31TH MARCH 2019 HOTSPOTS

7 RACES IN FIELDS BATTLEMACHELEN / DEINZE KM OF THE YSER 0

KM FURNES CEMETERY FRENCH 3.4898 50.9582 COORDINATES 85 The monumentsandgraves alongtheGhent- routeareindicatedwiththe following symbol: Second World Wars. 4000 CWGCcemeteriesandmemorialsinWestern Europe, commemoratingmorethan800000casualtiesof theFirst and came fromevery cornerof theBritish Commonwealth,arelocatedinabout153countriesaroundtheworld.There morethan monwealth soldierswholosttheirlives inoneof thetwoWorld Wars. Thegraves andmemorialstothesemenwomen,who The ‘Commonwealth War Graves Commission’(CWGC) isresponsiblefor commemoratingalmost1700000British Com- - - - The ‘km’ marker indicatesthedistancetoeachhotspotfromstartingposition. Cemetery … thelattertwoprovideafinalrestingplacefor morethan1,000 soldierseach. other relicsalongthetrack,suchasLocre No. 10Cemetery, LaClytte Military Cemetery, Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military The mapdescribesalimitednumberof hotspots.West-Flanders has1,388 warremnants.Thismeansthatyoucandiscover many ROESBRUGGE-HARINGE road fromKemmel toMessines, at164kmintotherace. the hotspotissituatedwithinarangeof 6.5 kmfromthetrack.Specifically:Pool of Peace is1.75 kmfromthetrail,on For example,thePool of Peace isnotlabelledwith crow flies(men’s andladies’trackcombined). point tothenearestkilometermarker onthetrack.Thesehotspots arelocatednofurtherthan6.5 kmfromthetrackas If thehotspotdescribedisnotlocatedalongtrack,thendistanceindicatedwilldenotefromstarting then thekilometremarker indicatesthetrackdistance. If thehotspotislocatedontrack(marked with KM 65 KM MESSINES KM 233 193 PLOEGSTEERT COMINES-WARNETON ), andistherefore ahotspotnoton the trackbutnearby. Thismeansthat MENIN well isoneChinese soldier. out by their Muslim gravestones. Buried hereas former North andWest African coloniesstand November 1918. Thegraves of soldiersfromthe eration offensive from28 all theFrench soldiersthatdied duringthelib- here. Itisthecollective burialplacefor nearly in . 1,325 soldiers arecommemorated the secondlargestFrench militarycemetery The French military cemetery in Machelen is WEVELGEM KM 255 ARRIVAL COURTRAI th Septemberto11 START DEINZE th

BATTLE OF THE YSER DIKSMUIDE KM DIKSMUIDE KM KM KM KM BATTLE OF THE YSER WAREGEM KM 50 64 61 36 33 0

KEIEM CEMETERY BELGIAN VLADSLO CEMETERY GERMAN MAX LANGE CEMETERY BELGIAN CEMETERY GERMAN CEMETERY FIELDS FLANDERS 2.9838 51.1169 COORDINATES 2.9477 50.9665 COORDINATES 3.0931 50.9791 COORDINATES 2.8844 51.0861 COORDINATES 2.9290 51.0706 COORDINATES 3.4528 50.8737 COORDINATES

memorate anunknown soldier. graves inthisBelgianmilitarycemeterycom- of October 1914.Approximately 60% of the pointed starasafloorplan. largest Belgianmilitarycemeteryandhasasix- German prisonersof war. Thisisthesecond 81 Italiangraves . TheseItaliansoldierswere the September 1918, duringthefirsttwodays of the area.Most of thesoldiersdiedon28 from field graves and smaller cemeteries from World War. The1,723 Belgian graves came forest of Houthulst wasbuiltafter theFirst This militarycemeteryontheoutskirtsof the mosaic. ‘Ehrenhalle’, decoratedwithalargecolourful At thebackof thecemeteryyoucanfind imately the areawerebroughttogether. Now approx built in1917. After thewar, Germangraves from has itsoriginsinthecemetery‘Hooglede Ost’, number of cemeteries.Thecurrentcemetery and facilitieswereappointedhere,includinga the municipalityof Hooglede. Many services In October 1914Germantroopsoccupied died duringbattles for Keyem on18 area aroundDiksmuide. Many of thesesoldiers nearly . Here youwillfindthegraves of This burial place in Keiem was only built after with thesculpture‘TheGrieving Parents’. mother, artistKätheKollwitz, honouredherson his finalrestingplacehere.He diedin1914. His diers lie buried here. Peter Kollwitz also has etery inVladslo.Now, morethan25,000 sol - cemeteries weremergedatthecurrentcem- nearby Praetbos.In the1950sseveral German 1914 fallenGermansoldierswereburiedinthe As earlyastheBattle of theYser inOctober targets wastheFrench cityof Dunkirk. cannon wasputintoactionin1917andoneof its the largestgunusedinwarfighting.Thegiant and weighed75,500 kg. ThismadeLong Max in Koekelare duringWWI. Itwas17meterslong The across thecemetery. ute tothefallensoldiersby scatteringpoppies WWI. In 1927, for approximately 370Americansoldiersfrom etery in Belgium to provide a final resting place military cemeteryinWaregem istheonlycem- during thefinaloffensive in1918. TheAmerican in 1917,butweremostlydeployed inBelgium The Americansoldiersonlyarrived inEurope final offensive . Thiscemeteryalsocontains German cannon‘Long Max’ wasstationed 590 Belgiansoldiers,whodiedin the 8,200 Germansoldiersresthere. Charles Lindbergh paid trib- th and19 th or29 th th -

