First World War in Wijtschate 1914

Beginning of the War

August 4

Germany is entering Belgium.

August 31

General mobilization.

October 1914

German front posts draw by Heuvelland. The church is hit by a bomb on a night.

October 2

Westouter's field guard is shot against the fence of the cemetery.

October 20

The Germans occupy "Garde Dieu" Komenstraat in Wijtschate and reach for "De Gapaard" Rijselstraat.

October 21

The Germans are around the Blauwpoortbeek, north of the Komenstraat, they remain 500 meters from Mesen. At 4 pm, a heavy attack was carried out on the 2nd Cavallerie Division by the Germans, they were forced to fall back on the Mesen - 9 Km stone on Waasten - Oosttaverneweg - Hollebeke.

October 22

The Ferezeporebrigade ended in the trenches between Hollebeke and Mesen on this date. The 57th Wild's Rifles was first wound up with the Oosttaverne and also became the first Indian victim on the western front. The command came that the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade, less than a battalion, went to Wulverghem to support the Cavellerie Corps. General Allenby sends two battalions to Wijtschate and Voormezele and is placed under command of General Gough Commander of the 2nd Cavallery Division.

Indian soldiers in trench in Ieper Street near the New Staenijzer in Wijtschate, looking towards Oosttaverne. Photo: IWM

October 23

The 129th Baluchis went into the trenches of Hollebeke this day. Several attacks by the Germans aimed at the Cavallerie Corps were knocked out and lost to the Germans.

October 24

Same as last day.

October 25

Nothing changes, all the same as the day before.

October 26

The Indians attack the Germans at Gapaard.

In advance, General Allenby was asked to strive for a more forward line, regaining and moving in combination with the 7th Division. One apparently impossible to take offensive and was refused to take this attempt.

October 27

The Germans do not get ahead and a German elite group "Fabeck" is formed, which is part of the German 6th Army, opposite to the British 1st, 2nd and 3rd Cavalry Divisions.

October 29

Come to the Gapaard Infantry Regiment Kaiser Friedrich, Konig von Preussen Nr.125 (Wurttemberger). Heavy blasts on Wijtschate, the Germans are east of the line Zandvoorde-Hollebeke-Mesen-east side forest of Ploegsteert, the British shooting "The Gapaard" with heavy shipwreck.

Map of the course of October 29, 1914 marked with the letter A

October 30

Heavy actions at Mesen where two companies of the 57th Wilde's Rifles in the streets were wound up against the Germans and also fought the 129th Baluchis near Hollebeke, at 19 o'clock Hollebeke is in German hands. German troops reach the "Caleute" around 11 o'clock, occupying the street connecting the "Garde Dieu" with the "Caleute" (Neerwaastenstraat) and experiencing profound opposition.

At the Linde the British are well hidden and offer hard weather, but by the evening the Germans took the Linde, German losses are high.

October 31

Sunday morning, a beautiful autumn day, the Germans can occupy the rest of Hollebeke, and from Caleute and the Green Linde pulls the right flank to Oosttaverne at the farm Dassonville, from where it is taken to the Linde forest where the German attack continues. The left flank of the Germans is better ahead and continues towards Sint Elooi, at Mesen and the south side of Wijtschate (Komenstraat) there are fierce fighting, the German troops lie along the Blauwpoortbeek, by the morning the British have withdrawn from the fields and Hid in Mesen and in the Komenstraat and Ieperhoek of Wijtschate. There are barricades in the Komenstraat and in the Rue de Lille, some Germans are able to penetrate the evening of Mesen. The Komenstraat and Ieperhoek in Wijtschate are fought hard, the Germans are a few hundred meters from the east side of the street Wijtschate-Mesen. At a mill is fiercely fought, the London Scottish want to prevent the Germans from pushing to "Helletje", the London Scottish, many rifles of which are badly injured, to suffer heavy losses and to withdraw. Of the 750 men, they lost 321.

The mill found here locates the British only in 1917 where the London Scottish attacked as the Mill Vandevivere, where the London Scottish monument is still in ruins, though everything was ruined. From German documents about the attack, the burning mill could previously be the Blue Mill "Goethalsmolen" on the Blauwpoortstraat, because the Germans state that on the Komenstraat (Wijtschate) there are a number of buildings in fire and flame, making them true shooting discs. The British write that the Germans are seen in the light of the burning mill, when the Germans conquer the mill in the Ypres street, they put in a miter rail and no fire is spoken of. The Germans settle the conquest of the Vandevivere mill only in the morning of November 1st.

The evening of October 31, the gathered German troops who stay at the Oosttaverne will have the command to take Wijtschate, the soldiers who flooded the flooded ice can no longer attack the British, Belgians and French, and can allize the Allies against the Germans , So can be used here now. All the pressure was now on the south side of Ypres, the Germans trying to conquer the Kemmelberg to check the whole area and take the rest of untouched Belgium tents at sea.

The London Scottish after the battles of the entire night of October 31, 1914. Photo: taken by General Sir Hubert Gough

End of October 1914

A child is killed and killed by the parents in the cloister, upon which the parents flee. A French sister is killed by a bomb on the street.

Information sources:

The battle for the hillside Wijtschate 14 - 18 by Michel Vansuyt Publisher: Groeninghe Kortrijk (2009) - War diaries 1914 - 1918 by Achiel van Walleghem Publisher: Lannoo Tielt (2014) - J.M.O. 143th Infantry Regiment - Wise Skating in 1914-1918 More Than The Mine Battle of José Depover - Imperial War Museum