2017 Passchendaele remembered Flanders Fields

2017 Passchendaele remembered Flanders Fields

The terrible events of the year 1917 are engraved in our collective memory. A series of explosions created a huge man-made earthquake and soldiers fought not only against the enemy but also against the mud. The Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, destroyed the landscape and cost countless human lives. HISTORY 7 14 JUNE 1917 BATTLE OF MESSINES The Mine Battle - known as the Battle of Messines (Ridge) by the British and der Schlacht am Wytschaete Bogen by the Germans - was fought as a prelude to the Third Battle of Ypres. The British wanted to break through the front with a major offensive. They hoped to take the German positions at Messines by surprise, using specially created tunnelling companies. The idea was to approach the German trenches unseen through a series of underground tunnels, which would then be filled with high explosives. In the early morning of 7 June 1917, at 4.10 local time (Zero Hour), 19 of the 24 mines planted by the British exploded almost simultaneously between Hill 60 and Ploegsteert. The surprise, the impact and the chaos amongst the Germans were complete. It was the most important British military victory of the war up to that point. The Messines- Wijtschate salient was eliminated. In addition to British troops, units from Ireland (Heuvelland), New Zealand (Mesen) and Australia (Ploegsteert) also took part in the battle. 12 JULY 1917 USE OF MUSTARD GAS The Germans used a new gas against the British for the first time: mustard gas, also known as yperiet. This was a bad start for the Allied bombardment that commenced four days later in preparation for a new offensive around Ypres. While the Mine Battle had been a success, the delay before launching this follow-up offensive was too long. 31 JULY 10 NOVEMBER 1917 BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE At the end of July it began to rain heavily and when the offensive was launched on 31 July, the attacking troops could hardly drag themselves and their equipment forward through the thick mud. A series of major and minor attacks, often with brief intervals in-between, followed in quick succession. Sometimes the Allies achieved local successes, but the campaign as a whole did not go according to plan. The German defences remained largely intact. The village of Passchendaele - which should have fallen in August - was finally captured by the Canadians on 6 November. After 100 days, the British had advanced just 8 kilometres while over 500,000 Commonwealth soldiers had been killed, wounded or were missing. The Germans also suffered heavy losses in men and material, losses that they were unable to replace. PLACES TO VISIT MESSINES Mesen or Messines has a special place in the history of the Irish people. It was here, on 7 June 1917, that two Irish divisions the 16th Division from Catholic Ireland and the 36th Division from the Protestant community in Ulster fought side by side. Also, the New Zealand Division took part in the Messines Offensive with 8000 soldiers. 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. MEMORIALS TO THE 16 TH IRISH DIVISION AND TO THE 36 TH ULSTER DIVISION These memorials in the form of two stones, are set one of each side of the road. They are located roughly where the two Divisions joined in their successful attack to take Wytschaete. LONE TREE CEMETERY The cemetery contains 88 graves (six of which are of unknown individuals). Nearly all the graves are those of soldiers of the Royal Irish Rifles who fell on 7 June, the first day of the Battle of Messines. Some of them were actually killed by the explosion of the Spanbroekmolen mine (which was blown around 15 seconds later than planned) as they advanced. TOURIST INFORMATION POINT GRAVE OF MAJOR WILLIAM REDMOND MP The exhibition in the visitor centre situated in the former town hall gives you a detailed overview of what happened during the First World War in Messines. THE NEW ZEALAND SOLDIER The statue in the centre of town, is a memorial to all soldiers of the New Zealand Division fought in the battle of Messines Riddge. ISLAND OF IRELAND PEACE PARK The Peace Park with its traditional Irish round tower pays tribute to all Irish soldiers who fell during the war, regardless of their background. The nine talking stones tell their tale through poetry, prayer and diaries, while the Peace Pledge calls on Protestants and Catholics to forgive each other. Registers in the base of the tower list those commemorated. The park was officially opened on 11 November 1998 by Queen Elisabeth II and the Irish President. Considering his age, Major William Redmond MP, wasn t even supposed to be on the battlefield during the Battle of Messines. After he was shot twice, he was carried off the battlefield by John Meeke, a Protestant soldier. They reached the Casualty Clearing Station at the Catholic Hospice at Loker where Redmond died of his wounds. The nuns buried him in the grounds of the hospice; he was later moved to the Commonwealth cemetery, but at the request of his family he was moved again to outside the cemetery walls. www.messines.be 2 IWM 3

