Ieper – the town which has never forgotten
Article, and all photos, by Louise Scott
Ieper, located in the Belgian region of West Flanders, is synonymous with the First World War. It was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting between Commonwealth and German troops.
The town had been invaded by Germany, as it stood in the path of Germany’s planned invasion of France from the north. Britain had guaranteed the neutrality of Belgium, and so, when the Germans invaded the country, Britain was drawn into the war.
The German army had surrounded the town from three sides, and it suffered heavy bombardment. The British, French and Commonwealth troops advanced from the Ieper Salient into German-occupied land, suffering heavy losses.
The First Battle of Ieper raged from 19th October to 22nd November 1914, and British troops captured the town from the Germans. The Second Battle of Ieper (22nd April to 25th May 1915) saw poison gas being used by the Germans. This was chlorine gas. Mustard gas was used by the Germans near the town in the autumn of 1917.
The largest, and most costly in terms of lives lost, of the Ieper battles, was the Third Battle of Ieper – 31st July to 10th November 1917. This is also known as the Battle of Passchendaele. Here, British, Canadian and ANZAC troops recaptured the Passchendaele Ridge, to the east of Ieper. There was almost half a million casualties on both sides, with several miles of ground gained by the Allies. The town was practically destroyed by artillery fire. More than 200,000 British and Commonwealth troops died in the battles around Ieper.
Grote Markt was rebuilt after the War
Now, the town has been rebuilt, with buildings on the Grote Markt such as the Cloth Hall and the Stad Huis (Town Hall) being built as close to the original design as possible. The area is home to many war cemeteries, including Tyne Cot, where Commonwealth soldiers are buried.
A well-kept memorial in Ieper
The most famous sight in Ieper is the Menenpoort, or Menin Gate. This is a huge memorial to British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ieper Salient, and who have no known grave. The walls and ceiling of this monument are inscribed with the names of soldiers. Each night, at 8pm, the Last Post ceremony takes place here. This has taken place each evening since 1927, except during the years of German occupation in World War Two. It resumed again in 1944 on the night Ieper was liberated. The local fire brigade sound the Last Post in a fitting tribute to the soldiers of the British Empire who died in the Battles of Ieper. The Menenpoort is located on the road eastwards from Ieper, which many British troops would have walked along to the areas of the fighting.
The Menin Gate (Menenpoort) – a huge memorial to British and Commonwealth troops
The Last Post sign, Menenpoort (Menin Gate), Ieper
Poppies in Menenpoort
Inside Menenpoort – notice all the names on the walls
The countryside around Ieper, known as “Flanders Fields” was the inspiration for the poem by Canadian doctor John McCrae entitled In Flanders Fields.
The town of Ieper has never forgotten the sacrifices made by British and Commonwealth troops. The 11th November is a public holiday in Belgium and there are commemorations in the town, including a poppy parade and the Last Post ceremony at the Menenpoort. Winston Churchill summed up the impact of the Battles of Ieper in 1919, two months after the War ended:
“I should like to acquire the whole of the ruins [of Ieper]…a more sacred place for the British race does not exist in the world.”
Visit the Commonwealth War Graves Commission section on Ieper.
More information on the Last Post in Ieper
Many thousands of our men and women have died in war. We must never forget them. “At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them” – from “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon.
