Brett Posted 26 April , 2004 Share Posted 26 April , 2004 My grandparents, from Amsterdam in Netherlands, took a bike trip through Belgium between 20 June and 2 July 1925, primarily to visit the grave of my grandmother's brother "Harry" Schipper (1883-1917) of the 36th Bn AIF, who had been killed during the Battle of Messines, on 9 June 1917. I have already posted photos that my grandfather took of his brother-in-law's memorial cross in Toronto Avenue Cemetery, and thought I would also include some of the the other pictures that he took on that trip, as they have some historical significance. The captions are as written in the photo album, in Dutch. If anyone can identify any of the photos more accurately, or provide some interesting information about the locations, I would be very grateful. Regards and best wishes, Brett First of the photos: 21.6.'25 Yperen - Hallen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted 26 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 26 April , 2004 22.6.'25 Messines - New-Zealand monument Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted 26 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 26 April , 2004 22.6.'25 Verwoest bosch bij Yperen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted 26 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 26 April , 2004 22.6.'25 Messines - Ruine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted 26 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 26 April , 2004 And this is the last photo from this area. Brett 22.6.'25 Verwoeste sluis nabij Koomen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 26 April , 2004 Share Posted 26 April , 2004 Brett, What great pictures taken in 1925 Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacky Platteeuw Posted 26 April , 2004 Share Posted 26 April , 2004 Very good!!! Wonderfull how 'tourist' shots gives ideas of the old battlefields shortly after the War. Jacky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacky Platteeuw Posted 26 April , 2004 Share Posted 26 April , 2004 Some translation by the photo's: 1. Cloth Hall Ypres 2. Messines New Zealand Monument 3. Destroyed wood near Ypres. Note: difficult to locate as this was the state of most woods around Ypres after the War. 4. Messines ruine. Sure some pal will be able to locate this. 5. Destroyed lock near Comines. Hope this helps. Jacky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain mchenry Posted 26 April , 2004 Share Posted 26 April , 2004 Brett, Excellent photos. I have a great interest in the Messines area. Its good to see some post war photos. Jacky, I am inclined to think that photo 4 may be the ruins of the old church in Messines. Look at the brickwork, it looks quite ancient. Do you know when the current church was constructed? and was it before or after 1925? What do you think mate? Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacky Platteeuw Posted 26 April , 2004 Share Posted 26 April , 2004 Iain, Possibly but could also be the old abbey. Jacky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 26 April , 2004 Share Posted 26 April , 2004 Brett many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 26 April , 2004 Share Posted 26 April , 2004 Wonderful pictures Brett - Thanks for letting us see them. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joris Ryckeboer Posted 26 April , 2004 Share Posted 26 April , 2004 Hello, About the Messines ruine; the village was totally destroyed except the crypte of the church. It was a good shelter (used by both, Adolf Hitler was billeted in the church crypt, he made some water colour drawnings.) because of the tons of debris on the crypte coming from the destroyed church. So I think this foto is not one of the crypte. I rather think the cellars of the abbey. Finally, the church was rebuild in 1931. Greetings Joris Westouter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 26 April , 2004 Share Posted 26 April , 2004 22.6.'25 Messines - New-Zealand monument Great photographs, thanks. Contrast the earlier photo of the NZ Memorial with this one taken just over one week ago. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted 26 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 26 April , 2004 Thanks everybody for your kind comments. Also my appreciation to Jacky for a more precise translation than I could provide, to Iain, Jacky & Joris for your illuminative ideas on the location of the ruins, and to Robert for an excellent recent photo of the NZ Memorial at Messines. Just out of interest, this is a shot of my grandfather Dirk Smit (1895-1985), the intrepid 1925 tourist - and photographer - having a pit stop somewhere en route! Regards and best wishes, Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain mchenry Posted 27 April , 2004 Share Posted 27 April , 2004 Could anyone tell me where the abbey stood in relation to moders day Messines. Many thanks Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyHollinger Posted 27 April , 2004 Share Posted 27 April , 2004 Nowhere else, but here. Thanks so much. The old photos and the one of your GF are incredible .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david12656 Posted 27 April , 2004 Share Posted 27 April , 2004 great pictures i am a cyclist myself hope to tour some of the battlefields on the bike this september Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted 5 August , 2007 Author Share Posted 5 August , 2007 I am intending to revisit the locations of the photographs described above in the next couple of months. Since the photos seem to have disappeared, I thought I would repost them. this time located on a separate server, so that they will remain visible. My grandfather, Dirk Smit, on a cycle trip to the battlefields in 1925. Ruins of the Cloth Hall, Ypres, 21 Jun 1925 Ruined wood near Ypres, 22 Jun 1925 Regards and best wishes, Brett Payne Tauranga, New Zealand and the other images to follow, as it will only let me post three at a time ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted 5 August , 2007 Author Share Posted 5 August , 2007 Well, it seems only three in total!!! New Zealand Memorial at Messines, 22 Jun 1925 Ruins at Messines, 22 Jun 1925 Toronto Avenue Cemetery, Ploegsteert Wood, 22 Jun 1925 Okay, that worked, so I'll try again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted 5 August , 2007 Author Share Posted 5 August , 2007 Last one ... Ruined lock near Koomen (Comines), 22 Jun 1925 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted 5 August , 2007 Author Share Posted 5 August , 2007 I would also like to add that I've more or less confirmed the identification made above by Joris, that the "Ruins - Messines" were probably the cellars of the abbey at Messines, rather than the crypt of the church. Compare the above image with that shown below, from the Flanders 1917 web page, devoted to The Royal Institution of Messines. Thanks very much Joris! Regards and best wishes, Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 5 August , 2007 Share Posted 5 August , 2007 A1 Photos Brett.Nice to see them and thanks for sharing them.Regards Russ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mastermindmichel Posted 5 August , 2007 Share Posted 5 August , 2007 Thank you very much for sharing these, Brett! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian turner Posted 6 August , 2007 Share Posted 6 August , 2007 Look forward to seeing the 'now' comparisons. Thanks Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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