were able to dig new galleries that allowed them to penetrate the blue clay layer.

They also reorganized their mining units along British lines and divided up the front into sectors, giving each sector a female name : Anna, Bertha, Cäcilie and Dora. Between Hill 60 and Petit Bois, they constructed a whole series of vertical or sloping shafts, leading to new tunnels in the clay level. Each tunnel was given a sector name and number ; for example, Bertha 4.

The medium-depth mine war was fought between 8 and 12 metres under the surface. South of Petit Bois, both sides continued to make use of existing shallow mine constructions.

Deep mines In the autumn of 1915, the British, Australian and Canadian tunnellers developed an ambitious plan to undermine the German forward positions in the Wijtschate Salient at great depth. The main architect of the plan was the industrial engineering contractor

Heuvelland 83

and Conservative Member of Parliament, John Norton-Griffiths. In total, the tunnellers placed 25 mines, some in groups of three or even four. The tunnel to the Kruisstraat mine was almost 660 metres long and the explosive under Sint-Elooi contained 43.3 tons of ammonal at a depth of 38.1 metres.

These were respectively the longest tunnel and the biggest charge seen in the war up to that point.

About six months after the British, the Germans also began digging at the deeper level, often starting from a shaft in their second line. As the German positions were usually higher than the British, they had to dig down further – often to a depth of 40 metres – until they arrived at the same level as their enemy. Whereas the high ground was an advantage in the surface war, the opposite was true in the underground war.

The Germans gave their counter-mining galleries male names, with the first name corresponding to the ‘female’ sector in which they were located : Adam, Anton, Bernhard, Cäsar, Dietrich, Daniel, etc.

Masterpieces of mining The German counter-mines at the deep level were masterpieces of mining construction. To pass through the difficult layers of the substrata, they were often cast in concrete. In other instances, they used steel rings, cemented concrete blocks and traditional wooden supports, very occasionally still opting for a sloping entrance to the gallery. Even so, the Germans were still months behind the British and were unable to make good the lost ground before the summer of 1917. By this date, many of 84 Heuvelland

their tunnels had been closed down or were late in completion because of difficulties with the subsoil. Nevertheless, the Germans were still able to hinder British operations at several points along the front. At both Peckham and Petite Douve they were able to collapse the tunnel leading to the British mine with a camouflet. At Hill 60 and Spanbroekmolen, the damage caused by German counter-mining was only repaired shortly before ‘zero hour’.

By 7 June 1917, 24 mines were ready for detonation, but for tactical reasons it was decided not to explode the four most southerly ones in front of Ploegsteert Wood. At ten past four in the morning (local time), the remaining 19 charges were set off. This resulted in a mini-earthquake that was most powerful in and around Wijtschate. The German defences were reduced to chaos,

so that Irish troops were able to capture the ruins of the village with relative ease.

At the extremities of the Wijtschate Salient, the British at Hill 60 and the Australians at Ploegsteert Wood made less spectacular progress, although Mesen was taken by the New Zealanders. Most military historians regard this as the best planned and most successful offensive of the entire First World War.

Dugouts and subways In an extension of the underground war, in addition to mine galleries the British also constructed a number of so-called ‘dugouts’.

These were wider versions of the mining tunnels, intended to provide ‘safe’ accommodation for troops or shelter for advanced headquarters, field hospitals, etc. The work on the dugouts was sometimes combined

with subways, underground passages that would allow troops to move unseen underground ; for example, from the second to the first line of trenches.

The dugout systems at Hill 60 and the Bluff could both accommodate 2,000 men. The entrances to the deep mines at Sint-Elooi, Petit Bois and Kruisstraat also housed important advanced headquarters. After 7 June 1917, new dugouts were excavated in the lips of the craters at Sint-Elooi, Hollandseschuur, Kruisstraat and one of the Trench 127 mines. There are few details about underground connections between the different German minierte Unterstände and their mine systems, but the scale was certainly much less than the British, bearing in mind that the Germans had given preference to the construction of concrete bunkers on the surface.

Heuvelland 85

Landscape Time has eradicated many of the material relics of the Mine Battle. Post-war re-levelling saw many of the minor craters filled in, while the majority of the mine entrances were demolished and/or blocked. Ground subsidence sometimes still reveals remnants of the old mine workings, particularly the dugout system. Because these remnants continue to deteriorate with each passing year, it is important that they are archaeologically investigated and documented as thoroughly as possible.

Of the shallow mines, only the craters at Hill 60, the Bluff and a small example near the larger Peckham crater in Wijtschate still exist. Medium-depth mines craters can also still be seen at Hill 60 and the Bluff. The most well-known extant medium-depth mine shafts are Bertha 4 and Bertha 5 in the Bayernwald complex in Wijtschate. These wooden shafts have already been pumped out to a depth of 17 and 21 metres respectively, and can be viewed in their original context with reconstructed trenches and concrete bunkers. The deep-mine war has left the most permanent scars on the landscape. Of the 19 mine craters from 7 June 86  Heuvelland

Explosive relics The most dramatic relics of 7 June 1917 are the mines that were not detonated. After the war, there were discussions between the British and Belgian governments about who should remove the four mines at Ploegsteert Wood. No agreement was reached and so the entrances to the galleries were filled in. The mines were largely forgotten until 17 July 1955, when a bolt of lightning set off one of the charges.

The other three charges, with their 35,000 kilograms of explosive, are still there. There are also unexploded charges at Peckham and La Petite Douve.

1917, 13 have been wholly and three partially preserved. The craters in the Flemish Region all have protected monument status. As far as German deep counter-mines are concerned, the brick-built Dietrich shaft in Wijtschate Wood is still preserved inside its original bunker.

EXPO ST. LAURENTIUS CHURCH

ZERO HOUR 7.6.1917 IRISH BLOOD AND FLEMISH MUD

Multinational states in time of war In a total war, multinational states can sometimes find it difficult to mobilize the entirety of their heterogeneous population. The motivation of fighting for the same cause is often lacking. Moreover, the arming of minorities can be potentially dangerous : forming an independent military force is an important step on the way to independence and the availability of weapons can actually encourage rebellion. Multinational states generally attempt to cope with these problems by spreading minority units throughout their armed forces, rather than concentrating them in homogenous regional units.

The wide expanse of the British Empire Before the First World War, the British Empire covered a quarter of the world.

Dominions such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada already had a significant degree of self-rule. Even so, their divisions were initially incorporated into larger British formations. This was only changed in 1917, when the British finally realized that troops fought better if they were fighting alongside their fellow countrymen. The Canadians carried out their first attack as a national army corps at Vimy, albeit still

under British command. This was followed months later by the ANZAC Corps attacks at Passendale.

Ireland : the exception In 1914, Ireland was still an integral part of the United Kingdom. The island had never had a centralized government of its own.

Since the Middle Ages, the English had exercised many of the most crucial rights, which led to a succession of violent conflicts Heuvelland 87

with the local population. To keep Ireland and the Irish under control, they seized the lands of the rebels and installed colonists, mainly from the north of England and Lowland Scotland. These plantations were spread over the whole island, but the heaviest concentrations were in the north-east.

Many of these colonists were former soldiers or enjoyed the patronage of the crown.

Later, this was followed by more classic patterns of migration, as a result of which the upper layers of society were transformed from traditional Celtic-Irish Catholic to British Protestant.

Part of the Union After yet another rebellion, in 1801 Ireland was formally incorporated into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

However, the question of land ownership and repeated outbreaks of famine meant that tension remained high. Partly for this reason, at the same time there was a wave of mass emigration, which saw the population fall from 8.2 million to just 4.4 million by 1911. Those who did not emigrate became increasingly involved in a growing conflict between nationalists and unionists. The former group consisted of the agrarian-­ 88 Heuvelland

Catholic majority. The latter group consisted of the urban-Protestant minority, mainly concentrated in the more industrialized northeast of the country. To defend their interests, both groups set up paramilitary organizations : the Irish Volunteers and the Ulster Volunteers. In 1914, the British parliament finally agreed to a form of self-government or ‘home rule’ for Ireland, but its implementation was suspended when the First World War broke out.

Together at the front In contrast to the other major powers, Britain did not have a large standing army when war was declared in 1914. Instead, it had a highly-trained professional army of some 100,000 men, including a number of Irish battalions. It was this army that set off for the front as the British Expeditionary Force.

Tens of thousands soon volunteered to swell the BEF’s ranks, but it quickly became clear that this was still not enough. Consequently, a nationwide recruiting campaign was launched. In Ulster, where most of the unionists lived, the Ulster Volunteers formed the core of the 36th Ulster Division. In the south of the country, there was a division between the moderate nationalists – who hoped that participation in the conflict would lead to the promised self-government – and others who saw the English, not the Germans, as their greatest enemy. The moderates eventually won the day and formed two divisions of Irish volunteers : the 10th Division, which was sent to Salonika, and the 16th Division, which went to the Western Front. The departure of these moderates to fight in the war strengthened the position of the extremists left at home. In

What is best for Ireland William Redmond (1861-1917) came from a wealthy Catholic family. For 34 years, he was an MP in the British House of Commons, where he made his mark as an outspoken advocate of home rule for Ireland. Redmond strove to secure Irish self-government rather than Irish independence. When the First World War started, the 53-year-old Redmond enlisted in the British Army.

He hoped that serving the common cause of the war would help to bridge the internal differences in Ireland. He was eventually promoted to major in the 16th Division and took part in the Mine Battle on 7 June 1917. He was badly wounded early on in the attack and was carried from the battlefield by a Protestant soldier of the 36th Division. However, he died from his injuries later the same day.

1916, they rose in rebellion in Dublin. This so-called Easter Rising was brutally suppressed by British troops. As the casualty lists grew longer and the war seemed no nearer an end, enthusiasm for enlistment throughout the United Kingdom declined.

As a result, the British government introduced conscription in 1916. However, the tense situation in Ireland meant that it was not implemented there until 1918.

Side by side in Wijtschate The Catholic 16th Division and the Protestant 36th Division were both selected to take part in the Mine Battle on 7 June 1917.

Although the two traditions were clearly very different from each other, the atmosphere among the troops behind the front was friendly. In a spirit of comradeship, they even played football against each other !

After the explosion of the mines, they both

advanced to capture Wijtschate. Several weeks later, on 16 August 1917, they again fought side by side on the Frezenberg ridge during the Battle of Passendale, but this time that attack ended in bloody failure. The terrible losses in their ranks were made good by British troops, which put an end to the special character of both divisions.

Fighting at home Once the war was over and the troops had returned home from the front, the situation deteriorated rapidly. The British failed to honour a number of the promises they had made and the Protestant population violently opposed any form of self-government, fearing that they would lose their dominant position in society. The Irish Republican Army developed out of the old Irish Volunteers and between 1919 and 1921 fought a war of independence against the British.

Heuvelland 89

An agreement was eventually reached which saw the creation of an Irish Free State as a dominion within the British Empire, comprising 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland.

The remaining six north-easterly counties in Ulster were granted self-government status within the United Kingdom.

The radical nationalists, now known as republicans, were fiercely opposed to this continuing link with Great Britain and what they saw as the ‘loss’ of Ulster. The IRA was absorbed into the Free State’s new National

Army, but the most radical faction broke away and continued with the armed struggle. The result was a bitter civil war, in which the republicans were eventually forced to admit defeat.

Spiral of violence Supporters and opponents of the 1922 treaty continued to dominate the politics of the Free State for many years. After its neutrality during the Second World War, the southern part of Ireland became a full

In the footsteps of … Alphie Hanratty Alphie Hanratty from the Irish city of Drogheda was just 20 years old when he enlisted in the British Army in October 1915. After his training, he was posted to the front in Flanders. From the middle of 1916 until the start of 1918 he served in the 10th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles, a unit in the 36th Ulster Division.

On the first day of the Mine Battle, this was one of the battalions involved in the storming of the Wijtschate Salient and the Messines Ridge. Hanratty and his platoon of 40 men reached their objective with only minor casualties. Even so, the fighting made a huge impression on the young Hanratty. In a letter to his mother dated 14 June 1917, he tried to explain what the battle was like : ‘but it seems that every attempt to give a realistic description is entirely pointless.

