Great War>The Battles

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Battle of Bellewaerde (Hooge) 24th May 1915 The Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge  At 0245 on 24 May (Whit Monday), a ferocious German artillery bombardment slammed down on British V Corps front. The clamour of shells, machine-guns and rifle fire was accompanied by a simultaneous discharge of chlorine gas on almost the entire length of the Cameronians in reserve dugouts, the Bluff, Ypres, March 1915 British line. German infantry assaulted in its wake. Although the favourable wind had alerted the British trench garrison to the likelihood of a gas attack the proximity of the opposing trenches and speed of the enemy assault meant many defenders failed to don their respirators quickly enough and large numbers were overcome. But the British defence rallied and the attackers were repelled by small arms fire, except in the north, where Mouse Trap Farm was immediately overrun, and in the south where (by 1000) German infantry broke into the British line north and south of Bellewaarde Lake. The centre of the line between these gaps held fast all day. Heroic efforts were made to retrieve the situation at Mouse Trap Farm before it was decided, that evening, to withdraw to a more defensible line. The German break-in around Bellewaarde Lake prompted the commitment of Corps reserve troops, but their arrival took time and the depleted front line battalions had to wait until the early evening before the weakened 84th Brigade was able to attack and turn the enemy out of Witte Poort Farm. Following the belated arrival of 80th Brigade a joint night counter-attack was made after 2300; this assault, in bright moonlight, was a disaster and both 84th and 80th Brigades suffered heavy casualties. In the early hours of the morning the battle quietened. The following day saw a reduction in shelling and no attempts by the Germans to renew the offensive. 24th May 1915 4th Northumberlands endure gas attack 24th May 1915 9th Durhams suffer gas 24th May 1915 Gas attack 15th Jun 1915 Into Position 16th Jun 1915  16th Jun 1915 Attack Made 16th Jun 1915 In Action 16th June 1915 Attack Made 16th Jun 1915 Preparations 17th Jun 1915 Fierce fighting at Bellewaerde  British troops of the 9th and 7th Infantry Brigades assault enemy trenches on Bellewaerde Ridge between the Menin Road and the Ypres-Roulers railway. Their objective, to remove the enemy from the high ground which gae an observation point over most of the Allied ground to the East of Ypres. The bombardment commenced at 02:30 followed by the assault on the German front line at 04:15, which was captured with little resistance and the troops pushed on to occupy the second German line. The enemy launched a counter attack and the British were pushed back to the First German line, which they managed to hold, but the enemy still commanded the ridge. 24th Jun 1915 Stranded after Attack If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about Battle of Bellewaerde (Hooge)? There are:11 items tagged Battle of Bellewaerde (Hooge) available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War. Those known to have served in Battle of Bellewaerde (Hooge) during the Great War 1914-1918. Behan James. Rfm. (d.25th Sep 1915) Brady John. Pte. (d.29th Sep 1915) Farran Edmond Chomley. Capt. (d.16th June 1915) Ferguson John Alexander. Pte. (d.1st Oct 1915) Hobday DCM. William. 2Lt. (d.17th April 1917) Jonas Solomon. Rflmn. (d.31st March 1918) Jones Arthur. Pte. (d.16th Jun 1915) Kenny James. Pte. (d.3rd Jun 1915) McKenzie Robert. Pte. (d.9th Aug 1915) Morris Thomas Charles. Pte. Wardhaugh Frank. Rfmn. (d.30th July 1915) White James Heslop. Cpl. (d.25th Sep 1915) Woodroffe VC. Sidney Clayton. 2nd Lt. (d.30th Jul 1915) Wright Andrew. Pte. (d.9th Aug 1915) The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of Battle of Bellewaerde (Hooge) from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Looking for help with Family History Research?    Please see Family History FAQ's Please note: We are unable to provide individual research. Can you help? The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Announcements 19th Nov 2024     Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. 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