Walking the Battle of Passchendaele with Mat McLachlan
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- #passchendaele #ww1
In October 1917, British, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and German forces fought in one of the First World War's most bloody battles, the Battle of Passchendaele. Join me, historian Mat McLachlan, on a walk across the old battlefield. What remains from the fighting, and can we bring the stories of the men who fought and died here to life?
Places visited:
- Tyne Cot Cemetery
- Frank Hurley's Railway Cutting
- Canadian Memorial, Passchendaele
- Brooding Soldier Memorial (where poison gas was first used in the war)
- Trenches and tunnels at the Passchendaele 1917 Museum
- Langemarck German Cemetery
To walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs, join us on a battlefield tour of Gallipoli, the Western Front, Vietnam, Thailand or other famous battlefields around the world. Visit www.battlefields.com.au for more information!
As a Belgian civilian, we visited the Ypres salient a couple of weeks back (it was my third time). We visited Commonwealth and German cemeteries. It's important to look back at the sad history and learn from it. What gets me is that there are always foreign people visiting our small country to pay respect to their fallen familymembers that they have never known ... That is, for me, a very big sign of respect that we all can learn from. Never forget all the fallen humans from this horrible war ❤
I visited the Menine Gate a few years ago, amazing, a wet and miserable October evening and there's about 500 people paying their respects, I asked my brother if this was normal, he's ex military and a fairly regular visitor, quite normal, he replied, the Belgium people always show up for Last Post. The Belgium people have my utmost respect.
My great great uncle is buried in a field cemetery not far from the German cemetery, he was killed in one of the first gas attacks of that war, aged 19.
@@if6was985Germany intrinsically is identified in its harshness, death , destruction and its lack of Empathy to humanity; other then its own.!
"In a foreign field he lay
Lonely soldier, unknown grave
On his dying words he prays
Tell the world of Passchendaele"
My favorite Maiden song.
@@thedinobeaver111111
Great song. Very thrilling lyrics.
My favorite part:
"Crucified as if on a cross
Allied troops they mourn their loss
German war propaganda machine
Such before has never been seen
Swear I heard the angels cry
Pray to god no more may die
So that people know the truth
Tell the tale of Paschendale"
Greets from the ol' enemy from Germany 🇩🇪.
@@Stormbringer50Enemy then again later but friends now.😊🫡
Our only rivalry is on the field of sport and that's how it should be.
Amen
My grandfather was a machine gunner at Passchendaele. I never got close to him, and he died when I was 11, I remember him as a remote figure. It’s hard to say how much the battle caused that but many men came back from the western front damaged even if they were physically intact. Never forget them.
My dad was in this battle )the Gordons) He told me some stories of the horror that soldiers went through and the slaughter fields (For what?)
My 2 great grandfathers were there, thankfully survived, but as with most people they never spoke of it. Even my father never knew about it
The Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders.... Forever together. We study this battle extensively in Canada.
My great grandfather was there he was in the Royal Engineers. He kept a diary. He writes about heavy fighting and shelling. He served the whole of the Ww1 from start to finish.
My great great grandfather was killed at Paschendaele after he and his Canadian comrades releived the Australians and New Zealanders. He was killed on October 26 1917 and his body was never found. His name is on Menin Gate. He served with Robert Shankland who was awarded a Victoria Cross for his actions on that same day. Pvt Frederick William Ware. 43rd Highlanders. Manitoba regiment.
Lest we forget.
My great grandfather Canadian from Thunder Bay celebrated his birthday on the front line that day. In his diary he notes they took 6 pill boxes and took 260 prisoners on October 26 1917.
My Great Grandfather was killed in the 2nd Battle for Ypres, near St Julien on 26 April 1915. (Sint Juliaan). Order received for the Northumberland Infantry Brigade to attack St Julien in cooperation with the Lahore Division. Orders issued for attack. By 1:50pm the Battalions were on the move, the 4th attacking the Wieltje-St Julien with their left on the road." He is now mentioned on the Menin Gate.
Thank you for a sensitive and well presented video. I was lucky enough to visit the area in 2007.
