Today was the beginning of the Advance in Flanders, also known as the Battle of the Peaks of Flanders, or the Fifth Battle of Ypres. Ypres – Ieper to its inhibitants – was out of Greg’s sector, but somehow a couple of remarkable aerial photographs of that poor, shattered city came into his hands. Precisely when they were taken, and by whom, isn’t known for certain as they are unmarked. But quite possibly they were taken by Greg when joyriding after the Armistice. We are publishing them today to mark ‘Fifth Ypres’.
Ypres and its Canals
The centre of Ypres is bounded by canals. The widest ones are the Majoorgracht to the west, and the Kasteelgracht to the east. They both arc round to the south of the city centre, where they meet. It is over the Kasteelgracht that the bridge by the Menenpoort (Menin Gate) leads notheast towards Zonnebeke and Passendale, better known to English speakers by its archaic French name of Passchendaele. To the north, the Hoge Weiltjesgracht folds under the Ieperlee, the north-flowing canalised river that drains the land towards the North Sea.
Google Maps satellite view of Ypres/Ieper
Majoorgracht and Pacific Eiland
Near the northwestern end of the Majoorgracht is an island: Pacific Eiland. It is now the home of an inviting restaurant of the same name, whose website explains:
Around 1640 this island was built by the Spanish occupiers to deter the enemy and as ammunition depot. Now it has been transformed into a haven of peace and relaxation where young and old are welcome.
It is indeed now a haven of peace. But in 1918 it was anything but:
Here is equivalent view on Google Maps today:
And the view south from Pacific Eiland over the Majoorgracht:
Ypres Prison, Ypres Reservoir Cemetery and Minneplein
A second Ypres photograph in Greg’s collection takes in the northwestern part of the city centre. To put it in context, here is a Google Maps satellite view of Ypres, with the field of the photograph edged in white. The arrow shows the edge that will be at the bottom:
With that overview in mind, here now is the view in 1918 of the white-edged portion…
…and the equivalent view today from Google Maps:
Ypres prison – Gevangenis Ieper – is towards the top of the photo, on the right of the centre. In 1918 it was a wrecked building, but the internal panopticon structure beloved by architects of prisons and libraries is clearly visible. The green area in the top right corner is Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, containing 1,579 First World War graves. A school – Campus Minneplein – now occupies part of the open square of Minneplein, on the middle right and bottom right corner. Normal life in Ieper – the city of the elms.