Exploring Ypres, Belgium (WW1 Battlefield)
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- čas přidán 4. 04. 2022
- Spending time here in Ypres was an unbelievable experience. This city, and in the fields and villages around it, saw unimaginable suffering during the First World War. Three massive battles took place here in 1914, 1915, and 1917. In fact, there was never really a quiet period here for the entirety of that conflict. Around 600,000 soldiers would die here, making it one of the most sacred sites on the western front.
This comment section is so moving. Thank you all so much 🙌
Nice beard, son!
🇦🇺 to right Bruce because the British, Canadians,Indians,Belgians,French and Italians etc stayed at home !!!!
@@ringo196no mate in many places what he is saying is pretty well correct. We, the Brits would have been stumped without our Aussie troops, but not forgetting what the Canadians achieved as well. They too fought like tigers.
@@highcountrydelatitedisrespectful Wanker
@@samrodian919might be but he’s still a disrespectful wanker
My grandfather volunteered in 1914 and became a sapper with the R.E.
My grandfather would never talk about the war and remained silent until just before he died and when I was a boy of 14 he eventually opened up and told me of his experiences.
He had been gassed. He had caught pneumonia. He and 2 pals tried to rescue a wounded officer. On the way back a machine gun opened up on them and one pal was shot in the neck and the other the buttocks. The wounded officer promised them a medal but died of his wounds.
My grandfather was buried alive when a shell exploded right in front of his trench burying him. He was fortunate to be dug out alive.
He helped build a Bailey bridge across a stream under German shellfire. The officer in charge decided he would rather sunbathe on a nearby hill. The officer got a medal for his bravery.
One perhaps amusing story was when my grandfather and a pal were exploring some battlefield that the Germans had recently vacated when a plane appeared straffing the trenches.. My grandfather and his pad dived into the nearest shell hole without considering what was in it. It was full of German shit and the Germans had left in a hurry not having time to bury it.
There was no water so my grandfather and his pal had to manage with scraping the shit off with their jack knives. It was 2 days before they were able to leave the trenches and saw a large pool and immedietely jumped in to wash but hastily jumped out again because the pool was full of dead horses.
As a sapper my grandfather was a stretcher bearer and after an attack found one poor soul with 17 bullet holes through him and was still alive. My grandfather shared a cigarette with him and the soldier died shortly afterwards.
My grandfather was a Christian and when he entered the war zine for the first time he rummaged through the ruins of Arras Cathaedral and fond a crusifix about 8 inch tall. He kept it throughout the war and it now is placed proudly in my hallway,
I loved my grandad.
I would love to see that cross! thx for the story tho
Thank you for sharing. May God bless and rest his soul.
Thanks for sharing. What a guy your grandad was.
@@Bourne1984 My grandad came from a large family. His brother Percy was killed on the Western Front. His younger brother then volunteered to get his revenge on those Germans who had killed his brother.
A few weeks later he also was dead.
His youngest brother got himself dishonourably discharged from the army. I don't know the reason why.
@@alangardner8596 the age old tale of revenge!
Thanks for updating. It was my Grandad’s funeral last November and I discovered so much about his service in the 2nd world war that I’m ashamed to say I knew nothing about. Again like so many others it was the case of him never speaking of the events he experienced.
My great uncle died in the first gas attack near that cemetery, I had the privilege to visit his field grave a few years ago, also visited the German cemetery, a very moving place, may they all rest in peace.
My sincere condolences. Eternal respect. LR Musick 2d Rangers
I've seen dozens of documentaries on this same subject and NO documentary has been done better than this one period. That young man is fantastic and knows his stuff better than many so-called historians. I hope he does more documentaries as he is spell binding. Thank you from Canada.
Thank you so much!
My grandad was there he signed up in 1914. He lied about his age because he was only 16. He used to tell me and my brothers horrific stories of his time in the trenches when we were little kids. He was a runner bringing messages and commands from those in command. He got badly gassed after jumping in a shell hole while under attack which gave him trouble for the rest of his life. He died aged 78 in 1975 when I was 15.
78 years is a good life for a gas surviver
@@peter4210That's exactly what I was thinking! 78 years is definitely impressive. A strong, resilient man he was. Such a young age..respect. ❤
Two of my family members are listed on the Menin Gate Memorial: a Great Uncle who was killed in action during the battle of Menin Road, and a familial cousin who was killed in action during the battle of Passchendaele.
Thank you for the comment and for watching! Much appreciated 🙌
Heartbreakingly sad . Excellently made . Thank you.
My grandfather died in 1914…he was a gunner brought over from a Maltese installation to fight on the front…he’s in Bedford cemetery Ypres…
My Great grandfather was at Yepres, to old to fight being in his 40s he volunteered to go to the front as a ambulance driver and medic for the St Johns ambulance.
