The Belgian Army Front – Diksmuide

I am so happy to be back in Ypres (Ieper) and have plans to visit many sites which I have not seen before.

On the 31^st July 1914, the King of Belgium, Albert wrote to the Kaiser in Germany reminding him of Belgium’s neutrality and that he would not give permission to Germany for free passage through Belgium so they could march on France. On the 5^th August 1914, Germany invaded Belgium. Although Belgium had treaties of protection such as the Treaty of London (1839) they had started to re-organise their Army in 1913, but this was too late.

By the end of October 1914 Germany occupied 95% of Belgium. The race for the sea, which was the German plan to take the seaports thus stopping supplies and British troops getting to Belgium. The front ran from Ypres northwards through Diksmuide to Nieuwpoort on the coast.

The decimated Belgian Army had fallen back to the Yser River and from October 1914 this became their front line for four years. They were determined not to let the Germans seize the remaining area of Belgium and the seaports to the north. Assisted by the French and to the south by the British in Ypres, the Belgian’s small army force was to hold the ten-mile front from Diksmuide to the coast for the remainder of the war.

I visited the dramatically named “Trench of Death” just north of Diksmuide, which is the last preserved Belgian Army Trench. It is located on the west bank of the river Yser. The Germans did cross the Yser in October 1914, and the Belgian army fell back to the railway embankment. Then the land was flooded with use of dykes and culverts. This pushed the Germans back and stopped their advance.

Just south of the trenches is the amazing Yser Tower which is eighty-four meters high. You take a lift to the 22^nd floor and walk up to the roof which gives you a wonderful view over the Yser and the front line. You can see the coast to the north and Ypres to the south. You then walk all the way down, through a wonderful museum, which explains what happened here during World War one and the years after the war.

The original tower was built between 1928 and 1930 to commemorate the Belgian soldiers who had died during the war. More particularly it was to commemorate the Flemish Belgian soldiers. During the war, many Belgian soldiers became dissatisfied with their own command. Belgium has a population which is mainly split between the Dutch speaking Flemish (North) and French speaking Walloons (South). There is also a small section of German speaking in Wallonia near the German border. The majority of the population are Flemish, yet during World War one, the army used French to give orders and all officers spoke French. It was not until this period that Dutch was allowed to be taught in schools and Universities. The feeling during the war was that the line was being held and paid for by Flemish blood, (Rank and file soldiers), while the command was French. This gave rise to the Flemish Movement.

The Yser Pilgrimage was first held in 1920 to commemorate the fallen Flemish Soldiers. The founders such as Joe English had designed gravestones which had a Celtic cross at the top. (Joe was Irish by birth). When the Tower opened, it was designed to symbolise these headstones and the Pilgrimage was held at the Tower.

During the second World War, the Germans also used the Tower to hold rallies and there were links between the extreme elements of the Flemish Movement and their occupiers. Therefore in 1946 the Tower was blown up by Belgian Resistance.

In 1965 the new Yser Tower was built to a similar design to the original. This is the one that stands today and houses the museum. Each floor of the museum has its own element of interest and although much of it covers World War One some of the floors explain the post war history of the Tower and the Flemish Movement.

This part of Belgium is very much worth visiting. To understand how a massively depleted army drew a line in the sand and stood firm against a far superior Germany Army. It was the same for the British in Ypres, which became a symbol that this small part of Belgium would remain Belgian and not be occupied by the Germans, thus we have the Last Post every day in Ypres to acknowledge that sacrifice and thanks from the Belgian people.

By the 31^st October 1914, with firm Belgian defence and the flooding of the lower lands around the Yser, the German advance had been stopped. 20,000 Belgian casualties left them with a standing army of only 65,000 and one regiment was left with only 6 officers. They held this line for a further four years. “moedig.”