Everyone was determined to fight to the death. We succeeded in digging ourselves deeper in to our positions. We were dead tired, but also happy and proud that we had taken the top of the famous ridge.’ Alphie survived the war and studied to become a doctor. In later life, he was awarded the McArdle Gold Medal for Surgery.

90 Heuvelland

against the Catholic community. The situation quickly escalated out of control and the British government placed the province under direct rule from London, with British troops as arbiters on the streets. Between 1970 and 1990, this complex situation was almost continuously in the news and numerous peace initiatives failed to restore calm.

Peace at last?

republic in 1949. All ties with the United Kingdom were cut. Around 1968, serious problems arose in Northern Ireland, where half of the population had a Catholic-nationalist background, while the other half was Protestant-unionist. For more than 30 years, a new IRA used terrorism as a weapon to force the integration of the North into the South. In response, a hard core of Protestant unionists carried out terrorist attacks

The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 finally brought about the long hoped-for political solution. Northern Ireland was once again granted self-rule within the United Kingdom, with guarantees for the future of both communities, based on power sharing and an integral approach to the entire island of Ireland. The peace agreement set in motion a process of reconciliation, which looked for examples of positive collaboration from the past, such as the common sacrifice of the 16th and 36th Divisions in the storming of Wijtschate on 7 June 1917.

A historic handshake The recognition of this common past led to the building of a remembrance monument in the Irish Peace Park in Mesen. It is a typical Irish round tower, measuring some 34 metres in height. Built by young people from both religious and political communities, it was inaugurated on 11 November 1998 by the Irish president, Mary McAleese, the British queen, Elizabeth II, and the Belgian king, Albert II. The heads of state of Ireland and the United Kingdom shook hands for the first time since the independence of Ireland.

Heuvelland 91

N8 A19

WHAT TO DO IN HEUVELLAND ?

R33

8

N3

Zonnebeke

N38

Poperinge

N8

Ieper

4 6 1 5

2

HEUVELLAND France

8 Leie

3 Mesen

1

Leie

Lei

KomenWaasten

e

9

7

Heuvelland Visitors Centre Sint-Laurentiusplein 1, 8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland) This visitors centre is the ideal starting point for your voyage of discovery through Heuvelland. The permanent interactive exhibition on the first floor – Landscape and war. Heuvelland 19141918 – explains in an easy-to-understand way the influence of the region’s hills on the course of the First World War.

2 St. Laurentius Church, Kemmel Sint-Laurentiusplein 1, 8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland)

92 Heuvelland

In 2017, the church in Kemmel will house the themed exhibition ‘Irish blood and Flemish Mud’.

3 Spanbroekmolen crater Kruisstraat, 8953 Wijtschate (Heuvelland) The Spanbroekmolen crater, also known as the Pool of Peace, is the largest and most impressive First World War crater in the Westhoek. It was created by the explosion of one of the 19 deep mines at the start of the Mine Battle in June 1917.

4 Bayernwald Voormezelestraat, 8953 Wijtschate (Heuvelland)

7

Bayernwald (Bavaria Wood) was reconstructed on the basis of scientific archaeological research to recreate part of a German trench system.

5 Lettenberg Lokerstraat, 8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland) Four concrete bunkers were built by the British into the slopes of this ridge in the spring of 1917.

French Ossuary Kemmelbergweg, 8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland) At the foot of the western flank of Mount Kemmel there is a French cemetery, which contains four mass graves with the remains of 5,294 French soldiers.

Only 57 of them are identified.

8 Wytschaete Military Cemetery and the memorial columns to the 16th Irish and 36th Ulster Divisions Wijtschatestraat, 8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland)

6 French Monument Kemmelberg, 8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland) On top of Mount Kemmel stands Den Engel (The Angel), a memorial column inaugurated in 1932 to the memory of the French soldiers who died here during the battle for the hill in April 1918.

Heuvelland 93

These columns mark the starting positions for the attack launched on Wijt­ schate in June 1917 by two divisions from the island of Ireland : the Protestant 36th Ulster Division and the Catholic 16th Irish Division.

9 Grave of William Redmond Godtschalckstraat, 8958 Loker (Heuvelland)

A carved stone cross in a plot ringed with shrubs and flowers : this is the grave of Major William Redmond, Irish nationalist and freedom-fighter.

WALKING

de westhoek

Kraters en Mijnen WANDELROUTE

wijtschate 7 km

Craters and Mines Route (7 km) Discover the impressive rolling landscape in which the Mine Battle of 7 June 1917 was fought. Walk past the craters and visit the numerous cemeteries and memorials that still mark the battlefield.

Start Wijtschate

94 Heuvelland

CYCLING Mine Battle Route (42 km) This cycling route winds between the old front lines of the First World War and takes you to all the locations where deep mines were detonated in 1917. These gigantic explosions destroyed the German positions and blew enormous craters in the landscape. This was followed by a tremendous artillery bombardment and fierce fighting, during which British, Irish, Australian and New Zealand units were able to capture the Wijtschate-­ Mesen ridge.

Start Heuvelland

BY CAR Life at the Front Route (87 km) See p. 133

de westhoek

LIFE AT THE FRO

NT

LITTLE PARIS AND THE GATEWAY TO HELL

TOURIST CAR ROUTE poperinge - heuvel

87

km

The route maps can be purchased from Heuvelland Tourist Office or online via shop.westtoer.be

14-18 land

THEMED ITINERARIES Mine Battle tour

In the footsteps of …

Alphie Hanratty (see p. 90)

Day programme 10.00 – 12.00 : In Flanders Fields Museum (see p. 7) Lakenhallen, Grote Markt 34,

8900 Ieper 12.00 – 13.30 : lunch 14.00 – 14.30 : Heuvelland Visitors Centre (see p. 79) Sint-Laurentiusplein 1,

8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland) 14.30 – 15.00 : Pool of Peace (see p. 93) Kruisstraat,

8953 Wijtschate (Heuvelland)

Day programme 10.00 – 10.30 : Heuvelland Visitors Centre (see p. 79) Sint-Laurentiusplein 1,

8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland) 10.30 – 11.00 : St. Laurentius Church, Kemmel (see p. 79) Sint-Laurentiusplein 1,

8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland)

15.30 – 17.00 : Tourist Info-point Mesen (see p. 99) Markt 1, 8957 Mesen

11.00 – 12.00 : Pool of Peace (see p. 93) Kruisstraat,

8953 Wijtschate (Heuvelland) 12.00 – 13.30 : lunch

Heuvelland 95

14.00 – 14.30 : Grave of William Redmond (see p. 94)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Forty-one commemorative trees

Godtschalckstraat, 8958 Loker (Heuvelland)

14.30 – 15.00 : Tourist Info-point Mesen (see p. 99) Markt 1, 8957 Mesen

15.00 – 15.30 : Peace Park (see p. 108) Armentierssteenweg,

8957 Mesen

96 Heuvelland

The commemorative trees mark the front lines of the Wijtschate bend and the Messines ridge which remained unchanged from October 1914 to June 1917. It is this deadlocked front line that was broken by the Battle of Messines Ridge on 7 June 1917. To clearly demarcate the allied (blue) and German (red) front lines on the battlefield, every tree is fitted with a metal tree basket in one of the two colours. In the spring of 2015, 138 standard elm trees were planted along the historical front lines from Boezinge to Sint Elooi. These commemorative trees will act as lasting marks of the small 1914 – 1917 Ypres salient in the landscape. In 2017, this project was expanded to the front lines between Heuvelland and Messines.

SUMMER EXPO LUX 17 In the art project LUX 17 seven contemporary artists display their vision on the theme of construction under the title: (To) construct. A not-to-be-missed exhibition in the church at Kemmel, with work by Mathieu Lobelle, Nadine VanImschoot, Nancy Demeester, Joke Cardinael, Bram Terreyn, Trees Leroy and Christophe Dehaene. The expo runs from 1 July to 27 August 2017.

TASTY ADDRESS Redmond’s Irish Pub Everyone knows that nobody can teach the Irish about having a good time or about how good Guinness tastes ! Add to this fresh oysters and a melody or two on the pipes, and you’re in Irish heaven ! This bistro specializes in fish dishes.

NEW BOOK Franky Bostyn

Zero Hour

7/06/1917

0 ondergrondse strijd om de heuvelrug Wijtschate-Mesen

Military historian Franky Bostyn tells the story of the underground war that preceded the explosion of the mines. He examines 15 sites from Hill 60 in the north to Ploegsteert Wood in the south. The book is published by the Davidsfonds and is available from the Heuvelland Visitors Centre.

Dikkebusstraat 135 8958 Loker (Heuvelland) +32 (0)57 44 81 01 You can find other tasty addresses in Heuvelland on www.flandersfields.be/en

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TOURIST INFO-POINT (TIP)

The TIP on the market square in Mesen is the starting point for every visit to this small peace town. It is located in the former town hall. This listed building has been renovated and can be regarded as a fine example of the architecture of the post-war reconstruction period. The TIP gives a summary of the history of Mesen throughout the centuries,

PRACTICAL Tourist Info-point (TIP) Markt 1 8957 Mesen

MORE INFO +32 (0)57 22 17 14 info@mesen.be www.mesen.be Every day : 08.30 – 17.30

with the First World War in a central role.

The events leading to the first fighting in 1914, the actions of the New Zealanders during the Mine Battle of 1917 and the great symbolic significance of the Irish Peace Tower are just a few of the subjects explored.

In addition to the TIP, there are numerous relics and reminders of the First World War in and around Mesen, which are well worth a visit : the Irish Peace Park, the New Zealand Memorial and the London Scottish Memorial. The Peace Carillion in the church has some 50 bells, which play hymns and popular songs every quarter of an hour.

There are also three Commonwealth cemeteries : Messines Ridge British Cemetery (1,503 graves), Bethleem Farm East Cemetery (43 graves) and Bethleem Farm West Cemetery (166 graves).

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EXPO TOURIST INFO-POINT

100 NEW ZEALAND FACES OF MESSINES

100 Faces – 100 stories The impact of the First World War on the small country of New Zealand was huge.

From a population of just over one million, more than 100,000 men left for the other side of the world ‘to serve their country’.

18,000 were killed and 40,000 returned home with severe injuries. Every New Zealand family was affected by the conflict in one way or another.

The exposition in the TIP tells 100 carefully selected personal stories, which together

100 Mesen

give a face to New Zealand society during that troubled period in history. Every ‘face/ story’ is connected in some way to the Mine Battle of 7 June 1917, when the New Zealand Division, together with other Allied troops, succeeded in capturing the Mesen salient from the Germans, thereby straightening the front. This successful operation was very well prepared and involved the explosion of 19 deep mines under the German positions. If you would like to know more, why not pop in to the TIP in Mesen.

In the footsteps of … Samuel Frickleton Samuel Frickleton was born in 1891 in Slamannan, Scotland. In 1908, his family emigrated to New Zealand, where he worked in the mines. At the outbreak of the First World War, he volunteered for the army with his four brothers. He was involved briefly in the Gallipoli campaign, but in November 1915 was sent home as being medically unfit. In April 1916, he volunteered again and was posted to the 3rd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade. On 7 June 1917, his battalion took part in the Mine Battle. During the attack on Mesen, Frickleton was slightly wounded but he continued to advance.

When the New Zealanders were held up, he single-handedly knocked out two German machine guns. For his courage, he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest British military decoration. Later in the attack, he was wounded a second time. He never returned to the front, survived the war and died in 1971.

There is a plaque to his memory near the St. Nicholas Church in Mesen.

On the other side of the world New Zealand became a British colony in 1840, but in 1907 the islands receive a form of self-government as a dominion. Even so, New Zealand remained reliant on the mother country. Local agricultural products such as wool, meat and dairy produce all found markets within the huge British Empire. These essential exports were threatened when war broke out in 1914. As a result, New Zealand offered full support to Great Britain, since only the Royal Navy could keep open the sea lanes that were vital to New Zealand’s economic survival.

However, the war and the army claimed 58% of

Mesen 101

the country’s available labour. This led to falling production and increasing prices.

It was only by introducing women into the labour market and continuing to export to Great Britain that the collapse of the New Zealand economy was prevented.

