ALL CONTINENTS PRESENT IN 1917

All continents present in 1917 – Contents

Introduction 3 1. ARRIVAL OF THE CHINESE IN 1917 3 1.1 The facts 3 1.2 The Chinese in Poperinge 3 1.3 Places with Chinese connections in Flanders Fields 5 1.4 “China in Poperinge” events 6 2 THE CANADIANS AND THE BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE 6 2.1 The facts 6 2.2 Stories 8 2.3 Things to see related to the presence of the Canadians 9 3 AMERICA JOINS THE WAR 10 3.1 Declaration of war 10 3.2 American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in Belgium 12 3.3 Stories 13 3.4 Things to see 20 3.5 Did you know? 23 4 THE AUSTRALIANS 25 4.1 The facts 25 4.2 The Battle of Messines 26 4.3 The Battle of Passchendaele 26 5 THE NEW ZEALANDERS 30 5.1 The facts 30 5.2 The Battle of Messines 31 5.3 The Battle of Passchendaele 31 6 MORE INFORMATION 36 6.1 Websites 36 6.2 Pictures 36 6.3 Interviews 36 6.4 Visit Flanders contacts 37 6.5 Sources 38

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Pagina 2 van 38 INTRODUCTION

The great colonial powers dragged just about the whole world into the Great War. All five continents found themselves involved in an unprecedented bloodbath. From all directions, peoples and cultures were brought to the battlefields of Europe. People from all over the world were deployed as workers, as shock troops, and as cannon fodder. The British recruited troops from their Dominions. Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, and Indian troops were sent to the Western Front. It was soldiers from the first three of those, above all, that were deployed at the Ypres Salient. The French recruited from their colonies in West Africa. In Flanders Fields, Africans were mainly to be seen in the early years of the war.

In 1917, the United States of America also became involved in the First World War. President Wilson had avoided being sucked into the conflict for as long as possible, but events in 1917 forced the US to take a stand.

In this pack, we take a more detailed look at the significance of the different population groups present in 1917.

1. ARRIVAL OF THE CHINESE IN 1917

1.1 The facts

In sending workers to the Western Front, the Chinese Republic, founded in 1911, had two objectives in mind. It hoped that its participation would convince the European powers that China was, once and for all, on its way to becoming a modern nation and that it would in future abide by the international rules of the game and could be a reliable partner. In addition, the Chinese authorities hoped to secure a place at the post-war peace conference, at which the future of the German concessions in China would be decided. China’s rival Japan had already, at the outbreak of the war, invoked its military alliance with the United Kingdom and occupied the strategically important German concessions on the northern Chinese peninsula of Shandong. As early as June 1915, the Chinese government had offered to send Chinese workers to Europe to help the Allies. The British government originally rejected the proposal, but changed its mind in the autumn of 1916, when the heavy losses at the Somme led to an acute shortage of labour.

Practical considerations led the British to concentrate their recruiting for the Chinese Labour Corps in Weihaiwei and, later, Qingdao, two concessions on the northern peninsula of Shandong. The conditions were attractive enough to motivate many tens of thousands, most of them poor peasants, to travel to Europe.

1.2 The Chinese in Poperinge

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Pagina 3 van 38 In July 1917 the first Chinese arrived in Poperinge, the hub of the logistics sector, where they were housed in separate labour camps set up on the outskirts of the town.

The Chinese were a specific group within the British Labour Corps. They were deployed for the loading of ammunition and goods trains in the sorting station, for the building of roads, and in ammunition depots. Their contracts were not terminated when the war came to an end: they would remain active in the Flanders Fields (Westhoek) district until 1919, helping to clear the battlefields, to dismantle railway lines, and to dig up and remove bodies.

The arrival of the Chinese labourers was a culture shock for the inhabitants of Poperinge. The Chinese stayed in the camps but also came into town to do their shopping. The perception was negative. The Chinese were considered uncouth, dirty, and loud; they were seen as thieves and even murderers. The local accounts of the time were coloured by that perception:

“The Chinks were nasty and dirty. You had to make sure to stay well away from them or the lice would jump onto you. They were full of lice, as big as peas, like pigs' lice. We were scared of the Chinks. When we mocked them, they chased us.” (André Room, a Poperinge local, in the book De Allerlaatste Getuigen, Philip Vanoutrive, 2010)

“They are strange and very childish, no better than our 10- or 11-year-old boys. Their favourite activity is to stare at the shop windows, preferably sweet and fruit shops, and when they see something they like, they go into the shop, at least ten of them at the same time, ask the price of everything, and if they feel like buying something, they are very suspicious that they might be taken advantage of.” (Van Walleghem diary, August 1917)

“The Chinese came after the war, to collect everything and to dismantle the railway. We called them the Chinks. When they had to lift a rail, they were all packed very closely together. Shouting. Making noise. You could hear them a mile away. They went through the region to collect anything they could get. There was a big Chink camp at the Busseboom. There was even a bloody female with them. They didn't know. A female who came along to be with her bloke, maybe. They still found her.” (Theofiel Boudry in Volksboek, p. 316)

The Chinese Labour Corps counted 140,000 people. The last repatriation was in September 1920. In all, 1,834 Chinese died on the Western Front and 279 died during the sea crossing, while 32 Chinese were listed as missing.

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In René Matton’s studio, photographs were taken of workers who were based in Proven. Here, Matton’s son Maurice is portrayed in a playful way. It is not clear what the text in front of Maurice means. The board to the right, in semi-literary Chinese, identifies the man as No. 19693 Song Xiufeng..

@ René Matton

1.3 Places with Chinese connections in Flanders Fields

1.3.1 Chinese graves

A total of 85 Chinese workers are buried in the WWI Commonwealth cemeteries in Flanders. The largest concentration of Chinese graves in Flanders is at Lijssenthoek cemetery, where 35 members of the Chinese Labour Corps are buried. The cemetery was situated next to the hospital at Remy Siding. Chinese workers were also treated in this hospital. Their numbers increased in the spring of 1919 and at certain times the numbers of Chinese patients peaked at 150, most of whom were suffering from the Spanish flu. www.lijssenthoek.be

Other cemeteries where Chinese labourers were buried are: Reninghelst New Military Cemetery: 7 graves Mendighem Military Cemetery: 8 graves Haringhe (Bandaghem) Military Cemetery: 4 graves Gwalia Cemetery: 4 graves Poperinge New Military Cemetery: 1 grave Poperinge Old Military Cemetery: 1 grave

1.3.2 The thirteen of Busseboom memorial

On 15 November 1917, thirteen Chinese labourers lost their lives in a direct shell hit on the camp in Busseboom (Poperinge). They were buried near the Roobaertbeek stream; later, their bodies were exhumed and transferred to Bailleul. Research into those thirteen Chinese workers has yielded not only their names, but also contact with the families in China.

On 15 November 2017, a memorial will be unveiled at Busseboom to remember the fallen labourers.

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Location: at the corner of St-Jansstraat and Visserijmolenstraat

1.4 “China in Poperinge” events

1.4.1 Exhibition: “Hail to the work”

China in Poperinge’ tells the story of the Chinese presence in Poperinge from 1917 onwards, recounting how the presence of the Chinese was met with prejudice and revealing how people interacted with a foreign culture. In 2017, the world has become globalised – but has our perception changed? Contemporary artists (Stephan Vanfleteren, Sanne Dewilde, Lieselotte Vandamme) try to find an answer to this question. A special app takes you to several places that feature a Chinese tale. . www.poperinge14-18.be

Location: the Hospital Chapel, Poperinge Dates: 1 July 2017 – 17 September 2017

1.4.2 “China Back in Town” Festival

In the first weekend of September 2017, Poperinge will be completely immersed in a Chinese atmosphere. “China Back in Town” is a festival that encourages a positive perception: dragons in the streets of Poperinge, a real Chinese buffet, lanterns and tea houses, music, song and dance, calligraphy workshops, and more. Poperinge is cooperating on this programme with the Bruges-based Howest Confuciusinstituut, Centre for Chinese Language and Culture.

2 THE CANADIANS AND THE BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE

2.1 The facts

2.1.1 Canada as a British Dominion

On 1 July 1867, the British Parliament approved the Canadian Confederation. As a result, Canada became a Dominion of the British Commonwealth. Newfoundland became a British Dominion in 1907. Dominions independently managed all their domestic affairs. For matters involving foreign affairs and defence, they remained dependent on the British motherland. So when the United Kingdom entered the First World War, its Dominions were automatically involved. They immediately answered the call to participate and volunteers were recruited in great numbers. During the first month of the war, 40,000 were recruited in

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Pagina 6 van 38 Canada and 500 in Newfoundland, where almost an entire battalion had enlisted by the end of the year. Conscription was introduced in Canada in 1917 and in Newfoundland in 1918.

