Several war memorials and war graves have been erected in the Belgian region Flanders to memorialize the events that took place there during World War I. By the end of 1914 the Western Front ran from Nieuwpoort on the North Sea Coast to the Swiss Border. After the war, many memorials were erected in and along the area through which the front line had been. Five memorials are carillons, musical instruments of bells, which memorialize the loss of lives, cultural heritage, and bells during the war. Most of the war memorials in Flanders can be found in the Province of West Flanders (), which comprises the arrondissements of Bruges, Diksmuide, Ypres, Kortrijk, Ostend, Roeselare, Tielt and Veurne.

Military cemeteries in West Flanders

Name Comments ImageBelgian Military CemeteriesThe main Belgian Military Cemeteries are at Hoogstade near Alveringem, Oeren near Alveringem, Adinkerke near De Panne, De Panne, Keiem near Diksmuide, Houthulst, Ramskapelle near Nieuwpoort, Steenkerke near Veurne, and Westvleteren. The typical Belgian headstone is of a uniform and distinct shape and colour and the cemeteries are well maintained. See photograph on the right.British CemeteriesThe website "The Great War in Flanders Fields" lists 173 British Military Cemeteries in West Flanders. Here we see graves at one of the cemeteries at Passendaele.French Cemeteries17 French Military Cemeteries are listed by "The Great War in Flanders Fields". In the photograph here we see graves at Roeselare French Military Cemetery.German Military CemeteriesThere are First World War German cemeteries in Flanders at Vladslo, Menen, Hooglede and Langemark. At Vladslo we can see the sculpture by Käthe Kollwitz called "The Grieving Parents" a memorial to Kollwitz' son Peter who was killed fighting in the area. The photograph shows some of the crosses at Vladslo and the flat headstones seen in many German cemeteries. Vladslo contains 25.644 graves. Started in 1917, it held the bodies of 3,233 soldiers by the end of the war and in 1954 it was agreed that graves be moved to Vladslo, Langemark, Menen and Hooglede from the many smaller burial sites in the area and as a consequence the number of soldiers buried at Vadslo reached the present figure. Menen now holds the remains of 47,864 soldiers, Langemark 44,324 soldiers and Hooglede 8,247. At Langemark there is a distinctive sculpture by Emil Krieger- see photograph in gallery.