BATTLEFURNES KM OF NIEUWPOORT KM THE NIEUWPOORT YSERKM NIEUWPOORT KM DIKSMUIDE KM DIKSMUIDE KM 84 74 72 72 67 66

STEENKERKE CEMETERY BELGIAN RAMSKAPELLE CEMETERY BELGIAN MILITARY MONUMENT I KING ALBERT GANZEPOOT COMPLEXLOCK YSER TOWER DODENGANG 2.7558 51.1359 COORDINATES 2.7561 51.1349 COORDINATES 2.8536 51.0322 COORDINATES 2.8424 51.0461 COORDINATES 2.6903 51.0759 COORDINATES 2.7643 51.1139 COORDINATES

cipation. the storyof theBelgianfrontzone andeman- at theYser” inthecurrenttower, whichtells pening on1stMarch youcanvisitthe“Museum and anewYser Tower wasbuilt.Sinceitsreo- the ground.ThePaxpoort rosefromtherubble Movement. Anattackin1946razed thetowerto bol for thecollaborationof partof theFlemish During WWIItheYser Tower becameasym- throughout thewar. army ensuredthearearemainedflooded advance of theGermantroops.TheBelgian opened tofloodtheYser Plain. Thisendedthe World War. In October1914thelockswere location played acrucialroleduringtheFirst refers totheshapeof theentirecomplex.This ‘De Ganzepoot’: thename,meaning‘goose leg’, Tower To honourthefallenFlemish soldierstheYser in theYser dyke. Yser andoppositethe‘head’of theDodengang of the German troops, both on the side of the these trenches.Thiswasduetotheproximity because of thelargenumberof casualtiesin was quicklynamedthe“Trench of Death” against theenemy for four years.Thetrench of trenchwheretheBelgiantroopsheldout World War. The“Trench of Death” isasection structed BelgiantrenchesfromtheFirst Along theYser inDiksmuide aresomerecon- designed by Joe English. can also find 9 heroic memorial gravestones, Yser Tower. At the Steenkerke cemeteryyou English can befound inthecryptof the place hereuntil1932.Now thegrave of Joe Corporal Joe English hadhislastresting that diedherewereburiedin thiscemetery. station inthevicinityof Steenkerke. Soldiers lie buried here. During WWI there was an aid Belgian militarycemetery. 508Belgiansoldiers In Steenkerke, nearFurnes, youcanfinda without aheadstone. at thiscemetery. To thisday, hisgrave remains ing ploughing.He received afinalrestingplace Belgian soldierwasbroughttothesurfacedur- brought togetherhere.In 1952thebodyof a from communalcemeteriesintheareawere graves fromthefloodedareaandgraves This cemeterywascreatedafter thewar. War is theBelgianmilitarycemeteryof Ramskapelle. Located closeto the bicycle path the Frontzate open here. 2014 thenewvisitorcentreTheGanzepoot will Plain andthecityof Nieuwpoort. In October monument you can enjoy the view of the nants fromtheFirst World War. On topof the yellow brickwerecausedby ammunitionsrem- along theYser. Therust-coloured stains inthe (ex-) servicemen in 1938. It is built of clay, mined monument waserectedby thenationalunionof soldiers andtheircaptainKingAlbertI.This At thelocksismemorialfor theBelgianfront wassolemnlyinauguratedin 1930. Yser

WAR BEHIND THE BATTLEFRONT FURNES KM FURNES KM WARFURNES KM BEHIND PANNE DE KM THE PANNE DE KM BATTLEFRONTFURNES KM 99 90 90 85 85 85

OSSUARY FRENCH CENTRE EXPERIENCE VRIJ VADERLAND VINKEM JOE ENGLISH - HOUTEM RECTORY PANNE DE CEMETERY BELGIAN ADINKERKE CEMETERY BELGIAN TOWN HALL FURNES 2.6617 510.725 COORDINATES 2.6650 51.0750 COORDINATES 2.6053 51.0121 COORDINATES 2.6029 51.0874 COORDINATES 2.6029 51.0874 COORDINATES 2.6617 51.0725 COORDINATES