2.1.2 Canadians to the front

The first Canadian battalion reached Belgium on 5 January 1915. The First Canadian Infantry Division was deployed at the front to the south of Armentières and arrived at the Ypres Salient at the beginning of April. From then until the end of the war, Canadians were ever-present on the Western Front. In total, over 400,000 men and women served overseas in Canadian units and more than 12,000 in those from Newfoundland. The Canadian population was young and partly consisted of immigrants who had recently arrived in the country from Europe and Asia. Thus the cultural background of the Canadian troops was highly diverse. No other army’s composition was as heterogeneous.

2.1.3 First gas attack

The First Canadian Infantry Division, under the command of a British officer, Lieutenant General Alderson, took up the defence of the Ypres Salient near St Julien following the first gas attack on 22 April 1915. The battles at Kitcheners’ Wood would become legendary. When the division was withdrawn on 4 May 1915, it had suffered more than 7,000 losses, including almost 1,800 deaths.

2.1.4 The foundation of the Canadian Corps

The Canadian government wanted to create its own Corps out of two divisions from Canada. Sam Hughes, the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence, offered his services, but a British officer, Lieutenant General Alderson, was selected. The two division generals, however, Major General Currie and Major General Turner, were Canadian. At the end of December 1915, a third division was formed in Great Britain, under the command of Major General Mercer. In March 1916, the new division of the Canadian Corps was deployed in Flanders. The Canadian Corps now occupied the front line between Ypres and Armentières. On 28 May 1916, General Currie became the first Canadian commanding officer of the Corps. The first major battle in which the Corps was embroiled was the Battle of Mount Sorrel (Hill 62) from 2 to 13 June 1916. In August 1916, shortly before the Canadian Corps was transferred to the Somme, the 4th Division arrived, as a result of which the entire Canadian Expeditionary Force on the Western Front was complete.

2.1.5 Battle of Passchendaele

In 1917, the Canadian Corps earned fame on the battlefields of France at the Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Hill 70. The Canadian Corps was fully withdrawn to Flanders for the final phase of the Battle of Passchendaele. The Corps, under Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Currie, arrived on 15 October to replace the Anzacs. A large-scale assault on Passchendaele was launched on 26 October. The operation that day cost the Canadians 2,700 casualties; three Victoria Crosses were awarded for acts of courage. Canadian troops secured defensible positions on Passchendaele Ridge and moved to higher and drier ground.

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The second phase of the attack on Passchendaele kicked off on 30 October. To the north, the Canadians were supported by two British divisions; to the south, by Anzac troops. The objective was a modest six hundred metres of ground to gain a base for the final assault on Passchendaele, but four fortified strongpoints stood in the way of their advance. By evening, three of the four strongpoints had been captured. Losses for the day were 884 men killed, 1,429 wounded (including 130 gassed), and eight captured. Nevertheless, the step-by-step battle was gradually accomplishing its purpose. Seven days to rest and regroup followed, during which both sides collected their wounded and dead. Shelling and gassing continued non-stop. The First and Second Canadian Divisions were brought in to relieve the Third and Fourth.

The next phase of the assault took place on 6 November 1917. At 6 am, the First Canadian Division attacked under cover of darkness. The Germans had been warned of an attack, but the Canadians moved so swiftly behind their barrage that the objective was achieved by 7.40 am. The Second Canadian Division launched an attack toward the village of Passchendaele. By the end of the day, the village was overrun and secured. In a final assault on 10 November, the Canadians cleared the Germans from their last foothold on the ridge. The capture of Passchendaele cost close to sixteen thousand casualties. 2.2 Stories

2.2.1 Charles Samuel Bannell’s story Bannell was born in Liverpool in England in 1883, as the sixth child in a family of seven. Sam emigrated to Canada in 1905 and started a bakery in Port Alberni (Vancouver Island, British Columbia). He published a number of poems in the local newspaper at an early age. When war broke out in 1914, he enlisted immediately. However, before he was accepted he had to undergo several operations. He was finally drafted into the 231st Battalion. He was assigned to the Seventy-second Battalion Seaforth Highlanders before he had seen any action. He arrived in the UK on 22 April 1917 and after a brief holiday with his parents, went to war. Sam Bannell was employed as a scout and was hard pressed many a time. On the morning of 30 October 1917, he was in a reserve trench near Crest Farm, to the south-west of Passchendaele, with two other scouts. After the German counterattack there was no trace of him. His body was found later and buried at the site. During subsequent battles, the grave disappeared. He is remembered at the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres. During the war, his brother published a collection of 21 poems, His Offering, which included his very last poem, “To Her (near the Front Line, Oct 1917)”. He was unmarried.

2.2.2 Alexander MacNaughton’s story

Mac Naughton came from Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He was just 18 years old when he enlisted in November 1914. He arrived at the front in Flanders in March 1915, where he served as a gunner in the Canadian Field Artillery, first in the Twenty-third Battery and later in the Fifth Battery. He was promoted to sergeant in December 1916 and received the Military Medal for bravery in action near Passchendaele during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) in 1917. On 4 September 1918, Mac Naughton was very seriously wounded. He died several years after the war as a result of his injuries. In July 1915, he found himself with his battery near Nieuwkerke and wrote a letter containing the sad news he had learned that his friend and driver Henry Kirk had succumbed to his illness in hospital in the UK.

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Pagina 8 van 38 Alexander Mac Naughton corresponded prolifically with the home front throughout the war. He died in Kamloops, BC, in 1927. He committed suicide due to a “depression caused through a wound he obtained in active service” (PTDS, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder).

2.3 Things to see related to the presence of the Canadians

2.3.1 Eighty-fifth Canadian Memorial

This monument was the first to be erected in the region. It honours the memory of the Eighty-fifth Canadian Infantry Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders), which suffered heavy losses here during the Battle of Passchendaele at the end of October 1917.

Location: Passendalestraat, Zonnebeke

2.3.2 Crest Farm Canadian Memorial

This monument commemorates the commitment of the Canadian Corps, which suffered heavy losses here during the Battle of Passchendaele but eventually managed to take Passchendaele church. Crest Farm is situated on high ground, offering an excellent view over the battlefield. Passchendaele church is located just 700 metres away. However, it took the Canadian troops almost ten days to get that far. The road between the monument and the church is called Canadalaan and was laid out in the 1950s.

Location: Canadalaan, Zonnebeke

2.3.3 The Brooding Soldier

The Canadian Forces Memorial was erected in 1922 near St-Juliaan to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the Canadian First Division. It is a monument, not a cemetery. 2,000 Canadian soldiers died here in April and May 1915 while successfully counter-attacking to hold the front line and regain ground. Even during the war, this place was called Vancouver Corner. Frederick Chapman Clemeshaw, who was a member of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, designed the statue in 1921. The stone soldier undemonstratively maintains his vigil. Head bent, he watches the oncoming gas cloud. Both hands rest on the butt of his rifle. The landscape architects used Canadian soil in the park around the monument. You truly are on Canadian ground.

Location: Brugseweg, Sint-Juliaan

2.3.4 Essex Farm Cemetery and John McCrae site

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Pagina 9 van 38 During the war, there was an advanced dressing station where Essex Farm Cemetery is now located. John McCrae was stationed there.

Close to the front, the wounded were given urgent care in “Advanced Dressing Stations” like this one. Behind the lines lay the “Casualty Clearing Stations”, which were in a position to offer better care.

The cemetery holds the remains of 1,185 soldiers. Among them is one of the youngest of the war dead: Valentine Joe Strudwick, who had not yet reached his 16th birthday when he was killed on 14 January 1916. The site also contains the concrete bunkers that replaced the timber structures where John McCrae wrote his famous poem “In Flanders Fields” in May 1915.

Location: 148 Diksmuidseweg, Ypres

2.3.5 Sanctuary Wood Cemetery and Hill 62 Canadian Memorial

At Hill 62 you will find an impressive memorial to the Canadian forces who served in the Ypres Salient and especially during the Battle of Mount Sorrel in June 1916. “Maple Avenue” – the road that now leads to this memorial – once formed part of the Canadian front line. After the war, the avenue was planted with maple trees as a mark of respect for the Canadian sacrifice. Sanctuary Wood is one of the larger woods in Zonnebeke. It was named in 1914, when it was used to screen troops behind the front line. It was the scene of fighting in September 1915 and was the centre of the Battle of Mount Sorrel (2–13 June 1916), in which the First and Third Canadian Divisions were involved. There were three Commonwealth cemeteries at Sanctuary Wood before June 1916, all established in May–August 1915. The first two were at the western end of the wood, the third in a clearing further east. All were practically obliterated in the Battle of Mount Sorrel, but traces of the second one were found and it became the nucleus of the present Sanctuary Wood Cemetery.

Location: Canadalaan, Zonnebeke

3 AMERICA JOINS THE WAR

3.1 Declaration of war

3.1.1 The lead-up to US involvement

In 1914, most people in the USA were stunned to hear that war had broken out in Europe. They read with horror the news of the violation of Belgian neutrality, the invasion of France, the Battle of the Marne, and the stabilisation of the Western Front. They felt sorry for the soldiers, the war casualties, and, especially, the women and children of Belgium.