Cannot imagine how many soldiers he treated and took back to the hospitals how many he tried to save and saw die and spoke the last words to.
I am ingratitude that you remind us of the many that fell for our freedom.
Just for my own grandfather a few hundred kilometres away was evacuated from the beaches at Dunkerque year's later .
Thank you Sir .
My great uncle fought at the battle of Passchendaele as well as Gallipoli. Luckily I knew as a young boy and he was awarded the DCM for action he did at Gallipoli. 1/5th Lancashire Fusilier Sgt Sam Wild and I have his battalions records of movement throughout the war from the Fusiliers museum in Bury. So proud, he was a lovely man despite what he went through and I was the only person in the family he told how he was awarded his DCM probably because he thought the little lad sat on his knee wouldn't understand. Well I didn't at the time but I do now and I also went to serve in the the British Army myself in later years.
I consider this video to be a valuable account of the horrific events in Belgium during the Great War. Very, very well done.
Sehr schöner Bericht, Danke ! Mein Ur - Großvater hat dort gekämpft, war Hauptfeldwebel in einer deutschen Sanitäter Kompanie.
Your video brings back vivid memories of my own visit to the area to find the grave of my grandfather - 2nd Lt John Lamb who was with an RE Tunnelling Company. He was killed by shellfire on 16th October 1917 and is buried at Dozingheim Cemetary, near Poperinghe. Well done on an excellent and moving report - very moving. Thank you.
My Grandad was in Ypres is 1917, we have a letter that he wrote to my Grandmother detailing the deaths of whole groups of men including his friend Walter. One group of men they came across who had been killed they buried them where they were and said a prayer over them. He found one man who had his knee cap blown off so he splinted it and had to carry him. He couldn't take his rifle with him so he broke it and threw it into a muddy hole full of water so the Germans couldn't find and use it. He remembered to take the clinometer off. He said it was the muddiest place in the world. It was a very sobering letter.
It is a wonder Linda that any soldier came back sane. My late Wife's Grandfather go cancer in his head at 80 years, when they did xray's they found shrapnel still in his head. Black Watch of Canada.
I visit Ypres a lot, since I live not that far from it. Every time, I come there, I am humbled by the sheer scale of everything and the mass loss of lives. It is something you never get used to.
My GrandUncle was killed in Ypres in 1915 during the first week that gas was introduced.
Reported missing in action and his name is on the Menin Gate .
He was only 22 years and we have no photo of him.
I visited this area in November 2022, 105 years after my grandfather, Harold Goodwin, was there. He was a soldier with the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles. He was severely wounded at Passchedaele on 30 October 1917. His wounds cost him his leg, but his war was over. He returned to New Brunswick, lived a full life and passed away in 1973 at age 78.
Here in Australia and over in New Zealand we remember the events of the First World war especially as we have Anzac day which commemorates the day Australians and New Zealanders landed on Gallipoli in 1915 . We also remember all those other lost in other wars and campaigns right up to the present day . The first world war had a tremendous effect on Australia and New Zealand . We were not countries with big populations but we took some big losses just as the Canadians did . Seeing this video and the vey detailed description of the events around Ypres makes you realize the huge sacrifice so many made without a lot of gain . Great video !!
Both my Grandfather and his brother fought at Ypres they where Royal Engineers carpenters both survived the War.
My Grandfathers brother had shell shock he never worked again due to the PTSD.
When we where children my mother washed his clothes it ended up we had to flame scortch the seams of his shirts as he had done that in the trenches to kill lice eggs.He died in the 60,s but had lived in the trenches seeing his mates regularly until he died.
One Armistice day as a child i was watched him marching way behind everyone else off centre and out of step with those out in front. My father asked his Uncle about it .He said he was marching with HIS MATES his unit and friends that to his uncle they where all alive .He was the only one marching his way the rest had been killed in the trenches but he still saw and remembered them some daily.
What an awesome comment! Thank you!
@@nicklassalette Another comment. Many years ago the Queen in her Christmas speach said younger people should make the effort to talk to those who had served in the First World War before they died out.Some had been invovled in savage hand to hand combat trench fighting.
I had the chance to sit down and talk with a former MP Sargent from the first World War he was also a Home Guard member World War 2 .
We where in a pub he sat at the head of the table with his son and the grandson siting opposite me.
The grandson stood up and took a swing at me to the offence of the grandfather as the attack was totaly unprovoked. So i stood up and left.
It was not for some years i realised i had in my own family two First World War vetrans one my Grandfathers brother i had first hand knowledge of.
When i first saw him he was in wrags but to him he was in uniform.
It was the community that looked out for him and his family particularly my father who would visit him every day.He didnt have anything just the clothes on his back.
He never forgot his mates thats from his days in the trenches.
