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WELCOME...to a site for all who are interested in
First World War history, especially that relating to the area of Flanders in Belgium, around the town of Ypres ( WIPERS) known
as the Ypres Salient. You may just be interested in the history, maybe tracing a relative who served in the area or is buried
or commemorated on one of the many memorials to the Missing. You may be contemplating a visit either as friends,or a family
or even as a larger group, schools, WFA, historical interest groups. In which case, as a trip organiser in the past, and guide I
may be able to help you with planning and itinary setting, or even be available to accompany you as a guide .
I hope you,ll find some details on the next pages that may awaken your interest in
this area. It has many advantages for those interested, its easy to get to from the UK and its packed with history, all within
a days drive of Ypres. Ypres makes a grand base as an attractive historic town with plentiful good quality accomodation to
suit all costs, and good dining facilities.
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The Great War 1914-1918 was a turning point in world history. It totally
changed the way the world was organised. Politicians, governments, the Czar, the Kaiser, Emperors and whole
Empires were swept away. Old powers declined, new powers arose to shape the twentieth century, still having a profound effect
upon our 21st century world today.
The human cost in soldiers lives amongst all combatant nations was truely staggering. The Armies of
the British Empire lost nearly a million men killed, 750,000 from Great Britain. France and Germany
each lost three or four times that number.
So great was the loss that, in Britain, nearly one in four, -- 25%, -- a quarter of all men
of marriageable and family rearing age perished in the conflict. For the first time
sons and husbands of all social classes fell in the service of their country. In fact the educated classes, the aristocracy,
the wealthy , the middle classes lost in disproportionate numbers providng officers to infantry battalions. At one time
in 1916 the life expectancy of a 19 year old infantry subaltern was reckoned in weeks rather than years or even months, so
great was the attrition.
One of the best ways to fully grasp the scale of the sacrifice made by that generation, and the
history of those four years, is to visit the Western Front. For the British and Empire armies the twenty mile stretch that
circled Ypres in a bulge into enemy held territory, The Ypres Salient, was a place of great significance. It was one of the
few areas of the line that was exclusively held by British and Empire forces throughout the war. It was the site of three
major battles, 1st Ypres, November 1914 halting the German Armys advance to the Channel Ports, 2nd Ypres
May 1915 the first use of poison gas in warfare and 3rd Ypres, July to November 1917, - that Calvary of the British and Empire
armies,- Passchendale, one of three of the largest battles of the Great War. (The
others- Verdun and the Somme. both 1916. )
No visit to the area would be complete without also exploring the area immediately south of the actual
Salient, the Messines Ridge down to Plugstreet Wood, and the areas behind the lines where the British Army lived ,worked and
rested for four years.
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| "WRITING HOME"- DETAIL FROM A 1917 7th DIVISION CHRISTMAS CARD. |
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| Self in explorers rig. Lone Tree Cemetery Spanbroekmolen. |
"What are you guarding, Man-At-Arms?
Why do you watch and wait?"
"I guard the graves", said the Man-At-Arms,
"I guard the graves by Flanders Farms,
Where the dead shall rise to my call to arms,
And march to the Menin Gate."
ANON
October 2002. Lone Tree Crater Cememtery, Spanbroekmolen. Lone Tree lies on the German Front lines and remains
one of the original cemeteries still to be found in the fields. Tucked away behind the rebuilt farm,it is reached
by a right of way across a meadow.
The Lone Tree Crater, one of 19 blown on the morning of 7th June 1917 at the start of The Battle of
Messines, was purchased on behalf of Toc H and is now named "The Pool Of Peace".So great was the combined force
of the explosions, at that time and until the atomic bomb, the largest manmade explosion ever, that the tremors were felt
back across the Channel, in London.
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But, - beware - delving into family history and particularly Western Front battlefield exploration is highly
addictive. It may seriously damage your wealth, --- but you,ll feel much better for it.
On a more serious note exploration and coming face to face with the history represented here
can be a very emotionally charged experience, particularly if finding a family member or friend. Yet it is extremely
fulfilling and, at its most extreme, it can even be life changing. Nearly all visitors experience this to a greater or lesser
degree and return home with a feeling of gain from having visited.
Please get in touch with any comments or for further information CHRISTOPHER
JOHN, Member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides .
CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL ME, ON THE LOGO FOR THE GUILDS WEBSITE.
GREAT WAR GUIDING AND EXPLORATION FOR FAMILIES,FRIENDS AND GROUPS OF ALL SIZES
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