/ British KingGeorgeV … General Foch, French PresidentPoincaré, the tant were held.He alsoreceived numerousimpor- that wouldleadtothefloodingof theYser Plan for KingAlbert.In thetownhallmeetings upstairs hall functioning as a took upresidenceinthetownhall,with 2014, the General Staff of the Belgian Army cially at the beginning of the war. In October The townhallplayed animportantrole,espe- Yser Plain in1914. He played acrucialroleintheflooding of the you canalsofindthegrave of CharlesCogge. crosses arealsoeightArabictombstones.Here about 150separategraves. BetweentheFrench contains aFrench honorarysectionwith soldiers areburiedhere.Thiscemeteryalso is aFrench massgravesite. Some80French At the town cemetery in the centre of Furnes setting. Fatherland’ tellsthisstoryinanatmospheric culturalism before thetermeven existed.‘Free area andseeatruemeltingpotof people-multi- front, theeveryday life inthisbitof unoccupied exhibition, weexperiencethestorybehind against theGermanoccupiers.Through From hereKingAlbertIsuccessfullydefended that remained,theso-calledBelgiansector. field, butonthelastlittlebitof freeBelgium ‘Free Fatherland’ doesnotfocus onthebattle- also becameapainter atthefront. fallen soldiersin theFirst World War. In 1918 he heroic memorial gravestones for pro-Flemish due tountreatedappendicitis.He designedthe the artistJoe English fromBruges passedaway of thehospitalinDePanne. On31stAugust 1918 . Nearby wasL’Ocean II, anannex in favour of therectoryof Houtem until18th Town Hall of Furnes becauseof thebombing, In early1915,theGeneralHeadquarters leftthe sive in1918. buried herewerekilledduringthefinaloffen- cemetery. Nearly halfof theBelgiansoldiers their injuriesfound afinalrestingplaceinthis a hospital.Soldierswhodiedasresultfrom War, thehotelL’Ocean inDe Panne served as soldiers areburiedhere.DuringtheFirst World in . Approximately 3,370 Belgian will findthelargestBelgian militarycemetery Behind themunicipalcemeteryof DePanne you Belgian graves at thiscemetery. away fromthisplace.You willfindabout1,650 that, duringthewar, thefrontwasalongway cial servicesareburiedhere.Thisshows therefore buriedhere.Many soldiersof spe- the soldiersthatdiedinthishospitalwere was locatedinAdinkerke. Alargenumberof period 1914-18 themilitaryhospitalCabour extension of theexistingcemetery. In the during thebeginningof World War I, asan This Belgianmilitarycemeterywascreated international figures,suchastheFrench working cabinet

WARKM BEHIND KM THEHARINGE ROESBRUGGE- KM BATTLEFRONTVLETEREN KM HARINGE ROESBRUGGE- KM KM 122 120 118 112 110 103

MENDINGHEM BANDAGHEM + THE TROOPS SHOW FOR PARISLITTLE POPS CEMETERY BELGIAN YSER HOOGSTADE CEMETERY BELGIAN 2.6229 50.9201 COORDINATES 2.7210 50.9259 COORDINATES 2.6229 50.9201 COORDINATES 2.6896 50.4783 COORDINATES 2.7033 50.8923 COORDINATES DOZINGHEM 2.6419 50.8970 2.6148 50.9016 COORDINATES

protected monument. 1207 Belgiangraves here.Since2008itisa transferred to theirhome. Today you can find remains of French soldierswereexcavated and expanded with graves of Belgian soldiers. The resting placehere.After thewarthiscemetery 1916 didfallenBelgiansoldiersalsofindafinal this cemeteryinthefallof 1914. Not untilJune French soldiersstartedtheconstructionof start of thetrenchwarfare. Plain stopped the Germans, this marked the Belgian-French border, the including 20British ones. shut down. Now you can find the militarycemeteryinReninge whenitwas expanded by 117Belgiangraves broughtinfrom etery in Hoogstade. In 1968 this cemetery was military Soldiers whodiedduringthewarinnearby small amounts. administering of medicineoranaestheticsin derived fromtheEnglish verb “todose”: the the nameof theWWIevacuationhospital–is about 12,300 m2.ThenameDozinghem –also and hasa surface areaof from WWI. Thecemeterywas designedby Sir Military Cemetery’ishometo3,312 graves The British military cemetery ‘Dozinghem ing five British graves fromWWII. now atotalof 816 soldiersburiedhere,includ- According tothecurrentregisterthereare the war, four French plots were excavated. Originally, moredeadwereburiedhere.After to mend,Dozinghem: todose(morphine). Bandaghem: tobandage,Mendinghem: war. Thenameislinked tomedicaljargon: identified soldiers,incl.Germanprisonerof A hospitalcemetery,therefore holdingmany was arailway junctionandanairport. kings, presidentsandmilitaryleaders.There ient hubtherewereoften Forces Showsfor they wereonleave. At thislogisticallyconven- refers toParis wheresoldierscouldgotowhen relax inbars,cabarets,etc.Thenickname became the front with periods behind the front. This as Poperinge. English speakers pronouncedthis Roesbrugge isnow partof themunicipalityof Pops. Thesoldiersalternatedperiodsat hospital Clepwereburiedinthiscem- Little Paris, wherethesoldierscould flooding of the Yser 825 graves here,

WAR BEHIND THE BATTLEFRONT WARPOPERINGE KM BEHINDPOPERINGE KM THEPOPERINGE KM BATTLEFRONTPOPERINGE KM POPERINGE KM KM 134 130 130 130 126 123

LIJSSENTHOEK ZWYNLAND ‘T POLE EXECUTION DEATH & CELLS HALL CONCERT TALBOT HOUSE & CEMETERY MILITARYNEW POPERINGE 2.6008 50.9252 COORDINATES GARROS ROLAND 2.7271 50.8554 COORDINATES 2.7233 50.8859 COORDINATES 2.7331 50.8475 COORDINATES 2.7013 50.8281 COORDINATES 2.7160 50.8466 COORDINATES

