Travelling Historian – Thoughts on the Memory of Second Ypres

If I told you that Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Supreme Commander of the Allied Armies referred to this battle as the “finest act of the war,” would you know of which battle I spoke?¹ Would your answer include any mention of the Canadian counter-attack at Kitchener’s Wood? Would you have even hear of Kitchener’s Wood? Perhaps that is too specific – let me ask you this. Would your response have included mention of the Second Battle of Ypres? Or would your mind have turned to Vimy Ridge?

The Brooding Soldier, Canadian Memorial at St Julien. “This Column marks the battlefield where 18,000 Canadians on the British left, withstood the First German Gas attacks – The 22-24 April 1915. 2,000 fell and lie buried nearby.”

The soldier faces in the direction from which the gas attack came.

“During the night of April 22/23, the 10th (Canadians) and the 16th (Canadian Scottish) battalions counter-attacked and captured a German held position at Kitchener’s Wood. Both Canadian battalions sustained heavy casualties and by morning established a line of resistance south of the wood. This action prevented a German breakthrough to Ypres and beyond…”

If I say “The Battle of Vimy Ridge,” and you are a Canadian, there is a good chance you know what I am talking about. You might not be able to tell me much, and you probably don’t know many of the details. But you would probably know what I was talking about. You might also tell me that “Canada became a nation at Vimy Ridge.” That is, after all, what our Canadian History classes tell us. That is what the official national memory has declared since the day of the battle. That is the memory that was solidified when the Government chose to place the National War Memorial at Vimy Ridge.

I would not fault you for your statement. You could probably even back your declaration up – after all, we have had almost 100 years to get the story and the memory just right. But wait, I hear you say, are you saying that this statement is wrong? Are you saying that Vimy Ridge was not important? What kind of Canadian military historian are you? To which I will respond – No. I am not saying that the statement is wrong, as such. But I am saying it lacks depth and it misses so much. I am saying that there’s more to the story – if we would only look deeper.  I am saying that the memory is too simplistic.

But, as this post is not about Vimy, I am asking you this: What do you know about the Second Battle of Ypres? Now, if you have read a newspaper today, you may be able to form an answer. But could you have answered me yesterday? Would you have remembered your Canadian history? Because this battle is also a major focus of the First World War history taught in schools, but I think it is one that can often be overshadowed by Vimy.

Perhaps you would be able to tell me that it was during this battle that the German army first used gas – and the Canadian line held, though casualties were heavy. But could you tell me what happened next? Could you tell me about Kitchener’s Wood – the battle to which Marshal Ferdinand Foch referred? My guess is that you could not.

But how can you say that? How can you make that assumption? You ask. To which I respond – because I have studied this war for years, I have studied these battles, I could tell you about the beginning of the Second Battle of Ypres in my sleep. I know the story of the chemistry students who remembered that urinating on handkerchiefs might be able to counteract the effects of the chlorine gas. I know the battle. And I am prone to forget about Kitchener’s Wood. Or at least, I was, before I went to Belgium and saw the memorial, read the plaque, and thought about the memory.

100 years ago today, the German army first used chemical warfare on the Western Front. Casualties were high. French troops, who faced the highest concentration of the attack, were forced to retreat. The result of this forced retreat? A 4-mile (over 6 km) gap  in the front line. A gap through which the German army, though they hesitated at first, fully intended to move. ² And so the Canadians (having arrived in France in February) were hastily pulled out of reserve to reinforce the line. In particular, two Canadian battalions were sent to reinforce the line at Kitchener’s Wood. “Reinforce”, however, soon turned into “major counter-attack.”³ And did I mention that the battalions had little training and even less experience?

Despite their inexperience, however, these Canadian battalions managed to push the Germans back. They suffered heavy, heavy losses, and the 16th Battalion dropped from 816 men down to 193 at roll call after the battle (268 all ranks survived).⁴ But they held. And, more importantly for the Allied forces, the German army was not able to exploit the gap their gas attack had made in the line. This poorly remembered, and lightly commemorated battle, stopped a, potentially major, German breakthrough.

