Passchendale New Cemetery, Belgium
This film shows the Passchendaele New British Cemetery which is just over 10km north-east of Ieper on the S'Graventafelstraat, a road leading from St Jan to Passendale.
During my tour of Flanders, I arrived quite late at the cemetery and parked my motorhome and spent the nigh there. I know that this would bother some people, I don't believe in ghosts but even if I did, I can't see what harm they would do me. The film was made quite early in the rmorning.
This cemetery is on three different levels, with steps going from one level to another. For wheelchair access between the levels there are grassed ramps to the right of the cemetery, near the wall. Wheelchair users can enter the cemetery via a service entrance situated to the left of the main entrance.
The village of Passchendaele (Passendale in Flemish) is above all associated with the Third Battle of Ypres although it was close to the front throughout the war. It was captured by the Germans on 20 October 1914. At the end of the Third Battle of Ypres, it was taken by the Fifth Canadian Infantry Brigade on 6 November 1917. It was held by the Allies a little over five months when the Germans recaptured it only to change hands once more on 29 September 1918 when Belgian forces took the village.
The New British Cemetery was made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of Passchendaele and Langemarck. Almost all of the burials are from the autumn of 1917.
The cemetery now contains 2,101 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 1,600 of the graves are unidentified but there are special memorials to seven casualties believed to be buried among them.
The cemetery was designed by Charles Holden.
Zonnebeke - Passchendaele '14-'18
The Memorial Museum Passchendaele and its surrounding park are the central point to discover the WWI heritage in Zonnebeke.
Follow the new informative walking trails to Tyne Cot Cemetery, Polygon Wood, Buttes New British Cemetery, ... .
Visit Belgium - 13/589 – Zonnebeke - World War 1, Dugout, Passchendaele & Tyne Cot Cemetery
A Belgian Challenge, I would like to visit all 589 Belgian Municipalities. In this video visit Zonnebeke, a municipality in the province of West-Flanders and known from the First World War.
We started our day in Zonnebeke with a visit to the church Dugout. This dugout is not reconstructed but completely authentic (it takes you back to 1917) and it’s open for public until the 10th of November 2017.
After this visit which took about 20 minutes, we visited the nearby Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917. The museum explains all about the First World War and it has a reconstructed dugout. Definitely worth a visit! The museum is located in a chateau park and in this park you can also find the Memorial Gardens of New Zealand, Canada, UK, Germany, USA and Belgium.
We ended the day at the Tyne Cot Cemetary, which is the largest Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in the world and the most important reminder of the Battle of Passchendaele from 1917.
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Passendale (Passchendaele), Belgium today
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Passchendaele as a word has become in the English language synonymous with mud and an unending swamp through which men fought in 1917, forgetting that it is also the town of Passendale in Belgium. Strangely enough, whereas the spelling Passchendaele is obsolete in Belgium, it has been retained in English. This is because during the First World War, the French language spelling of towns was that which was used everywhere throughout Belgium. Passendale is located to the east of Ypres and is noted for its part in the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917, although there was also a battle there in October 1914 when it was captured by the Kaiser’s army.
To visit the town, I left my motorhome next to the New British Cemetery although I appreciate that not everyone wants to sleep next to a cemetery. For those who do not want to do this, off street parking is no problem.
Passendale is located on a ridge which today is not particularly obvious because of the vegetation, however one can stand at the highest point of the town and imagine what it was like with the vegetation and buildings destroyed and when this ridge controlled the countryside around.
We can find various war cemeteries in and around Passendale. Tyne Cot Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world (you can see this in another film).
Passendale is a farming community. One of its specialities is a cheese for which a festival is held every August. Another product is the Passchendaele beer which you can see advertisements for in the film. It is brewed by the Van Honsebrouck brewery in Ingelmunster which is around 10km further to the east.
National Ceremony marking Battle of Passchendaele Centenary and Belgian Memorial Unveiling
The First World War Centenary Programme (WW100) marked the Battle of Passchendaele with a national commemorative programme held in Wellington on Thursday 12 October 2017.
The commemorative programme reflected on New Zealand’s involvement in the Battle of Passchendaele between 1 and 18 October 1917, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, during which New Zealand experienced one of its darkest days.
On 12 October 1917, approximately 1860 New Zealand soldiers were wounded and 843 killed. This devastating loss of life remains the highest one-day death toll suffered by New Zealand forces overseas.