The grandson of the MP sargent that cleared trenches after the whistle had gone to go over the top worked for the War Graves Comision when the UK section was at Jenton Road.
Best if i leave it there he wasnt worth his salt in any form.
Some archaeologists wanted me to see an under ground hospital that it was believed both my relatives worked on in France or Belgium.Used my grandfathers service number on one job took them a long time before they relalised if i had that service number i had been over the top a number of times and a lot older than stated.
To me my Grandfathers brother is a hero noboby realy knows what he encountered both during the conflict and after. But he never ever forgot his mates who ever they where.Some said they where used for trench raiding but i dont know if thats true.
Never forget every single head stone has a story behind it many of which may never truly be told or come to light.Someones brother sweet heart friend dad uncle next door nieghbour son cousin nephew employee.There are also women losses as well.Nationalaties from the four corners of the World fighting and dieing for a common cause on a forgien field.
My wife and I did WW1 ANZAC tour over five days. . Very emotional and sobering. Spent a bit of time in this cemetery. Went to hill 60 too among other sites.
My Great Uncle PVT Arthur John Berow is a KIA on Oct. 30, 1917, 38th. Inf. Battalion C.E.F. Buried Tyne Cot Cemetery. I did get a photo of his headstone. As much information I have found I learned a lot watching this video, it is overwhelming and there is so much transpired during these battles that we may never know what really happened. Thank you
Hey that's my hometown :) I live in St. Eloy, next to two gigantic mine craters from the battle of mesin. Farmers to this day still dig up unexploded shells. In my own garden we found shrapnel and big parts of shells. When my new neighbours destroyed the old house on their lot, and were digging up the old foundations, they found a new cash of unexploded artillery shells and gas shells... My wife and me, and my 2 young onces, go hiking and still find shells left on the side of the road by farmers that dug them up during the week.
Must be such an interesting place to live! Thank you for watching!
Your obvious fascination and horror at the awful nature of war is very compelling, and the way you presented this entire video is just riveting… as a Brit now living in the US, I’m finding that I’m regretting not having been to Ypres, and Passchendale, when I was living there in London, to honor the massive loss of life, and the massive debt of gratitude that subsequent generations owe to our forefathers. My grandmother’s love of her life was killed in the last weeks of the First World War, I only know his first name, Ned, and I wish I knew more about him. I salute your passion towards the horrific losses around Ypres, and I totally “got” you, when you reminded the viewer of the awful waste of life (on both sides), and the understandably frustrating part about not knowing the names or final resting places of so many of the soldiers who were doing their part in a war that featured so much senseless killing.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion. My Great Uncle served with the 25th Australian Infantry Division. He served at Gallipoli before surviving his time in France, including The Somme and Pozieres. He was fortunate enough, after being wounded on several occasions, to be repatriated home in late 1917. He was then discharged 'medically unfit'. He lived until 1975 and was the main inspiration for my interest in the Great War and all things military.
That’s incredible. Thanks for watching and commenting it’s much appreciated!!
I’m fortunate to have visited the place’s you have been to in this video about 4 years ago and what you have done here is brilliant… thank you very much and RIP to all those that have eternal rest here. Paul, Adelaide Australia
Tears to my eyes! Excellent work brother you translate history VERY well!
Great video. My grandfather was wounded out of the war at Passchendaele in Oct 1917. The stories he told my brother and I when we were kids in the 60s are etched in our memories. We were lucky to secure tickets to the 100 year anniversary commemoration of Passchendaele starting on 31 July 2017 after entering a ballot. Only 4,000 tickets were available. The ceremony, attended by the Prince of Wales, Prince William, the King and Queen of the Belgians plus many other dignitaries was very moving and it was both a privilege and an honour to be there.
So very well done. Thank you Mr. Lassalette. My Grandfather was an Original with the 26th New Brunswick Battalion CEF. I was blessed to have been able to ask him about his experiences. Your tours and dialogue made his stories even more real. Heartfelt thanks for this.
Much appreciated 😊
Nick bud … simply brilliant … my great grandfather lays there somewhere … died on the 3 battle … 24 years old MGC … I’ve been there 15 times to to tell him I love him and will never forget his sacrifice … thank you for your very accurate commentary … I know my stuff top job my friend . Jamie England uk 🏴❤️
Thank you very much!!
Hey mate, my grandmother’s younger brother George is also there somewhere, blown to pieces at 20 years old. He was from hampshire and was a truck driver. No remains found. She migrated to Queensland Australia after the war, so here we are. I take his medals to Anzac Day every year and honour him with my family, we won’t forget those lads. Solidarity from Australia mate.
Beautiful. Thank you for the respect you showed the many lost souls wandering that corner of Europe.🙏
I had a grandfather and great uncle that fought at Ypres (or as they called it 'Wipers') and Passchendaele. Their stories were harrowing, often delivered in a semi-humorous manner to dull the hurt.