First as volunteers, then as conscripts Initially, people though that the war would be won quickly and easily. Men rushed to volunteer. But increasing casualties, rising prices and a growing sense of national identity soon led to a stagnation in recruitment (see p. 106). At the end of 1915, the government introduced a ‘national registration system’. This revealed that more than

102 Mesen

200,000 men were still eligible for service with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

To maintain the strength of the NZEF overseas, conscription was introduced in 1916.

Conscientious objectors Some New Zealanders resisted conscription. A few were exempted, largely for religious reasons, but some 2,600 conscientious objectors were imprisoned for their beliefs. Those who refused to serve lost their voting rights for 10 years and were barred from working for the government.

Some were forced to go to the front, where they tried to survive on hunger rations, performing the most difficult and dangerous jobs. In 1917, the Minister of Defence

decided that all men who claimed to be conscientious objectors, but whose claim was dismissed, should be sent to France and Flanders.

Baxter’s conscience One of the conscientious objectors who was sent to the front in France was Archibald Baxter, born in 1881.

In the spring of 1918, he found himself in Abeele and Dikkebus.

He soon discovered that many soldiers did not know how to treat him. They approached him with a mixture of fascination, contempt, sympathy and indifference. In the summer of the same year he was declared to be insane – something that he strongly denied – and was sent back to New Zealand. He resumed the running of his farm in Otago, where he died in 1970.

The German community The largest wave of European emigration to New Zealand took place in the 1870s.

In particular, the government’s immigration policies attracted many Germans and Scandinavian labourers. The newcomers built railways and cleared the bush for farming. Later, more families with children came to settle. They would eventually form the backbone of the agricultural economy and rural life in New Zealand. In these expatriate communities, spread all over the country, the speaking of German was a normal part of everyday life. The First World War put a severe strain on this diversity within New Zealand society. The growing casualty lists and press reports about atrocities at the front led to negative attitudes towards everything that was German.

Mesen 103

Anti-German hysteria One of the victims of the anti-­ German uproar was George William von Zedlitz. This German-­ American arrived in New Zealand in 1902 and worked as a language teacher. In 1912, he became an official translator for the New Zealand government. When war broke out, von Zedlitz let it be known that he wanted to return to Germany as a Red Cross volunteer. This was held against him and in October 1915 he lost his teaching post at the Victoria University College, as a consequence of the Alien Enemy Teachers Act. He was later rehabilitated after the Armistice.

The Maori Although there was initial resistance from the British authorities, from the end of 1914 onwards the Maori – the original inhabitants of New Zealand – were given the chance to volunteer for the Native Contingent, also known as the Maori Contingent. After serving in various capacities in Gallipoli and on the Western Front, from February 1916 onwards the Maori served primarily in the Maori Pioneer Battalion. During the Mine Battle in 1917, this battalion dug 4.5 kilometres of trench, during which 17 soldiers were killed and 155 wounded.

When the number of Maori volunteers started to decline, the need for replacements led the New Zealand government to intro-

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duce conscription for them as well. This was not applied to every Maori tribe, but only to those who had not responded to the call

for volunteers. In 1917, this led to the imprisonment of many Maori in military camps, where they were subjected to a punishment regime because of their refusal to serve.

This created an atmosphere of deep distrust between the tribes and the government, which was only overcome in the 1990s. It is not clear how many Maori took an active part in the war. In addition to service in ‘native’ units, many of them also fought in the ‘white’ divisions of the NZEF and the Australian army.

The All Blacks Like Australia, New Zealand is famed as a sporting nation. The most popular sport is rugby and the national team – the All Blacks – have always been amongst the best in the world. During the First World War, most sporting competitions were

stopped : whoever was fit is to play, was also fit to fight. Thirteen All Blacks lost their lives while serving with the NZEF, including the legendary David Gallagher, captain in 1905-1906, who died of wounds received near Passendale on 4 October 1917.

Even before the war, All Black teams were made up of white New Zealanders and Maori. In the army, mixed units also led to better mutual understanding. George Sellars (born 1876) was a Maori and an All Black, who joined the Auckland Regiment in 1915. He was killed on 7 June 1917 during the Battle of Mesen, while carrying a wounded comrade to safety on his back.

Two other All Blacks lost their lives in the same battle : Reginald Taylor and Jim McNeece. Sellars is commemorated by name on the Messines Ridge New Zealand Memorial in Mesen.

Mesen 105

Women at and behind the front Like everywhere else, the First World War changed the role of women in New Zealand society. They not only took the place of men in the labour market, but also volunteered for war service, both at home and overseas. More than 550 nurses served in military hospitals at the front. A number of them were killed, including ten who drowned when the hospital ship ‘Marquette’ was torpedoed in October 1915. Another 500 or so New Zealand women worked as volunteers in hospitals in England, France and Belgium. Several were honoured for their work with the award of the Queen Elisabeth Medal. On the home front, the conflict cre-

106 Mesen

ated a wave of sympathy for Poor Little Belgium. Numerous organizations were involved in knitting scarves, collecting money and sending food parcels.

Which kiwis?

As a result of their participation in the First World War, the New Zealanders began to develop a national identity. Far from home, they became more conscious of who they were and what set them apart as a people.

They liked to be referred to a ‘kiwis’ and came to regard themselves as an independent nation that no longer wished to be a

Working for the war effort Mary Mulcahy (1892-1966) was one of the many New Zealand women who rose to the new challenges presented by the war.

She found work at the conscription service, where she compiled lists of those who were fit to fight and helped to organize the selection ballot. Her husband was wounded during the Battle of Mesen in June 1917 and suffered from shell-shock for many years. As soon as he returned home, Mary devoted herself to his care.

part of the British Empire. After the war, New Zealand signed the Peace Treaty of Versailles in its own right. But where does the name ‘kiwi’ come from ? Kiwis are flightless birds that are only found in New Zealand. The name reflects the sound of the mating call made by the male bird.

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WHAT TO DO IN MESEN ?

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Tourist Info-point (TIP) Mesen Markt 1, 8957 Mesen This info-point will help visitors to explore the small town of Mesen.

2 St. Nicholas Church

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This former abbey church dates originally from 1057. It was completely destroyed during the war and rebuilt in 1928. Close to the church there is a plaque to the memory of the New Zealand soldier Samuel Frickleton VC. 3 Irish Peace Park Armentierssteenweg, 8957 Mesen

Since 1998, the Irish Peace Park has been a national memorial for the island of Ireland in the Westhoek. The round tower is typically Irish and remembers all Irish soldiers who died during the 108  Mesen

First World War, particularly during the Mine Battle of 1917. The tower was built by young people from both Northern and Southern Ireland as a symbol of peace and reconciliation.

4 Berks Cemetery Extension and the Plugstreet 14-18 Experience Rue de Messines 156, 7782 Ploegsteert (Komen-Waasten) Just 15 kilometres from Ieper lies Berks Cemetery Extension, with its Memorial to the Missing, and the adjacent Plugstreet 14-18 Experience Visitors Centre.

Get to know the smallest town in Belgium using the Messines Walk app. Via your smartphone or tablet, you can follow the attack of the New Zealanders on German-­ held Mesen on 7 June 1917. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

Mijnenslag

CYCLING

FIETSROUTE 14-18 - CYCLE ROUTE 14-18 ITINÉRAIRE CYCLISTE 14-18 - FAHRRADROUTE 14-18

43 km

Pioneer Route (75 km) See p. 74

de westhoek

PIONEER

The route maps can be purchased via shop.westtoer.be

THE GERMAN MASTERS OF CONCRETE

IN THE TRENCHES

TOURIST CAR ROUTE 14-18 zonnebeke - wervik - wervicq-sud (f) - bousbecque (f) comines (f) - comines-warneton - mesen 75

km

A DRINK AND A BITE TO EAT

WALKING

de westhoek

BY CAR

Café du Centre Markt 23, 8957 Mesen +32 (0)476 79 18 30

Café Saint Sébastien Ieperstraat 3, 8957 Mesen You can find other tasty addresses in and around Mesen on www.flandersfields.be/en

Mine Battle Route (42 km) See p. 94

Mesen 109

THEMED ITINERARY

Day – 25 April – there is a dawn ceremony here. On the other side of the road stands the smaller Polygon Wood Cemetery.

In the footsteps of …

Samuel Frickleton (see p. 101)

Day programme 10.00 – 11.00 : Tourist Info-point Mesen (see p. 99) Markt 1, 8957 Mesen

11.00 – 12.00 : Walk to the St. Nicholas Church and the New Zealand Memorial Park.

12.00 – 13.30 : lunch 14.00 – 15.00 : The witnesses of war in Polygon Wood not only include the remains of bunkers, but also the serene Buttes New British Cemetery. The New Zealand Memorial commemorates 383 missing soldiers of the New Zealand Division. On the butte stands a memorial to the Australian Fifth Division. Each year on ANZAC

110 Mesen

Lange Dreve 5, 8980 Zonnebeke

The memorial column to the New Zealand Division in the hamlet of ’s Graventafel remembers the role played by the division in the Battle of Broodseinde on 4 October 1917.

This attack by ANZAC troops ensured that the second phase of the Allied offensive was brought to a successful conclusion. A further attack just days later failed due to lack of proper preparation. ’s Graventafelstraat,

8980 Zonnebeke (Passendale) 15.00 – 16.30 : Tyne Cot Cemetery (see p. 46) Tynecotstraat 22,

8980 Zonnebeke (Passendale)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing In Ploegsteert, between Mesen and the French border, you can find the Berks Cemetery Extension, in which stands the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing. This memorial commemorates 11,447 Commonwealth soldiers who died as a result of day-to-day fighting and minor support attacks in the region, but have no known grave. The Last Post is played here at 19.00 on the first Friday of every month.

Rue de Messines 156, 7782 Komen-Waasten (Ploegsteert)

Plugstreet 14-18 Experience

was in German hands ; in the west, the village of Ploegsteert was held by the British.

The Battle of Mesen and, in particular, the role played by Australian troops are highlighted.

Rue de Messines 156, 7782 Komen-Waasten (Ploegsteert) +32 (0)56 48 40 00 info@rememberplugstreet.com www.plugstreet1418.com 1 April – 30 September : 10.00 – 17.00 During weekends : 10.00 – 18.00 1 October – 31 March : 10.00 – 17.00 On the first Friday of the month : 10.00 – 19.00 (when the Last Post takes place)

Just 15 kilometres from Ieper, immediately behind the Memorial to the Missing, you can find the ‘Plugstreet 14-18 Experience’ Visitors Centre, opened in 2013. The latest high-tech museum techniques allow visitors to discover in an interactive way the most important events in the region around Komen-Waasten during the First World War. In the east of this region, the town of Komen

Mesen 111

Veurne Diksmuide

LANGEMARKPOELKAPELLE

Hooglede

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For four long years, Langemark-­Poel­kapelle was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the First World War. Situated between the Ieper-IJzer Canal and the hotly contested strategic ridge between West­

rozebeke and Wijtschate, it was part of the notorious Ieper (Ypres) Salient. By 1918, its villages had been wiped off the map.

100 years later, the municipality is organizing numerous events to remember the world’s first great conflagration.

PRACTICAL

The brand new Guynemer Pavilion houses a double exhibition that tells the story of the contributions to the fighting made by the French Army and by military aviation.

Although mainly a British offensive, the French nonetheless played an important role in the Third Battle of Ieper. Even though the French Army was in crisis, its more prudent tactics allowed it to make significant advances towards Houthulst Forest. During the same battle, the air forces of all the combatants were committed on a scale never previously seen. Military aviation evolved from simple observation to become an integral part of the total war machine.

Guynemer Pavilion

Brugseweg 126-128 8920 Langemark-Poelkapelle

MORE INFO Langemark-Poelkapelle Tourist Office

Kasteelstraat 1 8920 Langemark-Poelkapelle +32 (0)57 49 09 41 toerisme@ langemark-­poelkapelle.be www.langemark-­ poelkapelle14-18.be

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EXPO GUYNEMER PAVILION

THE FRENCH ARMY IN THE THIRD BATTLE OF IEPER

Under pressure

Indispensible

In 1916, the French Army was badly shaken by the Battle of Verdun. There was increasing protest, not only against the high casualties, but also against the countless operational errors. The number of deserters grew dramatically. Others refused to obey orders.

