WW1 in Scotland
Information sheet
Battlefield Background
Battlefield debris
The huge number of shells fired during WWI has left a dangerous legacy for visitors
today. Ploughing can still turn up an “iron harvest.” Regular collections are made
by the army, who take away dangerous objects and dispose of them safely.
Explosives become very unstable with age, and many French and Belgian children
are still injured or blinded by handling such things.
If you see anything you even think is a WWI relic, do not touch it. Even a piece of
barbed wire can cause tetanus or gas poisoning. Remember that the removal of
anything from private land is stealing.
Demarcation Stones
In the ten years after 1919, 119 small monuments were erected in Belgium and
France, at intervals along the 400 miles of the Western Front. They mark the limit
of the German advance in 1918. Through time and the destruction of WWII, many
have been destroyed. A few still exist and may be seen on the tour. They are all
about 1 meter high and are of three basic types. The top of the stone is carved in
the shape of a helmet – French, Belgian, or British depending on which army
stopped the German advance at that point.
The Poppy Legend
The poppy was found on many battlefields of the Western Front. Where
everything else had been destroyed, the blood red flowers still bloomed, and the
battlefields burst into a blaze of scarlet. Poppies often marked the graves of those
buried near the front line, as the seeds were brought to the surface by digging.
Lord Macauley noticed the link between the poppy and the battle – it was he who
suggested the poppy should be chosen as the flower of sacrifice and remembrance.
The importance of Ypres
It was absolutely vital that the British controlled Ypres because it blocked the
German advance on the Channel Ports. If these ports were taken then:
1) it would not be so easy to supply the British Army
2) Britain would be open to invasion by the Germans
If the Germans smashed through Ypres, the Allied trenches to the south would be
open to attack from the side. That would then have forced the British and French
to retreat, which may have allowed the Germans to win on the Western Front.
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WW1 in Scotland
The British held Ypres throughout WWI. Their lines bulged out around the town.
As they could be fired on from three sides (north, east, and south), it was called a
salient. It was here that thousands of British troops were killed, injured or posted
missing.
The Menin Gate
The Menin Gate in Ypres is not a replica. It is one of the most famous monuments
to the armies of the British Empire who defended Ypres between 1914 and 1918
and to those who have no known graves. It is built at that point where the main
road to Menin leaves the shelter of Ypres’ city walls. This was the gateway to the
front line for thousands of soldiers – for many it was the last sight of Ypres they
would ever have.
Menin Road
The Menin Road was probably one of the most dangerous on the Western Front.
There was no cover outside the ruined walls of Ypres, and the troops were a
prefect target for German gunners. Just over 1 km from Ypres was Hellfire
Corner, a junction on which the Germans had their guns permanently sighted.
Despite the canvas screens used by the Allies to hide movement, the Germans
were always sure of hitting something because the junction was such a busy one.
No Known Grave
Why were there so many soldiers with no known grave?
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In modern warfare high explosive shells, mortars and mines either ripped
people apart or buried them under falling earth.
Where the dead had been collected together and buried in a graveyard, the
same ground was often fought over many times or shelled from a distance. The
graves would be ripped open and the bodies blown to fragments. Reburial in a
known grave was impossible.
The dead were often buried where they were killed and the grave marker was
often destroyed.
On the Menin Gate, there are the names of 54,896 soldiers with no known grave.
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WW1 in Scotland
The Last Post
“You feel a host of ghosts behind you; you hope they approve and are at
peace; you remember them.”
The War Walk – Nigel Jones
This ceremony, carried out by the local Fire Brigade, has been held every evening
at 8:00 pm since 11 November 1929. The only break was between 1940 and 1944
when the Nazis occupied the town. The ceremony is very moving.
They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn;
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Lawrence Binyon
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WW1 in Scotland
Excursion Information
Sanctuary Wood (Hill 62 Museum): Hill 62 is so
called because it is 62 metres above sea level.
A small part of the original wood here has been
preserved as it was at the end of the war. Of
all the sites, Hill 62 gives the best impression of
conditions in the trenches. There is a network
of trenches and underground tunnels that can
be explored, but be prepared as it can be very
muddy. The site houses a small museum with
an excellent collection of wartime photographs and relics.
Tyne Cot Cemetery (British): Tyne Cot is the
largest British military cemetery in the world with
11,871 graves. It lies at the top of the
Passchendaele ridge. The cemetery is perfectly
maintained and very peaceful.
Langemark Cemetery (German): This is the
only German cemetery on the Ypres Salient and
is a stark contrast to Tyne Cot. It is
predominately dark in colour with a somber
atmosphere. There are about 25,000 remains
buried in mass graves with the names recorded
on metal slabs. Some of the soldiers buried
here were student soldiers killed in the First
Battle of Ypres in October and November 1914.
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WW1 in Scotland
Newfoundland Park, Beaumont Hamel: This
Canadian National Historic Site is a memorial
to the Newfoundland Regiment and remains
very much as it was in 1916. Opened in 1925
and maintained by Veterans Affairs Canada,
the site commemorates soldiers who died in
the most dramatic days of the 1916 Campaign.
Two opposing trench systems can be clearly
seen.
Thiepval Memorial: It is dedicated to the
73,000 Allied troops who lost their lives in the
Somme and who have no known grave. It was
the site of some of the bloodiest fighting of
1916 and remains a poignant reminder of the
scale of the suffering encountered during the
battle of the Somme.
Vimy Ridge: This site centres on the Canadian
Corp’s superbly planned capture of Vimy
Ridge in April 1917, an event that proved to
be a turning point for the Allies in the First
World War. The trenches and subways have
been preserved and restored.
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WW1 in Scotland
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