A Walk Around The Palingbeek – The Bluff
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This WW1 Tour is a rewarding walking tour of The Bluff, Palingbeek, Ypres battlefields and it is designed for free independent enthusiasts of the Ieper (Ypres Salient) who like to explore and are not interested in being led to the usual suspects of an organised tour. It includes the five CWGC cemeteries on the north side of the canal First DCLI Cemetery, The Bluff, Woods Cemetery, Hedge Row Trench Cemetery, Chester Farm Cemetery, Spoilbank Cemetery, and one on the south side, Oak Dump. A main entry point to the Palingbeek is the Bluff Audio Visual Information Point which was constructed for the centenary and is a shelter with a video presentation that describes the nature of the fighting in this sector. The
‘Waterlock’ and ruins are one of many features that still remain including the demolished German dugouts and shelters at Buffs Bank. On the north side of the canal. The wooden walkway has information boards to add to the experience and prevents the erosion of the ground. Today, the Palingbeek is a scenic nature reserve that provides a unique blend of rich history and stunning landscapes. The domain features beautiful walking trails, picnic areas, and playgrounds for children, making it an ideal destination for families. The footprint of the fighting in the Ypres Salient in this area is also all around you. Making use of trench maps, excerpts from war diaries, and the diaries of the men who fought here, this walk around the Bluff will enable you to learn more about the men who fought and died here and are buried in the CWGC cemeteries within the Palingbeek.
The Bluff
The Palingbeek is located between the railway on one side at Hill 60 and the disused canal on the other. The British referred to the Palingbeek as ‘The Bluff’ however, the soldiers fighting in this area only knew that they were fighting near the Ypres – Comines canal or Verbrandenmolen and Hill 60. Initially, The Bluff was not referred to as this by the British and the name appears in early war diaries as ‘The Fort’ and ‘T Trench’ this was the trench around the top. The War Diary of the 1st Battalion The Welch Regiment on 15 February 1915 refers to: ‘T Trench was a sort of Hillock and was capable of being made very strong, but there was a good deal of dead ground in front and on the N of it. It was regularly and accurately shelled twice a day by the enemy.’ The Bluff was created from the spoil thrown up from a large cutting when the Ypres to Comines
Canal was being constructed. The trench lines ran between Verbrandenmolen on the left and The Bluff and the early trenches were constructed by the French in 1914. The British then took over the line and the trenches were numbered, as opposed to being named trenches, and the fighting here went on for four years. A ridge hill behind the Bluff gave
the British another high point to defend. The Germans had a full view of the northern flank of the Bluff from their position known as the Bean and this limited the manning of the Bluff by the British to the canal side where they had their trenches and dugouts. The Bean was an irritation to the British but manning it was costly to the Germans as it was overlooked by the Bluff and the ridge behind. Located to the east of the Bean was The Ravine which was a V-shaped depression and began in front of the German front line. The trenches in this sector were a series of ditches that ran at odd angles which had been dug by the French to defend against the Germans who were sapping their way forward. Due to the nature of the ground the British built sandbag defences as fire trenches dug quickly filled with water. The 2nd Battalion The Buffs (Royal West Kent Regiment) recording in their War Diary on 7 February 1915: ‘Reports from Coys showed that trenches were in a very bad condition, the men standing knee deep in water in many places and the parapet not bullet proof.’ Writing in her ‘Battle Book of Ypres’,
Beatrix Brice quotes Lieutenant-Colonel H, d’Arch Smith, 2nd Suffolks who describes the work in reclaiming land from the overflowing water, and consolidating their trenches: ‘We floundered in the mud, we endeavoured to stop or rather to divert the endless flow of water which the Boche, being as always in higher ground than ourselves, cleverly poured into our trenches to join streams that flowed in from our back area. In fact we became amphibious. With keenness, ingenuity, and cunning we dug where we could, erected parapets where we could not, and filled hundreds of sandbags, with a sort of porridges of mud as a foundation before anything could be built up… The arrival of timber and of ready-made duckboards helped matters, and support and communication trenches began to look as though they might resist a puff of wind, though the front-line ones had not much more strength than what a barrier of barbed wire lent them.’ Recreation, and in particular bathing and washing, was enjoyed by the men at Lock 7b. This was behind British lines and full of water and hidden from the view of the Germans and here the British soldiers could wash and bathe as was recounted by Major The Honourable Ralph Hamilton, Royal Artillery, in his diary of 17 June 1917: ‘The banks of the canal are very high and steep and the Germans had honey-combed them with tunnels. Horrible smells were coming out of the mouths of the tunnels, so I did not look in. There was a certain number of dead Germans lying about, but most of the mess had been cleared up already. The Canal is full of water, with steep sides, and on our way home Coates and I had a glorious swim. I swam up and down for half an hour, and have not felt fresh and clean for a long time. The sun was simply scorching, and I was dry almost before getting out of the water.’
