Ypres - Commonwealth forces

In any tour of WW1 battle sites that involved British forces you actually find that a lot of the forces involved were from the Commonwealth countries. In the Ypres Salient there are poignant memorials and commemorations of the contributions made.

This is the 'Brooding Soldier' at a point know as Vancouver Corner in the Ypres Salient. At this point 18,000 Canadians resisted the German offensive which became the 2nd Battle of Ypres. This was the conflict where gas was used as a weapon for the first time. 2,000 Canadians fell in this action.

The monument here was the runner-up in the competition to design a memorial for the Canadian troops lost in the war. The winning design was erected on the Vimy Ridge (see earlier posts).

Below is the Australian 5th Division memorial at Buttes Cemetery in the Polygon Wood. This area was fought over twice - in the first Ypres battle when there was more movement this was a key action that prevented the Germans outflanking the Allied forces in the race to the sea. British forces excelled themselves at this time - the 1st Kings and Black Watch holding an impossibly long line against the advancing Germans. In 1917 at Third Ypres in 1917 the Wood had to be recaptured - and the Australian 5th Division took it. The memorial is on top of the 'butte' that was the old Belgian Army shooting range. The Germans had turned it into a fearsome position.

The cost is reflected in the view of the cemetery from this position

And of course the New Zealanders. I have a couple of shots of notable memorials but also have need to go back to get a couple more. The memorial at the back of the above panorama is to the officers and men from New Zealand in this area of the salient with no known grave.

I will be posting more on the New Zealanders tomorrow - having some technical issues with a couple of photos.