The commemorative programme commenced with a national ceremony at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington, followed by the unveiling of a memorial gifted to New Zealand by the Belgian Government, also at Pukeahu.
Zonnebeke (B), Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood
Ar Drone 2.0 @ Zonnebeke (B), Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood
Passchendaele Centenary Sunset Ceremony
New Zealand’s Sunset Ceremony to mark the Battle of Passchendaele was conducted at the hauntingly beautiful Buttes New British Cemetery in Polygon Wood as the sun went down on 12 October, 2017.
In front of the New Zealand Memorial to the Missing, the NZDF contingent performed a musical piece entitled Passchendaele. This re-enacted the events of 12 October, 1917, from the artillery barrage to the machine guns, the dead and dying and, finally, the knock on the door back in New Zealand of the telegram boy with the terrible news to a devastated wife and daughter. It was an emotional end to a special day of commemoration.
Belgium - Passchendaele memorials
(31 Jul 2017) STORYLINE
A gun salute performed early on July 31st 2017 marked the start of the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917.
More than half a million Allied and German troops were killed or wounded in the World War I battle in western Belgium.
The Allied offensive, fought by British and Commonwealth forces from July to November 1917 in battlefields that turned to liquid mud, ended up barely moving the front line against the Germans.
***
Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Bedford House Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery on July 31st, on the 100th anniversary of the Third Battle of Ypres, known as Passchendaele.
The First World War burial ground near Zillebeke, itself near Ypres on the Western Front in Belgium, is the final resting place for around 5,140 World War 1 servicemen.
Prince William and his wife, Kate, were given a tour of the cemetery and spoke to Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery (CWGC) interns at the site.
Monday marks the centennial of the start of the Allied offensive, which ended up barely moving the front line.
Half a million soldiers were estimated to have been killed or wounded during the 100-day battle.
***
Britain's Prince Charles and the Belgian King and Queen officially opened a preserved WW1 dugout at Zonnebeke Church near Ypres on July 31st, as events continued to mark the 100th anniversary of the Third Battle of Ypres, known as Passchendaele.
The Prince of Wales also attended a Welsh service at the Welsh National Memorial park near Ypres, where he gave a reading in both Welsh and English and laid a wreath.
More than half a million Allied and German troops were killed or wounded in the Third Battle of Ypres, an assault that has come to be synonymous with the futility of war.
00:31:08
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Tyne Cot Commonwealth Military Cemetery, near Ipern, Belgium
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Tyne Cot Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth Military Cemetery in the world. It is located 9 Kms north-east of Ieper and is well signposted.
'Tyne Cot' or 'Tyne Cottage' was the name given by the Northumberland Fusiliers to a barn which stood near the level crossing on the Passchendaele-Broodseinde road. The barn, which had become the centre of five or six German blockhouses, or pill-boxes, was captured by the 3rd Australian Division on 4 October 1917, in the advance on Passchendaele.
One of these pill-boxes was unusually large and was used as an advanced dressing station after its capture. From 6 October to the end of March 1918, 343 graves were made, on two sides of it, by the 50th (Northumbrian) and 33rd Divisions, and by two Canadian units. The cemetery was in German hands again from 13 April to 28 September, when it was finally recaptured, with Passchendaele, by the Belgian Army.
The cemetery was greatly enlarged after the Armistice when remains were brought in from the battlefields of Passchendaele and Langemarck, and from a few small burial grounds, including the following:
IBERIAN SOUTH CEMETERY and IBERIAN TRENCH CEMETERY, LANGEMARCK, 1,200 metres North of Frezenberg, close to a farm called by the Army Iberian. These contained the graves of 30 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in August-September, 1917, and March, 1918.
KINK CORNER CEMETERY, ZONNEBEKE, on the road to Frezenberg, containing the graves of 14 soldiers from the United Kingdom, nine from Canada and nine from Australia, who fell in September-November, 1917.
LEVI COTTAGE CEMETERY, ZONNEBEKE, near the road to Langemarck, containing the graves of ten soldiers from the United Kingdom, eight from Canada and three from Australia, who fell in September-November, 1917.
OOSTNIEUWKERKE GERMAN CEMETERY, in the village of Oostnieuwkerke, containing the graves of two soldiers from the United Kingdom.
