Kemmel & Bayernwald Trenches
A view of Kemmel Hill shortly after the War. Photo: NELS
Kemmel Hill today
Kemmel village can be found about six miles south-west of Ypres, and is reached by following the N336 out through the Lille Gate, and then turning right onto the N331 about half a mile further on (just before the level crossing).
Located just to the north of the village centre is Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery. The entrance is flanked by twin brick-built arches, and the village cemetery is located immediately to its left. The land and rows of graves curve slightly uphill away from the road, and then downhill. Many of the headstones are quite irregularly spaced. The cemetery was established early in the war, in December 1914, taking its name from Kemmel Chateau which stood to the rear of the cemetery location. The chateau at certain stages in the war housed an Advanced Dressing Station (ADS), and the cemetery continued to be used until March 1918, when Kemmel was taken by the Germans. Although it was retaken later on that year, both the cemetery and the chateau suffered from shelling with the chateau being destroyed. In total there are 1,135 First World War soldiers buried here, all but three being identified. In addition, located in a row on the left by the entrance are 21 Second World War burials.
Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery
Buried in Row J is Private James Jacobs of Lancaster, who served with the 2nd King's Own (Royal Lancasters). He was killed in action on the 25th of June 1915, and the register tells us that he was the grandson of a Crimean War veteran. In Row X is one of the many Canadians buried here: Private Henry Harry Jackson (originally from Cumberland in England). He enlisted in September 1915, and probably died as a result of wounds he suffered when his battalion, the 72nd (British Columbia Regiment), carried out a raid near Kemmel on the 16th of September 1916. The battalion war diary reports that it was a bright moonlit night, and that although all the raiding party returned to the trenches, five of them were wounded. They did however take two German prisoners - capturing enemy soldiers to determine which units were in the line was often an objective of raids. Also buried here is an uncle of the novelist Daphne du Maurier - Lieutenant Colonel Guy du Maurier, who was a veteran of Burma and South Africa. He was commanding the 3rd Royal Fusiliers, and was aged 49 when he died in March 1915.
There is a small square in the centre of the village, with shops and restaraunts lining it. From here, a road leads out of the village and up the hill. After a few hundred yards there is a parking area and information boards on the left hand side. Also here, although sometimes not easy to see behind the trees, is a tall modern sculpture as shown below. I have recently been informed that this statue has been destroyed, however.
Modern sculpture on Mont Kemmel
Just opposite this, a cobbled track leads uphill off to the right, past the restaraunt De Alverman. This road leads up Kemmel Hill (Kemmelberg). The road winds uphill steeply, past the tower of the Belvedere restaraunt on the left. The tower can be climbed for an entrance fee and has excellent views of the surrounding country. This tower is a replacement for one sited here before the war, which was used as an observation post during it.
The Belvedere on Mont Kemmel
Carrying on up the hill, at the top is another parking area, by which is a large French Memorial. This is a tall, imposing white monument, with the figure of an angel on the front. It was unveiled on a misty day in September 1932, by Marshal Petain, who also referred in his speech to the British 9th Division which was also involved in the action. The figure represents France, the granite monument behind is 54 feet high and topped by a poilu's helmet. On the front are the words 'Aux soldats Francais 1914-1918'. The angel has her eyes closed, with what seems an expression of suffering and sadness on her face.
The French Memorial at the top of Mont Kemmel
The memorial is to commemorate French soldiers who fought and died here in April 1918. The British held Kemmel Hill against a determined German onslaught on the 17th of April 1918, and it was just after this that the French took over the lines here. The Germans attacked again, using gas, on the 25th of April, and this time broke through taking the hill. However, their final offensive was now running out of steam. On a road a little to the west of Kemmel Hill is one of the demarcation stones that mark the limit of their advance.
The Angel on the French Memorial
The cobbled road then continues from the summit down the other side of the hill, and at this point is extremely steep indeed, and the cobbles can be slippery. Down this road, visible from the monument at the top of the hill, is the French Cemetery and Ossuary.
The French Cemetery and Ossuary at Kemmel
There are information boards outside the Ossuary to the left, and these show interesting photographs of the site over time. The earliest show the excellent views behind the Ossuary, which in later photographs and today are blocked by trees.
Old photographs of the French Cemetery and Ossuary on an information board nearby
The Ossuary was constructed after the war, and contains the remains of many of the French soldiers who fell trying to defend the hill in April 1918. For those used to the individual headstones of Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries, it is somewhat shocking to learn that 5,294 soldiers are buried in this small area, with only 57 of these identified. The 57 identified are listed alphabetically by name on the front of the obelisk in the centre of the Cemetery. On the other side is a plaque which gives the total number.