Nick this was beautifully done, thank you. I always wanted to do what you just did but now I am way to old. My Great Uncle William Broughton who was a Canadian killed in action Sept. 6th 1916 and is at rest in Etaples cemetery, I never got to visit his grave. Neither has any other of our family members, I hope he has forgiven us. Sincerely yours from Richard Abbenbroek.
Thank You for this video. I visited many of the areas that you show here about 15 years ago on one of the Leger Holidays 'All Quiet on the Western Front' coach tours which I highly recommend. I'm ex British Armed Forces, and the whole experience of being in these places was incredibly emotional......you can FEEL that something horrible has happened on these battlefields! Anyone who has an interest in military history really should do a visit!
My Great-Uncle, Corporal George Allman (1st Cheshire Regiment) was killed at Ypres on 16th November 1914. His body was never found and his name is on the Menin Gate Memorial. My Grandad, Gunner William Lambert (RFA), was gassed at Passchendale on the 6th September 1917, which was the second time he'd been gassed, and he returned home, never to return to the front line again.
My grandfather, Sargent Andrew McGrath, Royal Dublin fusiliers, killed March 1918,in Ypres,aged 24,joined up when he was 14 in 1908.
New Zealander here. This is the most riveting explanation of the Ypres Salient I have seen. Thanks for the time you took to do this and for showing those NZ graves at Polygon.
Thank you so much for commenting! I feel privileged to have been able to be there and to talk about those brave New Zealand men.
We will NEVER forget them /last post Ypres, Passchendaele
I've been here twice to visit and pay my respects to two Uncles commemorated on the walls of Tyne Cott and Polygon Woods Cemeteries. Lest We Forget.
What a hideous thing war is, what ever side you came from you were all someone's child, loved deeply and sent out like pawns to be destroyed, i find it extremely sad.
May ALL their souls rest in peace
I have a great uncle whose name is on panel 144 at Tyne Cot. He was KIA in 3rd Ypres (Passchendaele) on 16th Aug 1917 in phase 2 of the battle (Langemark). He served with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and was killed even before he left his trench due to artillery strikes by the Germans on the reserve trenches of the 16th Irish Division, Have been there around the salient 5 times and will go again soon. I only realised lately that the names of anyone who was missing and presumed dead up to 15th Aug 1917 were put on the Menin Gate and anyone from the 16th Aug onwards were place on the panels in Tyne Cot.
I appreciate the comment thanks for watching!
My gran uncle was Kevin Meade royal Dublin fusiliers also died 1918 age 35
Excellent excellent documentary
What a finely made documentary on the Ypres salient. Both my Grandfathers were regulars pre 1914, both miraculously survived to a degree. That todays school children visit the salient, and perhaps grasp the history and events, is a worthy cross generational introduction to the horror that war is. A must for all Europeans, on this most bloody continent.
Very informative thanks.
My grandad signed up under age like thousands of others and went onto fight with the Royal Berks at Delville Wood (wounded) and later Gallipoli. He survived the war but struggled with effects of the gassing he had received.
I feel very fortunate to have had my grandad tell me stories of his service.
I treasure one of his wooden service issue boot brushes stamped with his service number.
Lest we forget
My best friend, Enjoyed watching this video my friend Really awesome views Thank you Stay connected
From my Grandfathers memories of being a member of the Machine Gun Corps (Known in the British Army as the Suicide Club on account of the high percentage of casualties it took) during the Passchendaele offensive: "One morning just before it got light, carrying our machine gun and all its ammunition, we went out into no-man’s land, waiting for the time to attack. Just before dawn we started to move forward trying to keep up with the ordinary infantry. By this time the tactics of machine gunners were to provide creeping barrages, with our fire falling ahead of the artillery barrage to catch enemy troops moving to the rear. We would concentrate our fire on specific targets, or sweep the enemy ground behind their positions. Our position was about 1000 yards behind the advancing infantry and we moved up as soon as the enemy positions were captured.
But owing to the mud and the shell holes it was impossible to walk in a straight line and our machine-gun section, carrying well over twice as much as the ordinary Tommy, gradually fell behind. I shouldn’t think we could walk through this inferno at more than about 1 mile an hour and were only able to catch up with the P.B.I. (Poor Bloody Infantry) whenever they were held-up for a while. However the attack and advance was successful and we settled down for the night.
The next day was the one and only time I watched warfare from a spectators view. The Germans had counter-attacked about two to three hundred yards on our left and broken through. Immediately all the artillery of both sides was concentrated on this sector, leaving us in peace and merely as onlookers, although it was alarming to see the Germans several hundred yards behind us. The counter-attack petered out and the “line” was restored after a short while. Our position remained more or less static for a few days in a mass of mud and water. Just in front of our position, was a German helmet containing its past owners head and at “stand to” each morning we saw its condition get a little worse due to the attention of the rats and putrefaction.