On 4 August 1914, the President issued a decree in which he announced United States neutrality to the world. This was received with great enthusiasm by the people of the US, who otherwise simply waited to see how the situation would resolve itself as a matter of course.

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Not all Americans, however, agreed with this attitude. Starting early in October 1914, some individual Americans enlisted as volunteers in the Canadian army. Towards the end of 1914, there were already more than two thousand Americans in France. Problems soon arose. In particular, the capture of the first American prisoners of war led to a great fuss. President Wilson soon received a visit from the German ambassador, who threatened banner headlines announcing that the Americans were interfering in the European conflict as guerrilla fighters.

For President Wilson, there was only one possible solution to this problem: all Americans under arms in Europe, as well as any others who would venture to join the Canadian or French armies in the future, would lose their US citizenship. This move by Wilson, however, did not have much effect. A great many volunteers were first- or second-generation immigrants and, although officially Americans, still felt strong bonds with their original homelands.

Americans who died while serving with the British Army between 1914 and April 1917 are buried in Commonwealth cemeteries. Around Ypres alone, nearly 500 Americans lie in British cemeteries.

President Wilson’s policy suffered its first serious setback on 7 May 1915, when the Germans sank the Lusitania, resulting in the deaths of 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. The Americans were appalled at the news. The Germans, it is true, had warned people not to travel on the Lusitania, as they were aware that, as well as passengers, it carried war supplies, including munitions. But nobody had taken the warning seriously. Wilson calmed his people by sending an ultimatum to Berlin on 13 May 1915, in which he stated that he would break off all diplomatic relations if any further such incident should take place. Germany answered with a promise that its submarines would no longer attack passenger ships. This promise reduced the tensions between the two powers and for the next nine months, everything seemed to be normal again.

Wilson had another reason for staying out of the conflict for as long as possible: the presidential elections of 1916. He knew that he would never get the support of the majority of the public or of the US Congress for a war against Germany. By staying in line with public opinion, under the motto “He kept us out of the war!", Wilson was re-elected.

The situation became critical, however, when, on 31 January 1917, the Germans informed Wilson that they were no longer prepared to keep their promises: they declared that their submarines would in future sink without warning any vessel that was bound for a British port. In response, Wilson broke off all diplomatic relations with Germany, but there was still no question of a declaration of war.

A number of things happened subsequently, however, that finally drove the US to declare war. On 26 February 1917, President Wilson asked Congress for permission to arm all cargo and passenger ships for defensive purposes. Two days later, he released the contents of the Zimmerman telegram to the press. This was a telegram sent by the German Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arthur Zimmerman, via the German embassy in Washington, to the German envoy in Mexico. The text of the telegram had been intercepted by the British intelligence services and passed on to President Wilson.

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Pagina 11 van 38 The telegram contained a proposal for negotiating a treaty with Mexico in the event of the US declaring war on Germany. Germany promised Mexico that, after the war, it would secure for Mexico the right to demand the return of its former territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona (which had been conquered by the US). The people of the US were outraged; Germany had irrevocably become their enemy.

3.1.2 Declaration of war, 6 April 1917

President Wilson called a special session of Congress, which took place on 2 April 1917. He felt obliged to take this decision in reaction to escalating circumstances – once again, a number of US ships had been sunk without warning. President Wilson had prepared his address with great care. In it, he stated that: “Vessels of every kind, whatever their flag, their character, their cargo, their destination, their errand, have been ruthlessly sent to the bottom without warning and without thought of help or mercy for those on board…. Even hospital ships and ships carrying relief to the sorely bereaved and stricken people of Belgium…have been sunk with the same reckless lack of compassion or of principle." He went on to spell out clearly the goals and the position of the US: “We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are but one of the champions of the rights of mankind…. We enter this war only where we are clearly forced into it because there are not other means of defending our rights.” He asked Congress to back him and to declare war on Germany. Apart from a few abstentions, Congress voted unanimously for his proposal and thus war was declared, with effect from 6 April 1917. AMERICA WAS AT WAR!

3.2 American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in Belgium

The American Expeditionary Forces were in action on the battlefields of Belgium twice in 1918. In the summer, they were deployed at Ypres and during the final offensive they drove the German army back around Waregem.

3.2.1 Deployment of US troops at Ypres Between 5 July and 7 September 1918, the Twenty-seventh and Thirtieth Divisions were deployed in battle at Ypres. Both divisions were involved in heavy fighting in the Dikkebus Vijver, Kemmel, and Scherpenberg sector. The Twenty-seventh (New York) Division was established in September 1917 in Camp Wordsworth, South Carolina. It was made up of troops from the National Guard and from the state of New York. During its period deployed in Belgium, 250 men died and 1,086 were wounded. Of the dead, 82 are buried in the Flanders Field American Cemetery in Waregem and 21 are commemorated on the Wall of the Missing in that cemetery’s chapel. One of the dead of this division lies in the Lijssenthoek British Military Cemetery in Poperinge. The Thirtieth (Old Hickory) Division was raised in August 1917 in Camp Sevier, South Carolina, from units of the North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee National Guard. They left the US on 11 May 1918.

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Pagina 12 van 38 During their deployment in Belgium, 156 men died and 621 were wounded. Of the dead, 24 are buried in the Flanders Field American Cemetery in Waregem and four are commemorated on the Wall of the Missing in that cemetery’s chapel. One of the dead from this division lies in Lijssenthoek British Military Cemetery in Poperinge.

3.2.2 Deployment of US troops at Waregem

Between 25 October and 11 November 1918, the Thirty-seventh and Ninety-first Divisions took part in the Battle of the Lys and liberated Belgian territory, including the area around Waregem and the Scheldt district. The Thirty-seventh (Buckeye) Division was raised in Camp Sheridan, Montgomery, Alabama, from units of the Ohio National Guard. During the fighting in the Waregem-Oudenaarde (Audenarde) sector, 401 of the division’s men died and 1,247 were wounded. Of the dead, 142 are buried in the Flanders Field American Cemetery in Waregem and ten are commemorated on the Wall of the Missing in the cemetery’s chapel. The Ninety-first (Wild West) Division was the only National Army Division of the four and was established in Camp Lewis, Washington. This division was made up of selected individuals from the states of California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. During the fighting in the Waregem-Oudenaarde (Audenarde) sector, 293 of the division’s men died and 740 were wounded. Of the dead, 87 are buried in the Flanders Field American Cemetery in Waregem and one is commemorated on the Wall of the Missing in the cemetery’s chapel. The Battle of Waregem went down in the history of the Thirty-seventh and Ninety-first Divisions as “The Turnip Drive". In comparison with the front around Ypres, which had been reduced over four years of war to a bleak landscape of total devastation, the area around Waregem was almost unscathed. There had been relatively little damage to buildings, while the fields had few craters and had remained in constant use. The American troops passing through the district saw, for the most part, fields full of turnips; accounts say that they took a lot of the crops from the fields, to supplement their soldiers’ rations.

3.3 Stories

DENELL, Frank J.

Private, Machine Gun Company, One-hundred-and-sixth Infantry Regiment, Twenty-seventh Division Died in an accident 9 August 1918 Plot C – Row 03 – Grave 03 Army Serial Number 2452659

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Frank Jay DeNell was born in Washington, D.C., on 28 October 1895. He was the son of John DeNell and Minnie Carsten, a German immigrant (seen in the photograph on the right). He had one brother, Albert, a half-brother, Julian (whose father was a Cherokee Native American), and two sisters, Essie and Viola. At the time of the US declaration of war, Frank lived with his fiancée, Ruth Schaeffer, in Brooklyn, NY, and worked as a car mechanic.

On all military documents relating to DeNell, he is referred to as “negro”, but he himself passed for white. When he was called to arms, he lied about his birthplace to hide the origins of his “race” (his Draft Registration Card states that he was born in Winnipeg, Canada). This made sense when you consider the “Jim Crow” laws that were in effect at the time. Research carried out by a family member shows that many generations ago their ancestors originated from West Africa.

DeNell was killed by an accidental pistol wound. Ruth requested that his remains be returned to the USA, but Minnie decided to leave him buried in Europe. He was initially interred at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Poperinge and on 17 June 1922 his remains were moved to Waregem.

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DOYLE, Leroy A.

Private, Company M, One-hundred-and-sixth Infantry Regiment, Twenty-seventh Division Killed in action 2 September 1918 Wall of the Missing Army Serial Number 1209017

Leroy Alonzo Doyle was born in Cementon, N.Y., on 22 November 1898. The town took its name from a large cement factory where most of its residents worked. Leroy’s parents, Simon Doyle (a veteran of the Civil War) and Anna Miller, married when Anna was barely fifteen years of age. She would go on to have thirteen children, of whom at least four boys and one girl would die young. Anna also suffered a miscarriage, when she was struck by lightning. When she died, only four of her children were still alive. Leroy was the eleventh. In the photograph on the right, he is the baby on his mother’s lap.