14th July 1917. Declercq, probablyalsoanurse.Shediedon tile. Thesecondgrave isthatof SisterMartha Hospital andwasfatallyhitby aGermanprojec- July 1917. Sheworked asanurseintheElisabeth during thewar. interior andyoucanstay inthesameroomsas Since then,barelyanything haschangedinthe borrow booksandgave theircapasdeposit. served asanAnglicanchapel.Soldierscould was usedasaConcertHall. Thetopfloor former hop store at the back of the garden position. The first of its kind in the world. The Club’, whereeverybody isequal inrankand Talbot, whodiedatthefront.An‘Everyman’s Clayton andnamedafter hiscolleagueNeville Soldiers’ Home, founded by chaplain‘Tubby’ – sisterJuliana –diedat51yearsof age,on14 women arelaidto rest here:Euphrasia Vanneste the samecemetery:17. ing Military Cemeteryholdsthesadrecordof hav- British-French Cemetery, New Poperinge Paris GrandSlamtennisevent. propeller. Today, hisnamelives onthroughthe oplane that wasabletoshootthroughthe fighter plane.Was thefirsttoflywithanaer- Landed inthevicinityof Poperinge withhis Spindler istheonlywoman buriedthere. cemeteries are British territory. Nurse Nellie native soil.Thisiswhy thattheCommonwealth found theirlastresting placefarfromtheir occurred oneachday. Here, 30nationalities of 1,392 postsshows how many deaths prisoners of warwereburiedthere.Aline-up soldiers whodiedof theirinjuriesaswell was locatedatRemy Quaghebeur’s farm.Allied The YMCA (Young Men’s ChristiansAssociation). headed by theTown Major. Therewasalsoa as welltheBritish militaryadministration grace. TheBelgiangendarmeriestayed there, restless solaceindrink,hopelesslove ordivine ing their cheap comedy sketches and seeking in Pops theyweresingingtheirsongs,play- The nextday beerwasbrewedagainbecause be delousedintheyeastandbrewingkettles. hell’ for soldiers,wheretheycouldbathe and This former brewerywas the ‘first stop after stress disorder). now well-knownasmilitaryposttraumatic (psychological trauma that affected soldiers, sidered tohave been victimsof shellshock places. Today, many of thesesoldiersarecon- in thecourtyardof CityHall, amongstother “shot at dawn ” during the war. Thishappened In GreatPoperinge 17deserterswereexecuted the highestnumberof executed soldiersin largest evacuation hospital(4000 beds) Two religiousBelgian th

WARKEMMEL) (LOKER/ HILL KEMMEL THE BATTLE OF KM BEHINDKEMMEL) (LOKER/ HILL KEMMEL THE BATTLE OF KM THEBAILLEUL KM BATTLEFRONTBAILLEUL KM BAILLEUL KM CATSBERG KM 181 181 163 161 160 142

“THE ANGEL” “THE MONUMENT VICTORIA OSSUARY EXTENSION CEMETERY & COMMUNAL BAILLEUL EXTENSION CEMETERY COMMUNAL OUTTERSTEENE MEMORIAL BRITISH WALLABBEY 2.4434 50.4417 COORDINATEN 2.7314 50.7379 COORDINATEN 2.7314 50.7379 COORDINATEN 2.6657 50.7864 COORDINATES 2.8102 50.7780 COORDINATES 2.8077 50.7790 COORDINATES

1940. Expeditionary Force, directionDunkirk,inMay They perished duringthe retreat of the British (including 23unidentifiedsoldiers) wereadded. Second World War 72peoplewhowerekilled , andCanada. Duringthe the 1stWorld War buriedfromGreatBritain, let of Bailleul.Thereare1397victimsfrom Extension islocatedinOuttersteene,aham- The OuttersteeneCommunalCemetery of theunitwhoperished. the memorial as a tribute to the tles thattheywereinvolved inareengraved on the British Division andtheplacesof thebat frontline. Thenamesof theparticipatingunitsof 1915 to1918indefending theMont desFlandres British Division thatsuffered heavy lossesfrom War OfficeinLondon, inmemoryof the25th This memorialwaserectedattherequestof the killed here. Ypres. TheGerman PrinceMax vonHesen was before bothpartieswentintothetrenchesby flanks thatoneof thelastbattlestookplace commemorate theCanadians.Itwasonthese which thecyclistsride,thereisaplaqueto On thewallof theabbey, nexttotheroadon 1918 fightingattheBattleof the orate themany French whofell here inApril Victoria infact,isthereespeciallytocommem - This memorialcolumn,theRoman goddess the centre for the unidentified French soldiers. Hill, liestheFrench ‘ossuary’ withanobeliskin below), against the western flank of Kemmel ‘The Angel’andabout200mfurther(and fered inBelgiumthroughouttheentirewar. French forces andtheheavy lossestheysuf placed tocommemoratethepresenceof the which only57areidentified.Thememorialwas said thereare5,294soldiersburiedhere,of and whichwereprobablyexpandedlater. Itis which werebuiltherebetween1920and1925, The obeliskwasplacedon4massgraves, ies thatwereclearedout. rounding battlefieldsandfromsmallercemeter- with graves that were transferred fromthesur- the war, thecemeterywasfurtherextended Britain orfromtheBritish Commonwealth.After soldiers areburiedthere,mostlyfromGreat a militarycemetery. In total,morethan4500 structed ontheeastside,whichwasusedas there wasnomoreroom,anextensioncon- cemetery of Bailleul as from April 1915, but when The British buriedthosewhodiedinthecivil 13290 soldiers - -

WAR BEHIND THE BATTLEFRONT WARMESSINES KM BEHINDMESSINES KM THEMESSINES KM BATTLEFRONTMESSINES KM WIJTSCHATE HOUR ZERO BATTLEMINE KM KEMMEL KM 195 194 194 192 191 181

