Patrick Posted 9 November , 2004 Share Posted 9 November , 2004 Ypres mine craters Evening all , Got a request from a friend asking me what craters could still be visited around Ypres , Thought I would find the info quick in my documentation ,but discover its a harder task then first assumed Did also a search on the forum and this is what I come up with , if you know of any others .. Lone tree crater /pool of peace / spanbroekmolentrechter In this area several between wijtschate and messiness ridge St. Eloi Craters where is it? Hooge Crater is it filled in anything to see ? Thanks for responses while I continue my search , there must be some around Passendale @+ Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 9 November , 2004 Share Posted 9 November , 2004 I know them all !!!! as i once did a special guiding tour on the Messines Craters a few years ago. I can show them if you want.... I live in Zonnebeke. Caterpillar (hill 60) is certainly worth a visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted 9 November , 2004 Share Posted 9 November , 2004 Patrick, There are lots of craters in the Ieper/Messines area............all to my knowledge are full with water now. Caterpillar crater is as good as any to see whch is the other side of the railway to hill 60. Other goods ones IMO are the Kruisstraat craters. I don't think there are any up near Passendale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted 9 November , 2004 Share Posted 9 November , 2004 Is it not logical that all salient craters will be water-filled as the the water drainage level is only a couple of feet below the surface. Aye Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KONDOA Posted 9 November , 2004 Share Posted 9 November , 2004 Not forgetting Hooge Crater now the cemetary. Roop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Posted 9 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 9 November , 2004 Hi again, Just pulled Before Endeavors Fade, from Rose &Cooms out of my Library , (Always hard to know where was that info again .which book .) And bingo ! Yes there are many So got Hill 60 with the cattapillar crater & 1915/16 craters St Eloi craters good picture in the book (more then 30 mines exploded there) Kruisstraats crater (kemmel area) Petit bois craters Wytschaete Maeldelstede farm crates Wytschaete Guess this will do for a start , but now that the subject has started do not refrain from answering thanks @+ Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 The larger St Eloi crater was going to be made 'visitor-friendly' with easy access , a walk-way and information boards. Unfortunately there have apparently been ongoing problems with the landowner and access is still very restricted (basically a paid guide from the Tourist Office). The smaller one on the other side of the road was freely accessible when I last visited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frie Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 Mine craters, On Wijtschate-territory there are still the Spanbroekmolen( Pool of Peace) - next to Kruisstraatcabaret (400m south to the Pool of Peace) on the road to Wulvergem there were 3 craters, now only 2 (but they are almost next to the road to Wulvergem) - East of the Pool of Peace in "Scheerstraat" crater "Packham" - (visible from the street) . At Hollandse Schuur there are still 3 craters, there was a crater in the "Kruisstraat" not far away from the road Wulvergem-Messines. On the territory of Kemmel there are Maedelstedefarm (Oosthoeve) and also Petit Bois. On the territory of (Comines)Warneton there are also craters left, and also not-exploded mines. (One of this mines exploded later by a lightning.) There's St-Elooi (Voormezele) there were mine explosions in 1915 by the Germans, in 1916 by the British and in 1917, In Zillebeke Hill 60. There were no craters on the territory of Messines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Posted 10 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 10 November , 2004 Thanks bkristof for proposed Guided tour , its noted Thanks Frie , for geographical precisions , always a substantial gain of time When looking at the map for localization , and Drake1066 most of the pictures of above craters in the ypres area i find show them filled with water .Guess for dry craters we need to be in France Vauquois –Eparges-la Boiselle(Lochnagar Crater ) @+ Patrick soure of pictures Before Endavours Fade. Great to own super books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 Here are a couple of views where I've stitched photos together to form a panorama. The first one is Lone Tree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 The second is the one near Hill 60 Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientguide Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 Group of friends at Peckham Farm crater just outside of Whyschaete ( is that correct frie?) up road on left before turning to Spanbroekmolen crater. ( See site for full storey.) 