The 57 known burials listed on the Obeslisk...over 5,000 more were buried here
This approach of mass burials contrasts with that of the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC), the forerunner of the CWGC. It was determined very early on that the names of each and every British and Commonwealth soldier who died would be commemorated individually, either on headstones above their individual graves, or else on 'special memorial' headstones when it was thought they were buried in a certain cemetery, or it was known they were but the location of the grave had been lost. For those who had no known grave, their names would be inscribed on a series of Memorials to the Missing, such as at the Menin Gate in Ypres and at Ploegsteert to the south. Anyone visiting CWGC cemeteries will have seen the many unknown burials, again each with an individual headstone with the inscription "Known Unto God".
The road to the top of Mont Kemmel rises steeply behind this view of the Ossuary
Kemmel Hill is a tourist area, popular with cyclists and walkers, and the views from the hill over the surrounding countryside can be superb. Back in the village, just off the roundabout is a tourist information centre. This is where to go before visiting the Bayernwald trenches. The information centre will supply a code number which is then used to gain entry to the Bayernwald trenches. Although this restored trench system is some way from Kemmel, and in fact nearer Wijtschate, I have covered it on this page as the ticket has to be purchased in Kemmel, and there are also sites of interest on the route taken to reach it.
The map on the back of the ticket they shows how to reach the trenches but can be misleading. It does not show all the turns or features, and it is easy to take a wrong turn.
To reach the trenches: From the tourist information centre, return to the roundabout just before it and turn left on the N331 heading back towards Ypres. Continue quite a way along, past La Laiterie Cem (on the left), and then past a Demarcation stone and American Monument on the right.
The American monument is a large white Rocheret stone set within short white pillars. An information board is located on the left hand side, giving the historical background. The monument commemorates the actions of US soldiers from the 27th and 30th Divisions who fought in August and September 1918. Around 1,300 from the 27th Division and 800 from the 30th Division died in these actions, which followed a German withdrawal. The monument stands in the middle of the area over which the US troops made their advance, and was erected in 1929. Some of the Americans who died during these actions are now buried in the Flanders Field American Cemetery, which is near Waregem, about 35 miles east of here.
The American monument near Kemmel
Just to the right of the American monument is a Demarcation Stone. These were erected after the war to mark the furthest points to which the Germans advanced, and originally there were many, although only a small number now remain. This one was moved from it's original location here (or nearby) after the Second World War to Vierstraat. It was moved bak to the Kemmel road in 2005.
Demarcation stone near Kemmel
To continue to the Bayernwald trenches, after the American monument take the next right turn, just after a large two-tone building on the left with the word "PREFAB" printed on it. There is a signpost here as well.
This small road winds, first downhill and then uphill again towards a wood on the left. Just before the end of the wood is a left turn which again is signposted, and this comes out of the end of the wood. There is a small parking area on the left and Croonaert Chapel Cemetery can be seen in the field to the left (the pathway which leads to the cemetery is a little further on).
Croonaert Chapel Cemetery
Parking your car at the parking area, to reach the trenches walk up the road to the right, past a new house being built on the corner. When I made my visit, a shell lay on the verge here, probably dug up during the building of the new house.
Iron harvest near Bayernwald trenches
Bayernwald Trenches
The entrance to the trenches is on the right, and the code you are given at Kemmel should be keyed in, then the door will unlock.
Entrance to Bayernwald trenches and the poem 'Seidenschleier' just inside
There is a sheltered information area on the left as you enter, which has information boards about the trenches including wartime aerial photographs as well as a modern aerial view of the site, and a 'You are here' legend on each to allow one to understand exactly the context of the wartime layout. There is also a bronze relief map of the salient.
Bronze relief map
Also here are wartime photographs of German soldiers manning these trenches. There is a schematic showing the layout of the trench system which includes four bunkers and two mineshafts. Another information board explains that one of the mine shafts was unearthed in 1971 by schoolteacher Andre Becquart. He later excavated the four bunkers, and opened the site as a museum. However, after he died the site was more or less abandoned, until in 1998 restoration work commenced. This was initially made possible by Heuvelland council, and later also by the Association for Battlefield Archaeology in Flanders. The restored trench system was opened in 2004, and there are several places at which one can enter the trench system itself.
Wicker-lined trenches surmounted by sandbags (right, the view from the trench)
There are a number of information boards at various points within and outside the trenches, and one of these explains that the earliest trenches were built with wood and sandbags, whilst later (1916) trenches were constructed with reversed A-frames connected by wickerwork. There are wartime photos of trenches which can be compared with the restored trenches. There are even portions of corrugated "elephant iron" used to form part of the trench edge at one point.
Elephant iron in the side of the trenches
The trenches are surprisingly shallow, and to keep ones head below the parapet one would have to duck the whole time. Wooden A-frames make firing steps. In some places low bars of wood run right across the trench which were well below my head height. This meant ducking even more to pass through these sections.
Bayernwald trenches
The trench system contains two mineshafts, one (Berta 4) 17 metres deep. This was the shaft discovered by Andre Becquart in 1971. An information board nearby shows the layout of the shaft, as well as photographs from it's excavation. In May 2006 when I visited, it was full to the top with water.