PARK MEMORIAL NEW ZEALAND BUNKERS LETTENBERG POOL PEACE OF 2.8162 50.7829 COORDINATES 2.8926 50.7602 COORDINATES 2.8909 50.7647 COORDINATES 2.8618 50.7759 COORDINATES 2.9066 50.7589 COORDINATES 2.8950 50.7597 COORDINATES ADOLF HITLER ADOLF FARM & BETHLEEM TOWER PEACE IRISH MESSINES RIDGE

visible. painted aredcrossonthefacade,whichisstill structions was used as amedical post: they made good use of the property. One of the con- site fell into the hands of the Germans, who In April1918, duringtheSpringOffensive, the structures againsttheflankof theLettenberg. platoon. Thesedepartedfromfour concrete ters andundergroundaccommodation for a Company’ built ‘deep-dugouts’ for New Zealanders. Missing’ commemorates some 840 missing again. and eventually thecityfell intoBritish hands Mine Battle), theSouthAfricans, theGermans the Germans,New Zealanders (inthe tures. Messines wasoccupiedby theBritish, with numeroustunnelsandconcretestruc- the ridge during WWI, which was strengthened WWI. There were therefore become The ridgeof Messines, ‘Messines Ridge’ had 129m. of Peace is12mdeepwithacircumference of the silentwitnessesof allthisviolence.ThePool Passchendaele. Thecratersinthelandscapeare days later, preparations begin for the battleat attack. TheapocalypseisaudibleinLondon. 5 ously openfire.80,000 British troopsbeginthe Ridge”) is shaking … 2,266 guns simultane- The ridgeof Wijtschate-Messines (“Messines tear thesilenceandcauseagiantconflagration. 7th June 1917, 04.10 a.m.: FIRE!19landmines In thespringof 1917, the‘175 of Messines. painting of theruinsof theSaintNicholas Church He made,amongstotherthings, awatercolour between December1914and February 1915. Hitler stayed at the nearby ‘Bethleem Farm’ 114 Australians and 27 New Zealanders. including 24soldiersfromtheUnited Kingdom, Cemetery’ 165deadfromWWI areburied, 43 cemetery, 44soldiersareburied, including At the‘BethleemFarm EastCemetery’, asmall Wijtschate. Division’ fought side by side in the vicinity of (Irish) Division’ andtheProtestant‘36th(Ulster) when thetwomainIrish units,theCatholic‘16th refers totheMine Battleof 7th-14th June 1917, ground, religionormilitaryunit.Thispeacepark the First World War, regardlessof theirback commemorates all Irishmen killed during Peace Park’ is a bi-national memorial, which ‘The Island of Ireland Peace Park’ orthe‘Irish this parktherearealso2Germanbunkers. located inthe‘New Zealand Memorial Park’. In The the bloody‘Battle of Messines’ (Mine Battle). the , thatcommemorate has twomemorials,dedicatedtothesoldiersof the New Zealand division. Messines therefore ‘Messines Ridge’ wasrecapturedby troopsof During theMine Battleof June 1917 the Australians. At the‘Bethleem Farm West memorial for theNew Zealand divisionis The ‘Messines Ridge Memorial tothe strategically very importantduring fierce battles for th Tunnelling headquar- Adolf Adolf - KEMMEL KM LOKER KM PLOEGSTEERT KM PLOEGSTEERT KM MESSINES KM YPRESWIJTSCHATE KM 226 212 200 200 198 227

MONUMENT AMERICAN PLUGSTREET THE MISSING MEMORIAL TO BERKS CEMETERY; TRUCE CHRISTMAS REDMOND PARK CRATERMINE SHED DUTCH 2.7797 50.7790 COORDINATES 2.8815 50.7378 COORDINATES 2.8815 50.7378 COORDINATES 2.8491 50.7975 COORDINATES 2.8680 50.7974 COORDINATES

sion and 800 victims inthe30 1917. today, however, areonly 7.2 and3m. the threecraters.Theirrespective depths the war, theDutch Shedwasrebuiltbetween 32 m (4.3 m deep) and 43 m (7.6 m deep). After respectively, adiameterof 55.8 m(8.8 mdeep), memorial locationsinourregion. itors willbeinvited todiscover thehistoryand people duringtheWar of 14-18. Afterwards, vis - tell thelife of boththesoldiersandordinary in theextensionof theforest of Ploegsteert,will interpretation centrewillbeopened.Thiscentre, Experience centre.ClosetotheMemorial an Front’ inNorth . and Ploegsteert,uptoincludingthe‘Quiet frontline fromtheCatsberg,over Heuvelland ported largeroffensives. Theyfought nearthe They losttheirlives atsmallerattacksthatsup- to the south of the , are engraved. African officers, withnoknowngrave, whofell names of 11,447 British soldiersandSouth in 1931, isanimpressive circularpavilion. The Ploegsteert ‘Memorial totheMissing’, erected military history. is oneof themostremarkablephenomenain matches tookplaceinthenoman’s land.It The next day afew scattered football Christmas tree,andgiftswere exchanged. celebrate Christmasinthetrencharounda Christmas soldierseven visitedtheenemy to An atmosphereof “live andletlive” arose.At armies werefacingeachotherinthetrenches. made warnegotiationsimpossibleandboth Around Christmas1914,theweatherhad orates the27 This memorialwaserectedin1929. Itcommem- He waskilledduringtheMine Battleon7 to winfavour for theindependenceof Ireland. Catholic Irish tojointheBritish Army inorder an individual grave: William Redmond. He was wealth markthelandscape.1of themholdsan More than170cemeteriesof theCommon- onation of thecharge on7 The 3 Three pondsaroundthefarm‘DutchShed’. approximately 1,300 casualtiesatthe27 1918. Duringthesesalvation battles therewere history of theUnited States of America. Waregem. WWIwasthefirstforeign warinthe them areburiedintheAmericancemeterynear between18 were deployed intheregion of Ypres andthe Irish freedomfighter,whoinspiredmany craters that resultedafter thedet th and30 th August and 4th September August and4thSeptember th American divisions that Americandivisionsthat th th division.Many of June 1917had, th th June June divi- -