WW I memorials in West Flanders

Yser Area There are many monuments and memorials in this sector which celebrate the Battle of the Yser and other events. These include – Name Location Comments ImageThe Yser MemorialNieuwpoort BelgiumThe Yser Memorial was crafted by the Belgian sculptor Pieter-Jan Braecke. It is centered a column, upon which stands the figure of a woman representing Belgium who holds the Belgian crown away from the invading Germans. At each of the four corners of the column's base is a soldier, one of these soldiers has lost his sight, another is wounded, the third is sick whilst the fourth is fit and ready to resist the invader. The memorial was inaugurated on 26 October 1930. A photograph of one of the four soldiers is shown on the right and other photographs of the Yser Memorial appear in the gallery below.The Albert MemorialNieuwpoort BelgiumA large circular structure representing a crown is supported by 10 columns and in the centre is a bronze equestrian figure of Albert I, the "Soldier King". The circular structure can be reached by either stairs or a lift and serves as a viewing platform. On the interior side of the circular structure the words of two poems are inscribed, one by August van Cauwelaert and the other by Maurice Gauchez. Some of the bricks carry the names of villages and towns in the Yser area that saw fighting including Boesinghe, St Joris, Tervaete, Vidlette, Diksmuide. The architect/designer was Julien de Ridder and the sculptural work was carried out by Charles Aubroeck. The inauguration and unveiling took place on 24 July 1938 in the presence of Queen Elisabeth, King Leopold III, Prince Charles, Prince Baudouin and Princess Josephine Charlotte. Apart from the equestrian figure, Aubroeck created ten relief panels on the exterior side of the upper circular structure. One of these depicts a scene in the Congo and the others depict various themes including the spiritual life, the sciences, working life in the ports, working life in the mines, leisure time and life at sea. The foundation stone was laid on 8 August 1937. The foundation stone is inscribed The Nieuwpoort Memorial to the MissingNieuwpoort BelgiumThe Nieuwpoort Memorial consists of a pylon of Euville stone, 8 metres high, surrounded by a bronze band on which are inscribed the names of the casualties commemorated. The memorial stands on a triangular paved platform and at each corner of the triangle is a recumbent figure of a lion facing outwards. The memorial was designed by William Bryce Binnie. The sculptural work is by Charles Sargeant Jagger.A plaque at Ramskapelle acknowledging the assistance of the FrenchRamskapelle, BelgiumThis is a plaque outside the church at Ramskapelle near Nieuwpoort in West Flanders which acknowledges the role played by the French 16th Division fighting alongside the Belgian 6th Regiment and was erected by its people in gratitude to the French. The plaque was inaugurated in 1938.Marker (Albertina). commemorating the flooding of the YserNieuwpoort. BelgiumWe also find near to the Yser Memorial a small memorial commemorating the opening of the Yser floodgates. The inscription in Flemish reads "Onderwaterzetting 29th October 1914", this being the date on which the sluices were finally opened. There are many of these diamond-shaped markers throughout the region. They are known as "Albertina Memorials" and were erected by the Belgians between 1984 and 1988 to commemorate the death of King Albert I. Each bears his monogram and marks a significant site or event relating to the First World War. A link to a listing of all these Albertina Memorials is given here.The Memorial to Admiral Pierre Alexis Ronarc'h and his Marine Fusiliers.Diksmuide BelgiumThis memorial was inaugurated in 1963 and stands in a park off Oostvesten in Diksmuide. It is dedicated to the memory of Admiral Pierre Alexis Ronarc'h and those of his Marine Fuseliers who gave their lives in defending Diksmuide. It comprises a long low wall with a slight curve and a plaque at one end reading At the other end an anchor is set into an opening in the wall. Set into the ground in front of the plaque is another bronze plaque, this time a circular plaque, which summarised the order given to Admiral Roanrc'h by the French commander in the sector Général d'Urbal. It reads Not much room for misunderstanding in this order which in effect states that the position should be held until the last marine fell!Bataille de l'Yser, Les Fusiliers Marins a Dixmude by Jean Mabire. Published by Fayard. 1979.The statue of Le General Baron Jacques de DiksmuideDiksmuide BelgiumBy 20 October 1914, the 43rd and 44th German Reserve Divisions were pressing hard against Diksmuide held by just two Belgian Regiments and Admiral Ronarc'h's force of marines. The Belgian 12th Linie Regiment commanded by Colonel Jacques had all of the roads to the east to cover, whilst Admiral Ronarc'h was guarding the western approaches. At 09:00 hours that morning the Germans opened up with their heavy artillery in a bombardment which was eventually to reduce Diksmuide to rubble and both Colonel Jacques and Amiral Ronarc'h had to withdraw.Little of Diksmuide and Nieuwpoort was left standing when the war finally ended.The Zeebrugge Memorial- A memorial to the Missing.Zeebrugge BelgiumThe Zeebrugge Memorial is a small stone panel set in the wall of the churchyard, and commemorates three officers and one mechanic of the Royal Navy who lost their lives at Zeebrugge on St George's Day 1918 and have no known grave. The port of Zeebrugge had been used by the British Expeditionary Force in October 1914, and bombed by Commonwealth and French aeroplanes frequently thereafter once occupied by the Germans. On 23 April 1918, British sailors and marines, in a collection of monitors, destroyers, motorboats, launches, old cruisers, old submarines and Mersey ferry-boats attacked the mole at Zeebrugge and attempted to block the canal leading to Bruges.IjzertorenDiksmuide BelgiumThe Ijzertoren (Yser Tower) is a memorial by the Yser at Diksmuide. The first tower was built after the 1914–18 war by an association of Flemish veterans but this was dynamited in 1946. The authorities never caught those who committed this action and it is thought to have been carried out by French-speaking radicalists. The Ijzertoren has always been a rallying point for Flemish nationalism. A new and indeed higher tower was built and the remains of the old tower now form the "Paxpoort" or "Gate of Peace". The words "Nooit meer Oorlog"(Never again War)is written on the tower in Flemish, French, English and German. The rebuilt tower is 84 metres high. The tower also has the abbreviation "AVV-VVK" written on it. This stands for "Alles Voor Vlaanderen-Vlaanderen voor Kristus" which translates as "All for Flanders-Flanders for Christ". The Ijzertoren has a lift to take you to the top of the tower where there are splendid views of the countryside and a small museum. The peace gate has hugh high reliefs by Charles Aubroeck at each corner. One of these reliefs is a depiction of the painter Joe EnglishJoe English Wikipedia. Retrieved 5 December 2012 English's remains and those of other Flemish heroes are buried in the Ijzertoren crypt. Edward and Frans Van Raemdonck, Lode De Boninge and Frans Van der Linden and Renaat De Rudder are others whose remains are buried in the crypt and were the subjects of Charles Aubroek's reliefs on the "Paxpoort".Artillery Platform of Long MaxKoekelare Belgium6 km from the German Military Cemetery of Vladslo and 10 km from Diksmuide you can find the artillery platform of Lange Max ("Long Max"). This was the location where the former biggest gun of the world was located. From this location Dunkirk (± 45 km) and Ypres were bombarded. Next to the artillery platform there is the Lange Max Museum.DodengangDiksmuide BelgiumNear to the Ijzertoren is the Dodengang (Trench of Death), a 300 yards section of preserved trench. A demarcation stone was unveiled here in 1922 by King Albert. This particular trench played a key role in preserving the front line in this area and stopping further German incursions.

Ypres Salient

Historical background The Ypres Salient was the site of five battles during World War I: The First Battle of Ypres (19 October – 22 November 1914), the Second Battle of Ypres (22 April – 15 May 1915), the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (31 July – 6 November 1917), the Fourth Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of the Lys (9–29 April 1918), and the Fifth Battle of Ypres (28 September – 2 October 1918).