LEARNING
ACTIVITY
Student worksheet
How revealing is this postcard of fighting
around Ypres in World War 1?
German postcard of a cavalry attack at Ypres
How revealing is this postcard of fighting around Ypres in World War 1? | Helen Snelson | Page 1 of 6
LEARNING
ACTIVITY
Ruins of the Cloth Hall (Lakenhalle) and St Martin's Cathedral in Ypres, 23 January 1916.
How revealing is this postcard of fighting around Ypres in World War 1? | Helen Snelson | Page 2 of 6
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ACTIVITY
The 3rd Battle of Ypres. Produced by the Ministry of Information, UK, it shows the battle of the
Menin Road Ridge. Men of the 13th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, resting in trenches during
their advance on Veldhoek, 20 September 1917.
How revealing is this postcard of fighting around Ypres in World War 1? | Helen Snelson | Page 3 of 6
LEARNING
ACTIVITY
The 3rd Battle of Ypres. Produced by the Ministry of Information, UK, it shows a section of the
battlefield after several months of battle. You can see a British tank half submerged in mud and
water near St Julien, 12 October 1917. It has been knocked out of the battle.
How revealing is this postcard of fighting around Ypres in World War 1? | Helen Snelson | Page 4 of 6
LEARNING
ACTIVITY
German troops making concrete blocks, Wervicq, Ypres area.
How revealing is this postcard of fighting around Ypres in World War 1? | Helen Snelson | Page 5 of 6
LEARNING
ACTIVITY
CrossRoads at St Eloi, near Ypres, taken from a German plane 12 March 1916. This aerial
photograph shows trench lines and shell damage in the area around St Eloi, near the Ypres
salient. Trench lines can be seen as long, indented lines outlined by the lighter colour of the up
cast earth. Communications trenches run between the lines. Shell holes and mine craters form
starburst patterns. The importance of aerial photographs is clear in Field Marshal (Earl) Haig's
dispatches of 19 May 1916, 'In the air there is seldom a day, however bad the weather, when
aircraft are not busy reconnoitring, photographing, and observing fire. '
How revealing is this postcard of fighting around Ypres in World War 1? | Helen Snelson | Page 6 of 6