The Devastation Of Ypres All Through World War I
For the duration of World War I, the ancient Belgium market town of Ypres was in a strategically important and vital area near the British front lines and is also without doubt one of the most well known areas of the Western Front as a consequence of the appalling fighting that occurred here.
The city itself had been in the middle of the Ypres Salient, a bit of the trenches protruding in the direction of German lines. Historically, Ypres can certainly be traced back to the 1100s. In spite of ages of fighting and occupation, Ypres expanded however with the outbreak of The First World War, the town under German control.
The 1st Battle of Ypres in the course of October and November 1914 saw Britain and her Allies retake Ypres from the Germans and irrespective of serious fighting all around Ypres until finally the First World War ended in 1918, the Germans did not retake the town.
Nevertheless, throughout the 4 years of The First World War, Ypres took a fearful toll because 4 key battles were fought around here. In the 2nd Battle of Ypres in April and May 1915, the Germans recaptured the high ridge to the east of the town. The area contained the village of Passchendaele.
In 1917, amongst the fiercest battles of the Great War took place. The 3rd Battle of Ypres or Passchendaele saw Allied Forces recapture the high ground though for a terrible cost. Through July and November 1917, there were about half a million casualties on both sides and the town was almost wiped off the map by German artillery.
The renowned Cloth Hall and quite a few other structures were reduced to rubble and centuries of heritage went with them. In 1933, rebuilding began on the Cloth Hall and this was at long last completed in 1967 having been meticulously reconstructed to bring back its historical past. Today, the Cloth Hall in Ypres is home to the In Flanders Fields Museum.
Throughout World War I, the Menin Gate was no more than an exit cut in the eastern ramparts of Ypres. The majority of British troops would’ve made their way through this exit en route towards the front lines. In 1927, the Menin Gate Memorial was unveiled. It commemorates the names of in excess of 54,000 men that are even now missing around the battlefields around the Ypres Salient and every night, the Last Post ceremony takes place here at 8pm by the grateful citizens of Ypres.