Leroy enlisted in the New York National Guard (Tenth Infantry Regiment) on 8 May 1917 and was assigned to the One-hundred-and-sixth Infantry Regiment when the Twenty-seventh Division was being formed. His training and his crossing to Europe were, by and large, uneventful.

His cousin Clarence Gardner (see photograph of the two of them together), with whom he had enlisted and with whom he had grown up, was with Leroy when he was hit, just a few hundred metres from where the monument to the Twenty-seventh and Thirtieth Divisions now stands, near the Kemmelberg. Leroy was killed while he and his companions were crawling through a trench. Clarence himself was wounded by machine gun fire and also suffered gas poisoning. It was thought at first that he had also been killed, as his “dog tags” (identification) were found after the attack. Simon and Anna, who had also reared Clarence, received a letter, written by a nurse,

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Pagina 15 van 38 stating that Clarence was still alive and was being treated in a hospital. Later, they received a telegram from the government, seemingly unaware of Clarence’s hospitalisation, stating that Clarence had been killed.

A Graves Registration document in the file of one Clement Yates records that three men from M Company had been killed: two had been killed on 29 September in France and one on 2 September, when the division was still in Belgium. Only one unidentified soldier from Company M (it had proved possible to identify his unit) was buried in Belgium, in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. It is an unfortunate error that the connection was not made with Leroy, as the data is contained in the very same document. The researchers in 1919 were barely aware of the difference between Belgium and France; their brief, moreover, did not include dealing with files other than those they were working on (in this case, that of Clement Yates). More thorough research would have shown them that Leroy’s remains were in Lijssenthoek. Which is the reason why he is now listed as one of the missing, described as unknown, under a cross. It is highly probable that he is one of the four unidentified dead in Plot A, row 4, between Clement Yates and William Doherty.

Clarence returned home, where, in January 1918, a baby girl was born to the family. Leroy’s mother delayed naming the child, as she wanted Clarence to give her a name on his return. Helen was the name she was finally given. In 2005, Helen’s daughter Regina, and her husband, Bill Zimmermann, visited the Flanders Field Cemetery and the district around Ypres where Leroy had been killed. They also wrote to the government of the State of New York, requesting the State medal to which Leroy was entitled. Thanks to the assistance of a senator, this was given to them, but they were unable to obtain the Victory Medal.

Regina and William Zimmerman in 2005 in front of the Wall of the Missing

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Pagina 16 van 38 SHANNON, THOMAS J. E.

Sergeant, Company E, One-hundred-and-sixth Infantry Regiment, Twenty-seventh Division Died of wounds 1 September 1918 Plot B – Row 03 – Grave 20 Army Serial Number 1207341

Thomas Shannon was born on 7 September 1895. His parents (see photograph), Thomas Joseph Shannon and Mary Elizabeth Nugent, had six children: John, Julia, Thomas, Charles, Walter, and Joseph. In 1990, the family moved to 96th Street in Brooklyn, where Tom grew up. From 1909, he worked in the advertising department of the Brooklyn Standard Union, where he was known for the enthusiasm with which he carried out any tasks assigned to him. Tough jobs were usually entrusted to him.

On 20 April 1914, he enlisted in the Twenty-third Infantry Regiment, the local regiment of the National Guard, with which he was on active service for three years along the Mexican border at the time of the clashes with Pancho Villa. On 23 July 1916, he became a corporal and on 31 October 1916, he became a sergeant. Tom was struck by a bullet in the stomach on 1 September. He lived for another six hours, in great pain. He was buried in a field near Kemmel, where a number of other men from his division were also interred. In 1919, he was reburied in the Lijssenthoek Cemetery in Poperinge.

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Pagina 17 van 38 AT first, Mary opted to have Thomas’s body brought home, but his father finally wrote a letter in which he reversed this decision and asked that Thomas “remain where he is with his comrades”.

In 1930, at the age of 66, Mary came to the Flanders Field Cemetery with the Gold Star Mothers’ Pilgrimage. She sailed on the S.S. Republic on 13 May and visited Tom’s grave on 29, 30, and 31 May.

Before leaving for Europe, Thomas had promised that on his return he would marry Helen McGrath. Helen was grief-stricken when she learned of his death. She wrote the following moving poem for Tom:

I prayed for a pal that was staunch and true, And I found him Tom, when I found you. As the years seemed to grasp me the more I knew That I had a pal and a sweetheart in you.

Then war was declared one April Day And took you, Tom dear, away. The thought of parting I did loathe But God knew what was best for both.

But oh, what a change I now do see To know that you have gone from me Not for a day, a month or a year, But forever and ever Tom dear.

I will not live, I will exist, And memories of the past I’ll ne’er resist. To live in hopes your face to see Where we meet again in Eternity.

Shortly afterwards, Helen decided that she would also take an active part in the war; she became one of the first female members of the military, in the Navy (as a Yeoman First Class). On 24 November 1920, she married Tom’s brother Charles. Throughout her life, she wore a ring made from one of the buttons from Tom’s uniform. Today, her daughter Patricia Odermatt (see the insert in the photograph below), still wears that ring.

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Pagina 18 van 38 Mary on board the S.S. Republic with other Gold Star Mothers

WINSLOW, Herbert L. – Silver Star Corporal, Company L, One-hundred-and-seventh Infantry Regiment, Twenty-seventh Division Killed in action 3 August 1918 Plot C – Row 01 – Grave 05 Army Serial Number 1211931

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Pagina 19 van 38 Herbert Winslow was born in August 1895 in Roseville, N.J. He was the only child of Herbert Hall Winslow (photograph) and Annie Lippincott. His father was a well-known playwright, who wrote 56 plays, of which eighteen were performed on Broadway. He also wrote about 200 sketches and twelve film screenplays. Herbert’s mother was an opera singer, who had a successful career, both in the US and internationally, under the name Anita Armour. Her mother, Sara Lippincott (alias Grace Greenwood), was a very famous writer, a well-known abolitionist and an advocate of women’s rights. Herbert was educated at Staunton Military Academy. A military career, however, was not for him: he had, after all inherited his parents’ and his grandmother’s talent. He became a film director.

Although he had been living in Englewood, N.J., for two years, he enlisted in the New York National Guard (Seventh Infantry Regiment). When the Twenty-seventh Division was formed, his regiment was renamed the One-hundred-and-seventh Infantry Regiment. He sailed for Europe on 10 May 1918.

Herbert was put in charge of the machine gun platoon of Company L. On 13 August, with other platoons from Companies I and L, he was sent to the front line in the Dikkebus district (“Ridgewood”). Soon after their arrival, the Germans opened fire in their direction. Although the British units around them pulled back, Herbert’s platoon three times succeeded in driving back the advancing enemy. Herbert, however, was fatally wounded by a hand grenade that exploded near him. For his courage in battle, he was given a Divisional Citation (see Di Giacomo A-1-21). He was the first man from Company L to be killed. His death came as a major shock, as he was universally popular: he had the reputation of being calm, honest, loyal, and good-natured. His friend Matland Rice, who saw him die, came close to breaking down. That same fight also saw the death of Bryan Gallagher of Company I. Both men were buried in the Abeele Aerodrome Military Cemetery (Herbert in III.A.17).

The Winslows found it very difficult to cope with their loss. Herbert Sr didn’t write for many years. Annie died at the age of 80, alone and in poverty: by then, she was surviving entirely on Herbert’s war insurance and pension.

3.4 Things to see

3.4.1 Flanders Field American Cemetery, Waregem

This cemetery, with an area of two hectares, is the smallest of the eight permanent military cemeteries established by the US on the European continent for the dead of the First World War. Originally, it was a temporary resting place for the dead of the Thirty-seventh and Ninety-first Divisions during the final offensive in the Waregem-Oudenaarde (Audenarde) district.

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Pagina 20 van 38 The cemetery was originally known as American Cemetery Number 1252, but was finally officially named Flanders Field American Cemetery. The name has its origins in the widely known poem “In Flanders Fields” by the Canadian army doctor John McCrae. It may, however, have been the establishment by an American professor, Moina Michael, of the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy (an organisation that raised substantial amounts of money for war veterans and their families) and her poem in response to McCrae’s, “We Shall Keep the Faith”, that were the deciding factors when it came to naming the cemetery.

The cemetery and the chapel were officially inaugurated on 8 August 1937.

The gravestones (a Star of David for those of the Jewish faith and a Latin cross for everyone else) are made of white Carrara marble from Italy. Each shows the individual’s name, unit, date of death, and state. The gravestones of those who were not identified bear the words "Here Rests in Honored Glory A COMRADE IN ARMS Known but to God".

