Today – 31 July – marks one hundred years since the start of the Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres, 31 July-10 November 1917), Britain’s major offensive against German forces in the Flanders region of Belgium.
The ultimate aim was to liberate the occupied Channel ports to the north of Ypres, neutralising the U-boat threat to North Sea shipping and take the pressure of its hard-pressed French allies. We are commemorating the centenary by newly listing and upgrading 13 memorials, most with strong regimental connections to the battle.
Passchendaele has come to symbolise the horror of the First World War. Hundreds of thousands of Allied and German soldiers – under heavy machine gun and artillery fire; the Allies supported by tanks – attacked and counter-attacked in an apocalyptic landscape devoid of buildings, trees or vegetation.
The explosion of over one million shells, accompanied by torrential rain, turned the battlefield into a quagmire of craters and oozing mud, deep enough to swallow up men and horses. After three months of fighting, Britain and her Allies advanced just 8km. The terrible price, according to Army estimates, was 300,000 dead, injured or missing, with Germany sustaining 260,000 casualties.
Spring 1917
By spring 1917, the only area of Belgium remaining in Allied hands was a bulge of land round Ypres known as the Ypres Salient. The commander of the British army, General Sir Douglas Haig, wanted to break through the German lines there and launch an assault from the high ground to liberate the occupied ports on the Channel coast that served as U-boat bases.
Germany had declared unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917 and the resulting loss of unarmed merchant ships carrying food, coal and other essential supplies was bringing Britain to its knees.
Despite the misgivings of the Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, Haig (wrongly) believed the German army was close to collapse and the assault went ahead. By early September, after huge losses, Haig was put under political pressure to halt the offensive. He refused. Australia, New Zealand and Canadian forces joined the battle. A final assault on 6 November secured the high ground above Ypres allowing Haig to call off the offensive and claim success. But in 1918 the territory gained there was lost, recaptured in a German offensive.
Haig was later severely criticised for continuing the assault for so little apparent strategic value. His actions, resulting in such a toll of human life on both sides, have remained a subject of controversy to this day. But the battle did contribute to an ultimate Allied victory and represents one of the key engagements of the First World War.
King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment War Memorial, Westfield War Memorial Village, Lancaster. Sculpture by Jennie Delahunt. Unveiled 4 August 1926. Upgraded to Grade II*. © Historic England DP156627. This memorial of a soldier giving a drink to a kneeling distressed comrade sits in the centre of Westfield Village (itself listed Grade II). The village was founded in 1924 by public and individual subscription to provide accomodation and employment for disabled veterans – primarily those of the local King’s Own Royal Lancaster regiment. It originally consisted of 30 cottages set in a series of streets radiating out from the memorial. The village still provides a home for ex-servicemen to this day. Sculptor Jennie Delahunt wanted the memorial to capture the ethos of the village – the able helping the less able. Very few war memorials were sculpted by women.
Lance-Corporal Henry John ‘Harry’ Patch of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry photographed in 2007. © Jim Ross. Harry Patch died in 2009 aged 111. He was the last surviving combat soldier from the First World War. He joined the 7th Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry as an assistant gunner, arriving in France in June 1917 and fighting at Passchendaele that summer. On 22nd September a shell exploded overhead and he was badly injured by shrapnel in the groin. Three of his comrades were blown to pieces. He later said ‘…Passchendaele was a disastrous battle…thousands and thousands of young lives were lost. It makes me angry…I went back to Ypres (November 2004, aged 106) to shake the hand of Charles Kuentz, Germany’s only surviving veteran from the war. It was emotional. He is 107. We’ve had 87 years to think what war is… it’s a licence to go out and murder…’
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire War Memorial, Kempston, Bedfordshire. Designed by local architect George P. Allen. Unveiled 11 November 1921. Upgraded to Grade II*. © Historic England DP182315. The memorial is in Neo-classical style with a circular temple whose dome is encircled with the words: THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVER MORE. A Roll of Honour rests within on an oak altar. It was erected to commemorate the 6,081 men of the Bedfordshire Regiment (renamed in 1919 the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment) killed in action in the First World War or who died of injury or illness. Originally they were remembered on a central obelisk that included on its pedestal a list of their theatres of war, including Ypres. This obelisk was moved to the left in 1950 and a matching one installed to the right in commemoration of the 1,074 men of the two Regiments who fell in World War Two.