Matters came to a head after a new failure during the Nivelle Offensive on the Chemin des Dames in April 1917. After three years of pointless sacrifice and with peace no nearer, the hopelessly demoralized troops mutinied.

Even so, French support was essential if Sir Douglas Haig’s planned British offensive in Flanders was to have any chance of success. The French were allocated a weakly defended sector on the left flank of the British. On 13 June 1917, a 7.5 kilometre long stretch of front between Noordschote and Boezinge was taken over by General Anthoine’s First Army, consisting mainly of troops from northern France who had not been involved in the mutiny further south.

Turning the corner with Pétain General Nivelle was sacked and General Pétain was appointed as the new commander-in-chief. He not only sought to restore the army’s morale, but also to change its strategy. He wanted to postpone further offensives until the full might of the American Army could be deployed. Meanwhile, he improved the living conditions of the troops and gave them a greater say in tactical decisions. At the same time, he dismissed old and incompetent officers.

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German vigilance Anthoine’s men were opposed by the German Fourth Army under General Sixt von Armin, with 200-300 cannon at its disposal, half of them medium or heavy calibre. From their positions on the higher ground, the Germans watched the French arrive and began a succession of precise bombardments.

The plan for August-September The French plan involved a phased operation in the Het Sas sector, with the aim of capturing the line between Blankaart Castle and Houthulst Forest. The objective for the first phase was the first two German lines of trenches east of the Ieperlee stream. After consolidation, the second

phase would seize the third line and the ground to the south of the Martjes Canal and the Sint-Jans stream, together with the Poesele ‘peninsula’.

The attack opens (phase 1) In preparation for the attack, between 26 and 30 July 1917 the French bombarded the German lines with 80-100,000 shells per day, including gas. At 03.50 on 31 July, the assault was made over 54 wooden walkways hastily erected across the Ieperlee. The German guns destroyed some of the walkways, but most of the French troops made it safely to the eastern bank of the stream. Here they occupied the shell-battered enemy trenches, which had been abandoned by the Germans, who had pulled back to deeper defensive positions.

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By 09.00, the French had reached their objective at Kortekeer Trench in the German third line. An hour later, as heavy rain began to fall, the village of Bikschote was taken. German counterattacks were beaten off or floundered in the mud. French casualties were light : 1,050 men killed, wounded or missing.

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The attack continues (phase 2) On 16 August, the next attack was launched against the Martjes Canal, Sint-Jans stream and the Broenbeek stream. Within hours, the French had once again captured all their objectives. On the left flank, the Fusiliers Marins stormed the Poesele peninsula and occupied Drie Grachten (see Houthulst-Drie Grachten site, p. 137).

Balance The French First Army captured all its objectives with relatively light losses : 1,625 killed and 8,527 wounded. During the fighting, they had fired between 6 and 7 million shells, and took 1,500 German prisoners, including 30 officers.

The October attacks A new attack on 9 October 1917 had Hout­ hulst Forest and the Luigem ‘peninsula’ as its objectives. Progress across the muddy, shell-torn battlefield was difficult and German resistance was fierce. Even so, an advance was made as far as the hamlet of Veldhoek. On 22 October, in the middle of a storm, the edge of Houthulst Forest was finally reached. Artillery preparation im-

mediately began for a further push on 26 October. The assault troops easily crossed the Sint-Jans stream, but then suffered heavy casualties from the German machine guns defending Aschhoop. Nevertheless, by lunchtime Merkem had fallen and Luigem had been overrun. This brought to an end the mission of the French Army in Flanders.

Indescribable Ambroise Harel was in the first wave on 31 July.

He described the difficult advance. By lunchtime his unit had reached the Broenbeek stream. They had just taken shelter in a large bunker, when a shell exploded in the entrance : “The scene was indescribable. I was thrown backwards. A man died at my feet, both his legs blown off.

Elsewhere I could hear the terrible cries of the dying.

The bunker had been turned into a human charnel house.

The walls were covered in blood …”

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EXPO GUYNEMER PAVILION

1917, A TURNING POINT FOR MILITARY AVIATION

Aviation in its infancy

Huge progress

Prior to the First World War, aeroplanes were only used for reconnaissance tasks.

This changed almost as soon as the war began. Whoever controlled the skies could observe the enemy unhindered and target them with deadly artillery fire. Within months, planes were flying in groups, rather than singly. New weapons systems, such as machine guns, were also quickly developed, making possible the first aerial ‘dog-fights’.

The German air force underwent major changes from the end of 1916 onwards.

The squadrons were equipped with better planes and pilots were given more thorough training. In 1917, the number of airfields on the front of the German Fourth Army in West Flanders increased from 11 to more than 50. The British Royal Flying Corps also grew exponentially, but less rapidly than their opponents. British and French aviators also received new planes

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that allowed them to fight the Germans on equal terms. On 26 July 1917, just before the Third Battle of Ieper, a huge dog-fight involving more than 100 planes took place over Polygon Wood.

Ground support From 1917 onwards, aerial observation helped to establish the positions and the needs of one’s own ground troops, as well as spotting the enemy’s lines of attack.

The introduction of radio allowed planes to communicate directly with their headquarters and the guns, but communication with the soldiers in the field was less good. Units signalled their position by lamp or by spreading white sheets, to which the pilots responded with rockets, lights or sirens. Sometimes, a bag with a written message was simply thrown over the side of the plane.

Friend or foe?

Ground troops sometimes received direct support from planes, through the machine gunning or bombing of enemy positions.

On the first day of the Third Battle of Ieper, a combination of low cloud and smoke from the guns forced pilots to fly closer to

In the footsteps of … Georges Guynemer Interested in all things mechanical, Georges Guynemer (1894-1917) always wanted to be a flyer. When war broke out, he joined the French air force as a maintenance technician, but soon became a pilot. After fighting at Verdun and on the Somme in 1916, his squadron moved north to Dunkirk, from where he flew missions to support the Third Battle of Ieper. With 48 victories, he was already a celebrity and in Flanders he shot down five more enemy planes. On 11 September 1917 he crashed near Poelkapelle, probably a victim of the German ace, Kurt Wissemann.

Guynemer’s body was never found.

Langemark-Poelkapelle 119

the ground than usual, making it very difficult to distinguish friend from foe. The sight of the low-flying fighters had a demoralizing effect on the enemy and gave a boost to the attacking infantry.

In the footsteps of …

Werner Voss

At the request of the legendary ‘Red Baron’, Manfred von Richthofen, the German pilot Werner Voss (1897-1917) was transferred to Jagdstaffel 10. By 23 September 1917, the young man had already shot down 13 enemy planes over Flanders. That evening, he attacked two British planes, little realizing that the rest of 56 Squadron was operating nearby. Heavily outnumbered, the 20-year-old Voss was shot down and killed. He is commemorated in the Soldatenfriedhof in Langemark.

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Floating on a cable Aerial observation also developed rapidly during the war. Hand-drawn sketches were soon replaced by photographs. Learning how to interpret these photographs and the information they contained required new insights. This information was essential for the preparation of successful offensives, allowing the infantry to learn about the land over which they would attack, as well as identifying enemy positions and troop concentrations. In addition to planes, balloons were also used to observe enemy artillery positions. Anchored by a cable, these balloons could remain floating in a fixed position for long periods, relaying vital data to the ground by telephone.

German ‘dragons’ in the sky Cable balloons were first invented in 1885 by the German Major von Parseval. To keep them in the sky, these Drachen-type (dragon) balloons were filled with highly inflammable hydrogen gas. In 1914, the Germans had just a single LuftschifferAbteilung with two balloons, supported by two lorries, 120 horses, a motorized winch,

Did you know ?

Unlike the pilots in the planes, balloon observers had a chance to save themselves by parachute.

The first chutes were packed into a case fixed to the rigging of the balloon. The observer wore a harness, attached to the parachute. When he jumped from the basket, his weight pulled the parachute out of the case and released the chord that opened the chute.

a telephone van and 180 men. The cable was fixed to the front of the balloon, which could be turned by a rudder and held in place by the weight of the two-man basket, both of which were attached at the back.

French Caquots By the end of 1914, the Allies were also using spherical-shaped observation balloons, but these were very susceptible to wind at high altitudes.

Aware that the German Drachen design was better, the French engineer Albert Irénée Caquot developed a new cigar-shaped cable balloon, which was taken into use at the start of 1915.

Thereafter France manufactured the balloons for all the Allied forces on the Western Front.

Did you know ?

Although unarmed, cable balloons were by no means an easy target for enemy fighters. Attacks had to be made at close range and even if a balloon was destroyed, the explosion of its gas filling posed a serious danger to the attacker.

What’s more, the balloons were strongly defended by anti-aircraft batteries.

The shooting down of observation balloons became a specialized skill, practiced by so-called ‘balloon busters’, like the Belgian pilot Willy Coppens.

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er I Jz

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WHAT TO DO IN LANGEMARK-POELKAPELLE ?

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Guynemer Pavilion Brugseweg 126-128, 8920 Poelkapelle This brand new pavilion is named after Georges Guynemer, the legendary French pilot.

2 Guynemer Monument Guynemerplein, 8920 Poelkapelle A memorial to Georges Guynemer. The Heuvelland stork refers to the name of Guynemer’s squadron.

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A19

3 The Brooding Soldier Intersection Brugseweg / Zonne­beke­straat, 8920 Langemark-­Poelkapelle The Canadian Forces Memorial at St. Julien, better known as the ‘Canadien’ or the ‘Brooding Soldier’, remembers the role played by the Canadians during the Second Battle of Ieper in 1915, when 2,000 of their troops died near ie here during the first gas attack. Le

A19

4 German Military Cemetery Klerkenstraat, 8920 Langemark This cemetery is sometimes known as the Studentenfriedhof, because it was near here that many of the young German student volunteers were killed in 1914 during the First Battle of Ieper.

The cemetery now contains the graves of more than 44,300 German soldiers, half of them in the mass grave near the main entrance.

5 Poelcapelle British Cemetery Brugseweg, 8920 Poelkapelle Constructed in 1919, this Commonwealth cemetery contains the graves of 7,500 soldiers, most of whom died in the autumn of 1917.

CYCLING Poison Gas Route (41 km) On 22 April 1915, Allied troops between Steenstraete and Langemark fell victim to an attack by chlorine gas. More than 5,000 soldiers and civilians were killed and many thousands more suffered from the effects for the rest of their lives.

Start Langemark-­Poelkapelle The route map can be purchased from Langemark-Poelkapelle Tourist Office or online via shop.westtoer.be

de westhoek

Gifgas FIETSROUTE 14-18 - CYCLE ROUTE 14-18 ITINÉRAIRE CYCLISTE 14-18 - FAHRRADROUTE 14-18

TASTY ADDRESS ’t Oud Gemeentehuis

’t Oud Gemeentehuis is a B&B combined with a brasserie-cum-tearoom, where you can also hire original Vespa scooters. The atmosphere is relaxed and children are welcome. When the sun shines, there is a great outdoor terrace. ’t Oud Gemeentehuis Guynemerplein 5, 8920 Poelkapelle +32 (0)494 63 30 91 www.guesthouse-poelkapelle.be You can find other tasty addresses in and around Langemark-Poelkapelle on www.flandersfields.be/en

41 km

Langemark-Poelkapelle 123

THEMED ITINERARIES In the footsteps of …

Georges Guynemer (see p. 119) Day programme 09.45 – 10.45 : Guynemer Monument (see p. 122) Guynemerplein,

8920 Poelkapelle Guynemer Pavilion (see p. 113) Brugseweg 126-128,

8920 Poelkapelle

14.45 – 15.45 : French Monument On top of Mount Kemmel stands a memorial column inaugurated in 1932 to the memory of the French soldiers who died here during the battle for the hill in April 1918. The monument depicts Victoria, the winged Roman goddess of victory, but is better known locally as Den Engel (the Angel).

Kemmelbergweg,

8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland) French Ossuary (see p. 93)

11.15 – 11.45 : Drie Grachten (see p. 137) Drie Grachtensteenweg,

8650 Merkem (Houthulst) 12.00 – 12.20 : Carrefour des Roses In 1929, French veterans inaugurated ‘Carrefour des Roses’, a monument to their comrades who died during the German gas attack on 22 April 1915.

