Bombardment of Ypres 18-22 April 1915

[David_Blanchard]

Looking for sources of information with regard to the shelling of Ypres in the days leading up to Second Ypres on 22 April 1915- from the 17/18 April.

 

Additionally any information with regard to the use of the underground passages of the Ramparts as an aid post during this time period would also be appreciated.

 

I have the Ypres Town Major's War Diary which is a good starting point and other bits of information from the Official History and the war diaries of the 5, 27 and 28 War Diaries- but nothing in any real detail. There is also a section on this in forum member Kevin Shannon's excellent recent book on the Liverpool Rifles.

 

Any help appreciated.

 

David 

[brianmorris547]

David

177 Tunnelling Co RE appears to have been formed in June 1915 and in July 1915 "A start was made on the construction of tunnel dugouts in the Ramparts of Ypres south of the Menin Gate". They were working on these in 1916 as well and the WDs contain a lot of plans and sketches of the dug outs. WO 95/404/6 & 404/7. I do not know if these are the ones you are interested in. I could not find any other Tunnelling Companies working on these dug outs before June 1915 but there is a mention of 3 Canadian Tunnelling Co, who may have constructed the earlier ones. I do not have some WDs.

Brian 

 

[David_Blanchard]

Thanks, Brian. I will have a look.

David 

[Bob Davies]

On 16/12/2021 at 13:46, David_Blanchard said:

Any help appreciated.

Hi David, WO 95 1535-2_3  War diary of  59 field Coy RE are doing a lot of work Zillebeke and Hill 60 in April. On  the 20th April 'very heavy bombardment of town (Ypres) very severe in afternoon'. They mention making barbed wire knife rests at the Porte de Lille 24th April. That evening they send men to work repairing a pontoon bridge but it has already been done by Wessex RE.  WO 95 2258-3  War Diary of 1/2 Wessex Field Coy RE April 18th/19th building work on extending a dressing station in Sanctuary wood and work on enlarging entrance on Sally Port in ramparts. The town of Ypres shelled SE part'. The 1/1Wessex RE also mention the shelling, see attached extract from their diary. Worth a look at these diaries I believe. Best wishes, Bob. 

[David_Blanchard]

Thanks Bob,

 

the best account of the beginning of the German bombardment on 19 April 1915, so far is this one by Norman Ellison.

Edited 18 December , 2021 by David_Blanchard

[Bob Davies]

Adding a bit more here, a couple of interesting views of Ypres that I have not seen before; https://www.friendsofthesuffolkregiment.org/operation-legacy/previous/28 Here is a brief account from the 1st Canadian Division, certainly an interesting and informative read. https://archive.org/details/redwatch00curruoft/page/n221/mode/2up

Edited 18 December , 2021 by Bob Davies

[David_Blanchard]

Bob,

 

thanks - you reminded me of another book on archive.org  ‘The Great War as I saw it.’ By Frederick George Scott. Reading through his account I worked out the first man to be buried in Ypres Reservoir Cemetery- Captain Trumbull Warren- not mentioned by name but I tracked him down via the CWGC. Photographs of him from the Canadian Veterans website.

 

David 

[Bob Davies]

Thanks for these David, I came across a map of Ypres I don't remember seeing before it has the Plains d' Amour marked on it among other places. http://digitalarchive.mcmaster.ca/islandora/object/macrepo%3A71270

[brianmorris547]

This billeting area map of Ypres is from the April 1915 WD of 5 Div HQ GS (WO 95/1512 - Ancestry p 232/873). 

Brian.

[David_Blanchard]

Another account I found in the Newspaper Archive- August 1915, Ballymena Observer about Lieutenant Chesney of the 14 Field Ambulance who was based in the Benedictine Convent during the bombardment of Ypres in April 1915.

Edited 19 December , 2021 by David_Blanchard

[Bob Davies]

A good find that one David!  WO 95 2285_1  WD of 17 field coy RE makes interesting reading. They start off billeted at Ypres station, then move to Potijze, here they are making dugouts for themseleves and are employed all over the place doing all manner of jobs. Then a move to Vlamertinghe. Two extracts you may find interesting. from 30th April and 6th/7th May.

Edited 19 December , 2021 by Bob Davies

[Bob Davies]

38th Field Coy RE (6th Division crossed out) and 28th Division written in.  Division are also in the area in April/May a lot of work hampered by the shelling. They are also working all over, though doing a lot in the defense of Ypres and the 2nd line. 18th May to the 21st the ramparts between Lille gate and Menin gate are mentioned but again no mention of the underground tunnels built in earlier times. Dugouts that they themselves make here are mentioned but it seems they know that they need deepening, some are strengthened to allow  putting more earth on top. The hand writing is a bit tricky to read in parts. All the RE companies I have looked at are gone from the area come end of May/June.

Edited 20 December , 2021 by Bob Davies

[David_Blanchard]

Bob,

excellent thanks for the war diary entries.