It wasn’t pretty. It was badly organized (read chaotic). It hurt a lot. But somehow it worked. But it is barely remembered. And the battalions involved later had to fight for battle honours, whereas those who fought the days prior and the days after did not.

If anyone thought the counter-attack might provide a moment of respite to the haggard Canadians, however, they would soon have been sorely disappointed. The German army would use gas for the second time on the morning of April 24, 2015.  And this time, it was pointed towards the re-formed Canadian line. The Battle of St. Julien had begun and the Canadian experience (and suffering) of the Second Battle of Ypres was far from over.

Megra12

<sup>1. Quote taken from the Plaque at Kitchener’s Woods↩
2. A series of decisions and hesitations on the part of the German army meant that they did not take full use of the advantage the gas attack had given them. Chemical warfare was still new and the German army did not expect the attack to have the level of success it did and were, therefore, ill-prepared.↩
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kitcheners%27_Wood and http://www.calgaryhighlanders.com/history/10th/history/stjulien.htm↩
4. http://www.calgaryhighlanders.com/history/10th/history/stjulien.htm↩</sup>

Further Reading:
Battle of Ypres a baptism of fire for fledgling force of Canadians
The Second Battle of Ypres ‘created’ the Canadian Army
St. Julien and Kitcheners Wood
‘Perfect hell’ revealed cost of Great War

Travelling Historian: Belgium and France #3 (Part 3)

In this third, and final post for April 7, I have included the final four stops, (plus an explanation for the sites I did not make it to) The Brooding Soldier, Langemark German Cemetery, The Kitchener’s Wood Memorial, The John McCrae Memorial, and the Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony. For those of you who have just joined, it would be helpful to start with Post 1 and Post 2, which can be found here and here.

TRAVEL LOG #1003
LOCATIONS: Belgium Flanders/Ypres and Surrounding
DATE: 7 April
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION: Car, Foot
CATEGORYS: War and Memory, First World War,  Belgium Flanders
ENTRY TYPE: Daily Report
SUPPLEMENTARY REPORTS: Travel Itinerary: Belgium Battlefields Day Trip
OPERATIVE: Megra12

DAILY REPORT:
Stop 6: St. Julien Canadian Memorial – The Brooding Soldier
This was the most impressive monument I have yet seen, based on it’s size and the way that it presents in the area. Driving by, there is no way you can miss seeing this monument. It is imposing. It commemorates the Canadian soldiers that held the line on the British Left  when the Germans first used gas in April 1915. This was another battle that captured my interest in high school and it was impressive to see the memorial in person.

 Stop 7: Langemark German Cemetery
This cemetery was heartbreaking in a different way to the other ones I saw. Over the years, the German Cemeteries in Belgium were consolidated into one cemetery. At first glance it is already moving in the number of men and boys it represents. It becomes even more so when you begin to move around and read the information. It begins with learning that the large plot in the middle is a mass grave containing thousands of men and boys. There are names inscribed on panels surrounding the grave of men that it is now thought reside in this plot. The tragedy of a war that results in an anonymous mass grave. The tragedy only grows as you begin to walk around and realize that the flat headstones represent many burials. It is not like the other cemeteries where one headstone almost always represents one life. Here one headstone can represent 20 or 25 lives. And, if that wasn’t already enough, many headstones have inscriptions such as, “Zwanzig Unbekannte Deutsche Soldaten”… “Twenty unknown German Soldiers.” If I was heartbroken at reading the inscriptions that indicated the burial place of one unknown soldier, I was even more so at seeing headstones that represented so many more. A number of white flags fly around this cemetery and the sign stated that “The dead of this cemetery admonish to peace.” It was subtle, and probably unintentional, but it almost felt like they had to justify the presence of the cemetery in Belgium. It was heartbreaking.

