WW1 CWGC Memorials & Tributes

1. WW1 CWGCMemorials & Tributes Tyne Cot Memorial - Hill 62 (Sanctuary Wood) The Irish Peace Tower - The Ulster Tower Hyde Park Corner - The Menin Gate The Lochnager Mine Crater The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial The Canadian National Vimy Memorial War Time Trenches - Thiepval Memorial Tribute Examples

2. Tyne Cot CommonwealthWar Graves Cemetery & Memorial • A Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of the First World War in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium in recognition of the sacrifices made by the British Empire in the defence and liberation of Belgium during the war. It is the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world, for any war. The cemetery and its surrounding memorial are located outside of Paschsendale, near Zonnebeke in Belgium. The name "Tyne Cot" is said to come from the Northumberland Fusiliers seeing a resemblance between the German concrete pill boxes, which still stand in the middle of the cemetery, and typical Tyneside workers' cottages.

7. Hill 62 (Sanctuary Wood) • Canadian Memorial commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps in defending the southern stretches of the Ypres Salient between April and August 1916 including actions in battle at the St. Eloi Craters, Hill 62 Mount Sorrel and Sanctuary Wood. These battles marked the first occasion in which Canadian divisions engaged in planned offensive operations during World War I. In those actions the Canadians reconquered vital high-ground positions that denied the Germans a commanding view of the town of Ypres itself. The memorial is located beside Sanctuary Wood on the top of Mount Sorrel, which lies next to 'Hill 62' all of which the Canadians held or recaptured from the Germans during those offensive operations in early June 1916.

13. The Irish Peace Park or Irish Peace Tower • Messine, near Ypres in Flanders, Belgium, is a memorial to the soldiers of Ireland who died, were wounded or are missing from World War I. The tower memorial is close to the site of the June 1917 battle for the Messines Ridge and was chosen because that battle witnessed one of the few where Irishmen, regardless of religion, fought side by side against a common enemy. The Tower houses bronze cubicles containing record books listing the known dead. The 110-foot (34 m) tower] is in the traditional design of an Irish round tower and is partially built with stone from a former British Army barracks in Tipperary, the remainder of the stone from a work-house outside Mullingar, County Westmeath. • The design has a unique aspect that allows the sun to light the interior only on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. • A bronze tablet on a granite pillar positioned in the centre circle of the park bears the following inscription, entitled:

14. Peace Pledge • From the crest of this ridge, which was the scene of terrific carnage in the First World War on which we have built a peace park and Round Tower to commemorate the thousands of young men from all parts of Ireland who fought a common enemy, defended democracy and the rights of all nations, whose graves are in shockingly uncountable numbers and those who have no graves, we condemn war and the futility of war. We repudiate and denounce violence, aggression, intimidation, threats and unfriendly behaviour. As Protestants and Catholics, we apologise for the terrible deeds we have done to each other and ask forgiveness. From this sacred shrine of remembrance, where soldiers of all nationalities, creeds and political allegiances were united in death, we appeal to all people in Ireland to help build a peaceful and tolerant society. Let us remember the solidarity and trust that developed between Protestant and Catholic soldiers when they served together in these trenches. As we jointly thank the armistice of 11 November 1918 – when the guns fell silent along this western front - we affirm that a fitting tribute to the principles for which men and women from the Island of Ireland died in both World Wars would be permanent peace.

17. The Ulster Tower • A memorial to the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division. The memorial was officially opened on November 19, 1921 and is a copy of Helen's Tower which stands in the grounds of the Clandeboye Estate, near Bangor, County Down in Northern Ireland. Many of the men of the Ulster Division trained in the estate before moving to England and then France early in 1916.

19. Hyde Park Corner (Royal Berks) Cemetery • Located in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. Hyde Park Corner was a road junction to the north of Ploegsteert Wood. Hill 63 was to the north-west and nearby were the "Catacombs", deep shelters which were capable of holding two battalions, which were used from November 1916 onwards. The cemetery was begun in April 1915 by the 1st/4th Royal Berkshire Regiment and was used at intervals until November 1917. It contains 83 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and four German war graves.

21. The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing • A war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown. The memorial is located at the eastern exit of the town and marks the starting point for one of the main roads out of the town that led Allied soldiers to the front line. Designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield and built by the British government, the Menin Gate Memorial was unveiled on 24 July 1927. The citizens of Ypres wanted to express their gratitude towards those who had given their lives for Belgium's freedom. As such, every evening at 20:00, buglers from the local fire brigade close the road which passes under the Memorial and sound the Last Post.