YPRES & YPRES SALIENT YPRESYPRES KM &CENTRE YPRES YPRESKM YPRES KM SALIENTYPRES KM YPRES KM WIJTSCHATE KM 233 232 230 229 228 227

MARKT GROTE GATE LILLE CEMETERY RAMPARTS CEMETERY HOUSE BEDFORD PAN PETER SINT-ELOOI CRATERMINE COMPLEX TRENCH BAYERNWALD 2.8769 50.8014 COORDINATES 2.8884 50.8279 COORDINATES 2.8741 50.8188 COORDINATES 2.8918 50.8091 COORDINATES 2.8882 50.8520 COORDINATES 2.8892 50.8442 COORDINATES

Sint-Elooi, ahamletof Voormezele. Rifle Corps’ and slain on 15 Davies, belongingtothe‘6thBn King’s Royal inspired by hisadoptedsonGeorgeLlewelyn acter ‘Peter Pan’, developed by J. M. Barrie, was modelled for ‘Peter Pan’ wasburied.Thechar - At ‘Voormezeele Enclosure No. 3’, theboy who the The hamletof Sint-Elooi, southof Ypres, was and react‘appropriately’ ifnecessary. could keep bettertrackof theBritish activities meters deepintoground,throughwhichthey therefore attemptedtodigoutlisteningshafts undermine theirpositionsunderground.They The Germansfeared thattheBritish wantedto what theGermandefence systemhadbeen. kers thatarenowvisibleonlyamountto10%of cally important position. The trenches and bun- a heightof approx. 40m,andwasastrategi- Bayernwald (‘CroonaertWood’) islocatedat detonated many mineshereduringthewar. fought over. BoththeBritish andtheGermans line aroundYpres andwastherefore bitterly Saint George’s Memorial Church. Cloth Hall withBelfry, SaintMartin’s Cathedral, Market Square,In Museum, tery. Shediedon7 Endeavour Fades’ werescatteredinthisceme- 4th May 1991the ashes of the author of ‘Before the cemeteryisdedicatedtoRose Coombs.On ‘Ramparts Cemetery’areretained.Thepathto graves onthecitywallsthatarenowpartof ter protectedagainstenemy artillery. Onlythe the ,becausethisroadcouldbebet sages’ tothefrontandwasusedmorethan The LilleGate wasoneof themain‘pas- m 25,765 the First World War. Ithasasurface areaof military cemeterywithgraves mostlyfrom The Bedford House CemeteryisaBritish gardening. plateaus andareaprimeexampleof landscape the groundshave anirregularshapeandvarious Built onthedestroyed castledomainRosendael, lie buriedhere,of which3,011 are unidentified. cemeteries around Ypres. 5,144 casualties most pointof theGermanfront 2 andisoneof thelargerBritish th January 1991. th March 1915 near - - YPRES KM YPRES KM YPRES KM YPRES KM YPRES & YPRESYPRES KM SALIENTYPRES KM 234 233 233 233 233 233

CEMETERY MILITARYSOUTH ROADMENIN EXTENSION POST & CEM. COLLECTION DIVISIONAL BUNKER MCCRAE JOHN FARM / ESSEX GATEMENIN CEMETERY IRISH FARMNEW DUG-OUTS TRENCH YORKSHIRE 2.8729 50.871 COORDINATES 2.8938 50.8744 COORDINATES 2.8967 50.8735 COORDINATES 2.8733 50.8883 COORDINATES

1918 andisburiedinWimereux,France. Cemetery’ wascreated.John McCrae diedin tims of gassing.Afew days later‘Essex Farm where physician John McCrae assistedvic- Fields’. In thecanaldyke ashelterwasdug May 1915theworldfamouspoem‘In Flanders Canadian physician John McCrae wroteherein place isalsoknownas‘Site John McCrae’. The you willfindtheEssex Farm Cemetery.This Along theYpres-Yser canal,justoutsideYpres, seen asatriumphalarch. dual character, whereby theoutersidecanbe monument: the Menin Gate. A memorial with missing’ wascombinedwithanationalBritish tion. Ultimately, theplanfor a‘memorialtothe idea wasnotfavoured by theBelgianpopula- ruined, but never occupied by the enemy. This ance of theBritish defence of acitythatwas ruins of Ypres, asasymbolof thepersever- paigned for thepreservation of (a the partof) After thewar, theBritish government cam- not beidentified. 1,658 soldiersburied here, 120 of which could According tothecurrentregister, thereare which the troops travelled to the front. The Menin Road wasanimportantroad,along fields andsmallercemeterieswereadded. and 678victimsfromthesurroundingbattle- this cemeteryexpandedwiththe‘Extension’ ing one German grave. Between 1924 and 1926 original cemeterycomprised87graves, includ- nearby Irish Farm Cemetery. Deceasedsoldiersfroma Ypres in1917.ItislocatednearthelargerNew Ypres wasbuiltduringtheThirdBattle of This cemeteryclose to the Northern ring in gas attackin1915. The ‘Yorkshire Trench’ emergedafter thefirst new industrialareaalongtheYpres-Yser canal. to light in the 1950 during the construction of a This sectionof trenchfrom1915wasbrought soldier rests. ies. In about70%of thegraves anunknown tion of graves fromsurroundingsmallcemeter- more than4,500 fallensoldiersafter theaddi- After World War Ithecemeteryexpandedwith Farm Cemeteryinitiallyconsistedof 73graves. Previously thefrontlinewashere.New Irish created in1917after theareawasdeclaredsafe. reached viatheNorthern ringinYpres. Itwas This large Commonwealth cemeterycanbe medical centrewereburiedhere.The