In total, 1,100 members of the American Expeditionary Forces were killed and 3,694 were wounded in Belgium during the First World War. All the dead of the American Expeditionary Forces whose families wished them to stay in the country where they died were, in the case of Belgium, brought together in the Flanders Field American Cemetery in Waregem.

The Flanders Field American Cemetery contains the graves of 82 men of the Twenty-seventh Division, 24 of the Thirtieth Division, 142 of the Thirty-seventh Division, and 87 of the Ninety-first Division. It also contains the graves of three members of the Medical Reserve Corps – two of whom died in 1919 – and of two men of the Fifty-third Artillery Brigade (this brigade was part of the Twenty-eighth Division, but it often happened that artillery brigades did not take part in combat with their own division.) There are also two “mysterious” dead of the Seventy-seventh Division, which was never deployed in Belgium. Three pilots are also buried there, as are two members of the military police, and there are 21 graves of unidentified soldiers.

In the chapel can be seen the names of 43 missing: 21 from the Twenty-seventh Division, four from the Thirtieth Division, ten from the Thirty-seventh Division, one from the Ninety-first Division, one from the Ambulance Service, four pilots, and two officers who served with the British Army.

Of those buried in this cemetery, the first to die was First Lieutenant George Howe of the Medical Reserve Corps (28 September 1917), to whom the Distinguished Service Cross was awarded for deeds of exceptional bravery. The last to die was Private First Class Bertram C. Horner of the 293rd Military Police Company (30 May 1919).

More information: www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/flanders-field-american-cemetery#.V435pKKYvrw

Location: 117 Wortegemseweg, Waregem

3.4.2 American Cemetery Visitor Centre (from Spring 2017)

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Pagina 21 van 38 A new visitor centre is due to open at the American cemetery in Waregem in the spring of 2017. It will concentrate on four main themes: the origins and the mission of the American Battle Monuments Commission, the fighting in which the four American divisions in Belgium took part, the sacrifice made by the American soldiers in Belgium (an exhibition will tell the stories of some dozens of the American soldiers who are buried in the cemetery), and the commemoration of those American soldiers. The ways in which they have been commemorated over the years will be highlighted: the pilgrimages of the Gold Star Mothers and Widows, the annual Memorial Day ceremony, etc.

The Visitor Centre will be open from 9 am to 5 pm, except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Admission is free.

More information at www.abmc.gov

Location: 117 Wortegemseweg, Waregem

3.4.3 Waregem Racecourse Visitor Centre

A new visitor centre devoted to the First World War is due to open at Waregem racecourse. With a total surface area of about 1,300 m², it will present two permanent exhibitions, one on the role of the Americans in World War One and another on the role of the horse during the conflict. These themes have great local Waregem significance, given the presence of the only American First World War cemetery in Belgium and the fact that Waregem is widely known as a horse town and in particular for the famous horse races known as the Waregem Koerse. The visitor centre, designed to cater for both young and old, will tell the tale of the different American divisions that fought in Flanders and also of the food supplies from America that saved so many lives. Visitors will then follow the stories of individual American soldiers who came to fight in this region and who, sadly, were never able to return home and are now buried in the American cemetery in Waregem. The second permanent exhibition looks at the key role played by horses, millions of which were transported to Europe, where they were used for transport and had to wear gas masks. Millions died in the war. This exhibition shows the role played by these animals and the close bonds that developed as a result between soldier and horse. In addition to the two permanent exhibitions, there will also be space for temporary exhibitions on a variety of themes related to the Great War. The opening of the brand new visitor centre is due to take place on 6 April 2017, exactly 100 years after the United States declared war on Germany and entered the war.

Location: 5 Felix Verhaeghestraat, Waregem

3.4.4 Audenarde American Monument

The World War I Audenarde American Monument is located in the town of Oudenaarde (Audenarde), Belgium. The monument of golden-yellow limestone, bearing the shield of the United States flanked by two stone eagles, stands at the end of a small park maintained by the ABMC. It commemorates the

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Pagina 22 van 38 service and sacrifice of the 40,000 American troops who, in October and November 1918, fought in the district as units attached to the Group of Armies commanded by the King of Belgium. The inscription on the Audenarde Monument reads:

Erected by the United States of America to commemorate the Service of American troops who fought in this vicinity Oct. 30–Nov. 11, 1918

The Thirty-seventh and Ninety-first Divisions are the units honoured. In mid-October 1918, they joined the Group of Armies of Flanders, commanded by Albert I, King of the Belgians. Both divisions participated in the offensive from near Waregem toward the Scheldt River, beginning on 31 October.

The Thirty-seventh Division reached the Scheldt River on 1 November and crossed it on 2 November. The Ninety-first Division entered Audenarde on 2 and 3 November. Both divisions were relieved by 5 November.

They resumed action in the front line on 10 November and were east of Audenarde when the Armistice came into effect on 11 November. American casualties from the fighting in this region are interred at the Flanders Field American Cemetery in Waregem, located ten miles to the west.

Location: park at General Pershingstraat, Oudenaarde.

More information: www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/audenarde-american-monument#.V43_SKKYvrw

3.4.5. American monument, Kemmel

A heavy rectangular block on a wide rectangular platform honours the Twenty-seventh and Thirtieth American divisions. The monument was built in 1929 by the American Battle Monuments Commission, to a design by George Howe of Philadelphia.

Location: 2 Kemmelstraat, Kemmel

More information: www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/kemmel-american-monument#.V5cen6KYvrw

3.5 Did you know?

3.5.1 Gold Star Mothers

In the United States, since the beginning of the war, the Service Flag was raised on houses, churches, schools, etc. Originally, this was a white flag with dark blue stars. The number of stars indicated the

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Pagina 23 van 38 number of family members or members of a particular community or organisation under arms or serving as nurses etc. As the war went on, more and more of those concerned died and a custom grew up of completely covering a blue star with a golden star whenever someone was killed or died on active service in the war. The golden star was intended to honour the dead son or daughter and to give expression to the family’s pride and devotion to the homeland. Op 28 May 1918, President Wilson approved a proposal whereby all American women who had lost a son or a husband in the war were permitted to wear a black band on the left arm with a golden star for every member of the family whose life had been lost. The term Gold Star Mother came into existence. On 4 June 1928, 25 mothers based in Washington, DC, came together to found a national organisation called American Gold Star Mothers Inc. They intended this to be a non-profit and non-political organisation that would not only offer consolation, but would also provide loving care for soldiers hospitalised far from home in government hospitals. The new organisation came into being on 5 January 1929. Many small independent groups of mothers, who had often already started local associations, immediately affiliated once they became aware of this new national organisation. That same year, the US Congress tasked the Secretary for War with offering mothers and wives who wished to avail of it an opportunity to visit, at the expense of the federal government, the last resting places of their loved ones in Europe. No fewer than 17,389 women were eligible. These were, in the first place, mothers. Only if the mother was already dead did widows become eligible – provided they had not remarried in the meantime. Over the following four years, 6,693 Gold Star Mothers took advantage of this offer. Sadly, the early years of the Gold Star Mothers Inc. were sullied by racial discrimination. Black mothers were not allowed to join the organisation. White mothers who made the journey to Europe travelled on luxury liners; black mothers had to make do with cargo ships, which offered minimal or zero comfort. Seven black mothers refused to make the crossing because of this discrimination. On 23 June 1936, the government issued a decree calling for the national flag to be raised on all public buildings on the last Sunday of September every year, to symbolise the American people’s love, sorrow, and reverence for the Gold Star Mothers.

3.5.2 Charles Lindbergh

In 1919, the Franco-American hotel-owner and philanthropist Raymond Orteig offered a prize of $25,000 for the first Allied airman who would succeed in crossing the Atlantic Ocean between New York and Paris without any intermediate stopovers. The offer was to stand for a period of five years, but as little or nothing spectacular happened in those five years, it was extended for a further five.

In 1924, Charles Lindbergh began his military career with the Army Air Service. As the years went by, he began to dream of winning the Orteig Prize of $25,000 for the first non-stop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris. Charles studied to be a pilot and qualified with the highest distinction, as the first in his class. As there weren’t many vacancies for military pilots, Lindbergh found work as a professional civil pilot for the US Air Mail, delivering letters to cities and towns along the St Louis-Chicago flight route.