26. The Lochnagar Mine Crater • An explosive-packed mine created by the Royal Engineer tunneling companies, located south of the village of La Boisselle. Detonated at 7:28 am on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The Lochnagar mine, along with a neighboring mine north of the village known as the Y Sap mine, contained 24 tons of ammonal. At the time these mines were the largest ever detonated. The mine was the result of a tunnel dug underneath no-man's land by Royal Engineers of the 185th Tunneling Company, although it was finished by the 179th Company. The shaft was about 50 feet deep and extended for about 300 yards from the British lines to the German front line. The mine consisted of 60,000 lbs [a little over 25 tons] of Ammonal and resulted in an explosion that blew almost half a million tons of chalk into the surrounding fields, sending debris over 4,000 feet into the air and it created a vast hole 300 feet across and 70 feet deep. To this day it remains the largest crater made in warfare. • The explosion was witnessed from the air by 2nd Lieutenant C.A. Lewis of No. 3 Squadron RFC. • The whole earth heaved and flashed, a tremendous and magnificent column rose up in the sky. There was an ear-splitting roar drowning all the guns, flinging the machine sideways in the repercussing air. The earth column rose higher and higher to almost 4,000ft. • Some of the British infantry waiting in no man's land were struck by falling debris. The Lochnagar mine lay on the sector assaulted by the Grimsby Chums Pals battalion (10th Battalion, The Lincolnshire Regiment). When the main attack began at 7:30 am, the Grimsby Chums successfully occupied the crater and began to fortify the eastern lip which now dominated the surrounding ground. However, elsewhere the attack at La Boisselle went badly and infantry men sought shelter in the crater, particularly those who had been attacking up Sausage Valley to the south of the village. The prominent crater drew fire, including from British artillery, although eventually it was learned the crater contained sheltering infantry and the British ceased fire.

33. The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial • A memorial site in France dedicated to the commemoration of Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during World War I. The 74-acre park encompasses the grounds over which the Newfoundland Regiment made their unsuccessful attack on 1 July 1916 during the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The Battle of the Somme was the regiment's first major engagement, and during an assault that lasted approximately 30 minutes the regiment was all but wiped out. Purchased in 1921 by the people of Newfoundland, the memorial site is the largest battalion memorial on the Western Front and the largest area of the Somme battlefield that has been preserved. Along with preserved trench lines, there are a number of memorials and cemeteries contained within the site. • Officially opened by British Field Marshal Earl Haig in 1925, the memorial site is one of only two National Historic Sites of Canada located outside of Canada. (The other is the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.

37. The Canadian National Vimy Memorial • Dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War. It also serves as the place of commemoration for First World War Canadian soldiers killed or presumed dead in France who have no known grave. The monument is the centerpiece of a 250-acre park that encompasses a portion of the grounds over which the Canadian Corps made their assault during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, part of the Battle of Arras. The Battle of Vimy Ridge was the first occasion where all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force participated in a battle as a cohesive formation, and thus became a Canadian nationalistic symbol of achievement and sacrifice. France ceded to Canada perpetual use of a portion of land on Vimy Ridge under the understanding that the Canadians use the land to establish a battlefield park and memorial. Wartime tunnels, trenches, craters and unexploded munitions still honeycomb the grounds of the site, which remains largely closed off for reasons of public safety. The memorial took monument designer Walter Seymour Allward eleven years to build. King Edward VIII unveiled the memorial on 26 July 1936, in the presence of French President Albert Lebrun, 50,000 or more Canadian and French veterans, and their families.

40. War time Trenches • The trench system consisted of front-line, support and reserve trenches. The three rows of trenches covered between 200 and 500 yards of ground. Communication trenches were dug at an angle to those facing the enemy. These trenches used to transport men, equipment and food supplies. Britain relied on their soldiers to carry supplies to forward positions. These carrying parties took supplies of water, food, ammunition, bombs and trench stores to the front-line. The communication trench was also used to transport wounded men to Casualty Clearing Stations.

44. Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme • Opened on 31 July 1932 by the Prince of Wales, the Thiepval memorial was and remains the largest British war memorial in the world. The memorial contains the names of 73,357 British and South African men who have no known grave and who fell on the Somme between July 1916 and 20 March 1918. • 150ft high and dominating the surrounding area, the memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. This imposing monument of brick and stone is visible for several kilometres in every direction. The sixteen pillars are engraved with the names of 73,367 British and Commonwealth soldiers that fell during the Battle of the Somme. • The memorial also serves as an Anglo-French Battle Memorial in recognition of the joint nature of the 1916 offensive and a small cemetery containing equal numbers of Commonwealth and French graves lies at the foot of the memorial.