Battle Studies The Second Battle of Ypres 1915

Life in Ypres

In spite of the fact that the front line was only a few kilometres from the eastern side of Ypres, many hundreds of inhabitants were still living in the historic mediaeval town and its surrounding villages. Restaurants, cafés and shops were still trading and doing good business with the large influx of Allied soldiers.

Up to this point in time the town and the area immediately around it had not been seriously affected by damage from artillery or infantry fighting.

The weather in mid April 1915 was warm and sunny. Farmers were tilling their fields close up to the fighting zone and trees and plants were coming into bloom.

War Diary of the Ypres Town Major

The Town Major was Lieutenant-Colonel E B Hankey. He had arrived in Ypres on 12 April to take over the duties of Town Major. During the Battle of Gheluvelt at the end of October 1914 Major Hankey, as he was then, had played a prominent role in the defence of Ypres.

At the Town Major's office in the Rue Carlton his Staff comprised a Belgian interpreter, a Sanitary Officer from the British Royal Army Medical Corps, a Service APM, an Acting Garrison Sgt. Major, a clerk and an orderly. Two lieutenants were also attached to the Staff from the General Headquarters' Intelligence Department.

With reference to the situation in the town of Ypres as the German artillery began to bombard it, Lieutenant-Colonel Hankey wrote the following in the War Diary:

"19th: The town was bombarded from 10am to 12.30pm. Casualties amongst the inhabitants: 9 killed, 8 wounded. I made arrangements for Belgian travailleurs to be employed permanently on the road near town drinking water supply which was getting very bad." (1)

The photograph (right) shows a working party of Belgian contractors [travailleurs] with barrels and carts at the Lille Gate, the southern entrance to the town. (2)

Damage to British Rear Areas

British units billeted in farms only a few kilometres to the east of Ypres had suffered intermittant shelling from German artillery from late March. This photograph was taken in the Hooge area to the south east of Ypres (3).

Acknowledgements

(1) War Diary of the 5th Army Corps, DA & QMG for the month of April 1915 dated 30/4/15: ref. WO95/4048: Public Record Office

(2) IWM neg. no. Q 61659 (Norman F Ellison collection): photograph by kind permission of the Imperial War Museum Department of Photographs

(3) IWM neg. no. Q 61612 (Norman F Ellison collection): photograph by kind permission of the Imperial War Museum Department of Photographs