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Pagina 24 van 38 Flying in all weather conditions was no easy task. Usually, there wasn’t even an airport; in the worst cases, there wasn’t even a proper runway. There was great competition for the transatlantic competition, not only between pilots, but also between aeroplane constructors. Attempts had already been made, but without success. Six pilots had actually lost their lives in the attempt. Finally, Lindbergh decided to have a go. First of all, he had to find an aircraft constructor. He was already convinced that a one-person, one-engined plane would be best suited to the crossing. But the constructors did not share his outlook: they believed it would be too dangerous to attempt the flight in a one-engined plane. Lindbergh, however, was stubborn and continued his search until he found a company called Ryan Airlines Corporation that was willing to build a plane for him. The designer Donald Hall succeeded in completing it in 62 days. It was given the name Spirit of St Louis, to please sponsors from St Louis. Its moment came on 20 May 1927, at 7.40 am (local time): following meticulous preparations, Charles Lindbergh took off for Europe from Roosevelt Airfield, Long Island, New York, with four sandwiches and a bottle of water. On 21 May, at 10.24 am (local time), after a flight of 5,782 km, lasting 33 hours, 29 minutes, and 30 seconds to be precise, Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget airport in Paris. The journey had been an exhausting one. Heavy storms, with ice forming on the wings, and a constant struggle with fatigue were just two of the dangers Lindbergh had to face. His exertions were rewarded. At the age of 25, Lindbergh had become an American hero! The rest of his stay in Europe consisted of one long succession of tributes. After landing in Evere (Brussels), he was received by King Albert and Queen Elisabeth at the royal palace. This was followed by one of the most striking events in the history of Waregem: on Memorial Day, Monday 30 May 1927, on his way to London, Charles Lindbergh flew over the Flanders Field American Cemetery and dropped a bouquet of flowers as a tribute to his dead compatriots.

4 THE AUSTRALIANS

4.1 The facts

Immediately after the outbreak of war, the Australian government decided to place an Australian Imperial Force (AIF) of – originally – 20,000 men at the disposal of the UK government; the numbers would increase rapidly. The Australian troops were combined with units from New Zealand and some British units to form the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, known as ANZAC (later, early in 1916, this would be divided into two Corps, First and Second , which existed until late in 1917). After training in Egypt, the ANZAC was sent to the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. The day of the landing there, 25 April 1915, is still a day of major commemorations in both countries. Despite the disastrous outcome of the Gallipoli campaign, the Australian soldiers gained a reputation as tough combat troops. In the spring of 1916, they were transferred to northern France. Australian troops were present for the first time on the front at Ypres from August to October 1916. Their presence was of great importance during the (Mine) Battle of Messines in June 1917 and during the Battle of Passchendaele.

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Pagina 25 van 38 The AIF was an ethnically quite homogeneous force made up of people of British and Irish origin. The Aboriginals, who were victims of severe discrimination, were forbidden or strongly discouraged from enlisting. As the war went on, however, the rules were relaxed somewhat. According to recent estimates, some four to five hundred Aboriginals served overseas. Most were probably of mixed European-native origin. Although they were, in the army, on an equal footing with their white comrades, the First World War brought little or no improvement in political, economic, or social terms. It was only in 1967 that they were granted full civil rights and it is only quite recently that attention has been paid to them in commemorations.

In total, almost 417,000 Australians served in the AIF, about one in fifteen of the total population. Of those, 330,000 travelled overseas and more than 215,000 were casualties (dead, wounded, missing, sick, or prisoners of war), including 60,000 dead. Few armies in the First World War suffered greater losses. Almost 12,750 Australians are buried or are commemorated in Belgium.

4.2 The Battle of Messines

The Second ANZAC Corps (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) was responsible for the southern end of the attack, with the New Zealand Division on the left and the Australian Third Division on the right. The New Zealand Division was responsible for taking Messines and pushing through to the Black Line behind it. The Fourth Australian Division was then to pass through them to carry on the second phase and take the Green Line some 2 km to the east of the front line.

Messines was the first time that Australians and New Zealanders had fought side by side since the Gallipoli campaign of 1915.

By the evening of 7 June, Plumer’s bite-and-hold attack to take the Messines ridge was a tactical and strategic success. In the II ANZAC Corps sector, the Third Division had been “blooded” in its first major battle of the war and the New Zealanders had confirmed their standing as one of the BEF’s best formations, while the Twenty-fifth Division too fought very well to achieve its objectives. In support, the Fourth Division had consolidated the ground already won and pushed on to hold the final objective.

Along the entire attacking front, the three-corps offensive had been a success and the salient south of Ypres had been eliminated. Two Victoria Crosses were awarded to Australians for bravery at the Battle at Messines – to Robert Grieve and John Carroll. Such a spectacular victory came at a price, with some 26,000 casualties sustained, with II ANZAC suffering 13,500 of that total. The Germans sustained an equivalent number of casualties.

More information about the Battle of Messines can be found in the information pack “The Anniversary of the Battle of Messines”.

4.3 The Battle of Passchendaele

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The Australian infantry divisions joined the Battle of Passchendaele (also known as the Third Battle of Ypres), which had been going on since 31 July, when they took part in the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge on 20 September 1917. A fortunate change in the weather brought them improved fighting conditions. The side-by-side advance of the First and Second Australian Divisions took them up to the splintered remnants of Polygon Wood, not far from Zonnebeke. The Fourth and Fifth Divisions then took over and, as part of the wider effort, attacked on 26 September. In both cases the fighting was bloody. German concrete pillboxes often blocked the Australians' progress, and many men fell under shell and machine gun fire. However, with heavy artillery support, the objectives were taken and enemy counter- attacks held off. These systematic step-by-step advances, staying within range of the supporting artillery, pushed the line forward by a few kilometres, but they were made at a heavy cost: in just over a week, there were almost 11,000 Australian casualties.

The First, Second, and Third Australian Divisions captured Broodseinde Ridge on 4 October 1917. It was a vital victory. But then it began to rain. Five days later, the Second Australian Division suffered heavily in a further attack in the mud. Finally, on 12 October, another attack, involving the Third Division assisted by the Fourth, was made against the village of Passchendaele atop the main ridge. In the face of heavy fire, the men fought in the mire while struggling to keep up with their artillery barrages. Ground was taken, but it could not be held. In wretched conditions, with casualties mounting at an appalling rate, the Australians had to fall back. The troops were finally exhausted and could do no more; by 15 November they handed over to the Canadians.

More information about the battle of Passchendaele can be found in the information pack “Anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele”.

4.4 Things to see

Ross Bastion Memorial Plaques

These bronze bas relief memorial plaques commemorate actions of the Australians during the Great War. These memorial plaques are all the work of Dr Ross J. Bastiaan who used his dental skills, materials and equipment to sculpt the memorial plaques. There are plaques at the Menin gate in Ypres, in the centre of Passchendaele (Zonnebeke) opposite the church and in the town-centre square of Messines.

Ypres

Hill 60 and Caterpillar Crater Hill 60 was captured by the Eleventh Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment on 7 June 1917 during the Battle of Messines, when two huge mines were blown: one on the hill itself, with a charge of more than 53,000 lbs, was blown by the First Australian Tunnelling Company, whose memorial is on Hill 60. They also blew the neighbouring Caterpillar Crater (width 80 m, depth 15 m).

Address: Zwarteleenstraat, 8902 Zillebeke

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Messines

Messines Ridge British Cemetery In all, 1,503 soldiers are buried here: 985 British, 322 Australian, 115 New Zealand, and 56 South African soldiers. Only 549 bodies could be identified. In this cemetery you will also find a Memorial to the Missing, which commemorates over 840 New Zealand Expeditionary Force soldiers who were killed in Messines in 1917–1918 and who have no known grave.

Address: Nieuwkerkestraat, a road leading from the Rijselseweg, N365, 8957 Messines

Tourist Information point The exhibition in the visitor situated in the former town hall gives you a detailed overview of what happened during the First World War in Messines.

Toronto Avenue Cemetery at Plug Street Wood The cemetery contains the graves of officers and men of the 9th Brigade (3rd Australian Division) who died in the Battle of Messines between 7 and 10 June 1917.

Address: Plugstreet Wood, Comines-Warneton

Zonnebeke

Polygon Wood Polygon Wood is a large wood 1.6 kilometres south of the village of Zonnebeke, which was completely devastated in the First World War. The wood was cleared by Commonwealth troops at the end of October 1914, given up on 3 May 1915, taken again at the end of September 1917 by Australian troops, evacuated in the Battles of the Lys, and finally retaken by the Ninth (Scottish) Division on 28 September 1918. There you will find a burial ground named Buttes New British Cemetery with the New Zealand Memorial, which commemorates 383 officers and men of the New Zealand Division. On top of the ‘butte’ (hill) you will find the Memorial of the Fifth Australian Division. In Polygon Wood you can still see the remains of several shelters. Each year on ANZAC Day (25 April), the efforts of the ANZAC soldiers are commemorated during a service called the ‘Dawn Service’. Polygon Wood Cemetery lies on the other side of the road.

