Ypres and the Battles of Ypres Part 14

[Ill.u.s.tration: CATS HILL ABBEY]

[Ill.u.s.tration: DESTRUCTION OF THE CHAPEL CHOIR]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE COURTYARD OF CATS HILL ABBEY AFTER THE BOMBARDMENTS]

_On the far side of the level-crossing the road rises, and the Abbey on the top of_ =Cats Hill= _soon comes into view_.

There is a magnificent view from the wayside-cross on the plateau. Visit the monastery, whose buildings suffered greatly from the bombardments.

_Pa.s.s in front of the cross and take the second road on the right, which slopes down fairly quickly to the village of_ =Berthem=, _through which the tourist pa.s.ses_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: VIDAIGNE HILL AND NOIR HILL]

_In the hamlet of_ =Schaexnen=, _opposite the inn with the sign "Au Vieux Schaexnen," turn to the left, pa.s.sing in front of a small chateau in the middle of a wood on the right. A plateau_--=Noir Hill=--_ploughed up by countless sh.e.l.ls, is reached shortly afterwards_.

_At the fork in the road turn to the right_ (the road on the left leads back into Belgium).

_Go through the hamlet of_ =La Croix-de-Poperinghe=, _then at the next fork take the road to_ =Bailleul= _on the right_. _At Bailleul leave the lunatic asylum on the left._ The French custom-house is in the Rue d'Ypres. (In June, 1919, there was as yet no corresponding office at Locre in Belgium.)

Bailleul suffered terribly from the bombardments, most of the houses being destroyed.

Bailleul was taken by three German divisions on April 15, 1918, as well as Little Hill and the Ravelsberg, to the west of the town. But the next day the German forces, who had orders to consolidate their success and turn the chain of hills from the south, were rudely checked by French divisions, rushed up to relieve their British comrades, and in three days, thanks to the prompt and vigorous action of General Petain, they were driven back.

_Have a look round the Grande Place before taking the Rue de Lille_ (N.

42) _on the left_. _At the Noveau-Monde cross-roads_, where there is an important munitions depot with railway-station, _turn sharply to the left, leaving Lille Hill on the left_.

_After twice crossing the railway_ (_l. c._) the Customs Barracks are pa.s.sed. The road pa.s.ses over three more level-crossings, skirts the frontier, crosses the railway, and then the Stilbecque stream. _Next pa.s.s through_ =Nieppe= village--almost entirely demolished; _then over the railway_ (_l. c._). _Cross the Lys by the Nieppe Bridge and enter_ =Armentieres=, _via the Rue de Nieppe_.

_At the cross-roads take Rue Nationale on the right, and follow the tram-lines as far as the crossing of Rue de Lille with Rue de Marle.

Take the latter to the right, and cross the railway_ (_l. c._).

For particulars concerning Armentieres, see pp. 49--55, first Itinerary.

_Keep straight to_ =Bois-Grenier=, _turning to the right in front of the ruined church_.

_Outside the village take the second road on the right to_ =Fleurbaix=.

_Pa.s.s the church, of which a few walls are still standing_ (photo below), _then turn to the left beyond the Square into Rue de Quesnes_.

Numerous concrete shelters were built inside the houses.

_Near the British cemetery the road turns to the right, then to the left, and enters_ =Laventie=. _Turn to the right in the Place de l'Eglise, then to the left over a level-crossing near the station_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DESTROYED CHURCH OF FLEURBAIX]

[Ill.u.s.tration: LAVENTIE CHURCH, RUINED BY THE BOMBARDMENTS]

_After several turnings the road runs past a small ruined chapel, crosses a river, then turns to the right, and crosses the Lys. At the first houses of_ =Estaires=, _100 yards beyond the bridge, turn to the left, amid the ruins._

_Pa.s.s the ruined gasworks and follow the main street shown in the photo below._ In the middle ground of this photograph are seen the walls of the church, the steeple of which has fallen in.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ALL THAT REMAINS OF THE MAIN STREET OF ESTAIRES]

[Ill.u.s.tration: MERVILLE (_from old engraving_)]

_Leave on the left the Square, in which formerly stood the Hotel-de-Ville_; its ruined belfry is now a mere heap of bricks and stones.

_Beyond a German cemetery on the right, pa.s.s through_ =Neuf-Berquin=, _after which, on turning to the left_, =Merville= comes into view.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MERVILLE CHURCH, AS THE GERMAN Sh.e.l.lS LEFT IT _Seen from the Rue des Trois Pretres._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: RUINS OF LESTREM CHURCH]

At the entrance is the cemetery, the area of which has been doubled by serried rows of little wooden crosses, each marking a British grave.

If time can be spared (two or three hours) proceed as far as =Nieppe Forest=, keeping straight on, and leaving Merville on the left.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LESTREM CHaTEAU (_Destroyed by the German bombardments._)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: REMAINS OF LOCON VILLAGE]

Contrarily to other forests in the battle area, Nieppe Forest did not suffer greatly, although, like the others, it concealed munitions and stores. (Note the numerous narrow-gauge rails lying along the roadside.)

The roads themselves bear traces of hastily constructed defence-works.

On the left, near the outskirts of the forest, a pathway leads to a cemetery containing British soldiers' graves.

La Motte-au-Bois, lying in a clearing, suffered little. Its 17th century chateau, which escaped destruction, can be reached by crossing the ca.n.a.l over a temporary bridge, leaving on the right a small octagonal chapel of no special interest.

_Return by the same road to_ =Merville=, _and pa.s.s through it_, taking a glance at the ruins of the church on the right. _Cross the ca.n.a.l, the Lys, and the railway near the station, and turn to the left immediately afterwards._

_Follow the railway, then re-cross it. The road here runs parallel to the ca.n.a.l. At the next fork leave on the left the road to the Gorgue; turn to the right, cross the railway, and enter_ =Lestrem=. _Beyond the bridge over the Lawe, pa.s.s the church, then turn to the right, and skirt the grounds of an old ruined chateau._

This chateau--completely restored in 1890--was used by the Germans as an observation-post, and subsequently blown up by them on April 10, 1918 (photo, p. 122).

On leaving Lestrem the road winds. On the left, broken fragments of ironwork mark the site of the distillery, which provided a livelihood for part of the working population of =La Fosse= village. The ruined church is seen to the left, on the far side of the ca.n.a.l.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BeTHUNE. THE Ca.n.a.l AND SIDING (_Cliche LL._)]

_Go through the hamlet of_ =Zelobes=, which, like that of =Lobes=, was razed to the ground.

_Pa.s.s through what was_ =Locon= village (photo, p. 123).

Lawe Ca.n.a.l, after running parallel to the road, turns and cuts it.

_Cross the ca.n.a.l by the temporary bridge._

A little further on, the road again follows the ca.n.a.l as far as the entrance to =Bethune=.

_Cross the Aires Ca.n.a.l, pa.s.s the railway station on the left, then through the horse-market to the Place de la Republique. Cross the latter and take the Rue de Rivage to the Grande Place._

For four years the whole district just pa.s.sed through, since leaving Armentieres, was the scene of incessant fighting.