Langemarkseweg, 8900 Ieper

12.30 – 13.00 : Saint Charles de Potyze French Military Cemetery (see p. 37) Zonnebeekseweg 385,

8900 Ieper 13.00 : Lunch

124 Langemark-Poelkapelle

Kemmelbergweg, 8956 Kemmel (Heuvelland)

In the footsteps of …

Bernhard Johann te Löken

11.00 – 12.00 : Tyne Cot Cemetery (see p. 46) Tynecotstraat 22,

8980 Passendale (Zonnebeke) 12.15 – 12.45 : German command bunker This bunker from 1916 shows the skill used by the Germans in their military constructions. The site can be visited free of charge.

Gaverstraat,

8980 Zandvoorde (Zonnebeke)

One of the soldiers buried in Langemark is Bernhard Johann te Löken. This weaver from the German town of Rheine was a 29-year-old married father of two when he joined the army in 1914. He fought with his unit during the Third Battle of Ieper and was involved in the unsuccessful counterattack at Polygon Wood on 20 September 1917.

He was badly wounded by shellfire later that same night and died the next day.

13.00 : Lunch 14.30 – 16.30 : In Flanders Fields Museum (see p. 7) Lakenhallen (Cloth Hall),

Grote Markt 34, 8900 Ieper 16.45 – 17.30 : Bayernwald (see p. 93)

Day programme 10.00 – 10.45 : Germany Military Cemetery, Langemark (see p. 123)

Klerkenstraat 84, 8920 Langemark

Voormezelestraat 2, 8953 Wijtschate (Heuvelland)

Note : tickets can only be purchased from Heuvelland Tourist Office !

Langemark-Poelkapelle 125

Veurne Diksmuide

POPERINGE

Alveringem

LoReninge

Houthulst

Ieper

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126  Poperinge

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LangemarkPoelkapelle

Vleteren Poperinge

Kortemark

LIJSSENTHOEK CEMETERY VISITORS CENTRE

The visitors centre tells the story of Lijssenthoek, the fields where a large complex of evacuation hospitals once stood during the First World War, together with its adjacent military cemetery. You can read the digitalized logbooks and make the acquaintance of many of the figures asso-

PRACTICAL Lijssenthoek Cemetery Visitors Centre

Boescheepseweg 35a 8970 Poperinge Every day from 09.00 to 18.00 Free – Access for the physically challenged

ciated with this site. The calendar tells a different story each day and forms a link between the visitors centre and the cemetery.

There is also an animation presentation about the growth of Lijssenthoek and a stop-­ motion film about the ceaseless activity on and around the nearby railway line. Almost 11,000 casualties are buried in Lijssent­ hoek Cemetery or just 3% of the sick and wounded soldiers who were sent to the hospital complex before evacuation further behind the lines.

The info-module is located in a signal box next to the visitors centre.

MORE INFO Poperinge Tourist Office

Grote Markt 1 8970 Poperinge +32 (0)57 34 66 76 toerisme@poperinge.be www.toerismepoperinge.be Poperinge 127

INFO-MODULE LIJSSENTHOEK CEMETERY VISITORS CENTRE Remy Siding

Growth

Remy Siding was the name of the group of hospitals that were set up during the First World War in the fields of local farmer Remi Quaghebeur. ‘Siding’ in this instance means a stopping place for trains, which were used to evacuate sick or wounded soldiers from the battlefield to base hospitals in northern France.

The first military casualties arrived at Remy Siding in May 1915. At this time, the facilities were limited, with only a single French evacuation hospital on site. The British arrived a month later and further extended the site in 1916 with the addition of two Canadian evacuation hospitals. By the summer of 1917, Remy Siding had four evacuation

Did you know ?

The evacuation of the wounded worked on the basis of a funnel system. From the front line and via an intermediary network of dressing stations and aid posts, the sick and wounded soldiers were brought together in an evacuation hospital or casualty clearing station (CCS). In normal circumstances, this journey through the system would take 3 hours, although it could last twice as long at night. From the CCS, the troops were sent to nearby rest camps, military hospitals in the hinterland or recovery hospitals in their homeland.

128 Poperinge

hospitals with a combined capacity of 4,000 beds. The hospital barracks and tents covered some 25 hectares, equivalent to 50 football pitches.

The calm before the storm Did you know ?

At the start of the war the evacuation hospitals were mobile units.

From 1915, they moved to fixed positions, some 20 kilometres behind the front. Ease of access and the presence of a nearby railway line were crucial factors in choosing the sites. This new principle was first applied in practice at Remy Siding.

In March 1917, the medical staff at Remy Siding were warned that a new major offensive would be launched in the near future.

The evacuation hospitals were therefore ordered to prepare for an increased number of wounded. More tents, staff, equipment and medical material were brought in. On 3 June, Dr. Davey, commander of No.2 Canadian CCS, noted in his journal : ‘The ominous quiet all around us is so oppressive that the explosion of an occasional shell in Poperinge forms a stark contrast.’

Rumours were rife : ‘The bombardment

Some figures The situation in and around Poperinge on 21 July 1917 was as follows : 15 casualty clearing stations, spread over Dozinghem, Brandhoek, Remy Siding, Mendinghem and Bandaghem, with a combined total of 20,000 beds, 1,300 tents and 60 barracks.

Medical supply depots at Dozinghem, Proven and Poperinge.

Mobile laboratories in Remy Siding, Dozinghem, Mendinghem and Poperinge.

Radiology units in Remy Siding and Dozinghem.

Motorized ambulance convoys in Proven, Wippenhoek Farm, near Remy Siding, Poperinge, Winnezele, Steenvoorde and Herzele.

8 hospital trains in the stations at Hazebroek and Saint-Omer, 2 in Dozinghem, 2 in Bandaghem, 2 in Mendinghem and 1 in Remy Siding.

57 extra surgical teams.

40 extra health officers.

275 extra staff of the Royal Army Medical Corps.

25 to 35 nurses per evacuation hospital.

Poperinge 129

will intensify tomorrow evening and then the “big show” will begin, on 28 July.’ In full confidence, Dr. Davey wrote on 30 July : ‘The additional preparations in the CCS must make it possible for us to deal with the evacuation of the wounded without serious problems, unless the offensive is a failure, with an extremely high number of casualties as a result. Abdominal cases, broken shins, head wounds, gas victims and shell-shock cases will all be forwarded to special centres. We have eight teams ready to perform operations and seven extra health officers, including myself.’

In the vicinity Remy Siding was the largest hospital complex in the region, but there were a number of subsidiary centres within a radius of 15 kilometres. In the run-up to the planned offensive in the summer of 1917, the British military authorities focused on increasing the capacity and efficiency of the evacuation hospitals behind the front.

The storm breaks On 31 July 1917, the opening day of the Third Battle of Ieper, Lijssenthoek dealt with a peak of 6,895 admissions. 582 operations

The only one Nellie Spindler, a nurse in the hospital at Brandhoek, was badly wounded by a shell fragment in the back during a bombardment on 21 August 1917. She died just minutes later. She is the only woman buried in the military cemetery at Lijssenthoek.

130 Poperinge

were carried out. Other evacuation hospitals in the area, such as Proven, worked double shifts. In 24 hours, the various evacuation hospitals in and around Poperinge processed almost 13,000 cases. After treatment, the hospital trains transported these patients to other medical facilities further behind the front : 8 trains from Remy Siding, 7 from Mendinghem and 4 from Dozinghem. In the first week of the offensive, the 15 CCS cared for almost 22,000 wounded, 817 of whom died before they could be evacuated.

Safe?

At twenty past nine on the evening of Friday, 17 August 1917, enemy planes dropped between four and eight bombs on Remy Siding. Two of them scored direct hits on CCS no. 17. Casualties were high. Near the officers’ quarters and the section for the lightly wounded the air was full with flying fragments of metal. 42 people were wounded and 14 members of the medical staff and 10 German prisoners of war were killed.

The dead nearby The cemetery is a reflection of the ebb and flow of the violence of war in the Ieper Salient. Whoever was wounded, was brought to a field hospital. Those who died there, were buried nearby. With a delay of two to three days, the cemetery grew organically in keeping with the amount of work in the hospital, which in turn mirrored the amount of fighting at the front. With its 10,784 headstones, Lijssenthoek is now the largest hospital cemetery in the world. Soldiers of more than 30 nationalities are buried here.

In the footsteps of … the Seabrooks The three Australian Seabrook brothers all joined the army in 1916.

After training, they were posted to the 17th Infantry Battalion A.I.F. (2ndAustralian Division). On 20 September 1917, their unit went into action in the Battle of the Menin Road. William Keith was seriously wounded before he even reached the front line, hit by a shell fragment at Hellfire Corner. He was evacuated to Lijssenthoek, where he died and was buried the next day. Theo Leslie and George Ross took part in the attack and were killed later the same day. Both are now commemorated on the Menin Gate. In spite of receiving official notification and three death plaques from the Australian government, until her death in 1929 their mother believed that George Ross was still alive, but had lost his memory.

Poperinge 131

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WHAT TO DO IN POPERINGE ?

Alveringem

Lo-Reninge LangemarkPoelkapelle

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Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery – visitors centre Boescheepseweg 35a, 8970 Poperinge From 1915 to 1920, the hamlet of Lijssenthoek was the location of the largest evacuation hospital in the Ieper Salient. Today, the graves in this Commonwealth cemetery mirror the progress of the war. The visitors centre tells the story of this unique site.

2 Talbot House Gasthuisstraat 43, 8970 Poperinge For the troops of all ranks this place was ‘a home away from home’, where they 132 Poperinge

Mesen

could find a little rest, peace and humanity. More than half a million soldiers visited Talbot House between 1915 and 1918.

3 Execution site – Death cells Guido Gezellestraat, 8970 Poperinge The execution post in the courtyard of Poperinge town hall reminds us that soldiers were shot here by firing squad during the First World War. From 1916 onwards, the condemned men spent their last night in the adjacent ‘death cells’.

CYCLING

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

‘POP’ Route (41 km)

– VIVE LABEUR China in Poperinge 1917 – 2017 Exposition – Festival

This cycle route explores Poperinge – POP to the British – or ‘the first stop after hell’, as it was sometimes known. This was the place where the soldiers could leave behind the mud and blood of the trenches.

For others, it was the place where their wounds were healed or where they found their last POP resting place. The town was awash with troops of many different nationalities. Some came to relax, some came to be punished.

Organized by the Town of Poperinge in collaboration with curator Gautier Platteau.

With the support of Flanders Tourism and GoneWest.

What ?

de westhoek

FIETSROUTE 14-18 - CYCLE ROUTE 14-18 ITINÉRAIRE CYCLISTE 14-18 - FAHRRADROUTE 14-18

37 km

Start Poperinge

BY CAR Life at the Front Route (87 km) This route leads you through the front region between Poperinge and Heuvelland.

You will learn more about Poperinge town, the Mine Battle of 1917 and the Battle of Mount Kemmel in 1918.

Start Poperinge The route folders can be purchased for Poperinge Tourist Office or online via shop.westtoer.be

de westhoek

LIFE AT THE FRONT LITTLE PARIS AND THE GATEWAY TO HELL

TOURIST CAR ROUTE

14-18 poperinge - heuvella nd 87

km

The first Chinese labourers arrived in Poperinge in the summer of 1917. They worked for the British Army as labourers and remained in the region until 1920.

They lived in separate camps, where they could follow their own rituals. The exhibition Vive Labeur tells their story.

In addition, Vive Labeur also displays the work of photographers Stephan Vanfleteren and Sanne Dewilde, who recently visited China to search for the Poperinge 133

roots of these Chinese labourers. Nearer home, report maker Lieselotte Vandamme travelled through the Westhoek collecting fascinating wartime stories about China in Flanders.

On Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 September 2017, the Poperinge Cyrus Festival will be given a special Chinese look : China back in town, with a Chinese buffet, dragon performances, tea ceremonies, a China pop-up store, calligraphy workshops, music and Chinese acrobatic acts. There is also the première of the Chinese shadow theatre Lastpost, a production by theatre-maker Lize Pede.

In addition, the Canadian film Tricks on the Dead by Jordan Paterson about the China Labour Corps will be shown for the first time in Europe.