I visited Tyne Cot Cemetery and the Passchendaele Canadian Memorial by bicycle in 2014 - Marking the end of 3 weeks visiting commonwealth cemeteries and battle sites in France (Normandy & Somme), Italy and Belgium). It was almost overwhelming that day.
I later discovered that my great uncle was buried in a cemetery just north of Ypres. Two weeks later we found his name is on a memorial plaque in the Parish Church of St Mary - Flint, Wales, where we also found my grandfather's name on the role of honour. My Grandfather emigrated to New Zealand in the 1920s.
Well Done. Sadly, many today have little interest in what occurred in the 1914 - 1918 time.
And those are the people destined to make the same mistakes.
@@orwellboy1958 They already have .
Yeah, I see that in my own country
Look, in my country everyone talks about Holocaust and 40-45 when Germany occupied us
So I started to read about D-day, Stalingrad, Market Garden, but I then remembered there was a war before that, even though we were neutral. Now I’ve been to Ieper and I’ve never been as much interested in something as this
I do, my grandfather was there with the AIF.
But there’s many of us who care what happened during the Great War! As a Armenian I must know it’s my peoples history sadly. Grandma Grandpa told me stories about those days and how your neighbors started changing into monsters!
My Great grandad was injured at 3rd Ypres, him n 3 mates they were right under the blast of the shell but all survived, and grt grandad bought part of the shell home which apparently was still warm when he picked it up. Grt grandad was invalided out home due to wounds received and thank God he was, as I believe The Devonshire's were wiped out in a battle not long after . Thanks for posting this . Have been to the Western Front over 20 times will be going again later this year .
A bit off from this video's subject, but my Dad's Dad fought at Gallipoli in a Irish Regiment of the British Army. He was a sergeant and ordered to take a squad of about 5 into No-Mans land to capture a "Johnnie Turk" and bring him back for interrogation. They were issued with pistols and grenades and went out.
While crawling around out there they heard foreign voices. My grandfather told my Dad he sh1t himself but only a little bit then told his men we're going back.
Luckily he survived Gallipoli and became Garrison Sergeant Major at Barry Island Fort in South Wales.
My Mom's Dad fought in Burma in the Royal Artillery in WWII. He never told anyone anything
I've walked that lonely windswept hill to the memorial on the summit. It had been raining and the ground was heavy with mud. It weighed me down as if I were wearing those old fashioned deep sea divers lead boots.
I didn't mind. It was just a taste of what those young men had to face. No bullets aimed in my direction, no shells, no gas.
No shell holes to fall into and drown. I was going home at the end of my trip back to my family, back to my local and back to my mates.
I walked through the fields of blood and bone and I felt the chill of sadness that echoed through the decades. I'm glad my generation never faced this we had The Falklands and Northern Ireland where I did wonder 'Will I get through this?' We never saw anything like the Somme or Passchendaele and for that I'm truly grateful.
Went to all of these places in April 2017. They do a wonderful job looking after our boys. 🍁
Indeed they do.
I don't understand why this has not million's of views!
Very well made
So I say
Thank you
Thanks!
How can a man walk this green parkland without tears streaming from his eyes, blinding him? How can a man pass by these white stones without touching them, trying to comfort them? To be comforted by them with their solidity, in this place of nightmare? How can a man read the names, read the names, read the names until he curses his own eyes for seeing too much? How can he not feel the earth move with the impacts of mighty guns, even a century on? Can he hear the bullets whine on the breeze, the cries on the breeze, the curses, the death rattles? Why is this place not the only one? Why does it exist at all? Does the answer lie in yesterday, tomorrow, deep in our genes or deep in our spirits? The white stones are silent, the walls block the sun, only the broken bunkers speak about a moment in time, about savagery beyond Human comprehension, done with Human hands to Human things for some Human purpose. God had nothing to do with it. God wept and could do nothing but gather the dead and lay them to sleep, dreamless, until the day of rising. Would courage and honor be enough to make up for the sins of destruction? They may know, bye n bye, bye n bye. We can but walk and weep and ponder.