When we advanced we were regularly held up by German machine gun posts and on one occasion our Lieutenant said that he would go to fetch a tank to knock out the post. But it never arrived as, in the mud; the tanks were even slower than we were. So it was left to an infantry assault to take the post which resulted in a number of casualties."
When i was filming for my video in Langemarck German war cemetery about the Battle of Ypres, i Accidentally stood on top of the mass grave. I didn't knew how many where buried in the mass grave... and when i heard you say 24.000 i felt so bad...
Great video btw, keep them comming. You've earned a new subscriber 👍
Thank you for your very moving documentary. I hope and pray that future generations do not forget what happened during WW1 or WW2.
Such a senseless loss of so, so many lives.
Awesome to see these places . No nonsense coverage and a deep respect for the fallen.
Amazing documentary... Well done sir. One of the best I've ever seen. My great grandfather and great uncle both died in and around Ypres where I've paid my respects at their graves. They and brave men like them gave their everything and we must never forget.
My Grandad was born in 1893 in Todmorden Lancashire he died in 1971. He joined the army in 1914 and was shipped out eventually to a place called Passchendaele, Ypres. He would never speak about the war very often, but the one thing he did say to me as a young boy was this. He always said he felt guilty because he survived when there were so many better men than him who lost their lives. He said that he found it hard to explain the living conditions, the stench of death, and not knowing when it was your time to be killed. That was all he would say about the war. What he did say always stayed with me was this. "After coming home from that slaughterhouse fighting for my country, he found that the country he fought for along with all those other young men no longer belonged to them. While he travelled around town to town looking for work ( by the way, he had to walk because he had no transport and no money ), he took a rest in a field and a farmer told him to get off his land. My grandad refused to leave, so the farmer brought a policeman to move him along. The policeman said if he didn't move, he would be arrested for trespassing. " What happened to the country that I myself and so many others fought for? You fight for YOUR COUNTRY. However, when you come home, this country, NO LONGER, IS YOURS ANYMORE. It belongs to those who are wealthy. you're actually fighting, so these landowners can keep their bloody lands. DO NOT JOIN THE ARMY he said to me, but i did eventually. He said to me that he felt betrayed because how easily people forgot about the sacrifice, so many young men had laid down their lives so those back home could live in peace and those bloody landowners could keep their lands to themselves.
I tour with a famous Canadian band, DOA, and we stayed at a hotel directly across from the Menin Gate, in 2014, 100 years after the start of the war. Saw the roll call. Very moving.
Fantastic video, have subscribed thanks for visiting Belgium to do this. My great grandfathers brother was wounded by shell fire in third battle of Ypres and died a few years after the war from his injuries. Three other brothers including my great grandfather survived, most served on the Western front at the Somme, my great grandfather served at Gallipoli, Greece, Yugoslavia and Palestine. Lest we forget 🙏
My grandfather signed up under age and the authorities turned a blind eye. He was gassed and suffered for the rest of his life. Having visited Tyne Cot cemetery, the enormity of it is overwhelming. I will have to visit the German cemetery at some point, it looks as big a tragedy as the Commonwealth site.
Where's the German cemetery
Thank you for a great video. I'm off to Ypres tomorrow, and your video has been a great help in plotting were to visit. Very informative.
Many thanks.
🇬🇧 🇨🇦 🇦🇺 🇳🇿
Well done!
Been studying the Military history most of my life and have had the opportunity to visit several cemeteries in my travels through Europe.
Your narration and explanation was emotional and stirrers emotion I’m sure in most who take the time to watch…again, well done young man!
My daughter is going on a school trip to Ypres next week. I'm glad they are getting a history lesson like this.
My great grandfather and two of his brother all fought in Belgium one of them is buried in Bethlehem farm west cemetery they were part of the 33rd Australian battalion
Love this mate, my great grandfather served with the King's Liverpool Regt. and fought at passchendaele. I no he was gassed around Nov 2nd 1917. He did return to the wester front and survived the war after being taken POW in April 1918 during the spring offensive. I hope to one day visit the area he fought and retrace his steps.
Also went there on a school trip. It's our kind of making aware of the past in order not to forget in order not to repeat the mistakes of the past. It leaves an impression.
German Great Grandfather Georg Seelmann was gassed at Ypres. With his account now of vintage I can only speculate what kind of gas was used and it was possibly German gas that inflicted casualties on Germans in frontline area,
Georg stated he was in the trench vicinity of released the gas company not know full weather or wind conditions, possibly fog or cold weather created unpredictable scenarios. Most German soldiers did not know the whole procedure of what to do if they knew they were in peril from gas. As soon it was realized gas reversed course or went off course towards their German lines, the infantrymen all started frantically running around screaming trying to keep it away from them. Patting themselves down and there was really no defense. It seemed more motion they made gas stuck to them. If you remained still the gas would move on seeking other opportunities.