One of the mine shafts at the Bayernwald trenches
There are four bunkers within the trench system, made of pre-fabricated concrete blocks as can be seen in the photographs. An information board explains that those near the front line were constructed of the pre-fabricated blocks, which makes sense as the positions would have been subject to enemy fire. Further back, concrete without the need for prefabrication could be used.
One of the bunkers, exterior and interior
One bunker has half it's structure missing on the left side, and this allows the thickness of the roof to be seen. The height of the bunkers was limited to 1.2 metres, and orders were that they were only to be used as shelters during violent shelling. It was believed that 'larger constructions would affect the offensive mind' of the soldiers.
Another Bayernwald bunker: the thickness of the walls and roof can be clearly seen
The largest bunker has two entrances, and was also completely water filled when I visited. Whilst four bunkers can be seen today, in 1918 there were 10 bunkers at Bayernwald. An information board shows details of how they were constructed, plus a photograph of one partly built.
The largest bunker at Bayernwald
One trench was taped off when I visited, with the side having started to collapse. However, this is a marvellous site to visit - not only because of the trenches themselves, but also the thought that has gone into the information boards that give background to the bunker construction and the mineshafts, as well as contemporary pictures of trenches and other items. Nowhere near as busy and popular as the trenches at Sanctuary Wood, perhaps because of it's more remote location, the Bayernwald trench system deserves a higher place on the list of "must visit" sites in the Salient.
Two views of the trenches
Locre
Locre (today Loker) is a small village located about two miles or so to the west of Kemmel. Next to the road leading there (Lokerstraat) are some British bunkers, known as the Lettenberg bunkers. These are located to the right side of the road just as you come out of Kemmel, climbing up a hill towards Locre, at the edge of some woodland. They are reached by a short path through the woods, which is signposted - take the left fork of the track as it enters wood.
The Lettenberg bunkers
The bunkers were constructed in the spring of 1917, although the 175th Tunnelling Company had been digging to create underground headquarters here for some months before that. There are four bunkers, including a first aid post which has a red cross painted on the wall, and a command post located at the far end. There are information boards outside the bunkers.
The Lettenberg bunkers
Locre Hospice Cemetery is to the south-east of Locre village, reached by following a small road called Godtschalkstraat. Following this small road will eventually lead you back to Kemmel. The cemetery is on the upslope of a hill, to the right of the road as you leave Locre, and now behind a newly constructed house. A grass track leads to it from the road, to the left of this house. Locre Hospice Cemetery is a long narrow cemetery, containing just three long rows of graves. The cemetery was started in June 1917, and used up until April 1918. The Hospice itself from which the cemetery takes its name was originally nearby. Usually some distance behind the lines, in April 1918 Locre was captured by the Germans, fought over and then retaken by the French on the 30th of April 1918.
Locre Hospice Cemetery
There are just under 250 Great War burials or commemorations here; and at the far end of Row 3 are 14 Second World War burials. These graves are not marked on the plan of the cemetery available on line at the CWGC website, and they have been hand-drawn in on the plan in the register at the cemetery. Behind the Cross of Sacrifice are nine special memorials commemorating men known to be buried in the cemetery. At the front of the cemetery is a seat looking up towards the Great Cross at the far end, and on the back of this seat is the inscription found in all CWGC cemeteries in Belgium about the ceding of the cemetery land in perpetuity.
Locre Hospice Cemetery
A path runs by the right hand wall of the cemetery to a site at the rear of the cemetery where Major William Redmonds grave is located. Despite being buried outside the walls of the cemetery Major Redmond is listed in the register, where further details are given: he was mentioned in Despatches and was also awarded the Legion of Honour by the French. He had served as MP for Wexford since 1884, and was aged 56 when he died of wounds (although the inscription on the cross itself states "killed in action") received at the Battle of Messines. Rather than the usual Plot, row and grave number, his grave position is described as "close to path leading to the cemetery".
Major Redmond's grave - just outside Locre Hospice Cemetery
Major Redmond, along with three other men, was originally buried in the garden of Locre Hospice, and standing either side of the grave cross are two stones which originally were part of the Hospice buildings. Behind the cross is a modern pipe which has been put in place, surmounted by a figure of the Virgin Mary.
On the road leading into Locre is the rebuilt Hospice. In front of it is a small part of a stone wall from the original. The information board tells the story of Major William Redmond,
Locre Hospice was rebuilt - today there is an information board on Major Redmond in front of some stones from the original Hospice
Sources & Acknowledgements
Beatrix Brice: The Battle Book of Ypres
Major & Mrs Holt: Battlefield Guide to the Ypres Salient
Paul Reed: Walking the Salient
Rik Scherpenberg for information on the Demarcation Stone
The Times online archive