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Paschendaele

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Beryl M

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Passchendaele

Passchendaele​

The battle of the Belgian Cross Roads Passchendaele Village was one of the bloodiest battles of all time. Winston Churchill called it – ‘a forlorn experience of valour and life without equal futility’. The sad part is it should never have happened if Canadian Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Currie had been successful in having it called off….

Known as the third battle of Ypres the battle took place on largely reclaimed marshland, swampy even without rain. The extremely heavy preparatory bombardment by the British tore up the surface of the land, and heavy rain from August onwards produced an impassable terrain of deep ‘liquid mud’, in which an unknown number of soldiers drowned. Even the tanks bogged down. The Germans were well-entrenched, which the initial bombardment had not destroyed.

In the months that followed Allied powers had sustained almost half a million casualties and the Germans just over a quarter of a million. Eventually after three months of fierce fighting, the village of Passchendaele was taken by the Canadian Corps November 6 1917- ending the battle.

In the history of World War I, the term 'Passchendaele' has become symbolic of the horror of modernized warfare. And a battle in which nine Canadian soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross

 
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My great-Uncle died at Paschendaele. He served in 'D' Company of the 8th Warwicks under an officer called Campion-Vaughan whose memoir "Some Desperate Glory" I cannot recommend highly enough to anyone seeking a highly articulate, deeply sympathetic, first-hand account of the Great War. Although Campion-Vaughan survived the war, his account ended with Paschendaele; the "butcher's bill" seems to have proved too much for him to contemplate writing more.
 
Paschendale

I was very moving to see the Queen and Duke at Tyne Cot Cemetery on Thursday to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Paschendale. They were there to pay their respects to the tens of thousands of men who lost their lives. On the news report they interviewed a fourteen year old boy who's great great grandfather lost hi life at Paschendale. The boy was in tears it was very emotional.
 
Just a few photos of Tyne Cote Cemetery on our visit 2 weeks ago. I believe its the biggest Cemetery in Flanders. Our boys and allies buried where they fell in Pashendale. Photo 2 is the German Bunker that was captured and built around to a focal point of the cemetery. Most of the people died trying to capture this gun emplacement. 25000 troops fell here.
 
Nice photo's Bob thanks for sharing them. I was almost in shock the first time we visited Tyne Cote.
 
My grandfather was wounded at Paschendaele in 1917 with Black Watch, he went home was discharged volenteered for the Royal Irish Constabulary, was shot and badley wounded, in July 1921 dieing of his wounds in Sept 1922 buried on his 27th Birthday.
Great breed of men.!
paul
 
Re: Passchendaele

A minor incident during the Battle of Passchendaele, at night, October 1917

(I hope I haven't posted this before. It was written by my father-in-law, a corporal in the Sherwood Forresters).

"......we gathered our equipment and assembled outside the pillbox. We were to take a Lewis gun on this occasion as it would be useful in consolidating our post if successful.

Our party numbered sixteen including our officer, Mr. Pettigrew, who had volunteered to take charge of the party and who was a man of remarkable courage and coolness. The sector that our battalion of the Sherwood Foresters was then holding was part of the Ypres salient and was in front of Menin which the Germans were then occupying. For days there had been continual artillery bombardments by both sides which made it extremely dangerous for troops on the move. Casualties usually occurred whilst battalions relieved one another. There had been fighting in this area for some considerable time so that the ground was covered with shell holes. For miles and miles everything had been levelled down and not even a blade of grass existed but here and there a tree stump showed itself. Excepting the pill boxes there was hardly cover for a mouse.

We started off and followed the white tape up to the front line as best we could, picking our way amongst the shell holes as the night was fairly dark. Almost as soon as we set off Fritz opened out a heavy artillery bombardment on the pill boxes that our battalion was occupying. Unfortunately one of our men in the rear of the party was hit by a piece of shrapnel and had to be taken back by one of our stretcher bearers. The rest of the party proceeded as fast as possible and very soon the shells were dropping right over us.

We got to the front line and there we stopped until it was time to start out on our dangerous task. We had a few hours to go and during this time we kept up our spirits as best we could and tried not to let our thoughts dwell on what was before us. Our officer and I went out to reconnoitre so that we should know the best way to take our party.

We were to take up positions around the two pill boxes whilst it was dark. Now the Germans had a strong point called Lewis House just to the right of these pill boxes where they had several machine guns and in the event of an attack would have turned them on us. However at 6.45 a.m. a battery of our guns was to open up for about five minutes on the strong point and this was thought sufficient to smash it up; after this we were to make our attack. We were also told not to be disturbed by a preparatory barrage put up by our artillery at 6 o'clock. This barrage had been kept up for some days as a division was going over the top three days following.

