Walking Ypres: Hooge Crater Cemetery
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- Опубліковано 13 жов 2024
- In this third video where we walk the battlefields near Ypres in Flanders, we visit Hooge Crater Cemetery.. With over 6,000 graves, we look at the burial of the dead, the concentration of margraves after the conflict and what it meant to families to feel the loss of those who fell in the Great War. Along the war we look at the fighting here, including the Canadians who held this sector in 1916.
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Last year while watching the TV program Flog it I was horrified to see people selling off their great grandfathers war medals for very little money. This got me thinking so I ebay searched WW1 medals to which I found hundreds for sale.. I bought a Victory medal belonging to a young soldier named William Martin who was killed at the Somme November 1918. A Google search revealed very little but we found his resting place in Cambria. In August last year myself and two chums set out from Belfast on our motorcycles heading for Northern France. On our second day we visited Cambria and found young Private Martins grave. We buried his medal in a little tin box in his grave and placed two Union flags and a poppy cross with him. I then gave a reading from Laurence Binyons For the fallen and couldn't help but shed a tear for this young man who gave his life for King and Country only to be forgotten in the mist of time....
What a great thing to do and thanks for adding that story!
Thank you for doing this, what a lovely and respectful thing to do, as a veteran myself I found that quite emotional god bless you
@@nick7602 thank you. I think about Private Martin from time to time wondering what sort of chap he was. I know one thing about him.. His bravery..
God bless.
God bless you all, what a respectful thing to do. You have brought a tear to my eye.
@@grahamhollingworth8253 Thank you🇬🇧🙏
Excellent presentation, thank you. I thoroughly enjoy your channel. My family was heavily involved in the Great War and I well remember my grandmother talking about her lost brothers in the 1970's like if they had been lost the day before. Her pain was never assuaged.
Yes, the cost of that war was especially high for the women left behind. Thanks for the kind comments.
another great video....i could watch stuff like this for hours...
Thank you! Another one next week!
Thoroughly enjoying watching your videos and listening to your podcasts. You have a great affinity with history Paul and effortlessly recount the events of over 100 years ago. Thank you
Thank you, Nick - that’s very kind.
Excellent stuff. So well presented and researched. Thank you
Thank you!
Another wonderful video. Thanks so much
Thank you!
Another really nice vlog, thank you. The quality of the photography is sharp as a pin and the inserts of old photos is very effective
Thank you! Really appreciate the comments.
Your presentation is so good. Thank you, very thought provoking.
Thank you, I appreciate your comments.
Great video…. Visited the museum at Hooge during a stay in Ypres not long ago, & it was excellent, second only in the area probably to the one at Passchendaele. Incredible places to visit in the immediate area, always interesting things to learn about this war so really enjoyed this video👌
Sub’d too, look forward to watching some more of your travels…
Thank you.
Excellent video Paul.My Great Grandfather Richard Ireland,Kings Liverpool Regiment is buried there.Myself and other younger family members have visited several times over the years,
Thank you, Paul and nice to hear of your connection to it.
You do a great job of these videos. Thank you
Thank you!
Another great video. Look forward to them. Thanks again from NZ.
Thank you - another one next week!
Hi Paul firstly thank you for your uploads they are very precious insights which guide me through my interest of WW1, I travel in the campervan to Northern France and Belgium to try and connect with my ancestors and to appreciate what was done for me by those young men and women of the commonwealth. I enjoyed immensely your podcasts on Spotify and I thought I would comment here as a few months ago I too was at this same Cemetery paying my respects to an Officer, 2nd Lt George Henry Hornbeak killed 2nd Oct 1917 of 22nd Brigade RFA, this is the very same Regiment I would later serve as young Gunner in 22nd Air Defence Regiment RA, so as I was in the area I wanted to pay me respects, thank you again for the research you do, kind regards James
Thanks, James. And that’s a great connection to have! Thanks for the kind comments.
@@OldFrontLine Thank you Paul, I have several soldiers in research at the moment, Great Grandfather Gunner Charles T Purvis 14 HY Battery RGA (survived whole war) Great Grandfather George Tate Yorkshire Regt, Suvla Bay and Western Front (survived war) Grandfather PW Crook RN Battle of Jutland on-board HMS Cochrane (survived war), wife's Great Grandfather Richard Evans 1st/6th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (KIA 4th July 1915), killed returning from work detail at Sanctuary Wood by Artillery, buried in Bedford House Cemetery, so as you can see there are alot of stories, places and situations that keeps us travelling over there, and just when you think you might have gleaned the information you searched for and you find out something new, it's a passion that seems continually renew itself and keeps us wanting to learn more.
Regards James
I always visit Frank Abbott here at Hooge Crater and put a comment in the visitors book. I don't know why...................I just do...........
It's a long walk from the front gate to the back wall.................... but easy to park. And you can get a cup of coffee at the museum opposite - which is well worth a visit..............
Is he a relation?
@@OldFrontLine Not a relation at all (although he has the same name as me). I've sort of 'adopted' him 🙂
Another great VLOG. Thanks again Paul for the effort you put into these. Incredibly sad to think that the ground around Ypres that was so fiercely fought over to achieve meager gains was often subsequently retaken.
Thanks - and yes it became the British anvil of sacrifice in the Great War, sadly.
I've watched two of yours now (Railway Wood and RE Grave) and applaud your simple style of presentation, with the accompanying illustrative photos. With a name like mine, I especially notice all those graves.
Thank you, Peter. More films coming along shortly.
Thx Paul great video
Thank you!