PRAET-BOSCH GERMAN CEMETERY, VLADSLOO, in the forest on the road from Kortewilde to Leke. Here were buried six officers of the R.F.C. and R.A.F. who fell in 1917-18.
STADEN GERMAN CEMETERY, on the South-East side of the road to Stadenberg, containing the graves of 14 soldiers from the United Kingdom and ten from Canada who fell in 1915-1917.
WATERLOO FARM CEMETERY, PASSCHENDAELE, 650 metres North-East of
's Gravenstafel, containing the graves of ten soldiers from Canada, seven from the United Kingdom and two from New Zealand, who fell in 1917-18.
ZONNEBEKE BRITISH CEMETERY No.2, on the road between Zonnebeke and Broodseinde, in which the Germans buried 18 men of the 2nd Buffs and 20 of the 3rd Royal Fusiliers who fell in April, 1915.
At the suggestion of King George V, who visited the cemetery in 1922, the Cross of Sacrifice was placed on the original large pill-box. There are three other pill-boxes in the cemetery.
There are now 11,956 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in Tyne Cot Cemetery. 8,369 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to more than 80 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials commemorate 20 casualties whose graves were destroyed by shell fire. There are 4 German burials, 3 being unidentified.
The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.
The TYNE COT MEMORIAL forms the north-eastern boundary of Tyne Cot Cemetery and commemorates nearly 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom and New Zealand who died in the Ypres Salient after 16 August 1917 and whose graves are not known. The memorial stands close to the farthest point in Belgium reached by Commonwealth forces in the First World War until the final advance to victory.
The memorial was designed by Sir Herbert Baker with sculpture by F V Blundstone.
Information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Ceremony of Remembrance ‘The Centenary of Passchendaele – the Third Battle of Ypres'
Ceremony @ Tine Cot Cemetery on 31 juli 2017.
Ceremonie @ Tine Cot Cemetery op 31 juli 2017.
Passchendaele National Commemoration 12 Oct 17
The New Zealand National Service commemorating the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele was held among the 12,000 grave sites at Tyne Cot Cemetery in Flanders, Belgium, on Thursday, 12 October, 2017.
The Duke of Cambridge attended the commemoration, as did Princess Astrid of Belgium. They were joined by the New Zealand Ambassador to Belgium Greg Andrews, the Speaker of the House David Carter and the Minister for the Environment Nick Smith, Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Tim Keating, Willie Apiata VC, President of the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association BJ Clarke and Belgian dignitaries.
Many New Zealanders who had families who fought in the battle also made the journey to be there.
Corporal Kyle Genner visits grand uncle's grave in Belgium
Corporal Kyle Genner is an Army photographer busy in Belgium documenting official commemoration activities for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Polygon Wood.
But Corporal Genner also had family involved in the battle 100 years ago today, and took time to find and reflect at the grave of his kin.
A commemorative Dawn Service was held this morning at the 5th Division Memorial, Buttes New British Cemetery, Zonnebeke, Belgium – and Corporal Genner's photos of that event will be published tomorrow.
Corporal Genner also photographed the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate last night, which was attended by Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove and hundreds of other guests.
The Battle of Polygon Wood was a component of the Third Battle of Ypres, or ‘Passchendaele’, and was the 5th Australian Division’s first major battle in Belgium. While the battle was considered a success for the AIF, it cost 5770 Australian casualties.
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Polygon Wood Cemetery - 5TH Australian Division Memorial
Passchendaele Remembered
Ahead of the UK Government's centenary commemorations of the Battle of Passchendaele in July 2017, descendants of those who served are sharing the poignant stories and keepsakes that have been passed down through the generations. Watch Kathleen, Bill, Malcolm and Mary introduce their stories.
To share your link to the First World War, visit livesofthefirstworldwar.org.
To learn about what the UK is doing to commemorate the Battle of Passchendaele, visit
Herdenking en Taptoe Zonnebeke 2017
Compilatie van de deelname van de 48th Highlanders of Holland aan de herdenking bij het Schots Monument en de Taptoe bij het Memorial Museum in Zonnebeke (België).