Very beautifully and poignantly written, I feel better that people remember still the wasteful suffering of gallant young men Sent to murder other gallant young men for the invisible honor of men far too clever and cowardly to ever face the same call to arms and nightmarish horror. These horror of this regimented industrial slaughter still echo through time forever till this universe rips itself apart.
Summarised brilliantly, those two comments, I could of not put it better myself...."lest we forget "...
Absolutely beautiful post
Very well done
You can feel them walk right through your heart, your soul. They're not gone. They're here. And some of us are over there.
My Grandfather was killed on the 31st July 1917 at Passchendaele. Pvt John Brown 4th Battalion Middlesex Regiment. His name is on the Mennin gate Memorial 🎶🪕
My great great uncle John Wallace 1st New Zealand division fought from 22nd June- Sunday 6th October where he was gassed at Spree farm. He was sent back to England to recover. I recently found my great aunts writing of some of his experiences, so it has mention of the dates his mates were wounded and when he first went over the top at. Lest we forget.
Awesome video Mat, thank you. 😊🙏❤
R.I.P. Lt. James Donald OLIVER
KIA 4th October 1917
In the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge (part of Battle of Passchendaele), Belgium
10th Light Trench Mortar Battery
It was his second enlistment, having been among the very first wave of enlisted soldiers in August 1914, who embarked with the 5th Battalion on 21 October 1914 aboard the HMAT Orvieto.
Unfortunately he contracted a case of Pneumonia shortly after reaching Egypt and was returned home in Feb 1915, and discharged medically unfit on 29 April 1915.
He recuperated at home and re-enlisted on 15 December 1915.
He is buried in Tyne Cot cemetery, Passchendaele, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Also listed on Panel 20 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial
Thanks Marita. Lest we forget.
I walked much the same routes on a tour a few years back, you did an excellent job and brought back memories. With the help of the tour guide, we located the grave of a relative of mine. The experience was sobering and poignant enough, seeing my family name on a grave stone was very emotional
A special experience.
There is Canadian movie called Passchendaele and it depicted the savagery and the terrible conditions the Canadians had to endure !! Your documentary here tells that story so well !!
Thank you!
Thank you for a great video. My Great uncle Eli Gardener was killed during the attack of Raquete Farm on 17th October 1917, hit by an artillery shell so there was no body to recover and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot wall. I understand from a fantastic tour of the battlefields and cemeteries a few years ago that the land for the commonwealth cemeteries is leased forever free by the Belgian and French governments however the German governments has to renew their leases and pay for it.
Thanks Martin. The land was given to the Commonwealth countries ‘in perpetuity’. It’s not the case with the German cemeteries.
I have watched hundreds and hundreds of WW1 videos..and..have never commented on those..1st time I am writing..GREAT job on this info and the video presentation Mate..thanks..I learned more of this history from you..keep up the great work..both you and your crew..cheers.
Oh..by the way…I did mean..Mate..as on Brother..thanks..Mat!
I've been waiting a long time for this. So happy battle walks in person are back!
Cheers Landru! It’s good to be back!
Fantastic video once again sir. I got to visit all the places mentioned, in 2016, on a tour from Newfoundland. Really brings back memories. Keep up the good work.
Thanks!
My grandfather (South Wales Borderers Regiment) fought and was killed at the battle of Passchendaele in 1917. His name is now on the Menin Gate in Belgium.
GREAT presentation of information, editing and transitioning of now and then. Absolutely great.
This is a bucket list item for me to pay my respects to all who were caught up in the madness of The Great War.
Time is racing away from me, so probably won't get to do it, BUT, I am glad people make Living History presentations like this.
Well done mate, top shelf.
Lest We Forget
Thanks!
Never too late. I always stop at a cemetery or two when travelling through France and reflect that these men were cut off in their prime and such a waste.
I have visited Ypres several times, including Tyne Cot and the German Langemark location. The latter amazes by each stone not being individual persons but rather "mass graves" which obscures the extent of the losses.
All of it, the sheer amount of cemetaries around Ypres, Verdun etc never ceases to amaze and horrify by the sheer distruction that was WW1 - a must do visit for anyone just slightly curious about the social dynamics of humanity.