Hedge Row Trench Cemetery, CWGC, Ypres was begun in March 1915 and used until August 1917, sometimes under the name of Ravine Wood Cemetery. Hedge Row communication trench was located in The Bluff and was constantly targeted by German artillery, and the cemetery suffered very severely from shell fire, and after the Armistice the positions of the individual graves could not be found or reconstructed. The headstones are therefore arranged symmetrically round the Cross of Sacrifice. Every headstone is in fact a Special Memorial with ‘Known To Be Buried Here’ on each headstone.
Mine Warfare at the Bluff
Mine warfare was a prominent feature with many craters still visible today. On the 10 October 1915, the 10th Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, 9th (Scottish) Division
held the trenches numbered 27, 28 and 29 at the Bluff. This was one of the best places in the Salient for observation and was therefore one of the first places that mine warfare developed. The dispositions of the 10th Argyll’s saw three Companies ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’ occupy trenches the trenches and ‘D’ Company was in reserve in dugouts at Spoilbank. ‘A’ Company had two platoons in the firing line and two platoons in support in dugouts on the Bluff. On the evening of 12 October, the Battalion was relieved by the 6th Battalion Royal Scots fusiliers who took over trenches 27 and 28 leaving 10th Argyll’s holding trench 29 with ‘A’ Company and the other companies in reserve in Canal Bank and Spoilbank. At 6am on 13 October the Germans exploded a mine underneath an old crater in trench 29 and the War Diary records: ‘At 6am the enemy exploded a large mine under the old CRATER in trench 29. This did a lot of damage in front and on the BLUFF and was most regrettable in that we lost about 70 men, 14 of whom were killed and 16 missing. All dugouts nearby were completely blown in, causing many men to be buried.’ Two Falkirk District men were killed in this action Private David Burt from Camelon and Private John Dow from Falkirk. An extraordinary incident occurred on 30 December 1915
which was recorded in his diary by Billy Congreve, Brigade-Major, 76th Brigade, 3rd Division: ‘Some excitement today. About 7am this morning, all the water in the big Bluff crater suddenly disappeared with a rush and left exposed in the south-west corner of it the entrance to a Boche gallery. Brisco (2nd Lieutenant R B Brisco, Royal Engineers) at once went up and started off down the gallery by himself, leaving a man armed with a rifle at the entrance. After going about sixty feet, he heard somebody coming towards him, so he slowly retired. When he had got close back to the entrance again he waited and, as soon as the Boche showed his head round the corner, fired with his revolver. He missed. The man who was with him, in his excitement, let off his rifle. It flew up and hit Brisco a whack on the nose that nearly knocked him out, so the Boche got away. I went up in the afternoon to see how things were and found the crater almost dry. Many tons of water must have run down the Boche gallery…… I found three grenadiers of the RWF sitting on top of the block! These I hurriedly withdrew to a safe distance. About half an hour later the Boche blew up his gallery from the inside without doing us any damage, so now all is quiet…’ Read more about the Mine Craters of Messines Ridge
The First D.C.L.I. Cemetery, CWGC, Palingbeek, Ypres, dates from a period earlier than the fighting of 1916. It contains the graves of 51 officers and men of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (one of whom had just obtained a commission in another Regiment) and other soldiers, all of whom died in April-July 1915. There are twenty three men in Row D who were brought here after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefield.
Retaking The Bluff – March 1916
Before the attack on Verdun the Germans initiated a series of diversionary attacks along the allied line. One of these attacks was against the British line at The Bluff in the Ypres Salient. They exploded a mine in front of The Bluff on 22 January and shelling half a mile of front line trenches, including The Bluff itself, on the 14th February. The front line was defended by the 17th Division’s 51st Brigade which had relieved the 76th Brigade on 7th February. The Bluff was held by a single platoon of the 10/Lancashire Fusiliers when the Germans attacked. Their positions were blasted by artillery and the men sought cover in
the Bluff’s tunnels. This was a fatal mistake as the Germans exploded a small mine beneath and buried the occupants. The captured trenches were consolidated and repeated attacks to retake them failed. It was concluded by the commander of V Corps that to retake The Bluff and the lost trenches would require a more detailed plan and the attack to be undertaken by troops who knew the ground. For this reason 76th Brigade were recalled from reserve and placed under the command of 17th Division for the attack on 2 March. Brigadier General H.C.C. Uniacke, GOC Royal Artillery, V Corps, was brought in to arrange artillery co-operation. All four of 76th Brigades Battalions would be taking part in addition to 7/Lincolns and 10/Sherwood Foresters from the 51st Brigade.
The plan was for the 2/Suffolks, supported by the 10/Royal Welch Fusiliers to storm The Bluff as well as the canal bank where the German mine workings were suspected. Companies of the 1/Gordon Highlanders were to attack on the left and the 8/King’s Own to attack the centre. The difficult area was The Bluff because of its height and the ability for surveillance. It was considered impossible for the 2/Suffolks to cross No Man’s land without supporting artillery cover. To do this would forewarn the Germans. It was estimated that two minutes was all the time the Suffolks needed to cover the ground. It was Uniacke who came up with the answer. He would arrange for a battery to fire a salvo at The Bluff, followed by another salvo two minutes later and this pattern would be fired at irregular intervals day and night leading up to the day of the attack. Only at zero hour would one salvo be fired and while the Germans were taking cover expecting the second salvo the Suffolks would cross and storm the German positions. At 4.30am after the guns fired for two minutes being the usual salvo the Germans had been expecting at 4.32am as the fire ceased the assault went in. the Germans were taken by surprise and except for the loss of one of the tunnelling parties and three platoons of ‘A’ Company, Gordon Highlanders who were practically annihilated by machine-gun fire, all objectives were achieved. Two men from Falkirk District died in the action by the Gordon Highlanders Private John Anderson of Larbert and Private Charles Mason of Plean, Falkirk.