1916 craters at St Eloi are freely available but polite probably to ask at new house by entrance. !917 battle of Messines crater has newer access but is locked with some instructions about gaining access written on. Hill 60 craters are dry but ground is very broken up. Caterpillar is apparently on private property. salientguide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientguide Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 missing pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientguide Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 Sorry won't load probably too big as an uncompressed file. Off to a WFA meet tonight but will try and work on it tommorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Missinne Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 For a complete list of the 1917 craters, click on Craters in Flanders Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 Everyone always mentions the 1917 craters, but what about the earlier ones. What's left to see (apart from at St.Eloi, Hill 60 and Hooge) of the 1915/16 craters? What about the German detonated mines? What remains of them are still existant? Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 Not forgetting Hooge Crater now the cemetary. Roop Roop. The actual Hooge Crater(s) were/are on the other side of the road from the cemetery. You can still see the (albeit slightly landscaped) remains of them in the grounds of the Kasteelhof t'Hooge (and - (rarest of rares!)one of them is dry!!!). Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 The actual Hooge Crater(s) were/are on the other side of the road from the cemetery. You can still see the (albeit slightly landscaped) remains of them in the grounds of the Kasteelhof t'Hooge "Hooge Crater"(s)..... (well, a couple of them, anyway!) dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frie Posted 11 November , 2004 Share Posted 11 November , 2004 Patric, I have my doubts about the picture called "Kruisstraat's crater" (Crossroads). I think that's a wrong picture. It seems to me that it's not a crater but simply a small pool for the cattle. I can see a waterpump. This picture is taken not far from the farmhouse (at the crossroads) "Kruisstraatcabaret" It was a farm and a cabaret. The Kruisstraatcraters are bigger and they are on the side the Kruisstraatcabaret to Wulvergem. The picture- it seems me- is taken on the side Kruisstraatcabaret to Wytschaete near a farm the Germans called " The Emperorsfarm - Kaisershof - I will check it . But in which book did you found this picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KONDOA Posted 11 November , 2004 Share Posted 11 November , 2004 The actual Hooge Crater(s) were/are on the other side of the road from the cemetery. You can still see the (albeit slightly landscaped) remains of them in the grounds of the Kasteelhof t'Hooge (and - (rarest of rares!)one of them is dry!!!). Thanks Dave, now you have shown the picture I now recall visiting them but a very long time ago with my father. Am I correct in that the Hooge crater cemetary is the circular one then or am I even more befuddled than is normally evident??? Roop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frie Posted 11 November , 2004 Share Posted 11 November , 2004 At St-Elooi the first craters were caused by mines on 14 maart 1915 by the Germans. On 27 march 1916, explotions of mines by the British. But which craters are from 1915, 1916 or 1917? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 11 November , 2004 Share Posted 11 November , 2004 Patric, I have my doubts about the picture called "Kruisstraat's crater" (Crossroads). I think that's a wrong picture. It seems to me that it's not a crater but simply a small pool for the cattle. (...)But in which book did you found this picture? Frie, The photo is in Rose Coombs' "Before Endeavour Fades" (in my printing (8th, Nov. 1998 on p. 59.) And of course, you are right. Rose Coombs is wrong. I too have always thought that this was not the crater but a cattle pool. If you want to see an aerial photo of the Kruisstraat Craters : Major & Mrs Holt's Battlefield Guide Ypres Salient (newest revised edition 2003). And you all have a reason to see the photo (and of 6 other craters), for they were taken by Forum member Iain McHenry. This Battlefield guide has a description of a dozen craters on pages 248 - 254. Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 12 November , 2004 Share Posted 12 November , 2004 Am I correct in that the Hooge crater cemetary is the circular one then or am I even more befuddled than is normally evident??? The cemetery itself isn't circular, but there is a circular "representative mine crater" that has been built into the entrance area. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Half-pint Posted 18 November , 2004 Share Posted 18 November , 2004 Hello, Dave and Pals: re - the Hooge craters... I am very new to this study, so beg your forbearance while I ask obviously newbie questions about geography... Dave, that is a splendid photograph (mine are so often hit-or-miss). Does your photo depict the four Hooge craters blown on 6th June 1916? Yesterday, I received in the mail a book ordered a few weeks ago, "Walking the Salient" by Paul Reed. So of course, I was up into the wee hours devouring it ;-). But the picture on page 69, "An aerial view of the Hooge chateau grounds and craters, 1916 (Ed Storey)", is sobering indeed: it shows those four craters. Regards, Alison Causton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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