YPRES HEUVELLAND/ WIJTSCHATE Throughout the war, Ypres and the Ypres Salient, the area around Ypres, was the scene of the heaviest battles. These fierce battles have left their mark on the landscape around the city. The battle of Messines took place on Heuvelland/Wijtschate territory. Numerous relics of this battle can be found in the landscape of this hilly area. HEUVELLAND VISITOR CENTRE (OPENS IN FEBRUARY 2017) This family friendly visitor centre will pay also attention to the mines in the Battle of Messines in 1917. BAYERNWALD The once impregnable German trenches on the Kemmel Hill played an important role in the Battle of Messines. The French named the area Bayernwald. THE POOL OF PEACE The Pool of Peace (Spanbroekmolenkrater) was the largest of the mines that were blown at the start of the assault on Messines Ridge. Before it was blown, the mine was 88 feet deep and contained 91,000 lbs of ammonal. Once it was blown, the crater was 250 feet wide (with a 90 feet-wide rim) and 40 feet deep. IN FLANDERS FIELDS MUSEUM The permanent exhibition focuses on the personal stories of ordinary people and establishes a link to the landscape of WWI in Flanders Fields. More than 2,000 original objects and documents are on display and a new scenography highlights the most recent museum applications, including touch screens, interactive poppy bracelets, video projections, and soundscapes. In addition, visitors can now climb the bell tower for a wonderful view of what was once a completely devastated region. THE MENIN GATE AND THE LAST POST HILL 60 AND CATERPILLAR CRATER COMING UP 1914 18 Cycle routes: Battle of the Mines The routes connect the temporary exhibitions and information modules, as well as all relevant heritage sites (mine craters, memorials, and cemeteries). An app and a visitor s guide will be available. www.heuvelland.be The most famous Commonwealth War Memorial bears the names of 54,896 soldiers who were reported missing in the Ypres Salient between the outbreak of the war and 15 August 1917. Due to a lack of space, after that date names were listed at Tyne Cot. An exception was made for Australian and Canadian soldiers who were missing in action until the end of the war. There are no New Zealand names, as their missing are commemorated in cemeteries near to where they died. Every night at eight o clock sharp, the resounding bugle call of the volunteers of the Ypres Last Post Association, who are members of the Ypres Voluntary Fire Brigade, rings out as a tribute to the fallen under the Menin Gate. Hill 60 was captured by the 11th 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 1st Australian Tunnelling Company, whose memorial is on Hill 60. They also blew the neighbouring Caterpillar Crater (width 80m, depth 15m). www.visitypres.be 4 5

PASSCHENDAELE/ ZONNEBEKE The name Zonnebeke probably doesn t sound very familiar, but almost everyone has heard of its neighbouring village: Passendale (Passchendaele). It was here that, in 1917, the British army fought for several months in a desperate bid to break the German line. Passchendaele was for the British what Verdun was for the French and they soon began referring to the village as Passion-dale : the valley of suffering. THE MEMORIAL MUSEUM PASSCHENDAELE 1917 POLYGON WOOD CREST FARM CANADIAN MEMORIAL This marks the place where the Canadian Corps saw fierce fighting during the Second Battle of Passchendaele and won possession of the high ground at Crest Farm. 85 TH CANADIAN MEMORIAL EXHIBITION 1917: TOTAL WAR IN FLANDERS 3 JUNE 15 DECEMBER 2017 Various locations in Flanders Fields MEMORIAL MUSEUM PASSCHENDAELE 1917, ZONNEBEKE Exhibition: The tactics and responses of all involved armies to deal with the mud and destruction of the landscape. TYNE COT CEMETERY VISITOR CENTRE, ZONNEBEKE An exhibition that looks at the story of this landscape. How has the landscape changed and what different layers can still be found today? Exhibitions and information stands at major WWI sites in the southern Flanders Fields district introduce visitors to the story and relics of the infamous Battle of Messines and the Battle of Passchendaele (1917). IN FLANDERS FIELDS MUSEUM, YPRES A general introduction to the Battle of the Mines and the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). This is supplemented by works by two Australian war photographers, Frank Hurley and Hubert Wilkins, interspersed with reworked contemporary photographs by Ian Alderman. ENTRY POINTS YPRES SALIENT Three information modules tell the story of 1917 at three new information points in the Ypres Salient. LIJSSENTHOEK MILITARY CEMETERY VISITOR CENTRE, POPERINGE An information module about the preparations made at the hospital site to receive the expected casualties from the Third Battle of Ypres. The impact of the battle on the hospital is also explored. DRIE GRACHTEN SITE, HOUTHULST An information module about the impact of artillery and munitions on the region in 1917 www.flandersfields.be/en/2017 This museum tells the story of the war in the Ypres Salient, with special emphasis on the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. Zonnebeke and its five villages have the biggest concentration of underground constructions. Because these dugouts are generally not accessible to the public, a life-like reconstruction has been built in the Museum. TYNE COT CEMETERY AND VISITOR CENTRE 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. 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 9th (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 5th 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. This monument was the first to be erected in the region. It honours the memory of the 85th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders), which suffered heavy losses during the Third Battle of Ypres at the end of October 1917. 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 of 12 October 1917. HEUVELLAND VISITOR CENTRE Two temporary exhibitions entitled Irish Blood on Flemish Soil and The Archaeology of a Battle MESSINES TOURIST INFORMATION POINT Exhibition: The impact of WW1 on New Zealand, based on 100 individual stories. GUYNEMER PAVILLON, LANGEMARK-POELKAPELLE The role of the French in the Third Battle of Ypres and the story of military aviation GASTHUISKAPEL POPERINGE Poperinge tells the story of the Chinese presence in Poperinge from 1917 onwards, recounting how the presence of the Chinese led to prejudice, and revealing how people interacted with a foreign culture. COMING UP Car/coach tours linked to the 1917: TOTAL WAR IN FLANDERS exhibitions. The routes connect the temporary exhibitions and information modules, as well as all relevant heritage sites (mine craters, memorials, and cemeteries). An app and a visitor s guide will be available. 6 7