It’s sad that those young men were buried without their names
In the early 1980s I did some work for an old English guy that had emigrated to New Zealand. We got to talking and it turned out he was an old soldier who had fought and been wounded at Passchendaele, he told me a bit about his experiences. Him and some mates were sitting around when a shell exploded near to them, everyone else was killed but he survived with his eye blown out but still functioning, he had to walk , unaided to a rear medical facility to get it fixed. When asked why he emigrated his reply was, "to get as far away from that bloody place as possible".
I live about 50 km from this spot. Each year,around November 11th we visit the cemetery and its surroundings. Also the German cemetery at Langemark. Effectively much different in style, more gray, more sombre, the opposite of comforting actually... But, I just can't help it: each time, everywhere, my eyes fill up. It's so devastating to the soul... Just FYI: TyneCot (read it as one word) is an Anglicism of the (dialect) Flemish word "t'hennekot" which simply means "the henhouse". This refers to a farm that used to be there.
The name "Tyne Cot" is said to come from the Northumberland Fusiliers, seeing a resemblance between the many German concrete pill boxes on this site and typical Tyneside workers' cottages
@@louisavondart9178 Doubtful...To my knowledge records on-site and in most expositions tell differently. There are a lot of other examples of twisting local words (which is quite logical given the difficult dialectic pronunciation of most) Other kind of example: the English pronunciation of the town IEPER [ˈipər], which is literally "Wipers" could in principle not be understood by a random contemporary Fleming who has never heard it before. This is because maps were often in French and they call it Ypres [ipʁ] . So, to the British it read "Wipers" which is quite understandable. So you see how easily words get twisted...
Thank you so much for caring and visiting the graves even so long after the battle. My grandfather was there, with the 21st West Yorks,a pioneer battalion. He was badly wounded, sent home to recover, and was too badly injured to ever return. He died in his hometown in 1978, having lived long enough enough to meet his first great grandchild. A piece of shrapnel will still be in his grave, as they were unable to remove it from his shoulder. Like so many others he rarely discussed the war, despite the requests of his son and grandson, though he did mention being at Zonnebeke near Ypres, and at another place close by that I can’t recall that sounded almost the same - Zonnebeek and Zonnebeck? We know he was buried alive by a shell, and only survived due to the prompt reaction of his comrades in digging him out - it was a horror he never forgot. It was a truly horrific war, and I doubt those of us alive today can appreciate the horror it was for all involved, not just the soldiers, but all those civilians so unfortunately caught up in its melee.
@@bethzolin6046 Hi Beth. My own paternal grandfather was in the trenches (or just behind at times as he was in the telegraph/communication corps) too. This whilst my grandmother fled to England through Milford Haven. She proceeded to live out the war years (+ 3 additional years) in Berkhamstead where my father was born in 1915. My grandfather joined her after the war and they all returned to Belgium around 1921. In 1940, my father's brother was KIA when Germany invaded Belgium.
@@janverbanckYou make a good point. It’s the first time I have come across this explanation. The Northumberland fusiliers being the most excepted one.
So many were lost just stepping off of duck boards straight into bottomless mud. This really was an awful slaughter. RIP to all of those lost and respects to their families and decendants.
I will always be interested, I have two Great Uncles (brothers) who fell here and in France. I will be visiting them next year to pay my respects, they are my heroes.❤
An amazing film, sadly Europe and the world in general appears ready to fill another field with the bodies of the young. How easily we forget.
My thoughts exactly. It's said we oil the jaws of the war machine and feed it with our babies.
Dave, Sadly, we can bet on that happening. No one will be left after those nuclear weapons are released in mass. JMO
What are we supposed to do? Allow the Russians to invade whomever they want?
Remember one thing: those without swords will forever be hunted by those with them
What has forgetting to do with Ukraine and WW1? And who is 'we'?
Putin's Russian Federation will be well aware of WW1, especially their battles with Germany. They are very happy to use the tactics of meat grinding trenches, mines, artillery because they have a very low competence level of conscripts and officers. Germany lost because they were exhausted, broke, starving - that's Putin strategy for Ukraine
@@cuebj Absolutely!