 Stop 8: Kitchener’s Wood Memorial
This small roadside memorial is related to the St. Julien Memorial, in that it commemorates the same series of battles. But in this case, it commemorates the battle that followed the gas attack. The attack that resulted in others pulling back and leaving a gap to the left of the Canadians. The Canadians counter-attacked and captured the German position at Kitchener’s wood. As the memorial plaque states “Both Canadian battalions sustained heavy casualties and by morning established a line of resistance south of the wood. This action prevented a German breakthrough to Ypres and beyond…” The most impressive part of this small monument is it’s location looking out over the fields where the battle was fought. In terms of War and Memory, I was struck by how this particular battle holds a relatively small place in the Canadian memory of the First World War, despite it’s importance in preventing a German breakthrough. And despite it’s time proximity to the battle where the Germans first used gas. 

Stop 9: Essex Farm Cemetery/ John McCrae Memorial
At this point, I was still holding onto the belief that I could see everything on my list, so I didn’t spend as much time here as I could have. What struck me the most about this memorial was the Advanced Dressing Station Bunker/series of bunkers. In particular I was struck by the size. The stations were very small and cramped, and had to have been terrible working conditions for those doing the initial medical work on the wounded (including those wounded in the gas attacks of April 2015). As it was, there was a little bit of mud on the ground. I can only imagine how much worse it would be after a series of rainy days. I was also struck by the peacefulness and tranquility of the site. So much different than the fields McCrae saw as he tended the wounded and dying. The fields and conditions that led him to write “In Flanders Fields.”

As an aside, I made friends with a cat that followed me into a small treed in picnic area. How different this place is today than 100 years ago.

Stop 10 – after a few directional false starts, I realized that I was not going to be able to fit in the rest of the sites I planned to see before heading to the Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony. Based on how tricky it was to find some locations, there was too much chance I wouldn’t make it to Ypres in time. So I decided to head straight to Ypres. I missed seeing: The Princess Patricia Light Infantry Memorial, Sanctuary Wood Canadian Memorial, the Memorial to the St. Elois Tunnellers, and the Voormezeele Enclosure No 3 Cemetery (which contains the grave of one of the first two Canadian Soldiers Killed in action). Maybe someday I will return. I also was unable to see the Flanders Field Museum, unfortunately, as based on the time it closed I would have had to cut many other stops.

 Stop 11: The Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony
The Menin Gate was designed in the post was years to commemorate the commonwealth soldiers with no known burial spot. As mentioned before, it soon became clear that the size was not adequate. But the site has come to be a place where people commemorate all those of the commonwealth who fought and died on the Ypres Salient. Though many others also fought there, the Ypres Salient has become closely associated with the commonwealth war memory. It was a beautiful evening for the ceremony, which is done every evening, and the lighting highlighted the names inscribed on the memorial. For the centenary, each evening they are also narrating a bit of the story of a different soldier whose name is inscribed on the memorial.

 In Summary: I saw and experienced so much of war and memory today, and I still need to process and think through a great deal of it. Eventually I will see it more as the historian of memory and commemoration, but right now I am still a person who experienced the commemoration for the first time. Perhaps I will write a post, or series of posts, on the nature of war and memory as it regards the First a world War Commemorations in Flanders, but for now, this is where I will end these (long posts) for this one day.

 To end with an experience completely unrelated to war and memory, I drove back to Bruges at dusk and witnessed the most glorious sunset I have seen in months. It was beautiful, peaceful, and calming. And I was thankful.

 Megra12

Travelling Historian: Belgium and France #3 (Part 2)

In this post I have included my thoughts on the first 5 of my stops, The Passchendale New British Cemetery, The Passchendale Canadian Memorial, Tyne Cot Cemetery, and the Passchendale Memorial Museum (yes, I know, that’s only 4 but that will be explained in the post. For those of you who have just joined, it would be helpful to start with Post 1, which can be found here.