Practical Expo 1 July 2017 to 17 September 2017 Gasthuiskapel (Hospice Chapel), Poperinge Festival 2 – 3 September 2017 Different locations in Poperinge

TASTY ADDRESS Restaurant ’t Jagershof Bankelindeweg 58 8972 Poperinge (Krombeke) +32 (0)57 33 55 25

’t Jagershof is located close to the Sixtus woods and the grounds of De Lovie Chateau. You can dine here for either a light snack or a full meal. The cellar contains a unique exhibition with objects, uniforms and documents that sketch the history of this region during the First World War, based around the diary extracts of two monks from the St. Sixtus Abbey.

More info www.poperinge14-18.be

You can find other tasty addresses in and around Poperinge on www.flandersfields.be/en

134 Poperinge

THEMED ITINERARY In the footsteps of … the Seabrooks (see p. 131)

Day programme 10.00–12.00 : Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 (see p. 45) Berten Pilstraat 5,

8980 Zonnebeke 12.00–13.30 : lunch 13u30–14.30 : Polygon Wood (see p. 71)

Lange Dreve 5, 8980 Zonnebeke

15.00–15.30 : the Menin Gate This monument is the most wellknown Commonwealth war memorial in Flanders. The stone panels are engraved with the names of 54,896 missing soldiers, including the brothers Theo Leslie and George Ross Seabrook.

Menenstraat, 8900 Ieper

16.00-17.00 : Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery A visit to the grave of William Keith Seabrook Boescheepseweg 35,

8970 Poperinge

Need more inspiration for a day out?

Surf to www.flandersfields.be/en/1917 and discover all our suggested routes!

Poperinge 135

Koekelare

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Hooglede Houthulst

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136  Houthulst

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BELGIAN MILITARY CEMETERY & DRIE GRACHTEN

There are two info-modules in Houthulst : one at the Belgian Military Cemetery in Houthulst Forest and the other at the Drie Grachten site.

The module in Houthulst Forest shows the effects of high explosive on the landscape,

PRACTICAL Belgian Military Cemetery Poelkapellestraat 44 8650 Houthulst

both then and now. During the First World War, numerous German guns were positioned in the forest and after the Armistice a nearby site was used for the destruction of surplus wartime munitions. Even today, the men of DOVO-SEDEE, the Belgian bomb disposal unit, still collect and destroy the deadly shells and grenades of yesteryear.

At Drie Grachten – the name means ‘Three Canals’ – there is a module that tells the story of the capture of this locality by the French Fusiliers Marins battalion during the Third Battle of Ieper in 1917.

Drie Grachten

Ieperleedijkstraat 8650 Houthulst (Merkem)

MORE INFO Houthulst Tourist Office

Markt 17, 8650 Houthulst +32 (0) 51 46 08 94 toerisme@houthulst.be www.houthulst.be Houthulst 137

INFO-MODULE BELGIAN MILITARY CEMETERY

AMMUNITION 1917-2017

Capture and recapture

On 20 October 1914, the forest fell into German hands. They soon transformed it into a mighty fortress, where much of their (heavy) artillery was positioned. During the Third Battle of Ieper, the British and the French attempted to win back this strategically important woodland. Some 4.2 million shells were fired over the whole front in the weeks leading up to the attack. The German guns attempted to reply in kind, but it was difficult to bring up sufficient ammunition through the narrow and muddy drives in the forest. At the same time, the shell-blasted trees limited observation and the guns slowly sank into the soft ground, making accurate shooting almost impossible. Even so, the Allies were unable to retake Houthulst Forest in 1917, although they advanced to its fringes. By now, the landscape had been turned into a quagmire, full of unexploded shells from both sides.

138  Houthulst

Did you know ?

During the First World War, some 1.5 billion shells were fired. 25% of them failed to explode, including 5-10% with poison gas. During the re-levelling of the landscape after the Armistice, an average of 5,000 kilograms of explosives were founded for each hectare of ground cleared. In some places in the Westhoek, five shells were recovered for every square metre. More than 100 years later, rusty shells still regularly come to the surface.

With might and main After the war, the clearing of the ground in the front region was the main priority.

Trenches, craters and shell holes were filled in. All the material of the war years was removed. Most of the work was done by returning civilians, who wanted to get

The government steps in

back to normal life as quickly as possible.

As well as their wages, there was an added stimulus in the high prices offered for the metal they recovered. In 1920 and 1921, some 30,000 people were engaged in this kind of battlefield clearance. It was inevitable, however, that accidents would sometimes occur. Farmers ploughing their fields or men digging in their garden often struck buried shells, with disastrous consequences. Some foolhardy souls even tried to knock out the valuable copper drive bands with a hammer and chisel. The munitions depots abandoned at the end of the war and the thousands of shells lying on the battlefields continued for many years to present a serious risk to both curious children and reckless adults alike.

The huge efforts to clear the land made by the civilian population convinced the Belgian government that it also needed to take action. In 1920, the Service for the Destruction of Munitions was set up, so that the problem could be tackled systematically on a large scale. With this aim in mind, a destruction site was created in Houthulst Forest. It quickly became evident that the work would last for many years, so that both the service and the site gradually acquired a permanent character.

Even today ?

Even today, DOVO-SEDEE is still actively engaged in the collection and safe destruction of munitions from the First and Second World Wars found on Belgian territory. It receives roughly 3,500 calls each year, resulting in the collection of some 250 tons of munitions. Of this, 10 tons involve ‘problem munitions’ from the so-called ‘iron harvest’ of the Westhoek region.

Did you know ?

Chinese labourers in the area around Ieper and French colonial troops from Indo-China in the region around Staden were also used to help clear the old battlefields. Sometimes, they were assisted by German prisoners of war and auxiliaries from the Belgian military engineers.

Houthulst 139

INFO-MODULE

Did you know ?

Drie Grachten is the name of the locality in Merkem-Houthulst where three watercourses – the Ieperlee stream, the Ieper-­ IJzer Canal and the Martjes Canal – all meet at the crossing of the Noordschote-­ Luigem roads. During the First World War, the Drie Grachten crossroads was twice the scene of bitter fighting. Between these major actions, the troops of both sides continued to make each other’s lives a misery with constant shelling, raiding and sniping.

French marines also served with distinction in the Westhoek. During the early days of the war, a brigade under the command of Admiral Ronarc’h defended the town of Diksmuide with Belgian troops against the advancing Germans, although they were eventually forced to retire. The marines’ loses were so heavy that the unit was disbanded. However, in November 1915 the survivors were reformed into a naval battalion, which under the command of reserve captain Maupeoud’Ableiges took part in the Third Battle of Ieper in the summer of 1917.

DRIE GRACHTEN

IJzer plain by the Belgian Army became a peninsula surrounded by water. However, the Noordschote road was still passable, because it was situated on a raised embankment. From their bridgehead at Drie Grachten, French colonial troops (Zouaves) tried to force the Germans out of their advanced positions, but the attack failed, as did the subsequent German counterattack.

In the spring of 1915, a new German offensive did, however, succeed in taking Drie Grachten.

A German strongpoint

Autumn 1914 The first major action was fought in October 1914 during the Battle of the IJzer. The advancing Germans captured the hamlet of Luigem, which after the flooding of the 140 Houthulst

From 1915 until the middle of 1917, Drie Grachten, Luigem and Merkem were part of a quiet sector for the Germans. There was a trench running south on the eastern side of the Ieper-IJzer Canal and at Drie Grachten the firing line was some 400 metres long, with machine gun emplacements and no fewer than 27 bunkers, capable of

French success in 1917

housing some 300 men. The bunkers were 3-4 metres long and 2.5 metres wide, with 1-metre thick reinforced concrete walls and roofs strengthened with iron rails. The stretches of trench between the bunkers were also strengthened with concrete plates and sandbags.

This situation only changed in the summer of 1917, when French marines managed to capture the advanced post at Drie Grachten during the Third Battle of Ieper. The Fusiliers Marins battalion was part of the First Army Corps of the French First Army, under corps commander General Lacapelle. The battalion consisted of four companies of riflemen and a machine gun company. On 30 July 1917, the battalion was transferred from the coast to a camp in Oost-Vleteren, where they made ready for the attack. On 16 August, a section of No.4 Company under the command of Major Jean Dubois succeeded against all expectations in capturing the supposedly ‘impregnable’ Drie Grachten bridgehead.

Caught on film The French capture of Drie Grachten received wide publicity thanks to the work of war photographers like Paul Castelnau. These photographers worked for the French Army, often in the front lines, and their snapshots served as propaganda material for the war machine.

The victory at Drie Grachten was a morale-booster for the French and Castelnau’s photograph of the ‘Heroes of Drie Grachten’ was all the more remarkable for being in autochrome colour, which was unusual for that time.

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Belgian Military Cemetery Poelkapellestraat, 8650 Houthulst This military cemetery at the edge of Houthulst Forest was N8 made after the war and contains the graves of 1,723 Belgian soldiers, most of whom died on 28 or 29 September 1918.

N38

2 Drie Grachten Drie Grachtensteenweg, Ieper 8650 Merkem (Houthulst) This was an important bridgehead during the First World War, although no traces of its wartime past still exist today. The site was captured by the Germans from French Zouaves in November 1914 and was only recaptured by French marines following a heavy bombardment in 1917.

142 Houthulst

Heuvelland

3 Peace Mill Molenweg 10, 8650 Klerken (Houthulst) This mill, 43 metres above sea level, was used as an observation post by A19 the Germans.

Following renovation, the mill is now once again open to the pubZonnebeke lic, offering a fine view over the old front region.

N8

CYCLING

A19

German Hinterland Route (52 km) This route leads through part of the former ‘operations zone’, just behind the German front. Several strategically important heights

Le

from the war years, such as the Peace Mill in Klerken, the church in Hooglede and Staden hill, provide magnificent panoramic vistas, while the German military cemetery in Hooglede and the Belgian military cemetery in Houthulst testify to the darker side of war.

TASTY ADDRESS De BOOT vzw

Start Houthulst, Hooglede or Staden

BY CAR No-man’s-land Route (68 km) The route runs between the old Allied and German lines in the Langemark-Diksmuide sector. This was the scene of the first gas attack by the Germans on 22 April 1915.

Langemark was also the setting for the legendary self-sacrifice of the German student battalions during the First Battle of Ieper.

The final offensive in September 1918 saw Belgian troops liberate Houthulst Forest.

Diksmuide was in thick of the fighting throughout the war and after the Armistice had to be rebuilt brick by brick. With its IJzer Tower, it later became a place of pilgrimage and remembrance.

Start Diksmuide de westhoek

The route maps can be purchased from Houthulst Tourist Office or online via shop.westtoer.be

AND MANINDSL NIEEEN BEWEGING FRONT OUTE 14-18 TOERISTISCHE AUTOR ark-poelkapelle

diksmuide - langem 68

km

The boats of De BOOT are moored along the banks of the Ieper-IJzer Canal at the Drie Grachten bridge in Merkem, a recreational centre midway between Ieper (14 km), Diksmuide (10 km), Houthulst (10 km) and Lo-Reninge (8 km). From here, you can explore the region on foot or by bike, solarboat, canoe, covered wagon or even donkey ! De BOOT also offers made-to-measure guided tours and arrangements on the themes of the First World War and ecology.

In summer, the bar is open daily, where you can enjoy the exclusive house beer Tisnatindebroeken. It is also possible to buy various walking and cycling maps.

Ieperleedijkstraat 1a, 8650 Houthulst (Merkem) +32 475 21 43 20 www.deboot.be You can find other tasty addresses in and around Houthulst on www.flandersfields.be/en

Houthulst 143

LONG-RUNNING EVENTS 24/04 – 11/11

Ieper – Menin Gate & In Flanders Fields Museum Return of the lions

you like more info ? The small exhibition in the In Flanders Fields Museum about the history of the lions will tell you all you need to know. www.toerismeieper.be

05/05 – 15/09

Langemark-Poelkapelle – Town Hall Expo – Wilhelm Morgner

The German Expressionist painter Wilhelm Morgner lost his life on the battlefield near Langemark in 1917, aged just 26. Nevertheless, he left behind an impressive oeuvre, in which his admiration for Vincent Van Gogh, among others, is clearly recognizable. www.langemark-poelkapelle14-18.be

For many years, two limestone lions on plinths flanked one of the two gates leading into the fortress city of Ieper. During the First World War, the Allied troops passed through this gate on their way to the battlefields. In 1936, Ieper presented these ‘guards’ to the Australian government. Since then, they have stood at the entrance to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

In 2017, they will return temporarily to their native city, where they can be admired on the bridge next to the Menin Gate. Would 144 Long-running events

06/05 – 01/07

Poperinge – Talbot House Expo – The Pool of Peace

The Spanbroekmolen crater was created by the explosion of an underground mine during the Mine Battle of 7 June 1917.