YPRES & YPRES SALIENT POELKAPELLE - KM YPRES KM YPRES KM YPRESPOELKAPELLE LANGEMARK- KM &POELKAPELLE LANGEMARK- YPRESKM POELKAPELLE LANGEMARK- KM SALIENT 235 235 234 234 234 234

CEMETERY HOUSE CEMENT POTYZE DE CHARLES CEMETERY FRENCH PARK MEMORIAL NATIONALWELSH FRIEDHOF STUDENTEN- CEMETERY GERMAN GUYNEMER SOLDIER BROODING 2.9074 50.9047 COORDINATES 2.9268 50.8633 COORDINATES 2.9172 50.9203 COORDINATES 2.9567 50.9177 COORDINATES 2.9406 50.8996 COORDINATES

ied here. of theindustrialzone inthechannel, werebur- in lateryears,for example,intheconstruction Until recentlyallBritish victimswhowerefound which theregisterwasopenedfor newgraves. it wastheonlyCommonwealthcemeteryfor a concentration cemetery.For alongtime, Cement House Cemeteryisanexample of that theBritish unitscalledthe‘CementHouse’. This cemeteryisnamedafter anearby farm horseshoe arch. Muslim gravestones, roundedatthetopwitha 616 inthemassgrave. Here youwillalsofind69 4,200 French soldiers are buried here, including cemetery isthelargestonBelgian soil.Around destroyed duringthewar. ThecurrentFrench a cemetery, butagreatnumberof graves were soldiers wereburiedinthevicinity. Thisgrewinto used thisschoolasamedicalpost.Deceased school nearthiscemetery. TheFrench troops During theFirst World War therewasasmall Poelkapelle andtheGovernment of Wales. supported by themunicipalityof Langemark- result of aFlemish-Welsh volunteercampaign, Welsh symbol,waserectedin2014and the monument, intheform of adragon,thenational Welsh population during the Great War. The it commemoratestheefforts of theentire in Flanders. Asthe“Welsh National Memorial”, park supersedesthebackground of thebattles involved intheFirst World War. Thememorial rates allmenandwomenfromWales whowere The Welsh National Memorial Park commemo- surrounding the comrade grave. identified. Theirnames canbefound on theblocks 17,000 soldiersfromthemass grave couldbe the entranceof thecemetery. Approximately are buriedtogetherinthecomradegrave near German soldierslieburiedhere.More thanhalf Battle of Ypres in1914. Now morethan44,300 volunteer soldierswere killed hereduringtheFirst ‘ in Belgium.Thiscemeteryisalso knownasthe one of the four German collective cemeteries The GermanmilitarycemeteryinLangemarkis the First World War. On11 victories, heisoneof thegreatest acesin French pilotGeorgesGuynemer. With53air Guynemer monumentasatributetothe In thecentreof Poelcapelle youfindthe The territory. plants. SohereyoustandonapieceCanadian the memorialwasbuiltwithCanadiansoiland tional militarysalute.Theparksurrounding soldier whosalutesthedeadwithatradi- attack. The monumentrepresentsaCanadian 2,000 soldierslosttheirlives inthefirstgas soldiers duringtheSecondBattleof Ypres. Soldier’, commemoratestheroleof Canadian ter knownasthe‘Canadien’ or‘TheBrooding Guynemer belonged. the ‘Escadrille desCigognes’, theunittowhich the topof themonument andthusrefers to 1923 thememorialwasunveiled. Astorkadorns Poelcapelle. His bodywasnever found. In July German troopstookGuynemer down above Studentenfriedhof’. Anumberof youngGerman Canadian Forces Memorial St.Julien, bet th September1917, - YPRESSALIENT YPRES KM SALIENT SALIENT YPRES KM ZONNEBEKE KM ZONNEBEKE KM POELKAPELLE LANGEMARK- KM YPRES KM 238 238 237 237 236 236

MEMORIAL CANADIAN DAELE 1917 PASSCHEN- MUSEUM MEMORIAL CEMETERY COT TYNE CEMETERY BRITISH POELCAPELLE 60 HILL CRATERHOOGE 2.9890 50.8708 COORDINATES 3.0004 50.8864 COORDINATES 2.9706 50.9206 COORDINATES 2.9296 50.8242 COORDINATES 2.9453 50.8374 COORDINATES 2.9432 50.8457 COORDINATES