Hamsterley Colliery War Memorial, County Durham. Newly listed at Grade II. Image courtest of North-East War Memorials Project This simple wheel-head cross in this pit village is a particular memorial to Major Arthur Toward Watson, to whom there is a dedication at the base. He was a member of the family that owned and ran Hamsterley Colliery. 58 names of other local colliery men who died in the First World War are also recorded. Part of the memorial’s inscription reads: ‘…THE WORKMEN OF THIS VILLAGE WISH TO PLACE ON RECORD THEIR SORROW AT THE LOSS OF THEIR FRIENDS AND EMPLOYER WHOSE MEMORY THEY WILL HOLD IN AFFECTION FOR ALL TIME…’
Major ‘Patch’ Watson. Information courtesy of Liz in Eastbourne on the Great War Forum. Arthur Watson was a colourful figure who had always wanted to be a soldier, but was initially thwarted because of the loss of his right eye in a shooting accident. But he was a fine rider and, in September 1914, secured a commission with the Army Remounts Service responsible for provisioning and training horses for war. He was 46.Watson transferred to the 21st Battalion of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps (21 K.R.R.C) and, in May 1916, was sent to France. He was badly wounded at the Battle of the Somme but, after recovering, returned to France, commanding his Company at the Battle of Messines, June 1917.The Battle of Passchendaele began 8 weeks later. 21 K.R.R.C had a supporting role attacking the German forces, before being moved back from the front line into reserve. Watson had just been given a transfer to Britain but, before he left, decided to say goodbye to his comrades. As he picked up a bundle of the soldiers’ letters to take back with him, an enemy shell exploded nearby and he was terribly injured. He died of his wounds 5 August 1917 and was buried at La Clytte Military Cemetery, Belgium.
Archive image of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire War Memorial, following its unveiling and showing the original single central obelisk. © Martin Edwards.
Royal Fusiliers War Memorial, Holborn, London. Sculptor Albert Toft. Unveiled 4 November 1922. Upgraded to Grade II*. © Historic England DP176382. This memorial honours the 22,000 Royal Fusiliers who fell in the First World War. The figure was modelled on an actual soldier who fought in the war. and was deployed by Toft in two other memorials. The Royal Fusiliers were one of the capital’s main army units. This figure guards the entrance to the City of London. Albert Toft was one of the major figures of ‘New Sculpture’ – a movement that rejected Victorian stylised neo-classicism to produce work that was more naturalistic and vital.
Shrewsbury War Memorial, Shropshire. Sculpture by Allan Gairdner Wyon. Unveiled 29 July 1922. Upgraded to Grade II*. © Historic England DP196226. The memorial honours the people of Shropshire who lost their lives in the First World War. The bronze figure is of Saint Michael in full Gothic armour, holding a lance with a pennant, his right hand extended in benediction. It is a fine sculpture embodying chivalry and the fight against evil. The ornate floor of the monument is inlaid with plaques which includes the badge of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.
Croydon Cenotaph, Surrey. Sculpture by Paul Raphael Montford. Unveiled 22 October 1921. Upgraded to Grade II*. © Historic England DP182708. This memorial has several unusual aspects. The detailed bronze figure on the left is a soldier of the East Surrey Regiment who has a bandaged head wound and is also dressing a wound on his own arm. The soldier has a rifle behind him and a grenade at his feet – all indicating that he is at the front line. The woman to the right, wearing a wedding ring, is holding a child and clutching a letter. She is turned towards the soldier, eyes closed in distress. The implication is that she is a grieving widow, having just heard of the death of her husband. The memorial symbolises the suffering caused by war to both combatants and civilians and is unsual in showing the twin faces of war.
King’s Royal Rifle Corps War Memorial, Winchester, Hampshire. Sculpted by John Tweed. Unveiled 26 May 1922. Newly listed at Grade II*. © Historic England DP196436 This memorial by John Tweed, a leading sculptor of his generation, is dramatically sited in Winchester’s Cathedral gardens. It honours the 12,840 riflemen who lost their lives in the First World War. The highly realistic bronze figure is of a rifleman in full service dress, with a Lee-Enfield rifle, knapsack and ammunition pouches.
Edgar Mobbs recovering from shrapnel wounds sustained at the Battle of the Somme. Image courtesy of Olney & District Historical Society. Edgar Mobbs was a celebrated English rugby international who captained Northampton Rugby Football Club 1907-1913. Mobbs enjoyed a spectacular career. He attempted to enlist in the First World War, but at 33 he was refused a commission on age grounds. Undeterred and using his huge popularity and charisma, he raised his own ‘Sportsman’s Battalion’ of 264 sportsmen (‘Mobbs’ Own) for the Northamptonshire Regiment, joining as a private soldier. He rose to command the Battalion in April 1916 with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and fought at the Battles of Loos, Somme, Arras and Messines, where he was again wounded. He was killed in action on 31 July, the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele while leading an assault on a German machine-gun post that had trapped a detachment of his Battalion. His body could not be recovered.
