The Battle of Poelcappelle (Ypres)
The Battle of Poelcappelle was fought in Flanders, Belgium, on 9 October 1917 by the British and German armies, during the First World War and marked the end of the string of highly successful British attacks in late September and early October, during the Third Battle of Ypres.
Duck-board carrying party, near Langemarck (Langemark-Poelkapelle),
11th October 1917.
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| Brookes, Ernest (Lieutenant) © IWM (Q 3005) |
Ruined houses in Poelcappelle.
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| German Official Photographer © IWM (Q 45462) |
Walking wounded coming down and reinforcements going up a duckboard trench near Langemarck (Langemark-Poelkapelle), 11 October 1917.
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| Brookes, Ernest (Lieutenant) © IWM (Q 3006) |
The weather and ground conditions put severe strain on all involved and led to many soldiers being killed or wounded.
Five miles North East of Ypres, there is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Poelcappelle, now spelled, Poelkapelle. It contains 7,500 burials, with over 6,000 of these being unknown. Many of the burials are from the later part of 1917.
As always, I am indebted to the Imperial War Museum for the opportunity to share these fascinating photographs taken at the time by WW1 photographers.
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