World War One - Battles of Ypres

The Battle of Ypres consists of a number of major conflicts during the First world war that took place after the German and Allied forces got bogged down in trench warfare around the Belgian town of Ypres.

The fighting in the area was often fierce and lasted nearly the whole length of the war, so the casualties were enormous - probably over a million dead.

Image right - British soldiers moving forward during the Battle of Broodseinde. Photo by Ernest Brooks.

Battles

First Battle of Ypres (19 October – 22 November, 1914)

The "Race to the Sea".

Second Battle of Ypres (22 April – 15 May, 1915)

First mass use of poison gas by the German army.

Battle of Passchendaele (31 July – 10 November, 1917)

AKA the Third Battle of Ypres.

Battle of the Lys (9–29 April, 1918)

AKA the Battle of Estaires or the Fourth Battle of Ypres.

Fifth Battle of Ypres (28 September – 2 October, 1918)

AKA the Advance of Flanders and Battle of the Peaks of Flanders

Cemeteries

There are hundreds of cemeteries and memorials for the war dead around the battle field - Wikipedia gives and overview and links on to more detailed lists. There is also a project on here for the Ypres Salient Cemeteries

On here we have projects for:

• Loos Memorial and Dud Corner Cemetery
• The Thiepval Memorial
• Le Touret Memorial and Military Cemetery
• Vis-en-Artois - Memorial and British Cemetery, Haucourt