The officer and I after reconnoitring for some time rejoined our party and shortly after we set out. Our objectives lay to the right of the Menin Road which we followed for some little way. Then the officer gave the order to lie down there and he and I went on ahead. We reached a point about 30 yards from the two strong points and he then sent me back to guide our Lewis gun team up which were placed in one shell hole. Then I returned for about four other men who were placed in another shell hole.

It was some minutes after 6.00 then and the artillery barrage had started at six. I had gone back to fetch the remainder of the party and had to stop several times on account of Very lights going up. The ground here was literally covered with dead bodies in all positions and every now and again I would sink into the swampy ground. I remember it now as a nightmare.

So far everything had gone well but the artillery barrage had evidently made the enemy more on the alert as unfortunately for us they sent up several Very lights at the same time which lit up the ground all around. Although the party concealed themselves as much as possible they saw us and then the fun began. First of all they threw bombs at us and our men threw some too. Seeing that we hadn't a chance our officer gave the word to retire. The Lewis gun was abandoned. I fired one shot and then found that I couldn't reload on account of the breech being covered with mud which had got there whilst I was crawling backwards and forwards. Several machine guns were then opened out upon the party who were then running down the Menin road. Crossing one shell hole whilst endeavouring to join them one of my legs sank into the soft mud; however after a short time I managed to extricate myself and join the party on the road.

By this time dawn was creeping in and the machine gun bullets were going dangerously near us. There must have been not less than three machine guns firing at us. However we reached the front line trench not having lost a man whilst retiring down the Menin road. Here we called the roll and found one man missing. He it was discovered afterwards was wounded in the first attack probably by a bomb and taken prisoner.

It was really wonderful how we escaped being wiped out whilst retiring down the Menin road. However after I got in the trench I discovered that I had had a bullet cut my belt and take a piece out of my bayonet. Another fellow had a bullet pass through the canteen which was strapped on the back of his belt. Two very narrow shaves. However a miss is as good as a mile......"

Footnote:
Lt. Pettigrew was killed a day or two later by a shell burst. The writer of this memoir was at his side at that time and was wounded. After repatriation he recovered and lived until his 90th year.​

Chris
 
Thanks Chris a very moving account of our hero's, and what they had to put up with. I was at that spot 2 weeks ago, now its all very beautiful!

Bob
 
Gtreat stuff, Bob, and some very good photos.

I'd just like to comment on a few points.

The Ypres area is not reclaimed marsh land, as it often said. It has a high water table and a thick, clay soil which is prone to holding water and to flooding. A number of streams run through the area, heading generally northward. When the intense and sustained shellfire of (by then) three years damaged the banks, and the heavy rains of late July/early August 1917 fell, these streams expanded to be many tens of yards across.

Only a small number of graves in Tyne Cot are of men who died in the attack on the German blockhouses which are in the cemetery today. The original burial plot, behind the central blockhouse, was left in the higgledy-piggledy layout of the time. The serried rows making up the other 99% of the cemetery are of bodies brought in during post war clearance from many areas of the Ypres salient, some from several miles from Tyne Cot and Passchendaele itself.
 
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A bit of news that might interest those of you planning a trip to the WW I graves in Flanders. At the end of this year Flanders' Field Museum in Ypres is closing it's doors for a month and in September next year for six months due to a major renovation project. Best to consult their website before planning a visit. https://www.inflandersfields.be/#

Graham.
 
My great uncle George Haylor was killed at Hooge which is on the Menin Road close to Ypres. he wrote this letter home to mom and dad in Lily Road Yardley 4 days before he died.View attachment 57857His name is on the Menin Gate memorial
 
thanks for sharing your letter John. he was probably talking about Ypres being flattened by shells. Quite amazing he should worry about the well being of folks back in Brum, considering his hopeless situation in Flanders. I visited Hooge crater where the tunnelers blew up the German Trenches in Hooge.

Hope you might like photos from Hooge and some of the Trenches there next to the Museum in private gardens of a hotel. Public can entre for 1 Euro for the historic upkeep. Worth the visit.
 
Bob, thanks for sharing the photos and sorry I missed you in Flanders, you'll have to give me more notice next time, Graham.
 
Hello Bob. I have been to that museum and the trenches, and gave the owner a copy of Georges letter which he was going to put on displayin the museum. Georges brother Tom who he mentions in his letter joined up on hearing of Georges death, and was injured on the Somme the following year and died in captivity in Germany, he was only 17.
 
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