MEMORIAL CEREMONIES AND EVENTS 2017 25 APR 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. Henk Deleu 25 APR 2017 ANZAC DAY (PM) New Zealand Memorial in Messines 7 JUNE 2017 INTERNATIONAL REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY CENTENARY OF THE BATTLE OF MESSINES Messines and Heuvelland National Rememberance Dawn Ceremony New Zealand (6 am), Rememberance Ceremony Australia (10 am) and National Rememberance Ceremony Ireland and UK (2 pm). 10 JUNE 2017 (after dusk) CRATER FRONT Heuvelland Soundscape and light installation 12 JULY 2017 19 AUGUSTUS 2017 SCOTTISH MEMORIAL CEREMONY Scottish monument on the Frezenberg, Zonnebeke 26 SEPTEMBER 2017 AUSTRALIAN MEMORIAL CEREMONY Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke 7 oktober 2017 GERMAN MEMORIAL CEREMONY German cemetery Menenwald, Menen 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 DAY Polygon Wood In 2017, a tree will be planted for every fallen soldier with a known grave in the two British cemeteries at Polygon Wood. 14 OCTOBER 2017 SILENT CITY MEETS LIVING CITY Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke 12,000 volunteers, as many as the number of gravestones in the cemetery, will contribute to a unique and powerful moment of silence and reflection. Join them. 14 OCTOBER 2017 INTERNATIONAL RUGBY TOURNAMENT DAVE GALLAHER Memorial Park, Zonnebeke A rugby tournament will be organised 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 the 4th October 1917 at the Battle of Passchendaele and is buried at Nine Elms British Cemetery, Poperinge. 10 NOVEMBER 2017 CANADIAN MEMORIAL CELEBRATION Crest Farm Memorial/Passchendaele Church, Zonnebeke Memorial event to commemorate the end of the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. 11 NOVEMBER 2017 ARMISTICE SPECIAL LAST POST Ypres Milo-profi photography 12 NOVEMBER 2017 2017 ALEX DECOTEAU RUN Zonnebeke/Passchendaele Run in commemoration of the Canadian Indian Alex Wuttunee Decoteau, who participated in the 5,000 metre race during the 1912 Olympics, and of all those who fell in the Battle of Passchendaele. City of Edmonton 2014 > 2018 COMING WORLD REMEMBER ME ART PROJECT Nieuwpoort /Ypres At a series of workshops, a sculpture will be made for each of the 600,000 victims who fell in Belgium in WWI, indicating the name of the deceased and the maker of the sculpture. In 2018, all these sculptures will become part of a land art project in No Man s Land at Ypres under the enthusiastic leadership of the internationally recognised artist Koen Vanmechelen. Visit one of the workshops in Nieuwpoort or Ypres to make a sculpture. THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES/ BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE REMEMBRANCE PROGRAMME Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke, and Menin Gate, Ypres All ceremonies are accessible to the public. For detailed information and timetables please visit the website or contact the trade manager: - Zonnebeke: www.passchendaele2017.org (from April 2017), hanne.dezegher@passchendaele.be - Ypres: www.visitypres.be, petra.delvaux@ieper.be - Messines: www.messines.be, info@mesen.be (Steven Reynaert) www.comingworldrememberme.be 8 9