 

David

[Bob Davies]

PS; 38th Field Coy RE War Diary is WO 2272-1 .  Just looking through 1, 2 and 3 Field Squadron RE (1, 2 and 3 Cavalry Division engineers) diaries from the time they were in the Ypres area, April, May and June. Again only mentions of the ramparts and trenches near to them, nothing about the underground tunnels built in earlier times.  Interesting diaries non the less. WO 95 1103-2_1 is 1st Field Squadron,  WO 95 1123-6 is 2nd Field Squadron and WO 95 1146-3 is 3rd Field Squadron. Again all moved out by end of May and mid June for the 3rd Field Squadron.

Edited 21 December , 2021 by Bob Davies

[grantmal]

Here's a luftbild purchased a few years back, no date only 'Ypern 1915.'

 

[David_Blanchard]

Many thanks for the photograph.

 

just picked this up.

 

David 

[Bob Davies]

On 04/01/2022 at 08:48, grantmal said:

Here's a luftbild purchased a few years back, no date only 'Ypern 1915.'

 

@kerry While I was looking for something else I came across this picture, posted a few years ago now.

If the dating of 1915 is correct, then it must have been early 1915 as the leaves came onto the trees, say end of April start of May possibly a bit later on in the year?

However it gives a good view of what the place looked like early on, for your story.

I will have to look at a map to work out from which direction the picture has been taken.

Regards Bob.

[kerry]

Hi Bob many thanks for keeping me in mind and for the helpful image. Yes, not quite the surface of the moon. A location would be interesting but please don't let it take too much of your time trying to chase down an exact location - the image will be a good representation of itself as to the state of the topography.

[Bob Davies]

10 hours ago, kerry said:

Hi Bob many thanks for keeping me in mind and for the helpful image. Yes, not quite the surface of the moon. A location would be interesting but please don't let it take too much of your time trying to chase down an exact location - the image will be a good representation of itself as to the state of the topography.

Hi Kerry,

I had a quick look but nothing sprang to mind other than the high ground in the distance and possibly a canal in the fore ground heading towards Ypres. So possibly taken from the west looking east?

@LDT006  is a local, I think? So if I may call upon you Luc, perhaps you will be able to tell us more please?

Best Wishes, Bob.

[KernelPanic]

Is it possible infer an orientation from the buildings where the biggest conflagration is? The spire on the left is obvious. Is that a tower on the right? Cloth Hall? Also at this time of year wasn't the prevailing wind direction from west to east? In April the Germans had to wait a while for a northeast to southwest wind for their chlorine attack on the 22nd. Smoke from the main fire appears to be drifting right to left. 

 

Edit. The tower on the right could the Eglise de St. Pierre, with the Cathedral on the left. And If that's the Yser Canal running in from the north, then a more north west to south east line of sight might work. Maybe taken over the Elverdinghe area looking east south east?

Edited 19 April by KernelPanic
Additional comment.

[grantmal]

Sorry, didn't realise the aerial of Ypres was being discussed - here's what I came up with:

[LDT006]

On 18/04/2024 at 18:56, Bob Davies said:

So if I may call upon you Luc, perhaps you will be able to tell us more please?

Sorry for the late reply. I could not find the road with the rather sharp bends running from the bottom towards Ypres, also there were railways but couldn't find one on the photo.
 

On 23/04/2024 at 03:46, grantmal said:

here's what I came up with:

You did a great job, it's the road from Zonnebeke to Ypres and the bends look sharper due to the angle.
The railway to Roulers can just be seen on the very left next to Gully Farm.

[Bob Davies]

9 minutes ago, LDT006 said:

Sorry for the late reply. I could not find the road with the rather sharp bends running from the bottom towards Ypres, also there were railways but couldn't find one on the photo.
 

You did a great job, it's the road from Zonnebeke to Ypres and the bends look sharper due to the angle.
The railway to Roulers can just be seen on the very left next to Gully Farm.

Thank you for your reply Luc, this had me foxed.

Yes definitely a railway line on the left of picture.

Well found @grantmal and thanks, I must go to the opticians

[grantmal]

Happy to have helped.

[KernelPanic]

On 19/04/2024 at 21:10, KernelPanic said:

Edit. The tower on the right could the Eglise de St. Pierre, with the Cathedral on the left. And If that's the Yser Canal running in from the north, then a more north west to south east line of sight might work. Maybe taken over the Elverdinghe area looking east south east?

On 23/04/2024 at 02:46, grantmal said:

Sorry, didn't realise the aerial of Ypres was being discussed - here's what I came up with:

On 25/04/2024 at 16:20, LDT006 said:

You did a great job, it's the road from Zonnebeke to Ypres and the bends look sharper due to the angle.
The railway to Roulers can just be seen on the very left next to Gully Farm.

Well, I guess I was close, give or take 180 degrees