TRAVEL LOG #1003
LOCATIONS: Belgium Flanders/Ypres and Surrounding
DATE: 7 April
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION: Car, Foot
CATEGORYS: War and Memory, First World War,  Belgium Flanders
ENTRY TYPE: Daily Report
SUPPLEMENTARY REPORTS: Travel Itinerary: Belgium Battlefields Day Trip
OPERATIVE: Megra12

DAILY REPORT:
Stop 1: Passchendale New British Cemetery

Like I would discover is often the case, this cemetery was on the side of the road, outside of the town. Compared to some of the others I saw, his cemetery wasn’t particularly big, but it was still filled with so many graves. You understand so much more concretely the extent of the loss when you are standing in a cemetery that you know is one of many. When you visit numerous cemeteries and you haven’t even scratched the surface. When the number of gravestones you’ve seen is far too many and yet, so few compared to the full extent. It was at this cemetery that I was first struck by the number of headstones that said “A soldier of the First World War… Known unto God” and the ones that were similar but we’re able to identify a country. “A Canadian soldier of the First World War… Known unto God.” So many families that never knew where their loved one was buried. So many gravestones that correspond to a name on a wall of a soldier with no known burial location. I was struck by the anonymity of a war that took the lives of thousands. I was also struck by the high number of Canadians buried in this cemetery.

Stop 2: The Passchendale Canadian Memorial.

Though fairly simple, this memorial as one of the most striking for me. The Battle of Passchendale. Where Canadian soldiers traversed muddy fields where the mud was often waist deep and a man risked drowning if he stepped in the wrong place with his heavy pack. Where thousands and thousands of Canadian boys and men died to take a ridge that was soon abandoned. Where Canadian boys and men finally took a well fortified ridge that had been impossible to take up to this point. The Battle of Passchendale was one of the battles that drive my interest in Canadian Military history in Highschool. It’s one of the battles that always makes me so angry at he loss of tragedy of war. This memorial, looking out over the now dry fields, brought to mind all of this and more.

Stop 3: unfortunately I had to skip the Nova Scotia Highlanders memorial, because I just couldn’t manage to find somewhere close enough to allow the walk up the small, obscure path.

Stop 4: Tyne Cot Cemetery
The sheer magnitude of this cemetery, and the number of names inscribed on the walls representing the names of men with no known graves, was overwhelming. The decision to inscribe the names on the walls here was made after they realized that the Menin Gate Memorial would not allow sufficient space to include all the names of those with no known burial site. When you first arrive in this cemetery you see but a portion, and then you walk into the centre and you see the vastness of the space, which contains rows upon rows of headstones.
<Aside: Interested in seeing a video of the cemetery? Check out my Facebook page>

Stop 5: Memorial Museum Passchendale 1917
I really liked how this museum was set up. Like most museums it had much of the paraphernalia of war on display, but I felt that they did a good job in their attempt to demonstrate the experience of the soldier. Obviously you can’t come close to fully demonstrating this, but I think they came closer than any other museum I’ve seen, at least from the point of view of someone who has read a lot but was not there. The most impressive parts were the reconstructions of bunkers, soldiers no officers quarters, and trenches. You got an idea of the size of everything and realized that many would have spent the majority of their time hunched over – many sections were barely high enough for me (5’4″) to stand. And some sections I was crouched. I can’t imagine how much more difficult it would have been to move with the sounds of battle overhead and mud all around (everything was very dry at the museum). In summary: though it had it’s faults and limitations, as all museums do, I found it very well done.

As an aside, I ran into a tour group of Students from Cambridge, Ontario – just down the street from my hometown. It’s a small world.

 Megra12

Travelling Historian: Belgium and France #3 (Part 1)

As I finished writing this post I realized that it was much too long for one post. Contrary to my initial plan of writing one entry per day, I have decided to split this into three parts. Part one will be short, and look at the beginning of the day and parts 2 and 3 will look at the battlefield and commemoration stops. Note I left the beginning of the first post mostly in the way I initially wrote it the night of.

