Ypres

Ypres (French, generally used in English;1 Ieper official name in the local Dutch) is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the towns of Boezinge, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke and Zuidschote. On January 1 2005 Ypres had a total population of 36,120

World War I

In the First Battle of Ypres (October 31 to November 22, 1914) the British captured the town from the Germans. In the Second Battle of Ypres (April 22 to May 25, 1915) the Germans used poison gas for the first time on the Western Front (they had used it for the first time at the Battle of Bolimow on January 1, 1915) and captured high ground east of the town.

Related Topics:
First Battle of Ypres - October 31 - November 22 - 1914 - Second Battle of Ypres - April 22 - May 25 - 1915 - Poison gas - Western Front - Battle of Bolimow - January 1

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The largest, best-known, and most costly in human suffering was the Third Battle of Ypres (July 21 to November 6, 1916; also known as the Battle of Passchendaele) the British, Canadians and ANZAC forces recaptured the ridge at a terrible cost of lives.

Related Topics:
Third Battle of Ypres - July 21 - November 6 - 1916 - Battle of Passchendaele - ANZAC

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English-speaking soldiers in that war often referred to Ypres by the (perhaps humorous) mispronunciation "Wipers".

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The landscape is littered with wargraves, both of the Allied side and the Central Powers. The countryside around Ypres is featured in the famous poem by John McCrae, In Flanders Fields.

Related Topics:
John McCrae - In Flanders Fields

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Menin Gate

The Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres is dedicated to the fallen soldiers in the immortal Ypres Salient during the First World War who have no known graves, and whose bodies are still buried on the battlefields around Ypres. Every evening since 1928 traffic around the imposing arches of the Memorial has been stopped while the Last Post is been sounded beneath the Gate. This tribute is played in honour of the memory of British Empire soldiers who fought and died there.

Related Topics:
Menin Gate Memorial - Last Post - British Empire

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The ceremony was stopped by occupying German forces during the Second World War. It was resumed on the very evening of liberation — 6 September, 1944 — not withstanding the heavy fighting that was still taking place in other parts of the town.

Related Topics:
6 September - 1944

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