Walking the Salient

By Andrew Chapman

It was 4 am and apart from the odd milkman it seemed that the only souls venturing out into a cold winter’s morning were WFA members gathering for another visit to Ypres. At Macclesfield I joined Ralph Lomas and Steve Pearson and together we set off for Dover. Later that morning we met up with John Scott, John Richardson, Tom Willis and Andy McVeety from the Lancs and Cheshire branch and Clive Harris from Hertfordshire who had again agreed to be our guide for the visit.

How would the troops of 1914-18 have viewed the channel crossing? It would be wrong to generalise however I would guess that few would have relished returning to the Salient. Since returning I have been reading Wilfred Ewart’s book ‘Scots Guard’. There is a wonderful passage where Ewart describes receiving orders at his Battalion’s Headquarters during the summer of 1916 confirming that the Guards Division was to leave the Salient and move to the Somme to prepare for the next great offensive. This was to be the Battle of Flers Courcelette where the Guards Division was to suffer heavy casualties.

Although news of the move was classified, rumours spread quickly and Ewart was surprised on returning to his company in the front line to find his men in high spirits. Whispers of the move had travelled up to the front more quickly than the Company Commander. The men were elated. They knew that the move to the Somme would result in many of them being killed or wounded, however the thought of escaping from the Salient, was generally considered a price worth paying. How grim does a place have to be for men to think like this?

To Varlet Farm

After crossing the channel we drove to Varlet Farm which lies north east of Ypres half way between Poelcapelle and Passchendaele.It would be unfair on Ralph to mention the route we took however the area around Arras looked splendid as ever and crossing the La Bassee Canal fulfilled a long standing curiosity.

At Varlet Farm we met our friends from London Andy Bond, Neil MacKenzie and Mark Gardiner. Andy and Neil had joined the visit in 2005 and it was great to see them again.We were also joined by Martin Hornby and Nick Millard from the Somerset Branch. After the scramble for rooms (one or two loud snorers - no names no pack drill! - had left a legacy that had not been forgotten in just over a year) we headed off to Ypres to attend the Last Post at the Menin Gate and enjoy an excellent evening of Belgian cuisine.

Saturday 28 January

Saturday morning saw that fine line which lies between being a keen enthusiast and an over zealous eccentric undeniably crossed as Andy McVeety and I set off at 6.00am into a very dark January morning brandishing torches to explore the ground over which the Royal Naval Division fought on 26th October 1917.

Over Christmas I had been reading Christopher Page’s snappily titled book ‘Command in the Royal Naval Division’ If you find a copy don’t let the title put you off it is a great read.I was astonished that having stayed at Varlet Farm in January 2005 I had not realised how dramatic the events of October 1917 had been and how central the Farm was to the action

The Action at Varlet Farm

The 63rd (Royal Naval) Division was taking part in what was later named the Second Battle of Passchendaele being one of 8 Divisions attacking towards Passchendaele.They attacked just south of Poelcappelle with one brigade ( 188th) crossing the start line at 0540hrs.The Anson Battalion and 1st Royal Marines (‘’RM’’) battalion led the attack with 2nd RM Battalion in support and Howe Battalion in reserve.The Hood Battalion from 189 Brigade was held behind the start line for counter attack purposes.

By 0720 The Anson Battalion had captured Varlet Farm.Our hosts Charlotte and Dirk had recently uncovered the cellars and foundations of the original farm. Around the excavation lay the rusted debris of war. The Ansons left a garrison at the farm commanded by Sub Lt Stevenson (a Mancunian commissioned from the ranks) and pushed on to their objectives. As the battle become confused the Germans counter attacked in force. The C.O. of the Hoods (the Battalion designated to deal with counter attacks) was Commander Arthur Asquith son of the former Prime Minister. Unable to work out what was happening from the reports he was receiving Asquith went forward with his Artillery observer and a signaller to find out what was happening. He worked his way up to Varlet Farm which by this time was under heavy fire.Here he discovered Stevenson holding out with 11 survivors of his platoon and crucially a working Lewis Gun.The rest of his men were dead or lying wounded in the cellars that we were now looking at. Also in the cellars were a number of German prisoners. Whilst Asquith was in the farm the attacking Germans moved a machine gun to within 100m of the farm and poured down a furious fire.Asquith managed to leave the farm with his team and arranged for artillery to beat off the attack.He then proceeded along the front line visiting the pockets of RND sailors holding back the counterattack arranging for support and fire support where necessary.

Asquith died in 1939 and his obituary in the ‘Times’ was written by his RND friend and colleague Sir Bernard Freyburg VC.Freyburg mentioned the action on the 26th October 1917 and recounted that after the action Asquith had been interviewed by the Divisional Commander who informed him that his name had been put forward for the VC. Asquith was intending to put forward the name of his Medical Officer and aware that two VC s being awarded to the Battalion for a single action would be unlikely and he asked for his name to be withdrawn. It’s a strange story but it would be hard to doubt the word of Freyburg.

It was even more surprising to consider that we had stayed at the farm last year unaware that the farm was the scene of an action in which a former prime Ministers son was considered for the award of the VC.
After one of Charlotte’s enormous breakfasts we set off for our first days tour.

Oxford Road Military Cemetery

Clive’s plan for the day was to walk from the Wieltje area to Sanctuary Wood following the course
of the front line on 31 July 1917 as the Battle of 3rd Ypres started.If Ypres were the centre of a clock face we would be walking from around the 2 o clock position towards the 4 o’clock position
The cemetery contained 851 graves including Sgt Colin Blythe of 12th KOYLI. He died in November 1917 aged 39. A Londoner by birth Blythe lived in Tunbridge Wells playing cricket for Kent between 1899 and 1914 taking over 100 wickets in all but 2 seasons and playing in 19 Test Matches for England.

