The Passchendaele Memorial is a Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the
Canadian CorpsFor other uses of Canadian Corps, see Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December...
in the Second Battle of Passchendaele of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. The memorial is located on the former site of Crest Farm, an objective captured by the 4th Canadian Division during the assault of 30 October 1917.
The Second Battle of Passchendaele was the culminating and final attack of the Third Battle of Ypres during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
.
The Passchendaele Memorial is a Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the
Canadian CorpsFor other uses of Canadian Corps, see Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December...
in the Second Battle of Passchendaele of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. The memorial is located on the former site of Crest Farm, an objective captured by the 4th Canadian Division during the assault of 30 October 1917.
The Battle
The Second Battle of Passchendaele was the culminating and final attack of the Third Battle of Ypres during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. The battle took place in the
Ypres SalientThe Ypres Salient is the area around Ypres in Belgium which was the scene of some of the biggest battles in World War I.In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. Therefore, the salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops...
area of the
Western FrontWestern Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the "contested armed frontier" between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West...
, in and around the Belgian town of
PasschendaelePassendale is a rural Belgian village in the Zonnebeke municipality of West Flanders province. The town is in close proximity to the town of Ypres and is commonly known as a World War I battlefield.-Early History:...
, between 26 October 1917 and 10 November 1917. The
Canadian CorpsFor other uses of Canadian Corps, see Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December...
was tasked with relieving the exhausted
II Anzac CorpsThe II Anzac Corps was an Australian and New Zealand First World War army corps formed in Egypt in February 1916 as part of the reorganization of the Australian Imperial Force following the evacuation of Gallipoli in November 1915, under the command of William Birdwood...
, continuing the advance started with the
First Battle of PasschendaeleThe First Battle of Passchendaele was a World War I battle that took place on 12 October 1917 in the Ypres Salient area of the Western Front, outside the Belgian town of Passchendaele, during the Third Battle of Ypres...
and ultimately capturing the town of Passchendaele itself.
In the low ground west of the Passchendaele Ridge three months of constant shelling had blocked the watercourses that normally provided drainage. When rain began falling, the battlefield was transformed into a quagmire of mud making movement extremely difficult. The mud was to become one of the defining features of the battle for soldiers on both sides, and did a great deal to hamper offensive operations.
The Canadian Corps operation was executed in series of three attacks each with limited objectives, delivered at intervals of three or more days. The execution dates of the phases were tentatively given as 26 October, 30 October and 6 November, with a smaller action later executed on 10 November. The attack was successful in capturing the German-held high ground along the Passchendaele-Westrozebeke ridge but the campaign was forced to end just short of
WestrozebekeWestrozebeke is a village in the Belgian province of West-Flanders. It is part of the municipality of Staden. It is located 6 miles west of Roeselare and 9.5 miles north-east of Ypres....
itself. The Second Battle of Passchendaele cost the Canadian Corps 15 654 casualties with over 4 000 dead, in 16 days of fighting. Nine Victoria Crosses, the highest military decoration for valour awarded to British and
CommonwealthThe Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the Commonwealth and previously as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-three independent member states. Most of them were formerly part of the British Empire. They co-operate within a framework of common values...
forces, were awarded to Canadians for actions during the battle.
Location & Design
The Passchendaele Memorial site is a small keyhole shaped park located on the aptly named 'Canadalaan' on the southwest fringe of Passendale village. Fittingly, maple trees and a hedge of holly line the edges of the park and well kept lawns and stone pathways surround the low circular flagstone terrace that the granite memorial block rests on. From the centre of the memorial grounds one can see, down a long avenue of trees, the rebuilt spires of Ypres.
Selection
At the end of the war, The Imperial War Graves Commission granted Canada 8 sites, 3 in France and 5 in Belgium, on which to erect memorials. Each site represented a significant Canadian engagement and for this reason it was originally decided that each battlefield would be treated equally and graced with identical monuments. The Canadian Battlefields Memorials Commission was formed in November 1920 to discuss the process and conditions for holding a memorial competition for the European sites. In October 1922, the submission of Toronto sculptor and designer
Walter Seymour AllwardWalter Seymour Allward was a Canadian monumental sculptor.-Early life:Allward was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the son of John A. Allward of Newfoundland. Educated in Toronto public schools, his first job was at the age of 14 as an assistant to his carpenter father...
was selected as the winner of the competition, and the submission of Frederick Chapman Clemesha placing second. The commission selected Vimy Ridge in France as the preferred site of Allward's design. Clemesha's
Brooding SoldierThe St. Julien Memorial is a Canadian war memorial and small commemorative park located in Saint Julien, Belgium. The memorial commemorates the Canadian First Division's participation in the Second Battle of Ypres of World War I and their defence against the first poison gas attacks along the...
design was selected for the remaining sites but was later, for a number of reasons, erected only at St. Julien in Belgium. The remaining sites receiving similar simple commemorative granite block inscribed with a brief description of the battle in both English and French.
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