Great Grandfather somehow knew to get into a shallow crater hole near him. face up and he said the gas passed over him without attracting to him. He had stayed still and calm despite the calamity all around. Unknown why the gas did not settle down into the crater, or it was dew point related. I have read that every gas used was heavier would descend into lowest ground’s contours.
Hi Eric, my great grandfathers was also gassed at Ypres in November 1917, I found his records and he was gassed with Chlorine gas.
Most probably Chlorine ...
What a wonderfully narrated and illustrated documentary.
Thank you for this review of this particular phase of WW I and so sympathetically described.
Private John Condon was probably one of hundreds of youngsters that basically lied about their age to take part in this war, many never lived to tell the tale, my father thankfully did survive, joining later in the war but telling an untruth about his date of birth. RIP to all the very brave souls on all sides who fought and died in what became to be known as "the war to end all wars" sadly, proved to be such an optimistic but mistaken title.
Superb work. As a regular visitor to the battlefields you have shown me things I’d never seen before, also your narration is so professional. Thanks for posting.
Great Video …I have been there many times and you have made an excellent presentation..thanks for sharing..! ..Len , England..👍🇿🇦🏴❗️❗️😊❤️
My Grandfather, James Mair, was there in Ypres in the First World War; I have a great Uncle, the brother of James Mair, Henry Rodden Mair. He is buried in a cemetery northeast from there, about 20 miles away, just over the border in France. He was 19; what a waste of human life. God bless them all...And let's not forget that wee Apolph was there as well.
Well done. WW1 has a special meaning for me as several relatives served. My grandfather immigrated from Lithuania in 1913, one year before the war broke out and the second battle of Tannenberg, where he surely would have perished. As it turned out he fought in Europe for the USA.
My Great grandfather died the same day as J Condon in the same area also from the gas attack, his body was never recovered.
Well done young man a very informative and interesting video, nice to see you keeping the memory of all the men who died alive, a lost generation from all sides that we should never forget.
A most moving wonderful documentary thank you for putting this video together lest we forget RIP you poor souls
Good for you Nick a young man interested in History well done
Excellent job on this tour. Thank you.
My Great Great Uncle died at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle 12th March 1915 aged 21. First battle of the war where they used a rolling barrage to gain advantage, it worked but sadly all gained ground was retaken after 3 days. I've actually walked the battled field where he fell and visit his grave every-time we go over. Never forgotten..!
Very well made! Cool to see I visited most of these places in the Ypres area, last year November. After 4 days we traveled to Fromelles just 30 so km from Ypres. Also really interesting to visit. They have a great museum remembering the fallen and for almost 100 years missing Australian soldiers. They were found in a mass grave and buried next to the museum. You can find bunkers and trench systems still visible.
I can highly recommend a documentary about fromelles, and the efforts to find and identify the men killed there, its called WW1, finding the lost battalions.
Thanks mate. Many Aussies died at Passchendaele.(38,000 casualties) Read a book about the battle many years ago. Made me extremely angry with the terrible loss and waste of life. Much said about the lions led by donkeys- British. Haig should have been on trial for war crimes. A man way above his abilities and little concern for the lower class.
My nephew lived in Iper close to the Menin gates, you could hear the last post from his garden. We visited often, it always amazed me how many people were there as they played the last post.
Thank you Nick, I loved your story telling and your translation of the battlefields into what stands today. I found your obvious emotional connection to the history very moving. Just as a side note related to John Condon... Pvt David Ross of the 2nd Regiment South African Infantry is buried at Heudicourt. He died on the 25th March 1918, aged 14 and 3 months (apparently undisputed records). This doesn't take anything away from John Condon, just adds to the tragedy of too many young lives lost.
With the tour we did it although talk of the football match that it happened it wasn’t confirmed by either side that it actually took place. Really interesting stories. With hill 60 I understand orders were given in 2nd world war that no desecration of First World War monuments was to happen. I think that’s if my memory serves me right. Great wee video too. Thank you.
Thanks for showing me where my two Grand Uncles fought and died. They have no grave, so a special video for me to be able to see and hear the history of this area of WW1 .
Thank you for making these videos. It is so important to remember all that took place in there. The fallen soldiers need to be remembered. I am so glad to have found your channel.
Fantastic presentation. Thank you for sharing. I hope to one day be able to visit some of these battlefields to pay my respects.
I love hearing and reading about ww1 stories, who the soldiers were, the battles, their burials, how they died, how they fought, what they must have felt, the conditions of the battlefields and trenches, their uniforms, even the carnage.
Do bones still get found in these former battlefields?