We then walked a very short distance to the 50th Divisions Memorial.This large white stone obelisk dominates the landscape in the flat country side around Wieltje and marks the site where this Division of Geordie Territorials was rushed into the 2nd Battle of Ypres in April 1915.They had only been left England a week previously. Their casualties were horrendous

Walking Along Oxford Road

Our walk then took us alongside flat open and muddy fields past a concrete bunker towards the village of Weiltje.Some members of our party (they know who they are ) seemed to have a particular ‘thing’ about bunkers. Still I know what my wife thinks about my interest in the Great War so in the spirit of ‘those in glass houses…’ I’ll say no more!

After a thorough examination of our first bunker of the day (there were more to come – so keep reading), we walked through the area over which the 55th West Lancs Territorials attacked on the 31st July 1917.Somewhere in the muddy field we passed Capt Noel Chavasse was fatally wounded tending to the wounded of the Liverpool Scottish.His bravery that day as to earn him a bar to his VC.
Nearby Lt Col Bertram Best Dunkerley of 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers was also to be fatally wounded leading his men and also being awarded the VC. A 26 year old former teacher he was hardly the model of a typical CO. His reputation was that of a rather humourless martinet.However even those who found him difficult acknowledged his total disregard of danger and determined leadership.

Aeroplane Cemetery and St Charles de Potyze

Following a track now built over the route of the trench known as Oxford Road we continued to Aeroplane Cemetery. This cemetery was named after a crashed aeroplane the wreckage of which formed a prominent landmark within the Salient.The cross of sacrifice there is said to have been located over the site of the crash.In the cemetery there is a grave to ‘An unknown Sgt- Maj of the Royal Horse Guards. Attempts on the internet that evening to put a name to the grave were a failure, although it seems possible that diligent research might well reveal the identity of this man.

A short walk from Aeroplane Cemetery took us to took us to the large French cemetery of St Charles de Potyze.3748 headstones in a variety of shapes reflecting the beliefs of each person lie in perfect symmetry, the words ‘Mort pour la Patrie’ marked on each stone.

Cambridge Road and Railway Wood and Hooge Chateau

We then followed the route of the former trench line known as Cambridge Road which links the roads radiating out of Ypres to Zonnebecke and Menin.Following the track towards Railway Wood we passed two private memorials.These commemorate Capt Geoffrey Bowlby of the Royal Horse Guards who was killed on 13th May 1915 during the Second Battle of Ypres aged 21 and Capt Henry Skrine of the 6th Somerset Light Infantry who was killed on 25th September 1915.Both officers are remembered on the Menin Gate memorial however these memorials were made by their families and located as close as possible to the location of each of their deaths.

We then followed the line of Railway Wood to the Tunellers Memorial which marks the spot where members of 177 Tunneling Company RE and Infantry assisting them were killed on 28th April 1916.I recently bought a little paperback called ’30 Odd Feet Below Belgium’ edited by Arthur Stockwin.It is a collection of letters and photos relating to 20 year old 2Lt Geoffrey Boothby RE who was killed at this spot and is commemorated on the memorial.Reading the letters he wrote and looking at photos of a young man proudly photographed in his brand new (albeit slightly too large ) uniform with an almost child like face makes memories of this lonely memorial seem all the more poignant

We continued past the Liverpool Scottish Memorial on Bellewarde Ridge along the edge of a muddy new ploughed field to the rear of the Hoogue Chateau grounds and finally onto the Menin Road. We then walked along the Menin Road to the Kings Royal Rifle Corps Memorial .This small grey stone cross commemorates all 22 Battalions of the KRRC raised in the Great war.Clive spoke with pride about the Riflemen having himself been attached to their successors the RGJ during his own time in the Army.

Sanctuary Wood

From here we crossed the Menin Road and walked down a rough track towards Sanctuary Wood. Most of use were familiar with the Museum and Café in the South East Corner of Sanctuary Wood, however Clive was leading us into the wood from the North and it was remarkable that whilst close to areas so frequently visited we were in a part of the wood that save for the occasional dog walker was simply not visited.Clive had brought along some contemporary maps indicating a number of mine craters and we managed to find them although they were heavily overgrown.

Andy McVeety took on a new role of bunker locator extraordinaire. One bunker was particularly interesting (I can’t believe I just wrote that !).It was a British built bunker partially demolished and in which the nose cone of a shell was still visible embedded in the concrete. Clive believed it was a late issue German shell due to the poor quality alloy used, perhaps a legacy of the Spring Offensive at Ypres in April 1918. By the time we had finished exploring this quiet and relatively untouched part of Sanctuary Wood we headed back to Varlet Farm via the Poelcapelle British Military Cemetery. We went in particular to visit the grave of Tom Willis’s uncle. Pte Harry Willis of the 2nd South Lancs who was killed in action on 2 August 1917.Poelcapelle has always had a rather grim reputation however as the winter sun went down in the sky the cemetery had that peaceful beauty that we must all have experienced from time to time when visiting the memorials the fallen of the Western Front.

Also lying in this cemetery is Pte John Condon of the Royal Irish Regiment who was killed aged only 14.As the father of an 8 year old boy I find the sight of this teenager’s grave deeply moving.

Leaving Poelcapelle we returned to Varlet Farm after an excellent day’s walking and then headed off to Ypres for the evening.