TRAVEL LOG #1003
LOCATIONS: Belgium Flanders/Ypres and Surrounding
DATE: 7 April
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION: Car, Foot
CATEGORYS: War and Memory, First World War,  Belgium Flanders
ENTRY TYPE: Daily Report
SUPPLEMENTARY REPORTS: Travel Itinerary: Belgium Battlefields Day Trip
OPERATIVE: Megra12

DAILY REPORT:
I don’t even know where to begin for today. I am so tired. First off, the weather was amazing! It was sunny and mid teens for most of the day. Perfect for getting in and out of the car at many stops. The weather also stood in stark contrast to what I know we’re the conditions for much of the First World War, though I know that they would have seen days such as this as well.

 Second off – the car. I did it, I can officially say I have driven on another continent. And you know what? It was pretty great – much better than expected. Now, let me back up here for a second to add a bit of context to this statement. For some reason, I was really nervous about driving here. I mean, it seemed like a great idea when I booked it and then pretty much from that point on,it seemed like a terrible idea. What was I thinking, planning to drive in a different country, where the roadsides are in a language I don’t know? After all of the nerves and worry, however, I went through with it and loved it. I’m not nearly as worried about the rest of the driving planned for both this trip and the next ones. Closely related to this, though I had a few navigational blips, I never once became seriously lost, and I think that’s an impressive accomplishment. Especially considering my navigational style has led me to be serious lost in Canada before.

I had set forth a fairly ambitious battlefields/commemorations tour for the day. And, unfortunately I did not get to visit all of the sites on my list. This was due in part to getting a slightly later start to the day (couldn’t find the Car Rental place), and also in part to driving in a few circles trying to locate sites. In case you’re wondering, this was more the fault of very tiny streets combined with poor street signs than my poor navigation skills. Considering I was my own navigator and driver in an unfamiliar country, I did quite well, thank you very much. Anyways, though I did not see all the sites I wanted to, I managed to see the ones that were highest on my priority list.

As for the location of the car rental place, the difficulty finding it was not my fault. I am blaming Google Maps, which located it on a completely different street. Thankfully the two streets were fairly close together. Thankfully I had data on my trusty cell phone and was able to get myself where I needed to be. It just took a bit longer.

You can find my proposed itinerary here.

For now, I will conclude with that teaser, and invite you to continue on to parts 2 and 3, which will be posted over the next couple days.

Life’s an Adventure
Megra12

Travelling Historian: Belgium and France

Hello my Lovely Readers!

This week I am headed to Bruges and France for a mini Road Trip and Battlefields Tour. I am also going to try to start a “Travelling Historian” series, as I have a number of history related trips planned for the next few months. I’m also going to try to include some of the History related things I’ve already done, as I haven’t talked about many (or any) of them here yet, I don’t think.

I’m not sure how the series will go this week, since I’m not completely sure what my wifi situation will be each day, but I will do my best to post when I can. I’m also considering trying out a new format, and posting a video or too. We’ll see…

Life’s An Adventure!
Megra12

TRAVEL LOG #1001
LOCATIONS: Belgium (Flanders/Ypres) and Northern France (Vimy)
DATES: 6 April – 10 April
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION: Bus, Car, and Train
CATEGORY: War and Memory
ENTRY TYPE: Preliminary Report
OPERATIVE: Megra12

PURPOSE: Visit Battlefield locations, Cemeteries, and Monuments related to the Canadian Involvement in the First World War. Though there may be one or two locations that relate to the Second World War, the focus is the First World War.

The Belgium Day trip will include locations such as Passchendale, Tyne Cot Cemetery, Langemark (German war cemetery), St. Julien Canadian Memorial, and Sanctuary Wood (among others). The day will conclude with the Last Post Cemetery at The Menin Gate.

The France Day trip will be mostly focus on Vimy Ridge National Park, and the main event will be the Vimy Ridge Day Ceremonies (the 98th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge) at the Vimy Ridge Memorial. The day will also include a visit to Beaumont Hamel, and the Notre Dame de Lorette French Cemetery.

Megra12