The beauty of these places can't be overstated unless u go there for real. Such heavy emotion in these places and the locals are all so so so kind and welcoming
Sobering viewing indeed - the entire British Empire and Dominion forces fought there! In memory of my friend's grandfather James McKenzie MM 1NZEF stretcher-bearer awarded the Military medal in 1917 - survived WW1 to serve as NZ's Senior Padre (Lt-Col), in Greece, Nth Africa and Italy in WW2.
Just as I got back into WW1 documentaries this video comes out. What a great timing.
Incredible documentary. Thank you. My great uncle private Hugh Archibald Davidson Parker, of the 55th Australian Infantry Regiment, died at Passchendael on 26 Sept 1917. He had a daughter born out of wedlock before he left for France. I wonder whether he knew about her birth? I do hope so. With a heavy heart I think about him from time to time, just a young 23yo man who saw Hell on Earth B4 he died. I'm so proud I know you story great uncle Hugh. Love Douglas Norman Parker.
I Live not very far from the Ypres Salient or the First world war celeries around Ypres and Passchendaele and visited them on several occasions I have several books and guide books on the battles as I am very interested in the First world war.
Lost a great uncle there from NZ. Have visited three times, his name is on the wall. William Staub.21. Have also taken my two sons, and they have promised, when I have passed they will take my grandchildren,and explain Williams pathway to his death on the 12th of October 1917. They gave so much,and should always be remembered.
This is the first video I have seen by you, I am very glad it came up in my recommended list this morning. I really appreciate your filmmaking approach, especially when you took the time to commemorate the fallen of our former foe.
Cheers
Thanks James. Glad you enjoyed it.
You mentioned a Frank Hurley taking an iconic photograph. He was already famous before going out to the trenches in WWI as he had accompanied Shackleton on his attempt to cross Antarctica. He was also an official photographer in North Africa in WWII.
Very sad but beautiful cemeteries. Nice to see the graves of the Germans are respected and took care of too.
Meet Donald Cameron, my grandmother's brother. Born May 4 1894 in Glasgow Scotland. Died September 25 1917, on my grandmother's birthday, in Flanders Belgium in the battle of Polygon Wood (to be confirmed). The official records say: "Killed in Action (France and Flanders) Regiment: Cameronian (Scottish Rifles) Battalion: 5th/6th Rank: Private Number: 30043 Burial : Tyn Cot Memorial, Panel 68 to 70 and 162 and 162A., West-Vlaanderen, Belgium".
Family records show a brother on the battlefield who was thinking of home. I have 2 vases that he made out of artillery shells as a gift for her 21st birthday. l. They were his birthday gift to her on what would become the day of his death. They were made on the battlefield from spent artillery shells. Antiques Roadshow calls this trench art. He etched the design for her. It is a wreath of leaves topped with poppies. Yes, there were poppies in the fields of Flanders, just like the poem says. One says "1914 - Royal Artillery Marine". The other says "1917 - Anti-Aircraft Brigade".
Mat, Thanks for the video. I've visited Tyne Cot and the Ieper area 4 times now and am still moved by the sight of that Cemetery. Had a distant relative 42 Bn AIF killed on 31 July 1917 in a "stunt" near Warneton which was meant as a diversion for the main offensive. His name's on the Menin Gate.
Cheers Greg.
Hello Mat, very interesting video! Thank you for visiting and mentioning our museum. If you don't mind, we will share your video on our social media channels in the coming days. Kind regards, the Passchendaele Museum
Please do!
The french were also present at Passchendaelz, 6 divisions fought during the battle. They also had earlier successes that allowed them to support the ANZAC-Canadian offensives.
my grandfather passed away from COVID he had been a marine tank command in Korea after his passing we cleared his house and my mom found a medallion that belonged to my great great grandfather who was part of the Scottish Canadian Highlanders he was wounded in a previous battle but continued to fight and eventually died in the battle of paschendale his name was George agnus macleod from framboise Nova Scotia
My Grandfather went about 4 years all the way thru WW1, from the Dardanelles to the Somme. He was killed a few weeks before the end. I'm the only member of the family to visit his Grave & the Mennin gate ceremony.