Today, the crater is a deep pond with a diameter of 129 metres, located in an idyllic natural setting. It was given the fitting name of ‘the Pool of Peace’. www.talbothouse.be

01/07 – 10/11

01/07 – 17/09

Zonnebeke

Poperinge – Gasthuiskapel (hospital chapel)

Tag for Remembrance Project

Everyone can leave behind their own personal peace message in the MMP1917, the visitors centre in Tyne Cot Cemetery or via www.passchendaele2017.org. A selection of these messages will be engraved on tags and integrated into a permanent work of art that will be installed in the Passchendaele Memorial Park or in the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917. www.passchendaele2017.org

Expo

– VIVE LABEUR

The first Chinese labourers arrived in Poperinge in the summer of 1917. They worked for the British Army and lived in separate camps, where they could follow their own rituals. In addition to a historical summary, the exhibition Vive Labeur will also take a contemporary look at their story. Photographers Stephan Vanfleteren and Sanne Dewilde visited China to search for the roots of these Chinese labourers. Nearer home, Lieselotte Vandamme travelled through the Westhoek collecting fascinating wartime stories about China in Flanders. www.poperinge14-18.be

Unique visit to DOVO Poelkapelle On 2 June, 7 July, 25 August, 8 September, 13 October and 10 November 2017 it will be possible for the very first time for certain members of the public to visit the dismantling installation of the DOVO bomb disposal unit of the edge of Houthulst Forest.

Prior reservation is necessary. Only the holders of a teacher’s card and members of historical societies will be eligible for consideration. The number of visitors will be limited to 120 per day. Prompt registration is therefore strongly recommended! @ 14-18@warheritage.be Long-running events 145

CALENDAR JUNE 06/06

Ieper – CC Het Perron

Richard Howard walk & concert Made In The Great War by Sam Sweeney’s Fiddle In the 1990s, Sam Sweeney bought a violin with the inscription ‘R.S.Howard 1915’.

The instrument was unfinished, because its maker had left to go to war in 1916. Research brought Sweeney to the battlefields near Ieper and to Woods Cemetery in Zillebeke, where he found the grave of Richard Howard. From this chain of events, Sweeney developed Made in the Great War, a narrative concert that he will perform in Ieper on the eve of the 100th anniversary of Howard’s death. The concert will be preceded by a walk : ‘In the footsteps of Richard Howard’. www.acci.be (concert) www.vriendeniff.be (walk)

07/06 – 04.10

Loker (Heuvelland) – Redmond’s Pub William Redmond walk

A walk dedicated to the memory of William Redmond, the Irish nationalist and politician, who as a major in the army led his Irish 146 Calendar

troops into battle at the storming of Wijtschate on 7 June 1917. Redmond was fatally wounded early on in this attack. The 10 kilometre walk leads past the mine craters near Wijtschate, moves on via Lindenhoek to Mount Kemmel, before finally arriving at Redmond’s grave in Loker. www.vriendeniff.be

07/06

Mesen, Comines-Warneton and Heuvelland Remembrance ceremonies for the 100th anniversary of the Mine Battle

08.00: New Zealand ceremony (Messines Ridge Cemetery, Mesen) 11.00: Australian ceremony (Strand Military Cemetery, Comines-Warneton) 14.00: Ireland/Northern Ireland/UK remembrance ceremony (Irish Peace Park, Mesen) 16.00: Ireland, Northern Ireland/UK closing ceremony (Wytschaete Military Cemetery in Heuvelland) 19.30: New Zealand closing ceremony (New Zealand Memorial in Mesen) www.zerohour.be

10/06 – 18.30

Heuvelland – Near the warehouse at the KemmelsewegVierstraat crossroads

Zero Hour: Musical remembrance concerts

International remembrance concerts with artists from Australia, New Zealand, Ireland (in collaboration with Northern Ireland/ UK) and Flanders (Ozark Henry & Wannes Cappelle), in collaboration with the Royal Ypriana Concert Band. www.zerohour.be

JULY 24/07

Ieper

90 Years Menin Gate

10/06 – 22.00

Heuvelland – Kemmelseweg Crater Front

100 years after the Mine Battle, Crater Front is an audio-visual happening set in the wartime crater landscape of Heuvelland. The live soundscape will be provided by the Canadian formation Godspeed You ! Black Emperor. Fluorescent blue, white-yellow candlelight, historical images and the scars on the landscape form the basic elements in the sculpture installation by artist Shelbatra Jashari.

An event organized by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in collaboration with the Last Post Association and the City of Ieper to mark the 90th anniversary of the inauguration of the Menin Gate. www.cwgc.org

29 – 30/07

Zonnebeke – Chateau Park

Passchendaele theme weekend A museum weekend with a focus on ‘Living History’. Hundreds of performers from home and abroad will make the story of the troops during the Battle of Passendale vividly accessible for everyone. www.passchendaele2017.org

www.gonewest.be www.kraterfront.be Calendar 147

30 – 31/07

Ieper and Zonnebeke

Official commemoration of 100 Years Battle of Passendale – Third Battle of Ieper

an official ceremony will be held at 13.00.

Registration to attend this ceremony has been closed, but the MMP1917 and the town of Zonnebeke offer an alternative programme for people who were unable to get a ticket. Early in the morning, there will be two Dawn Walks of 8 and 12 kilometres, ending at the Chateau Park in Zonnebeke, followed by a free visit to the museum. Visitors can also enjoy a picnic, while following the Tyne Cot ceremony on a large screen. www.toerismeieper.be www.passchendaele2017.org

31/07 – 05.30

Langemark-Poelkapelle – Welsh National Memorial Park

Dawn Service for the Third Battle of Ypres-Passchendaele Campaign On 31 July 1917, British troops launched the offensive that culminated in the Battle of Passendale. This fighting resulted in one and a half million casualties for a territorial gain of just 8 kilometres. One hundred years later, the British government, working in collaboration with numerous partners, will organize a series of ceremonies to commemorate the battle. On the evening of Sunday, 30 July, there is a special Last Post at 20.00 under the Menin Gate in Ieper, followed by various performances and a multimedia projection on the Cloth Hall. The following day, attention switches to Zonnebeke and to Tyne Cot Cemetery, with its 12,000 headstones and 35,000 names on its memorial walls, where

148 Calendar

An early morning ceremony. www.langemark-poelkapelle14-18.be

31/07 – 10.00

Ieper (Boezinge) – Artillery Wood Cemetery Remembering Hedd Wyn

The Welsh poet Hedd Wyn was killed on the opening day of the Third Battle of Ieper.

A monument to his memory now stands not far from his last resting place in Artillery Wood Cemetery. www.langemark-poelkapelle14-18.be

31/07 – 16.00

Langemark-Poelkapelle – Welsh National Memorial Park Welsh Ceremony

AUGUST 19/08

Zonnebeke – Scottish Monument at Frezenberg Remembrance ceremony

A ceremony to commemorate the Scottish and South African soldiers who fought and died near here between 31 July and 20 August 1917 during the Third Battle of Ieper.

The ceremony will take place at the Frezenberg ridge near Zonnebeke, where there is a Scottish memorial, which was inaugurated in 2007 in the presence of some 1,200 people. www.passchendaele2017.org A ceremony organized by the Welsh government for the Welsh people. Attendance is by ticket only. www.langemark-poelkapelle14-18.be

31/07 – 18.30 or 19.30

Ieper (Boezinge) – Artillery Wood Cemetery

Remembering Francis Ledwidge The Irish poet Francis Ledwidge was killed on the opening day of the Third Battle of Ieper. A monument to his memory now stands not far from his last resting place in Artillery Wood Cemetery.

Organisation VIFF in collaboration with the Irish embassy and the Francis Ledwidge Cottage Museum www.vriendeniff.be

19 – 20/08

Zonnebeke – Chateau Park Scottish theme weekend: The Long Road to Passchendaele

The theme weekend starts with a ceremony of remembrance at the Scottish memorial at Frezenberg near Zonnebeke (see p. 72).

On Saturday evening at 20.15 an international tattoo will be held in the grounds of the chateau (Zonnebeke), where pipe bands will perform as part of a sound-and-light spectacular. On Sunday (from 11.00) there will also be lots of other activities with a Scottish theme, such as Highland Games, demonstrations with birds of prey and stalls offering traditional Scottish specialities www.passchendaele2017.org

Calendar 149

SEPTEMBER

15 – 16/09

2 – 3/09

A Symphony of Trees

by Piet Swerts

Poperinge

Chinese festival Vive Labeur

The Poperinge Cyrus Festival will focus on the theme of China back in town, with a Chinese buffet, dragon performances, tea ceremonies, a China pop-up store, calligraphy workshops, music and Chinese acrobatic acts. There is also the première of the Chinese shadow theatre Lastpost (Lize Pede) and the first showing in Europe of the Canadian film Tricks on the Dead by Jordan Paterson about the Chinese Labour Corps. www.poperinge14-18.be

08 – 10/09 – Ceremony 11/09

Langemark-Poelkapelle Theme weekend ‘Guynemer, Le Centenaire’

The French pilot Georges Guynemer disappeared without trace in the skies above Poelkapelle on 11 September 1917. www.langemark-poelkapelle14-18.be 150 Calendar

Ieper – St. Martin’s Cathedral

The Flanders Symphony Orchestra, David Angus, Lee Bisset and Thomas Blondelle perform this homage to Ieper and to the poet-composer Ivor Gurney. www.toerismeieper.be

26/09

Zonnebeke – Buttes New British Cemetery

Dawn service & the first planting day of the Peace Wood project 100 years ago the site of Buttes New British Cemetery was the scene of fierce and bloody fighting, when the Australian Fifth Division captured Polygon Wood. More than 500 Australians are buried in the cemetery. To commemorate these events, a dawn service is being organized by the Australian government, in collaboration with MMP1917 and the town of Zonnebeke.

Early in the morning, a fleet of shuttle buses will take participants to Black Watch Corner, from where they will walk through Polygon Wood to the cemetery. For those wishing to take part, prior registration is necessary.

Later in the day, there will a number of related theme activities in the grounds of Zonnebeke Chateau. www.passchendaele2017.org

26/09

Zonnebeke – Polygon Wood Peace Wood

OCTOBER 06/10 – 14.00

Menen (Wevelgem) – German Military Cemetery Ceremony for 100 years Menenwald 07 – 08/10

Menen

Remembrance weekend Volksbund | www.volksbund.de

06 – 08/10

Langemark-Poelkapelle

Tank Event – Battle of Poelkapelle 100 years after the Battle of Passendale, the Peace Wood project aims to plant a new tree for every soldier with a known grave in the two cemeteries in Polygon Wood : Buttes New British Cemetery and Polygon Wood Cemetery. A memorial to the missing soldiers will be erected at a central spot in this new wood. In this way, the Peace Wood wishes to keep alive the memory of all those who died during the First World War. Two symbolic planting days are planned : 26 September and 12 October. Everyone who wants to plant a tree for a fallen soldier can do so by registering online. www.passchendaele2017.org

An event during which a tank will be driven from Sint-Juliaan to Poelkapelle. www.langemark-poelkapelle14-18.be

Calendar 151

12/10

14/10

Zonnebeke

Zonnebeke – Tyne Cot Cemetery

New Zealand remembrance ceremony On 12 October 1917, the New Zealand Division took part in an attack to capture the Bellevue Spur and the northern part of Passendale. In less than four hours, the division suffered 2,700 casualties, including 846 fatalities. The front advanced just 400 metres. 100 years later, this bloody day will be remembered by the New Zealand government, in collaboration with the MMP1917 and the town of Zonnebeke. The commemorations start with a ceremony at Tyne Cot Cemetery and end with a sunset service in Buttes New British Cemetery.