It must have been terrifying and dreadful.
I’ve watched a lot of these about the Ypres battlefields. This has got to be one of the best. The detailed information & background knowledge is amazing. My wife & I stayed in Ypres & travelled all over the battlefield’s & into the cemeteries, it’s astonishing just how many people died in that area . I honour & salute every last one of them for the bravery & courage. How can you not.
They said that the First World War was to end all wars, how very wrong they were.
Again, very well put together & thanks for showing us how much it all means to you. Heart felt for sure.
Amazing contrast as to how we here in the U.S. treat our history now. Really makes me sad as a veteran and a citizen.
Absolutely incredible overview… I cannot imagine the horrific conditions.
Wonderful explanation of what you have shown. I have a photograph of where my Great Uncle and the rough marking put up by his comrades, 19 Sept. 1917. He now is in the Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery, he was a Canadian Gunner. Thank you for your work in posting this.
Thanks for your great video Nick. My grandfather fought in the fourth battle of Ypres (battle of the Lys. Or operation Georgette) in 1918. He was in the Royal Artillery.
Great work covering this huge battlefield. Best wishes from England
Did you notice the major difference between CWGC graveyards and German graveyards? Not only Langemarc, but one near Albert in France - on the Somme - and, I suspect, other German Cemeteries. My brother lives in Germany and he pointed it out. The Germans like trees and relative darkness in Cemeteries, while the CWGC cemeteries are open and light, with a welcoming feel to them.
Sadly, there is another major difference. If you look in the visitors book in any CWGC cemetery, there will be thousands of entries from all over the world - the book will always be quite new, because they are always starting another one. In the German cemeteries, there will be entries from around the world - in English and not anywhere near so many. You have to look long and hard for an entry in German. I find that rather sad.
Until COVID, myself and our Group Scout Leader took five of our oldest Scouts to Ypres for the day, to visit some WWI sites (including Tyne Cott and Langemarc) and then lay a wreath at the Last Post Ceremony. They have never let us down and members of the public, not just Brits, remark on their sincerity
Also German cemeteries we went to it’s two either side of cross and more. British Australian and others have one only. Very emotional.
@@josephbm That's because the German cemeteries are all concentration cemeteries and consist of mass graves. The crosses bear no relationship to where in the cemetery an individual soldier is buried. In CWGC cemeteries, the headstones mainly mark individual graves.
As a foreigner living in Germany I think the lack of visitors from Germany might have a lot to do with the 2. WW. There is hardly any pride in the soldiers and their actions. It doesn't help that the nation lost 2 wars (well the first and the "continuation" war - all in all leaving some kind of a trauma).
Been there myself a couple times and will go again to explore more, My great Uncle Fought with the Canadian Corps, Died in 1917 in arleux-en-gohelle, after Vimy, was found 10 years later and identified. Visited his grave and the location he was found, a very surreal experience I must say. Ypres holds a deep route for Canadians. As much of the western front. I had Family fight on the British side and the Canadian at the time. British side of my family was fighting against the Ottomans.
Brilliant video. My great uncle's name is listed on the Menin Gate. I as lucky enough to visit Ypres in 2019 and witnessed the daily ceremony at the Menin Gate. Sadly some people thought it OK to climb on the narrow wall which is underneath the list of 50000 names. My great uncle was killed on 24th May 1915 fighting to hold the British front line the day before the end of the second battle of Ypres.. He was a cavalry soldier with the 11th Hussars but was in the trenches fighting on foot. I am researching what happened the day he was killed and I think his squadron / unit were killed by shell fire or grenades in sanctuary wood. He had emigrated to Toronto Canada and married a Canadian but was on the army reserve list so was called up to serve in 1914. He traveled back to the UK but the 11th Hussars had already gone to France so he was posted to the 20th Hussars. He soon rejoined the 11th Hussars and was wounded in Feb 1915. He then returned to his squadron / unit and fought until his death on the 24th May 1915. I think he fought in trenches not far from the Canadian trenches as part of the 1st Cavalry Division so died alongside / not far from his fellow countrymen, both British and Canadian. Such a tragic loss of life on both sides.
Hey Nick, am trying to plan a cycling tour throughout the Western Front, and feel compelled to comment that this video is superb, you nailed it man.
Excellent work Nick .. very well done .. my wife and I with 2 of our friends had 2 days in Ypres and toured the areas you documented.. I’m the war history buff but my wife and friends were deeply moved with the history as you explained it .. lest we forget .. cheers Steve
My great grandfather fought at Hooge, and was there at the 3rd Battle of Ypres (known as the Passchedaele offensive). He was with the 5th Territorial Battalion of The Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI). He called it nothing more than a carnage of good men. A slaughter, a sea of blood, in a battlefield that was a quagmire of mud. It rained day and night for fourteen days prior to the attack. Shell holes full of mud and water. Wounded men calling out and slowly sliding into the shell hole water and drowning. It was so awful, even recounting it at times upset him so much he had to stop. That was even talking to other WW1 veterans at the Legion Club. WW1, it never left the veterans, and followed them to their graves.