It’s very sobering and sad to think about those men. My great grandfather survived despite being wounded at least twice, part of the 7th RIF 16th Division. He enlisted at 37 years with 7 children. Can u imagine. My great uncle was killed at Fampoux Fr on 11 April 1917, as part of the suicidal attack by the 10th BDE, 4th Infantry Division. The 1st BN RIF got wiped out along with the 2nd Seaforth Highlanders in a broad daylight attack across 1500 yards of flat, open ground, and they got murdered by 32 machine guns, artillery, and infantry. It was murder. So sad. So many lost for pointless attrition attacks. He was missing for almost 30 years until he and two others were found during a housing development dig. His poor mother and father died never knowing where he was. Luckily he was found, and reburied with the other two found with him in Terlinchtun Cemetery near Boulogne Sur Mer.
Gosh, yes that was a terrible attack and I’ve walked that ground a few times over the years. Thanks for sharing your story.
Excellent video Paul. I’m 99% sure my great uncle’s remains are at Hooge as I have a photo of my grandmother standing next to a wooden cross there. However his name is on the back wall at Tyne Cot. I hadn’t realised before what a high proportion of headstones there have no name.
Sadly so many graves were lost by the end of the war as fighting raged across that ground.
@@OldFrontLine Indeed. Incidentally, he was killed constructing a track from Chateau Wood to the front line adjacent to Polygon Wood on 29.9.17. It’s possible he made the walkway in the iconic photo you have used as a banner on the website.
As ever, another great video.
Thank you!
. I have walked most of the front. Have you been to Verdun or do you just cover the British battles. It’s well worth a visit. Your videos are very well informed. Thanks
I’ve been along all 450 miles of the Western Front over the past 40+ years including Verdun many times but not filmed there yet. Hoping to do that and some other French battlefields in March!
@@OldFrontLine sorry I’m new to your Chanel and knew you must have been there. Great work👍
No problem - there might be a short up from when I was last there in July but some proper films coming down the line!
Great stuff. I was wondering and it got me thinking after seeing the 1914 to 1918 trench line movement on another channel. I’m not sure if you have talked about it but it seemed to take a few days to push the British front lines up after the Germans retreated to the Hindenburg line . Have you ever discussed this and what the thoughts of the men and officers were ?
I have on my podcast, which you’ll find links to on the main page. And my aim will be to look at these things on the Channel going forward.
@@OldFrontLine Thanks for that. I’m now trying to go through your wonderful podcasts.. I knew the front line was static but if the video on the other channel was correct which seems to be well intentioned the first genuine significant movement was at that point in 1917 as a retirement by the Germans. It just surprised me that much.
My mother's cousin is buried there having been killed at Arras in 1917
He just have been killed at Ypres to be buried at Hooge? Do you know anything else about him?
Pronounced -Hawge not Hoog
@@jasoreed that’s now, perhaps although the emphasis is on the Hoo - which always sounds more like ‘hoe’ than ‘haw’. But you have to remember that British soldiers in the Great War did not use those pronunciations.
@@OldFrontLine yes I know how the English and Australians pronounced the Flemish and French names . Maybe I should explain myself, I’m Australian and I lived here for a year on kortrijk bike racing when I was younger, so I learnt to speak Flemish and the proper pronunciation of the towns , the question is do we as war enthusiasts try to use the Flemish names or the French names or as the soldiers then used. I believe we should use the Flemish pronunciation as I have been reprimanded by Belgian friends when I used the French name Messiness rather than Mesen which sounds like May-zen. I love all your vids by the way and have watched them over a few times they are all the places I have been when I was there but exploring by bike. I also comment on Steven Uptons channel helping him with the proper sound. Here is a few out of interest if you’re wondering - Ieper - Eeperr with a roll of the tongue on the R, Pashendaele - Pussin- Dala. Zonnabeke -Zonabaker. Ghulavelt - hula velt. Wijschate - Way- Schaat. Menen- Maynen. Zillabeke- zillabaker. Poperinge- poper- ringha . Ploegteert - ploogstuurt. Just a few if you understand , I’m doing a tour next April with battlefield cycling tours, looking forward to your new vids , by the way not many ppl cover the Dodengang - Dowdenhang at Diksmuide - Diks- mooda. It’s seems a bit outside the salient .
@@jasoreed thanks, and I appreciate that and am aware of how those places are pronounced but I won’t be using those and don’t think anyone describing First World War history should either as it’s, in my view a-historical. Ypres was not known as Ieper in 1914 so there is no such thing as the ‘First Battle of Ieper’ for example. I love Flanders and its people, but this is a channel about WW1 history and the language of that period is what is important in my view.
@@OldFrontLine fair point 👍 we have the same last name by the way Reed, my fathers father was from England .
Your pronunciations are incorrect. You are in Flanders where they speak Dutch. Ypres is the French name for the Flemish city of Ieper. The 'Ie' is pronounced 'Ee' as in 'the word 'seem'. Hooge is pronounced 'Hoe-ge' as in the garden tool hoe. OO in Dutch is always pronounced 'Oh' as in 'Oh my goodness'. Hope that is helpful.
Thanks, that’s very true for the modern day Ieper but we’re discussing the Great War when it was known in all British accounts as Ypres, and it would be a-historical to use Ieper in the context of the war. British soldiers pronounced Hooge as I did in this film, and again as this is about the history of those places then, I will continue to use that pronunciation unless I’m on the ground speaking to people there now.
I cannot understand anyone who sells off military medals,gained by previous generations of a family. To me it is a form of cheapening their memories. I believe some things are more valuable than money alone.
It’s certainly hard to understand but in my experience some families just don’t care and only see such things as objects, not what they reflect or stand for.