Ceremony to mark Passchendaele centenary

Published11th July 2017

 The 100th anniversary of a battle that has come to represent the slaughter on the Western Front during the First World War will be marked later this month by a moving ceremony in Ipswich.
 
The Battle of Passchendaele (officially known as the Third Battle of Ypres) began in July 1917 and lasted until November, with dreadful weather bringing a sea of mud to the Flanders trenches.
 
There will be a solemn gathering at the Cenotaph in Christchurch Park on 31st July at 7.15am, and 15 minutes later whistles will be blown – just as they were 100 years ago to signal the “going over the top”.
 
The Royal British Legion is inviting members of the public to join veterans and cadets at commemorating those who lost their lives in this famous battle. The Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Sarah Barber, will be attending the ceremony.
 
The casualties at Passchendaele were horrendous – 275,000 dead or wounded on the British and Allied side and 220,000 German victims.
 
Historians still argue over the success of the campaign, which ended after the British and Canadians won a hard-fought victory at the Belgian village of Passchendaele. However, all the land won by the Allies at Passchendaele was evacuated in the face of an impending German attack in 1918.