It must be 50 years ago, as a young officer fresh out of Sandhurst, that I visited the places you have so admirably described. Standing in Tyne Cot cemetery, the tears just poured down my face. Why? I kept asking. I had no answer, I still have none. The witness to the courage and bravery of these (young) men will live forever. Let us always remember so that we avoid a repeat. Thank you and God bless.
One of my great, great uncles is buried in Tyne cot cemetery. He was K.I.A 13.05.1915. I am going to visit all the graves of my family, K.I.A in WWI, both in Belgium and France in July. The ones that are missing I will visit the coordinates of where they fell. My friend accompanied a school trip there and laid a memorial for me and the guide she spoke to told her that most of the men in Tyne Cot were gassed. My family lost all but 2 of the many sons and husbands who went out to fight in WWI. The men in my family who sacrificed their lives for us are never forgotten. The same with the family members who were K.I.A during WWII. My grandad survived the fighting in North Africa and other theatres of war, during WWII, but he lived with the horrors he saw for the rest of his life. The same with my two uncles who thought in Burma. Another uncle suffered severe shell shock all his life. All the men in both world wars saw horrors that we could never imagine.
Very well done, good work kinda an ordinary mans tour, I thought. I as a motorcyclist have visited the area a number of times from the UK I believe all School children should be required to go, I speak to so many people today Who have no knowledge what happened there and in other parts of Europe in WW2 too, perhaps not there but elsewhere the knowledge of sacrifices and atrocities are being lost in current generations, maybe its inevitable just seems wrong to me.
Hi Nick, what an excellent and informative video.
I am from Australia and a couple of parts were extra special for me as not only were you literally standing metres from my Great Grandfathers grave in Tyne Cot cemetery, but then later in the Vid you were actually standing where he fell just outside the Bunker in Polygon Wood which to say gave me a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye would be an understatement.
Big story behind all that, but there’s lots of big personal stories surrounding WW1.
Having been there myself, I sensed you got some of the spine tingling feelings I got.
Well done young man in helping to keep the history alive.
Thanks
Thank you so much for watching and commenting. Your grandfather and his mates are most certainly not forgotten ❤
In 1981 a Canadian WWII veteran (Dieppe, Juno, the Scheldt) told me that war is a horizontal struggle between armies but life is a vertical struggle against authority. He said authority is your enemy not a German with 98k. He ended by saying that if more people had paid more attention to government in the 1930s perhaps a war might have been prevented.
So very, very true. It has taken me many decades to find this out.
Excellent video. So well done.
Interesting. 1918 & Ypres caught my eye. A great uncle was in a battle at or by Ypres but later in 1918. He was a machine gunner in the US Army 37th Division, 135th Machinegun Battalion. He arrived in France in mid-August. After acclimation training they were sent to the Baccarat Sector which was seeing action at the time. I've never been able to figure what model of machinegun he used. I believe he probably had one of the heavy MGs which helped keep him alive being further back. However that didn't protect them from artillery fire. One of his lieutenants was killed by a German shell right next to a MG pit.
His worst wounds were from lice. Lice and mud were the most miserable things when the Germans weren't shooting at them. I have a bunch of his uniform including helmet, field jacket, gas mask with bag w/handwritten identification and unit info. I didn't know they had flashlights back then, so I have that also.
I've collected enough info and maps that I'm fairly confident I count retrace his route, especially at the end with the big push Argonne-Meuse offensive.
Thanks for commenting! Greetings from Cali 👋
I wanted to visited the Argonne so badly but I wasn’t able to because I had limited time. Next I’m in France I’m definitely going there!
In my memory it was Langanark that really moved me most in my own visit to the First World War battlefields. Not only is it the burial ground of a losing side, punished for its participation in this horror, but significantly, if I remember rightly, one of the first places Adolf Hitler visitied on becoming German Chancellor. It's austerity, bemoaned the evil to be unleashed just a couple of decades later. Dulce et Decorum est! We are all culpable in forgetting our own collective history. We must not! Power to you for reminding me!
Adolph Hitler was WIA at the battle ypres in a gas attack. He won the Iron Cross.
Excellent videos thankyou, and wow!, the facts, madness, 1000 rounds per 1 metre, chaos doesn't even describe the moment, subbed.
My great grandfather, Frederick Selley MM took part in the first battle of Ypres with the second battalion Wiltshire regiment,
Watching this splendid video In my hotel room in Ypres after having just witnessed the Menin Gate Ceremony.
One of the better battlefield tour docos. Well done!