My two great grandfathers fought in passchendaele William Edwin king and William James stockdale one was badly injured and the other one was killed
Great video as always mate 👏 I'll be re visiting here in February. I was lucky enough to be at Ypres, Zonnebeke and Passchendaele for the 100th Anniversary.
Cheers mate.
Very important work that you are doing....well done to all the crew
Thank you!
My grandad called it Wipers. There were a pair of china ornaments either side of nans and grandads fireplace that grandad had taken off a wall, that was all that was left of a house in Wipers and squirrelled away to bring home as a souvenir.
Fascinating. Very well done.
Many thanks!
I visited your own commemorative location outside Albany WA. It stunned me. A fabulous record of those who lost so much, which we gained. Sobering stuff 😎
Very good and informative - popping over there in December so thank you
Glad it was helpful!
well made video , back in 2016 we visited Tyne Cot , to find my grandads brother on the centenary wall, being the first in the family to do so .,didnt know he had lived, until a few years ago ,having been to Tyne Cot many times back in th 80s with 1st ww solders as a helper?sadly they have all passed away , the stories they passed on made me cry...
Thanks for the comments.
Again Mat, a wonderful, informative presentation.
Thanks Sandy!
I agree. Very moving so thank you. 🇬🇧🇦🇺🇨🇦🇧🇪To all The Fallen.
Very well written, edited and narrated. One of the best documentary pieces I've seen. Thank you.
Wow, thank you!
Terrific production values. Somber and informative. Love the walking tour videos Matt.
Thanks!
My grandfather was at pashendeale,he was in the 5th Canadian mounted rifles,Joe Tremblay,he survived the great war
An extraordinary presentation of sacrifice and brutally of a forgotten war. What is striking about many battlefields throughout the world is how destroyed those fields were in the past compared to how beautiful those fields are today.
Cheers Michael.
I've been to the Somme battle and also Passiondale . It was very moving . When i drove up to TyneCott i couldn't believe the amount of graves that were there .
Great video, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Hello Mat, what an excellent video, I really enjoyed it, my niece and her boyfriend are coming to Ypres next week and I have told her plenty on this subject, and now have recommended her to watch this video, stay safe mate, Lee.
Thanks Lee. 👍🏼
It never fails to touch me very deeply, this mindless killing, so many lives lost. Thanks for the great video.
My pleasure.
superb, very moving documentary and well put together. Hope it gets the views it deserves
Cheers Nick.
So many brave young men,lost to their familes,friends and country.So far from home,fighting in a European war they saw as theirs.So tragic,so much pain,endurance,suffering.The war to end all wars.And we learnt nothing.History is more important than chemistry and biology,because generations forget their ancestors errors and sufferings,and then go over and over the same.My respects to all fallen soldiers,on both sides,both young and brave.Best regards from Spain.
Very amazing video well done and keep up the great work and it was very moving
Thank you very much!
@@MatMcLachlanHistory you are most welcome
This was very good, thank you.
You're very welcome!
Thank you for sharing. From Idaho, J
Thanks for watching!
Much appreciated. A useful overview of key locations that will add to the visitor experience.
One of the things that struck me while I visited these sites and villages was the complete lack of old buildings.
My home town of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada has a German section in one of the cemetaries where men captured in both wars are buried. I am always struck by the youth of the dead and the fact they rest in a land far from home.
Fascinating. I didn't know about that.
Thank you Mat for a stunning doco
Glad you enjoyed it
Absolutely amazing, what a great salute to all who were there, the heartbreak that this war caused and the dear souls, some forever lost will always be remembered. Fabulous cemetery and wonderfully kept in respect for all interred there.
Thank you so much for this great video, and to think that in twenty years it was started all over again. RIP to all.
Thanks Derek.
Thanks for the nod to the Canadians.
Although I have never served, I am intensely proud of the fighting history of our nation.
