Ypres Trip - Day Two

[Grimmer]

Day two dawned and it was a beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky and the early morning mist had lifted revealing an ideal day for battlefield touring. I thought today would be a day to remember, but I didn’t know then just how memorable it would be, not just because of the interesting places we visited exploring the battlefields of 1st & 2nd Ypres, but because our guide had arranged a surprise meeting with a very special person, and I’m not talking about the wife!

 

We started the day by visiting the Guards Memorial at Zantvoorde which marks the spot where Lord Charles Sackville Pelham Worsley was buried by the Germans after he and the rest of C Squadron of the Household Cavalry made a last stand on the 30th of October 1914. They did not receive an order to withdraw and being cut off, they fought to the last man rather than surrender. The Germans made a plan of where he was buried and in December 1918, his grave was located by a British Officer and he was later exhumed and reburied with his comrades in the Town Cemetery in Ypres.

 

Next stop was the military cemetery in Zantvoorde which is very close to the front line of 1914 and was where we received a talk by our excellent guide Iain McHenry on the early stages of the 1st Battle of Ypres. This is an interesting cemetery as it also contains the graves of two VC winners, Captain Brooke & Serjeant McGuffie.

 

I’ve read about Gheluvelt many times but this was my first visit, a pretty town that was busy setting up for some kind of street festival and when we arrived, they had “Euro pop” music blaring out which seemed somehow inappropriate but after some consideration, I guess this is what these guys fought for 90 years ago. Gheluvelt is famous for a stand here by the 1st South Wales Borderers and the 2nd Worcesters in October 1914, a stand which is commemorated by two memorials on the site of the old mill.

 

Next up was meant to be a visit to the Town Cemetery in Ypres to see the grave of Lord Worsley and other dignitaries such as Prince Maurice when our guide received a call to say that Harry Patch was in a local café near polygon wood and that we was happy to meet us all, I couldn't’t believe my ears, I was going to meet the last surviving Tommy to fight on the Western Front, and just around the corner from where he fought at the Battle of Passendaele as a machine gunner with the DCLI.

 

As we didn’t want to risk being late meeting up with Harry, we diverted to the cemetery at Hooge, which has just been re-laid in parts as it’s starting to collapse due to it being built over a bunker complex. It was in the cemetery that Iain told us a funny story about the explosive used at hooge crater. They decided to use ammonol for the first time as it had 3.5 times the lifting power of gunpowder and although the C.O. a Major Cowan wasn't sure how much to use, he decided that 3,500 lbs should do it so ordered it from the quartermaster. When the request was received, the QM wasn't sure if it was a drug or an explosive so he passed the enquiry to his Camp Commandant who in turn asked the MO, he replied that ammonal was a sedative used in America to suppress abnormal sexual excitement which resulted in questions being asked of Major Cowan as to why he wanted so much! They had confused ammonal with ammonol. We then had a nice lunch at the café opposite followed by a visit around the museum next door. If you’ve not been this is an excellent museum and I can highly recommend a visit but you’ll have to be quick, it’s closing next year due to the café being put up for sale.

 

So off we went to Johan’s café near Polygon Wood to meet the great man, I felt like an 8 year old boy on Christmas Eve and there was a buzz of excitement on the coach, obviously I wasn’t the only one who felt like this. For me, meeting Harry was a very moving experience, shaking hands with someone 110 years old and who fought just a few miles away left me feeling emotionally effected, he was a gracious and sweet old man who had time for everyone and when people thanked him for what he’d done he replied with a simple “That’s OK”.

 

Next up it was off to St. Julian and the Canadian Memorial which commemorates those killed during the first use of gas on the western front. The memorial of a soldier with reverse arms was actually runner up in the competition to design the memorial for Vimy Ridge but this is an impressive stature and deserves a visit it’s own right. It was also in St. Julian that another of the old boys of Southend High for Boys was killed. His name was Paul Hilleard, a talented sportsman who played cricket for Essex Cricket Club shortly before the war. My sister read out the following letter which was received by the family following his death.

 

“We had finished an eight day spell in the trenches to the N.E. of Ypres and had retired to our former field containing open dug-outs and rested one night. Next morning many French and Canadian troops passed by in disorderly groups having been forced by gas fumes to flee. The order came to stand to and after lunch our Battalion received orders to go up and support the Suffolks in a big attack. This we did in extended order, as it was daylight. A machine played upon us apart from shrapnel and shell fire above and Paul fell saying ‘Arthur I’m hit’.

I was ordered to go on with the rest but ran back to pull him into a less dangerous spot. To our delight we found the bullets had merely grazed the skin and got just through the edge of his right hand trouser pocket! Consequently we both caught up our company (which by now had separated from the Battalion and had also passed the Suffolk’s, who were pack loaded) and took possession of an empty trench, only to find the Germans creeping along it from our left. They got another wretched machine gun to play, enfilade fashion, upon us and poor Paul was shot through the eye. He died instantly without any pain whatsoever. We cleared out the enemy with the help of the Suffolk’s but had to relinquish the position at midnight, owing to insufficient men (38 out of well over 100). There was just time, however to see to burying and we laid your son to rest, together with many another poor “Ranger”.

 

There are not many bunkers left from the first world war in the Ypres Salient but Cheddar Gorge has to be one of the most impressive, unfortunately it’s on private ground and you can only the back of it from the road however, our guides excellent contacts meant that we gained privilege access to view the front which as you can see from the picture, looks quite similar to those on the Normandy Beaches.

 

The last stop of the day was a particularly emotional one for me, it was the site of where the Essex Yeomanry made its fateful attack on 12th May 1915 during the 2nd Battle of Ypres trying to take the Frezenburg Ridge. One of “Men” taking part in the attack was a “Boy” named Cecil Cattell who was the youngest of the Southend Old Boys to die at only 16 yrs & 5 mths. During my research I made contact with his family who kindly shared his letters and photo’s so we have a pretty complete picture of what happened to Cecil during his brief time in the Army. We stopped along the Cambridge Road and various members of the branch read out his letters and reports into the action which really brought it all to life and left me unable to talk, something that “Snapper” Barnes will find hard to believe.

 

And so it was with a tear in the eye and a lump in the throat that we returned to the hotel for a well earned beer and time to reflect on an extraordinary day’s battlefield touring. On a lighter note, our guide pointed out that the “Bar” next to the hotel which is called “Engels” is actually a brothel and best avoided, at that point the coach turned the corner and there was a queue of smartly dressed lads lined up outside (obviously members of her majesties forces), which brought a cheer from everyone on the coach, something’s never change.

Edited October 12, 2008 by Grimmer
Add Ammonol story at Hooge crater

[ford 369]

excellent report and a most enjoyable read ,meeting Harry Patch certainly would have my day truly a once in a lifetime opportunity

Nigel

[Jack]

Fantastic John, thank you for taking the time to post.We need more work like this on HMVF as it just widens everyones knowledge.

[Rlangham]

Who's the chap in khaki? Looks familiar.

 

Off back to Ypres and Polygon Wood for 11th November, i'll be travelling a lot that day and very much looking forward to it

[Grimmer]

His name is Trevor, not sure of his surname but he's a member of the Southend branch of the WFA who's into dressing up in WW1 Stuff.

[Rlangham]

Poole by any chance?

 

If it's him, he runs the Great War Society, great bloke!

[Grimmer]

That's the chap, as you say, very nice fellow.

[Rlangham]

Fantastic, thought it was him! Hopefully be seeing him again at an event in Italy in a couple of weeks time - the Italian government are paying for around half a dozen Tommy's to be flown out there for an event. To quote the GWS website - PBI? VIP!