WW1 Ypres - Polygon Wood - 14th MGC - Stuart Curry
Walking in the footsteps of my Grandfathers 2008. WW1, The Great War, Western Front, Belgium. During the Battle of Polygon Wood 26th September 1917 My Grandfathers brother Stan Hastings Marchment was killed with four others in the 14th MGC when a German Shell came in and got all four of them when they were setting up the Vickers Machine Gun. Johan Vandewalle was kind enough to get permission from the local farmer to let us walk on his property at Glencourse Wood & Nonne Bosschen. From the Machine Gun possitions at Westhoek Ridge (Battle of Menin Road) to the Bunkers located in Nonne Bosschen and finally the Horse Cemetery near Clapham Junction Johan is a very kind man for helping me. The Australian 5th Division Memorial and his Cafe Anzac Rest all within Polygon Wood. I could not think of a better man to look after the Austalian's interests who fought in this area during WW1.
This is Johan Vandewalle website please investigate
WW1 Australian Research Website CURRYWW1.COM
14th MGC, 5th Division (Unit War Diaries) positions
For Pictures of this area during the Great War
WW1 Diggers Photos from the Great War.
Mixture of related stories and topics
Tyne Cot WW1 Commonwealth Cemetery
The Flying for Freedom team visit Tyne Cot Cemetery on a day off from microlight flying due to strong winds.
Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. It is the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world, for any war. The cemetery and its surrounding memorial are located outside of Passchendale, near Zonnebeke in Belgium.
On 4 October 1917, the area where Tyne Cot CWGC Cemetery is now located was captured by the 3rd Australian Division and the New Zealand Division and two days later a cemetery for British and Canadian war dead was begun. The cemetery was recaptured by German forces on 13 April 1918 and was finally liberated by Belgian forces on 28 September.[4]
After the Armistice in November 1918, the cemetery was greatly enlarged from its original 343 graves[4] by concentrating graves from the battlefields, smaller cemeteries nearby and from Langemark.[1]
The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium in recognition of the sacrifices made by the British Empire in the defence and liberation of Belgium during the war.
The Cross of Sacrifice that marks many CWGC cemeteries was built on top of a German pill box in the centre of the cemetery, purportedly at the suggestion of King George V, who visited the cemetery in 1922 as it neared completion.[1] The King's visit, described in the poem The King's Pilgrimage, included a speech in which he said:
We can truly say that the whole circuit of the Earth is girdled with the graves of our dead. In the course of my pilgrimage, I have many times asked myself whether there can be more potent advocates of peace upon Earth through the years to come, than this massed multitude of silent witnesses to the desolation of war.
— King George V, 11 May 1922[5]
The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker. The land on which the cemetery stands is the free gift in perpetuity of the Belgian people to those who are honoured here
Flying for Freedom was originally setup to fly to the South Pole, Antarctica and has since grown further to do far more with Wounded and injured servicemen and women. There is a core team of pilots and also several others who are learning to fly each year through the charity which is link with Help for Heroes and the Endeavour fund. The plan to continue doing more expeditions in Flexwing microlights to build on the teams piloting skills before trying the South Pole trip in the future.
Check out our website at flyingforfreedom.org
Battle of Passchendaele trailer
On 12 October 2017, New Zealand will pay its respects and express their gratitude for the service and sacrifice of members of the New Zealand Division who served in the Battle of Passchendaele.
A National Commemorative Service will be held at Tyne Cot Cemetery, near Zonnebeke, Belgium at 11.00am and a Sunset Ceremony will take place at Buttes New British Cemetery in Polygon Wood in the evening.
The services are open to the public, regardless of nationality, and are not ticketed.
Information for those wishing to attend the services can find more information on the WW100 website WW100.govt.nz/passchendaele.
Music: Piko Nei Te Matenga performed by the New Zealand Defence Force Māori Cultural Group.
This waiata tangi (funeral song) was said to have been sung by members of the Pioneer Battalion at the funeral of their former commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel George King, who died on 12 October 1917.
Episode 4 - The Fields of Passendale - Eurotrip
A short journey o the fields of Passendale on our Eurotrip as we toured the battlefields of Belgium and France.
WW1 Ypres - Zonnebeke - Passchendaele Museum - Stuart Curry
Location of Passchendale Museum is near Zonnebeke Church. This was a special day when WW1 re-enactment soldiers in uniform from all around the world came together.
For more information go to my WW1 Research website CURRYWW1
Help find the Photos and Identify WW1 Diggers from the Great War.