Private Vernon Greenhough. Image courtesy of Michael Greenhough. Vernon was a miner in Crich, Derbyshire. Aged 23, he enlisted on 4 June 1915 and was posted to France where he was wounded the following year. He recuperated in Boulogne, France and then on a hospital ship, before joining the Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment). He was killed in action on 4 October 1917 during an attack on the first day of the Battle of Broodseinde, Passchendaele. His body was never recovered. He is remembered at the great Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium. http://www.crichparish-ww1.co.uk
Edgar Mobbs War Memorial, Northampton. Sculpted by Alfred Turner. Unveiled 17 July 1921. Newly listed at Grade II*. © Historic England DP217165 This is a remarkable memorial to a renowned sportsman and war hero. It consists of a bronze figure of Victory standing atop a tall shaft. On this are reliefs of battle and rugby, and a bust of Mobbs – a rare example of a public memorial to a gallant individual.
Guildford War Memorial, Surrey. Unveiled 6 November 1921. Newly listed at Grade II. © Historic England DP182722. This imposing Classical screen, made of Portland stone and supported on massive square pillars, stands in Guildford Castle gardens. It is ornamented with carved commemorative symbols of reversed swords and wreaths, and honours the 440 local servicemen who died in the First World War. Their names are recorded on stone panels.
Ypres Memorial Milestone, Christ Church, Shooter’s Hill, Royal Borough of Greenwich. Listed Grade II (list entry updated). © Historic England DP182715. This is an unique example of an 18th century milestone being adapted with a plaque that marks the fallen of the Ypres Salient offensive – the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). The milestone also shows how far it is to Ypres Cloth Hall, Belgium which was destroyed during the first World War. In 1922, the milestone was moved from the roadside opposite Christ Church to its current location in the churchyard. The plaque was added at that date in order to perform a commemorative function. The current plaque is a replacement for the one that was stolen.
Crich Stand Memorial Tower, Derbyshire. Unveiled 6 August 1923. Upgraded to Grade II* Copywright Rob Bendall. Crich Tower is a regimental memorial to the 32 battalions of the Sherwood Foresters who fought in the First World War and particularly honours the 11,409 men of all ranks who died. The circular tower – with a large stone cross inset on its face, along with the Sherwood Foresters’ insignia – is built high on the summit of Crich Hill. It stands nearly 20 metres tall and, unusually for a war memorial, has a viewing platform. In 1934, the tower was fitted with a large revolving searchlight whose beam has a range of 38 miles.
The Cenotaph, Rickerby Park, Carlisle, Cumbria, designed by Sir Riobert Lorimer. Unveiled 25 May 1922. Upgraded to Grade II*. © Historic England DP169615. Sir Robert Lorimer’s commanding granite cenotaph stands 12 metres high in Rickerby Park. The park was altered in 1920-1921 to form a war memorial park and has been newly listed at Grade II. The memorial commemorates the fallen of the old counties of Cumberland and Westmorland (now Cumbria). It carries the crests and insignia of the two counties’ Cumberland Artillery, Cumberland and Westmorland Yeomanry, and of the Border Regiment which fought at Passchendaele, along with those of the Army, Navy, Royal Air Force and the medical services. Lorimer was a distinguished Scottish architect and designer who also created the great memorials to the missing of Chatham, Plymouth and Portmouth, as well as the magnificently imposing Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle.
Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry War Memorial, Bodmin, Cornwall. Sculpture by Leonard Stanford Merrifield. Unveiled 17 July 1924 by the Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment, HRH the Prince of Wales. Upgraded to Grade II*. © Historic England DP196387. This memorial was erected by the Regiment to commemorate the 4,282 of its men who fell in the First World War. The Regiment suffered particularly heavy losses at the Battle of Passchendaele, with one battalion of several hundred men reduced to a fighting strength of just 70 by the end of the offensive. The bronze figure on a granite plinth – modelled on an ex-soldier – is unusual, both in its accurate detail and for its depiction of a solider in an aggressive pose: he has a fixed bayonet and is holding a Mills bomb with its pin pulled out, both indicative of combat. His open gas mask bag slung across his chest with its respirator pipe sticking out is a rare reference on a memorial to battlefield gas attacks.
A clay model of the Westfield Village memorial at the Storey Institute, Lancaster, prior to being cast in bronze in London. © The Kings Own Royal Regiment Museum KO0602/01. The memorial was modelled in the image of two serving members of the King’s Own Royal Lancashire Regiment, believed to be the two men standing behind the memorial. The woman to the left is probably the sculptor herself, local art teacher Jennie Delahunt.
Further Reading
- First World War Centenary: Home Front Legacy
- Imperial War Museum: Lives of the First World War
- Great War Forum
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