A sad but well made video, thank you. x
Glad you enjoyed it
My grandfather was at Passchendaele during that time when his division was inserted into the line. At that time the situation was quite dire, his regiment had been badly shot up and most of two of the battalions had been taken prisoner. He manged to extricate the rest of his machine-gun battalion to the rear. He complained bitterly in his remembrances, that's at the Somme, he lay in the line for six weeks there, at least one could entrench to get out of the line of fire while here the same effort would result in drowning in the holes and trenches.
if only politician's would go to war them self instead of people - there would be no wars, laws or poverty.
great doku and narration , thanks for sharing. PEACE to ALL , we needed
Glad you enjoyed it. 👍🏼
Great video my friend
Thank you 👍
Tyne Cot is a truly impressive experience. You can only leave there silently. The visitors centre was not there yet when I visited.
I visited Ypres earlier this year, and the place is full of tourists interested in visiting the war memorials there.... At the city gate there is a memorial ceremony every evening....
Very well done, Mat ... very informative.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Such a sobering film. My heart aches for those dead men,on all sides. Every life was valuable and it's a shame that so many were slaughtered here. War is hell, but every one of them was somebody's son and that breaks my heart.
Thank you for this moving video Mat.
(I’m a local, living in Geluveld, close to Passendale)
My pleasure!
I have the diary of Anne Penland, who was the first nurse anesthetist to serve in battle, at Passchendaele. She and her medical team, which included surgeon Dr. William Darrach, came from Base Hospital 2 in Etretat. She details many surgeries they performed, including some on injured German soldiers. She also tells of being shelled by German planes. It is a remarkable document. She and Dr. Darrach were among a group of 66 American volunteers from Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan.
The sheer horror of war, then to compound the atrocity is the young age of the fallen . When visiting the Royal Arboretum site the Teenage and 20 year olds who were shot at dawn for cowardice. God knows the terror they faced in those cruel and perilous conditions in the battlefields. Those that condemned them while sitting in comfort and never seeing a front line trench should be shamed.
We honour all of them who fought and died every armistice day of remembrance, God rest their souls , we are proud yet thankful to you All and so sorry your lives were cut so short for our futures.
We still remember and have been back twice.
fantastic, really well done
Many thanks!
Thank you for this story, well told.
Thank you!
My grandfather was a stretcher bearer in passchendale
such a serene peacefull area was once the scene of some of the worst bloodshed known to man. So many lives permanently altered or ended. Let us never forget. Many of them were just kids! 18,19 etc years old. Jeffries was just 23, and showed incredible bravery
There needs to be an effort made so that anyone whos interested in the first world war understands how great the soldiers from the Canadian core were. Experts at difficult things like flash spotting. They took Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, and other brutal battles i cant think of off the top of my head. Fighting on slag heaps
My Great Uncle Pvt William Cantwell of the Royal Warwickshire Regt was KIA at St Julien on 27/8/17 while attacking Winnepeg Farm. There was nothing of him to be buried and he's commemorated on the Tyne Cot wall. Hope to get over to see it one day
You know ledger holidays do visits here. For not a massive amount of money. It’s well worth a visit.
I went on a tour of the Ypres salient and it's instructive how you can go to almost any site of the former German front line and, although, the salient seems quite flat, the Germans still had enough elevation to see right into the British trenches.
The Germans had all the best positions; they were very good at reading the ground.
My grandfather serviced in the Royal Army Medical Corp during the war. As a stretcherbearer and ship medic, he saw the worst of this affair. Of all that he experienced, he claimed Passchendaele was the worst of the worst.
I was lucky enough to complete a Western Front tour in 2019 and visited Passchendaele. I also walked Kokoda in 2015. I can not agree more with your opening remarks about scale. You can watch videos and read books but it is not until you walk the battlefields do you get any understanding of what these men endured and achieved.
Private Harry Wright 17th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters killed in action on the 11th November 1917 during this battle. My great-grandfather.
Lest we forget
My Great, Great Uncle Private A J Steadman of 15th Service (Birmingham) Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment is listed on the memorial to the missing at Tyne Cot Cemetry. He was killed on 5th October 1917.
I worked on the movie of the same name filmed in Canada in 2007. I have never been so dirty in my entire life and I served in the military in the 1980's. I can now sort of imagine what both my grandfathers went thru during the First World War in France. 1 wounded in France but survived, the other ended up at Gallipoli and afterwards in Palestine with Allenby.
I was there yesterday, very humbling to be able to walk around