Tyne Cot Cemetery

Tyne Cot Cemetery is the resting place of 11,954 soldiers of the Commonwealth Forces. This is the largest number of burials contained in any Commonwealth cemetery of either the First or Second World War. It is the largest Commonwealth military cemetery in the world. There are 1,353 Australians buried here. Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries was an Australian who led an assault party and rushed one of the strong points at the First Battle of Passchendaele on 12 October 1917, capturing four machine guns and thirty five prisoners, before running his company forward again. He was planning another attack when he was killed by an enemy gunner. C.S. Jeffries was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. Because the Menin Gate Memorial was not large enough to include the names of all those with unknown graves

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Pagina 28 van 38 who perished in the area, the remaining 34,984 names (representing United Kingdom deaths after August 15, 1917) were placed on the Tyne Cot Memorial. The memorial, a semicircular flint wall designed by Herbert Baker with sculptor F. V. Blundstone, stands to the rear of the cemetery. The Cross of Sacrifice, built on top of a German bunker, functions as a memorial to the 3rd Australian Division. The cemetery’s name finds its roots in a nickname assigned by the British Army’s Northumberland Fusiliers, who likened a cluster of German pillboxes located on the site to workers’ cottages typical at the time in Tyneside, England - hence Tyne Cottages or Tyne Cotts.

Address: Vijfwegestraat, Zonnebeke

Poperinge

Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery During the First World War,the village of Lijssenthoek was situated on the main communication line between the allied military bases in the rear and the Ypres battlefields. Close to the front, but out of the widest range of most German field artillery, it naturally became a location where casualty clearing stations were established. The cemetery was first used by the French 15th Hopital D’Evacuation and in June 1915, it began to be used by casualty clearing stations of the Commonwealth forces. From April to August 1918, the casualty clearing stations fell back before the German advance and field ambulances (including a French ambulance) took their places. The cemetery contains 9.901 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 883 war graves of other nationalities, mostly French and German. 1.131 Australians are buried here.

Address: Boescheepseweg, Poperinge - Free admission

Ypres

Ramparts Cemetery Apart from the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh soldiers, there are Canadians, New Zealanders and Australians here. On 31 December 1917, a working party of the New Zealand Maori (Pioneer) Battalion was shelled near Ypres and ten maoris lie in this beautiful cemetery.

Address: Lille Gate, Ypres

4.5 Australian ceremonies

Messines

7 June 2017 – International Remembrance Ceremony, Centenary of the Battle of Messines Messines and Heuvelland

Remembrance Ceremony Australia (10:30 am) www.messines.be

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Zonnebeke

25 April 2017 (6 am) – Anzac Day – Dawn Service Buttes New British Cemetery – Zonnebeke

Annual tribute to all the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought in WWI. A few officials will plant the first trees of the Wood of Peace.

26 September 2017 – Australian Memorial Ceremony Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke

12 October 2017 – Wood of Peace – tree planting Polygon Wood

In 2017, a tree will be planted for each fallen soldier with a known grave at the two British cemeteries at Polygon Wood (Buttes New British Cemetery and Polygon Wood Cemetery). There will be two planting days: 26 September and 12 October. In addition, a monument to all the missing soldiers will be erected in a central area in the new park. In the initial phase, all descendants of the fallen soldiers can register via www.passchendaele1917.org. In a second phase, the public at large will be invited to actively contribute to the Wood of Peace by linking up with a fallen soldier for whom no next of kin have registered. The Wood of Peace will keep the memory of those who lost their lives during WWI alive for many generations to come. www.passchendaele2017.org

5 THE NEW ZEALANDERS

5.1 The facts

New Zealand, which had a total population of about one million inhabitants in 1914, raised no fewer than 124,000 soldiers during the First World War, of whom 100,000 were deployed overseas. Some 18,000 perished and 50,000 more were wounded. More than 4,700 of the dead are buried or are commemorated in the Flanders Fields district of Belgium. The New Zealand division was made up of four regiments: Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otaga. The division was almost always deployed alongside Australian divisions, with which it made up the Second ANZAC Corps from the summer of 1916.

Like its Australian counterpart, the New Zealand Expeditionary Force did not initially welcome people of indigenous origin, but a Maori contingent was formed as early as February 1915. Early in 1916, it was decided to bring serving Maoris together in the Maori pioneer battalion. Throughout the entire second half of 1917, this battalion was active in Ypres, where its work included the construction of new communications trenches and shelters. In the early morning of 31 December 1917, a shell hit Lieutenant

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Pagina 30 van 38 Paku’s platoon and six Maoris were killed instantly. They were buried in Ramparts Cemetery on the ramparts of the city of Ypres. In total, between 2,200 and 2,700 Maoris served overseas.

5.2 The Battle of Messines

The Second ANZAC Corps (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) was responsible for the southern end of the attack, with the New Zealand Division on the left and the Australian Third Division on the right. The New Zealand Division was responsible for taking Messines and pushing through to the Black Line behind it. The Fourth Australian Division was then to pass through them to carry on the second phase and take the Green Line some 2 km to the east of the front line.

Messines was the first time that Australians and New Zealanders had fought side by side since the Gallipoli campaign of 1915.

By the evening of 7 June, Plumer’s bite-and-hold attack to take the Messines ridge was a tactical and strategic success. In the II ANZAC Corps sector, the Third Division had been “blooded” in its first major battle of the war and the New Zealanders had confirmed their standing as one of the BEF’s best formations, while the Twenty-fifth Division too fought very well to achieve its objectives. In support, the Fourth Division had consolidated the ground already won and pushed on to hold the final objective.

Along the entire attacking front, the three-corps offensive had been a success and the salient south of Ypres had been eliminated. Two Victoria Crosses were awarded to Australians for bravery at the Battle at Messines – to Robert Grieve and John Carroll. Such a spectacular victory came at a price, with some 26,000 casualties sustained, with II ANZAC suffering 13,500 of that total. The Germans sustained an equivalent number of casualties.

More information about the Battle of Messines can be found in the information pack “The Anniversary of the Battle of Messines”.

5.3 The Battle of Passchendaele

The New Zealand Division made its first attack on 4 October 1917. Its role was to provide flanking cover for an Australian assault on the Broodseinde Ridge. The New Zealanders’ objective was Gravenstafel Spur, the first of two spurs from the main ridge at Passchendaele (the other was Bellevue Spur). Once again, artillery played a big part in the success of the attack, which was made by the First and Fourth Brigades.

The events of 4 October had a tragic aftermath. The British high command mistakenly concluded that the number of enemy casualties meant that enemy resistance was faltering. It resolved to make another push immediately. An attack on 9 October by British and Australian troops was to open the way for II ANZAC Corps to capture Passchendaele on 12 October.

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Pagina 31 van 38 In rapidly deteriorating conditions, this timetable was a recipe for disaster. The plan failed at the first hurdle. Without proper preparation and in the face of strong German resistance, the 9 October attack collapsed with heavy casualties.

Preparations for the 12 October attack on Bellevue Spur, especially the positioning of the supporting artillery, could not be completed in time because of the mud. As a result, the creeping barrage was weak and ragged. Some of the shells dropped short, causing casualties among the New Zealanders waiting to advance. To make matters worse, the earlier artillery bombardment had failed to breach the obstacle presented by the German barbed wire. Another key target, the Germans' concrete pillboxes with their deadly machine guns, was also left largely undamaged.

Troops from Second Brigade and the Third (Rifle) Brigade advanced at 5.25 am in drizzle that soon turned to driving rain. As they struggled towards the ridge in front of them, they found their way blocked by the uncut barbed wire. Exposed to raking German machine gun fire from both the front and flank, the New Zealanders were pinned down in shell craters in front of the wire. A few determined individuals tried to get through the barrier, but they were quickly killed. Orders came for another push at 3 pm, but this was mercifully postponed and then cancelled. The troops eventually fell back to positions close to their starting line. For badly wounded soldiers lying in the mud, the aftermath of the battle was a private hell: many died before they could be rescued. The toll was horrendous. There were about 3,700 New Zealand casualties, of whom 45 officers and 800 men were either dead or lying mortally wounded between the lines. In terms of lives lost in a single day, this remains the blackest day in New Zealand’s post-1840 existence.

On 18 October, II ANZAC Corps was relieved by the Canadians. In a series of well-prepared, but costly, attacks in atrocious conditions, Canadian troops finally occupied the ruins of Passchendaele village on 6 November.

More information about the battle of Passchendaele can be found in the information pack “Anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele”.

5.4 Things to see

Messines

The New Zealand Soldier The statue in the centre of town is a memorial to all soldiers of the New Zealand Division who fought in the Battle of Messines Ridge.

Address: Markt, 8957 Messines

Messines Ridge New Zealand Memorial Located in the Messines Ridge British cemetery this Memorial to the missing commemorates over 840

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Pagina 32 van 38 New Zealand Expeditionary Force soldiers who were killed in Messines in 1917–1918 and who have no known grave.

Address: Nieuwkerkestraat, a road leading from the Rijselseweg, N365, 8957 Messines

Messines Ridge British Cemetery In all, 1,503 soldiers are buried here: 985 British, 322 Australian, 115 New Zealand, and 56 South African soldiers. Only 549 bodies could be identified. In this cemetery you will also find a Memorial to the Missing, which commemorates over 840 New Zealand Expeditionary Force soldiers who were killed in Messines in 1917–1918 and who have no known grave.