CAR OR COACH ITINERARIES THE BATTLE OF THE MINES Heuvelland Komen Wijtschate Messines THE CANADIANS IN FLANDERS FIELDS Ypres Zonnebeke Zillebeke THE NEW ZEALANDERS IN FLANDERS FIELDS Messines Zonnebeke Ypres - Tourist Information Point, Messines: 10.00 am* - New Zealand soldier statue: 10.45 am - New Zealand Memorial, Messines: 11.00 am - Messines Ridge British Cemetery: 11.30 am - Peckham Farm Crater, Messines: 12.00 noon - Lunch in Ypres: 12.30 pm - In Flanders Fields Museum: 2.00 pm - Menin Gate: 4.00 pm THE BRITISH AND THE BATTLES OF 1917 - Tourist Information Point, Messines: 10.00 am - Messines Ridge British Cemetery: 11.00 am - Peckham Farm Crater: 11.30 am - Pool of Peace: 12.00 noon - Bayernwald: 12.30 pm - Lunch in Heuvelland: 1.00 pm - Hill 60 and Caterpillar Crater: 2.30 pm - Menin Gate: 4.00 pm - Visitor centre, Heuvelland: 10 am* - Bayernwald in Heuvelland: 11 am - Lunch in Heuvelland: 12 noon - Pool of Peace in Heuvelland: 2 pm - Tourist Information Point Messines*, Irish Peace Park and Peace Tower in Messines: 3 pm THE BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE Zonnebeke - In Flanders Fields Museum: 10.00 am* - Lunch in Ypres: 12.00 noon - Essex Farm, where John McCrae wrote his world-famous poem: 2.00 pm - The Brooding Soldier memorial to the Canadian 1st Division during the first gas attack in 1915: 3.00 pm - Menin Gate: 4.00 pm - Nine Elms British Cemetery in Poperinge, where 270 New Zealanders are buried, including the All Blacks captain Dave Gallaher: 10.00 am - Memorial Museum Passchendaele: 11.00 am - Lunch in Zonnebeke: 12.30 pm - Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke: 2.30 pm - New Zealand Memorial at s Graventafel: 4.00 pm - Memorial Museum Passchendaele: 10.00 am - Tyne Cot Cemetery: 11.30 am - Lunch in Zonnebeke: 12.30 pm - Polygon Wood: 2.30 pm - Memorial Museum Passchendaele: 10 am* - Lunch in Zonnebeke: 12 noon - Walk to Tyne Cot Cemetery: 2 pm - Visit to Tyne Cot and visitor centre: 3 pm* - Buttes New British Cemetery: 4 pm THE IRISH IN MESSINES Messines - Tourist Information Point: 10 am - Irish Peace Park: 11 am - Lone Tree Cemetery and Irish Memorials: 11.30 am - Lunch in Heuvelland: 12.30 pm - Redmond Grave: 2 pm * From June to December, extra temporary exhibitions about the events of 1917 - Memorial Museum Passchendaele: 10.00 am* - Lunch in Zonnebeke: 2.00 noon - Tyne Cot cemetery, where 1,011 Canadians are buried: 2.00 pm - Crest Farm Canadian Memorial, Zonnebeke: 3.00 pm - 85th Canadian Memorial, Zonnebeke: 3.30 pm - Sanctuary Wood Cemetery and Hill 62 Canadian Memorial: 4.00 pm THE AUSTRALIANS IN FLANDERS FIELDS - In Flanders Fields Museum: 10.00 am* - Menin Gate: 12.00 noon - Lunch in Ypres: 12.30 pm - Hill 60 and Caterpillar Crater: 2.00 pm* - Toronto Avenue Cemetery: 3.30 pm* - Memorial Museum Passchendaele: 10.00 am* - Lunch in Zonnebeke: 12.00 noon - Polygon Wood: 2.00 pm - Tyne Cot Cemetery: 3.30 pm 10 11

MORE INFORMATION Interesting websites www.flandersfields.be/en/2017 www.flickr.com www.flandersfields1418.com Guides and organised tours For guides, contact the tourist offices: - in the Ypres or Messines area: www.visitypres.be - in the Zonnebeke/Passchendaele area: www.mmp.zonnebeke.be/en - in Heuvelland/Wijtschate: www.heuvelland.be - If you want to book an organised battlefield tour, please have a look at the list of suppliers on www.flandersfields.be/en/recreation Responsible publisher: VisitFlanders, Peter De Wilde, Grasmarkt/Rue du Marché aux Herbes 61, 1000 Brussels LEGAL DEPOSIT: D/2016/5635/13/4 Destination Management Companies De Boeck Incoming & Events www.deboeck-incoming.com info@deboeck-incoming.com +32 2 274 23 80 De Boeck organises tours with its own guides and buses to Flanders Fields. Focus Flanders www.focusflanders.be michel.d@squatra.be + 32 9 269 90 62 Focus Flanders offers multi-day tours that focus on the Canadian, Australian, or Irish involvement in WWI.