During the day, the MMP1917 will organize themed activities in the grounds of Zonnebeke Chateau. www.passchendaele2017.org

12/10

Zonnebeke – Polygon Wood Peace Wood

The second planting day of the Peace Wood project (see p. 151). www.passchendaele2017.org

13/10 – 20.00

Zonnebeke – Concert tent

GoneWest Literary Happening Music artist Flip Kowlier is inspired

by David Jones. www.gonewest.be 152 Calendar

Silent City Meets Living City

Tyne Cot Cemetery is the most important reminder of the Battle of Passendale. With its 12,000 graves and the names of 35,000 missing soldiers on its memorial walls, it is the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in the world. The municipality of Zonnebeke and the MMP1917 plan to organize a moment of silence and reflection in this imposing cemetery. During a serene sound-and-light event, the participants will illuminate the headstones and the names on the Tyne Cot Memorial in a fitting tribute to those who died. Anyone who wants to take part can register via the website below. Those who can not register online, will have to contact the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 by phone (+32 (0)51 77 04 41). www.passchendaele2017.org

14/10

10/11 – 20.00

Zonnebeke

Brussels – Flemish Parliament (De Schelp)

Gonewest.

Tom Barman and Guests

On 14 October 2017, GoneWest will remember the Battle of Passendale. Tom Barman, the front man of Deus, will bring an evening-long programme with various guest artists (including acts from the UK and the Commonwealth). The idea is not only to create new works based on the theme of the First World War, but also to experiment with existing, well-known works ; for example, numbers by his band Taxiwars. www.gonewest.be

11 November lecture

Each year, on the eve of Armistice Day, the Flemish Peace Institute, the Peace City of Ieper and the In Flanders Fields Museum invite a well-known speaker to give a lecture on a war-related theme. Past speakers include Robert Fisk, Erwin Mortier, Jan Terlouw, Philipp Blom and Christine Van den Wyngaert. Entrance is free, but prior registration is necessary. www.vlaamsvredesinstituut.eu

NOVEMBER

11/11 – 20.00

10/11

Passendale (Zonnebeke)

Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem by the European Union Youth Orchestra

The capture of the ruins of Passendale village by the Canadians on 10 November 1917 signalled the end of the Battle of Passendale. In collaboration with the Canadian government, the MMP1917 and the municipality of Zonnebeke are organizing an official commemoration of this event.

The ceremony starts with some moments of quiet reflection at the Crest Farm Canadian Memorial, followed by a torch-light procession along the Canadalaan. The procession follows the trajectory of the final bloody 600 metres of the advance, ending at the church in Passendale. www.passchendaele2017.org

War Requiem, opus 66, by Benjamin Britten is a non-liturgical setting of the traditional requiem. It is regarded as one of the most inspiring classical works of the 20th century and was dedicated to four victims of war. www.concertgebouw.be

Bruges – Concert Hall

Canadian remembrance ceremony

Calendar 153

11/11

12/11

Ieper & Zonnebeke

Passendale (Zonnebeke)

99th commemoration of the Armistice

11.00: Special Last Post under the Menin Gate, Ieper 14.00: Ceremony : 103 years Black Watch Corner. The Black Watch in Flanders, Zonnebeke 15.00: Ceremony at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke 16.00-18.00: Concert The Great War Remembered in St. Martin’s Cathedral, Ieper 19.30-21.00: Concert The Great War Remembered in St. Martin’s Cathedral, Ieper www.toerismeieper.be www.passchendaele2017.org www.lastpost.be

154 Calendar

Poppies Run – In memoriam Alex Decoteau

Decoteau represented Canada in the 5,000 metres at the Olympic Games in 1912. He died during one of the attacks on the ridges around the village of Passendale in 1917.

The MMP1917 and the Zonnebeke Running Club are organizing a running event over distances of 5, 10 or 16 kilometres in honour of Decoteau’s memory. The 10 mile/16 kilometre course includes an ‘Alex Decoteau Run’ of 5,000 metres through the historic battlefields, with musical accompaniment and visual support. www.passchendaele2017.org

You can discover more FIRST WORLD WAR events on www.flandersfields.be/en www.gonewest.be

MORE PUBLICATIONS de westho ek

de westhoek FLANDERS FIELDS

TOERISTISCHE

100 jaar Groote Oorlog The Flanders Fields Country &

THE GREAT WAR

VAARKAART

Flanders Fields

S FIELDS FLANDER

Oorlog 100 jaar Groote TOURISTIQUE KAART / CARTE TOERISTISCHE HE KARTE / TOURISTISC TOURIST MAP

Vaarroute - Boating route route de navigation Schiffsroute

14-18

de westhoek

YpreS SaLIent

From BattLeFIeLD to KILLInG FIeLD

tourISt car route 14-18 ieper

70

de westhoek

autoRoutEk aaRt • car route map CaRtE autoR outièRE • Karte autorouten

Mijnenslag

6

routes

ROUTE 14-18 FIETSROUTE 14-18 - CYCLE 14-18 14-18 - FAHRRADROUTE

ITINÉRAIRE CYCLISTE

43 km

km

THE GREAT WAR

CENTENARY

www.greatwarcentenary.be

OORLOG 100 JAAR DE GROOTE GUERRE DE LA GRANDE LE CENTENAIRE CENTENARY THE GREAT WAR WELTKRIEG 100 JAHRE ERSTER

www.f lander sfields

.be

Flander s Fields

Brochures and maps The informative brochure and tourist map about the First World War bring together in a single publication all the important sites, cemeteries, museums and monuments in the region. They are the ideal aid for exploring the wartime history of the Westhoek. If you would like to discover the Westhoek from the water, the Flanders Fields boat route is the perfect way to do it. All the publications are available free of charge in the tourist offices in the Westhoek or online from shop.westtoer.be

Cycle routes 14-18 Why not explore the Westhoek using the brand new 14-18 cycle routes . These circular routes through the old front region link the monuments, museums and cemeteries that remind us of the terrible years of the First World War. You can order the route

maps via shop.westtoer.be or purchase them at tourist offices in the Westhoek.

Tourist car routes 14-18 Discover the wartime landscape of the Westhoek by car or motor bike, using one of six new car routes. All the major sites of interest are shown on a clear and easy-touse overview map, which can be ordered via shop.westtoer.be or purchased at tourist offices in the Westhoek. Alternatively, with your smartphone or tablet you can use the app First World War car routes in the Westhoek. This interactive application contains photos, texts, documents and sound fragments. www.flandersfields.be/en shop.westtoer.be

More publications 155

COLOPHON Responsible publisher Stefaan Gheysen, Westtoer APB, Brugge

Texts Yannick Van Hollebeeke (In Flanders Fields Museum, Ieper), Karen Derycke (Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, Zonnebeke), Annemie Morisse (WO1-cel Stad Poperinge), Franky Bostyn and Steven Reynaert

Coordination and editing Petra Gunst (Tekst & Beeld bvba), Stephen Lodewyck, Kim Wybauw, Emmely Boudry

Design Karakters bvba, Gent

Press Goekint Graphics, Oostende

Translation Ian Connerty

Exhibitions LeMondeDumas, Gent

Photography Images free from copyright restrictions: p. 107 (bottom) Ambroise Harel (Mémoires d’un poilu breton – Editions Ouest-France): p. 117 (bottom) Archibald Baxter (London: Gollancz): p. 103 (left) Australian Medical History: p. 128 Australian War Memorial (AUS): cover, p. 2, 9, 13 (top), 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25,

156 Colophon

27-29, 31, 53, 55 (left), 57, 59, 61, 62, 63, 66, 85, 121 (bottom), 144 Barton P., Doyle P., Vandewalle J. (2005).

Beneath Flanders fields: tunnels en mijnen, 1914-18. (p. 92): p. 83 Bernard Deneckere: p. 120 (left) BDIC, Album Valois (F): p. 65, 114 (bottom), 119 (bottom), 133, 141 (top) Blog gibsonsaroundtheglobe.blogspot.com: p. 99 Brasserie De Volksbond: p. 77 (right) Canadian Museum of History (CA): p. 76 Canadian War Museum (CA): p. 64 Collection Brian Hanratty: p. 90, 95 (right) Collection Family Redmond: p. 94 Collection Rebecca Lisle: p. 75 Collection Schilders: p. 129 (top) Collection Stefanie Remberg: p. 125 (top) Collection Wayne Sheen: p. 131 Commonwealth War Graves Commission: p. 69 (bottom) De Zonnebeekse Heemvrienden: p. 48 (detail), 58 Deutsches Historisches Museum (D): p. 13 (bottom) Don McCullin: p. 91 (top) Duke University Library: p. 139 (top) Frank Miller: p. 91 (bottom) Franky Bostyn: p. 80, 81, 82, 86, 97 (left) Glenn Reddiex: p. 102, 103 (right) Ian Alderman: p. 33 Imperial War Museum (VK): p. 88 (Q 6384), 101 (Art.IWM PST 13684), 110 (Q 68299), 130 (top) (Q 5987), 150 (Q 106079) In Flanders Fields Museum, Ieper: p. 115, 117 (top) James E. Edmonds, Cyril Falls. History of the Great War: based on official documents.

Military operations : France and Belgium, 1917 (Vol. II), London, MacMillan and Co., 1948: p. 14

Koen Cornelus: p. 143 (top) Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis: p. 140 Kris Jacobs: p. 45 (top) Library of Congress (USA): p. 10, 11, 30, 87, 89 Lijssenthoek Archive: p. 130 (bottom) Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, Zonnebeke: p. 46, 47, 49, 50, 52, 55 (right), 56, 60, 67, 68, 69 (top), 71, 72, 77 (left), 148 Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr, Dresden (m.d.a Patrick Brion): p. 138 (top) Milo-profi Fotografie: p. 41 Ministère de la Culture, Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine (F): p. 141 (bottom) Ministère de la Défense, Memoire des Hommes (F): p. 116 Ministerie van Defensie, DOVO-SEDEE (Compagnie Poelkapelle): p. 32, 139 (bottom) National Library of New Zealand (NZ): p. 100, 104 (bottom) New Zealand Ministry of Culture and Heritage (NZ): p. 107 (top) New Zealand Rugby Museum (NZ): p. 105, 106 New Zealand Truth (28 August 1915): p. 104 (top) Ontario Archives: p.129 (bottom) Plugstreet 14-18 Experience: p. 111 Provincial Archives of Alberta: p. 154 (right) Provincie West-Vlaanderen: p. 8 & 38 (Instappunt Zuid), 35, 147 (left) Redmond’s Irish Pub: p. 97 Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge: p. 26 Sigfried Debaeke: p. 138 (bottom) Stephan Vanfleteren: p. 133 & 145 (right) Toerisme Heuvelland: p. 79, 93 (bottom) Toerisme Houthulst: p. 137 (bottom)

Toerisme Ieper: p. 8 & 37 (Instappunt Noord), 40 (bottom), 43, 96 (right), 147 (right) Toerisme Langemark-Poelkapelle: p. 151 (right) ’t Oud Gemeentehuis: p. 123 Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg (D): p. 12 (Lustige Blätter, 1917) US National Archives (NARA-USA): p. 118 Westtoer Wilfried Deraeve: p. 120 (right), 121 (top) Wilfried Manhaeve: p. 152 www.westhoekverbeeldt.be (private collection): p. 54

The publisher has done everything possible to comply with copyrights in accordance with the statutory provisions. People who nevertheless feel that their rights have been overlooked are invited to contract the responsible publisher.

Legal filing number WD/3029/2017/20 Every effort has been made to ensure that all the information published in this guide was as correct as possible at the moment of going to press. The responsible publisher cannot be held liable for any errors in respect of details such as addresses, telephone numbers, dates, opening times, etc., nor for any consequences arising therefrom. © 2017. All rights reserved. Nothing from the publication can be reproduced, stored in an automatic data file or made public, in whatever manner or by whatever means, whether electronically, mechanically or by copying, without the prior written permission of the responsible publisher. All texts and photographs remain the property of this publisher at all times.

Frank Hurley

VISITORS GUIDE

03.06.2017 > 31.12.2017 IEPER | ZONNEBEKE | HEUVELLAND MESEN | LANGEMARK-POELKAPELLE POPERINGE | HOUTHULST