Address: Nieuwkerkestraat, a road leading from the Rijselseweg, N365, 8957 Messines

Tourist Information point The exhibition in the visitor situated in the former town hall gives you a detailed overview of what happened during the First World War in Messines.

Messines Ridge British Cemetery & Memorial

In all, 1,503 soldiers are buried here: 985 British, 322 Australian, 115 New Zealand, and 56 South African soldiers. Only 549 bodies could be identified. In this cemetery you will also find a Memorial to the Missing, that commemorates over 840 New Zealand Expeditionary Force soldiers who were killed in Messines in 1917–1918 and who have no know grave.

Address: Nieuwkerkestraat, Messines www.messines.be

Zonnebeke

New Zealand Memorial at ‘s Graventafel This memorial commemorates the New Zealand Division’s participation in the Battle of Broodseinde on 4 October 1917. This attack by ANZAC forces successfully pushed forward the Allied trench line in the early part of the Passchendaele offensive but was followed by an inadequately prepared attack on 12 October 1917.

Polygon Wood (Zonnebeke) Polygon Wood is a large wood 1.6 kilometres south of the village of Zonnebeke, which was completely devastated in the First World War. The wood was cleared by Commonwealth troops at the end of October 1914, given up on 3 May 1915, taken again at the end of September 1917 by Australian troops, evacuated in the Battles of the Lys, and finally retaken by the Ninth (Scottish) Division on 28 September 1918. There you will find a burial ground named Buttes New British Cemetery with the New Zealand Memorial, which commemorates 383 officers and men of the New Zealand Division. On top of the ‘butte’ (hill) you will find the Memorial of the Fifth Australian Division. In Polygon Wood you can still see the remains of several shelters. Each year on ANZAC Day (25 April), the efforts of the ANZAC soldiers are

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Pagina 33 van 38 commemorated during a service called the ‘Dawn Service’. Polygon Wood Cemetery lies on the other side of the road. www.passchendaele.be

Poperinge

Nine Elms British Cemetery

The cemetery was first used from September to December 1917 for burials from the 3rd Australian and 44th Casualty Clearing Stations, which had been moved to Poperinghe (now Poperinge) in preparation for the 1917 Battle of Ypres. The cemetery was used again by fighting units between March and October 1918, the period of the German offensive in Flanders. The cemetery contains 1,556 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 37 German war graves from this period. There are also 24 Second World War burials in the cemetery, all dating from the Allied retreat to Dunkirk in 1940.

Among the 270 New Zealanders buried here is Dave Gallaher. David "Dave" Gallaher (30 October 1873 - 4 October 1917) was a new Zealand rugby union footballer. For his story view p. 13. Tyne Cot Cemetery

This is the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission military cemetery in continental Europe, with almost 12,000 tombstones. The back wall of the graveyard is inscribed with the names of 34,957 missing soldiers who fell in the Battle of Passchendaele and later.

Address: Vijfwegestraat, Zonnebeke

Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery During the First World War, the village of Lijssenthoek was situated on the main communication line between the allied military bases in the rear and the Ypres battlefields. Close to the front, but out of the widest range of most German field artillery, it naturally became a location where casualty clearing stations were established. The cemetery was first used by the French 15th Hopital D’Evacuation and in June 1915, it began to be used by casualty clearing stations of the Commonwealth forces. From April to August 1918, the casualty clearing stations fell back before the German advance and field ambulances (including a French ambulance) took their places. The cemetery contains 9.901 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 883 war graves of other nationalities, mostly French and German. 297 New- Zealanders are buried here.

Address: Boescheepseweg, Poperinge - Free admission www.poperinge14-18.be

Ypres

Ramparts Cemetery

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Pagina 34 van 38 Apart from the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh soldiers, there are Canadians, New Zealanders and Australians here. On 31 December 1917, a working party of the New Zealand Maori (Pioneer) Battalion was shelled near Ypres and ten maoris lie in this beautiful cemetery.

Address: Lille Gate, Ypres 5.5 New-Zealand ceremonies

Messines

25 April 2017– Anzac Day (PM) New Zealand Memorial in Messines

Nieuw Zeelandersstraat 8957 Messines

7 June 2017 – International Remembrance Ceremony, Centenary of the Battle of Messines Messines and Heuvelland

National Remembrance Dawn Ceremony New Zealand (8:30 am) www.messines.be

25 April 2017 (6 am) – Anzac Day – Dawn Service Buttes New British Cemetery – Zonnebeke

Annual tribute to all the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought in WWI. A few officials will plant the first trees of the Wood of Peace.

12 October 2017 – New Zealand Memorial Service Zonnebeke

Official memorial service for the fallen soldiers of New Zealand

12 October 2017 – Wood of Peace – tree planting Polygon Wood

In 2017, a tree will be planted for each fallen soldier with a known grave at the two British cemeteries at Polygon Wood (Buttes New British Cemetery and Polygon Wood Cemetery). There will be two planting days: 26 September and 12 October. In addition, a monument to all the missing soldiers will be erected in a central area in the new park. In the initial phase, all descendants of the fallen soldiers can register via www.passchendaele1917.org. In a second phase, the public at large will be invited to actively contribute to the Wood of Peace by linking up with a fallen soldier for whom no next of kin have registered. The Wood of Peace will keep the memory of those who lost their lives during WWI alive for many generations to come.

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Pagina 35 van 38 12 November 2017 – Dave Gallaher International Rugby Tournament Memorial Park, Zonnebeke

A rugby tournament will be organized in Zonnebeke in honour of Dave Gallaher. He was a New Zealand rugby union footballer best remembered as the captain of the ‘Original All Blacks’ — the 1905–06 New Zealand national team. He was killed on 4 October 1917 at the Battle of Passchendaele and is buried at Nine Elms British Cemetery, Poperinge.

www.passchendaele2017.org

6 MORE INFORMATION

6.1 Websites

Interesting websites for a visit to Flanders Fields include: www.flandersfields1418.com www.flandersfields.be

6.2 Pictures

On our Flickr page, you will find pictures of Flanders Fields. All images may be freely used, provided copyright is acknowledged. www.flickr.com/photos/visitflanders/sets/72157625168448934

If you have any problems, please contact Kanittha Paksee: [email protected], + 32 2 504 03 06.

6.3 Interviews

Patrick Lernout collects stories of American soldiers active during World War I in Flanders Fields. He is still in contact with the families of the soldiers Doyle and Shannon (see above, “Stories”, 3.3). If you want more information about the stories and the families, please send an e-mail to [email protected].

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Pagina 36 van 38 6.4 Accessibility

VISITFLANDERS strives to ensure access for all visitors and provides information on all aspects of an accessible stay. The following symbols are used in this info pack is used to indicate wheelchair-accessible options. Whereas certain locations provide easy access, others may require a little more effort or third-party assistance. Fore more detailed information on wheelchair-accessible locations, please consult our “Great War centenary -Accessible for all” brochure.

indicates the museums and/or sites that offer additional facilities for visually impaired visitors. For more detailed information regarding these facilities, please consult our “Great War Centenary - Tips for visually impaired visitors” brochure.

Brochure: www.visitflanders.com/en/accessibility/brochures/order-brochures.jsp

For more specific details on all disability-related facilities, please contact [email protected] Also useful in terms of wheelchairaccessible locations is the AccesSEAble app. which can be downloaded via Google Play, the App Store or the Windows Phone Store.

Website and contact at VISITFLANDERS: www.visitflanders.com/en [email protected]

6.5 Visit Flanders contacts

If you want more information about visiting Flanders, you can find it on our website: www.visitflanders.com.

You can also contact the press manager of Visit Flanders in your country:

ASIA – Nico Peeters – [email protected] AUSTRIA, SLOVAKIA, and SWITZERLAND – Susanne Gosh – [email protected] BRAZIL – Katrien Dejonghe – [email protected] CANADA – Corine Maclellan – [email protected] CHINA – Li Xin – [email protected] FRANCE – Pascale Kotlarski Schuddings – [email protected] GERMANY – Christopher Philipp – [email protected] INDIA – Dheera Majumder – [email protected] ITALY – Irene Ghezzi – [email protected] JAPAN – Tomomi Tsukakoshi – [email protected] RUSSIA – [email protected] SCANDINAVIA – Lynn Dauwe – [email protected]

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Pagina 37 van 38 SPAIN – Angeles Alonso-Misol – [email protected] THE NETHERLANDS – Edith Andriesse and Natalie Siereveld – [email protected] UNITED KINGDOM and IRELAND – Anita Rampall – [email protected] USA – Marcos Stupenengo – [email protected] AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND – Anna Mansfield – [email protected]

6.6 Sources

Evans Shaw, S., Canadians at War, Goose Lane editions, 2011.

Stad Waregem, Memorial Rain, 2002.

Dendooven, D., and Chielens, P., Vijf continenten in Vlaanderen, Lannoo, 2008 http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/new-zealanders-in-belgium/passchendaele

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