Woods Cemetery, CWGC, Ypres, is the nearest to the road of the three cemeteries located on The Bluff. The other two being Hedge Row Trench Cemetery and First DCLI Cemetery, The Bluff. Woods Cemetery was begun by the 1st Battalion Dorsets, 15th Infantry Brigade, 5th Division, and the 1st Battalion East Surreys, 14th Infantry Brigade, 5th Division. in April 1915; it was used until September 1917 by units holding this sector, and by the Field Ambulances of their divisions. Many of the graves are of men from 2nd, 3rd, and 10th Battalions, Canadian Infantry, and the London Regiment. The graves of the London Regiment are from battalions of the 47th (London) Division who were in this sector from late 1916 their burials are in Plots IV and V. It is thought that buried in Plot I, Row B, are six men. The irregular shape of the cemetery is due to the conditions of burial at the times when the front line was just beyond the wood. The 1st Battalion, Canadian Infantry War Diary records that the Battalion was engaged in building a new cemetery, Woods Cemetery.
Boy Soldiers
In the Ypres Salient, we are drawn to the graves of 6322 Private John Condon, 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, killed in action in May 1915, age 14 and the youngest known battle casualty of the war, although this is now questioned, and the grave of 5750 Valentine Strudwick, 8th Rifle Brigade, killed in action in January 1916, age 15. Strudwicks grave attracts a great deal of attention because of its location at Essex Farm and that locations association with Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae and the poem ‘In Flanders Fields.’ There are many more ‘Boy Soldiers’ buried across the Salient and who are not remembered in the same way and these include three from Falkirk District Private William Jamieson, age 17, Private James Duchart, age 16, and Private Herbert Richmond, age 17. There were many reasons why under age boys enlisted in 1914 and 1915 boredom with their jobs, looking for adventure, and escaping family pressures. The checks on age and qualification to enlist were more relaxed than later in the war. There are a number of Boy Soldiers buried in the featured cemeteries their ages ranging from 15 to 17 years.
Chester Farm Cemetery, CWGC, Ypres, was the name given to a farm, probably by the Cheshire Regiment, about 1 Km South of Blauwepoort Farm, on the road from Zillebeke to Voormezeele. The cemetery was begun on 15 March 1915 when two men from the Norfolk Regiment were buried here both killed on the same day and are buried in Plot II AA1 and AA1A, and was used by front line troops until November 1917. Plot I contains the graves of ninety-two officers and men of the 2nd Manchesters, who died in April-July 1915, there are seventy-two London Regiment burials, thirteen men from the East Surrey Regiment buried here in April 1915, and sixteen men from the 1st and 4th Battalions Gordon Highlanders. The 1st and 4th Battalions Gordon Highlanders of 3rd Division held the trenches here during July and August 1915 and the command post on the raised ground on the northern canal bank between the Bluff and Spoilbank was named Gordon Post.
The remains of Buffs Bank Dugouts today.
Spoilbank Cemetery, CWGC, Ypres (also known as Chester Farm Lower Cemetery or Gordon Terrace Cemetery) was begun in February 1915, and was used by troops holding this sector until March 1918. It is particularly associated with the casualties of the 2nd Suffolks (Plot I, Row B) on "The Bluff" early in 1916. It was enlarged after the Armistice when 125 graves were brought in from the battlefields in the surrounding area.
On the south side of the canal there is one cemetery.
Oak Dump Cemetery, CWGC, Ypres, was established by fighting units during the summer months of July, August, and September 1917. One grave from 1914 was relocated here after the Armistice, notably that of Second Lieutenant A K Nicholson. This cemetery occupies what was once No Man’s Land and is now bordered on three sides by the Pallingbeek Country Club golf course. Buried here is 2nd Lieutenant Eric Henderson His epitaph poignantly captures his mother’s grief: "TREAD SOFTLY O'ER MY BEAUTIFUL ERIC'S GRAVE FOR A MOTHER'S LOVE LIES HERE." Eric enlisted in the 28th Battalion London Regiment in July 1915 as a Private and was later commissioned. He joined the 8th Battalion and participated in the attack alongside the 7th Battalion on the German trenches at Oak Trench and White Chateau. Tragically, he was killed during the assault on White Chateau. Initially buried near Voormezeele, his body was lost and later listed on the Menin Gate Memorial. In 2017, workers widening the road at Eekhofstraat near Voormezeele discovered his remains. Eric was reburied with full military honours at Oak Dump Cemetery on 16 May 2018, with a burial party provided by the Royal Artillery Regiment.
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