Middlesex’ wereburiedalive underthedebris. During theexplosionadozen of menof the‘4 1915 aminechargeof 2,200 kg wasdetonated. grave whodiedafter 15 35,000 namesof soldierswithnoknown Tyne CotMemorial you canfindanother soldiers areburiedhere.Ontheimpressive station inOctober1917. Approximately 12,000 tion, whereAustralian troopssetupafirstaid tified positionof theGermanFlandern Iposi- Passchendaele. OriginallyTyne Cotwasafor- the wealth cemeteryonthemainlandandalso Tyne CotCemeteryisthelargestCommon- and possiblynotburiedhere. shows thatJohn Condonwasprobablyolder the a longtimehewas,at14yearsold,knownas gravestone of John Condoncanbefound. For soldiers areburiedhere.In thiscemeterythe and smaller cemeteries. created in1919by bringingtogetherfieldgraves Westhoek. Poelcapelle British Cemeterywas largest Commonwealth cemeteryinthe This cemeteryinPoelcapelle isthethird The explosionsof thedeepmineson7 nels underthehillinordertodetonatemines. and theAllies.From 1915,bothpartiesdugtun- fighting tookplaceherebetweentheGermans the name:. In theperiod1914-18 heavy was about60metershigh,whichexplains the First World War. Theartificialhillfrom1850 Hill 60isanauthenticpreserved areafrom planted. sides of theroadCanadianmaple treeswere cemetery and the Canadian memorial. On both route of theBritish secondlinetoserve the alties. Theroadwasbuiltafter thewaron There were as many as 8,430 Canadian casu- all Canadianswhofought inthearea in1916. ment atthetopof the‘Hill 62’isatribute to Quebec andweighsnearly15tons.Themonu- This tegically interestingtobothparties.On19 the vicinityof Hooge, asitselevationwasstra- Throughout thewartherewasheavy fightingin directly oppositethe“Hooge Crater Museum”. Menin Road, againstthehillsideof “‘tHoge”, “Hooge CraterCemetery”islocatedalongthe how thesoldiers1917lived belowtheground. dugout inthemuseumletsyouexperiencejust greatest battles of theFirst World War. The about theBattle of Passchendaele, oneof the In thismuseumyouwilldiscover everything under thishill. 60. 1917 resultedinthecurrentlandscapeof Hill Many soldiers are still buried, unnamed, youngest soldierkilled.Recent research main witnesstothebloodyBattle of memorial wasmadeof whitegranitefrom th Approximately 7,500 August 1917. th th June July th

YPRES SALIENT & MENIN YPRES SALIENTARRIVAL KM ZILLEBEKE KM & MENINZONNEBEKE KM SALIENT YPRES KM SALIENT YPRES KM 238 254 238 238 238

N° 62’ N° WALDMEENEN EHRENFRIEDHOF THE BLUFF – REMEMBERME COMINGWORLD- CEMETERY BRITISHNEW BUTTES TRENCHES HILL 62 MUSEUM & CEMETERY SANCTUARY WOOD 2.9453 50.8374 COORDINATES 2.9911 50.8566 COORDINATES 2.9453 50.8374 COORDINATES 3.1507 50.8093 COORDINATES © Westtoer © CWGC © Pictures:

whom the‘Talbot identified. Here liesLt. Gilbert Talbot , after orated) here,of which1,353 arenotcouldbe register thereare1,990 buried(or commem- 1918. missing intheperiodSeptember1917-May commemorates 378New Zealanders thatwent are buriedhere.TheNew Zealand Memorial the nearby Polygon Wood Cemetery. 2,103 dead forms, architecturallyspeaking,awholewith the Germans.Buttes New British Cemetery was alternatelyinthehandsof theAlliesand an artificialhilltocatchbullets.Theforest itary traininggroundwitha‘butte’ Before thewar, the Row’ –complexin1916. ters, whowerepartof the‘VinceStreet–Jam trenches withconcretestructuresandshel- the museumarestill(largelyauthentic) the armisticeandbuiltamuseumfromit.Behind retained aportionof thetrenchsystemafter The Schierfamily, ownersof thelocalcafé, imately 7,000 m tly slopingsitewithasurfaceareaof approx segment (fan-shaped), constructedonagen- than a sanctuary. It is in the shape of a preted here,asitconcernsacemeteryrather The name‘Sanctuary’may beironicallyinter- German soldiersnowlieburiedatthiscemetery. Hooglede, Menin andLangemark.Nearly 48,000 together at4locationsinWest Flanders: Vladslo, and German governments decided to bring them together to184cemeteries.In 1952,theBelgian war, theGermanmilitarygraves werebrought n° 62’ heldapproximately 6,400 graves. After the end of thewar, ‘Ehrenfriedhof Meenen Wald military Menin was a tion systemfor frontlinesoldiers. tag for eachstatuette,theuniversal identifica- made thestatuettestogether. Thereisadog the worldhelpedCWxRM come into being, they sands of peoplefromFlanders andtherestof Bluff, aminecrater. Tens fromWWI of thou- victim of WWIinBelgium,locatednearthe ity of thewar. 600.000 statuettes for every from thewinterof 2018. Areminderof thefutil- “ComingWorldRememberMe” wasbuiltas Here thelandartinstallation field hospitals and cemeteries. At the German cantonment with German German cantonment with German 2 . According tothepresent Polygon forest wasamil- or ‘goal’: circular - “ THE GREATEST RACE IN FLANDERS FIELDS”