The Memorial Stone Dedication at Hooge - Saturday, 29th July 2000

The Liverpool Scottish in the Ypres Salient in Belgium - amended 08/07/00

The stone was unveiled and dedicated at Hooge on 29th July 2000. A full report with photographs will appear in mid-September

Revised Programme and Details - Click Here

The town of Ieper (Ypres) has accepted, from the Liverpool Scottish, a stone bearing the Regimental Badge which has been placed on the battlefield at Bellewaarde near the town. The battle is known in the Regimental History as the Battle of Hooge, the first major action of the battalion which had arrived in France in November 1914. The stone is a memorial to all those who served in the Liverpool Scottish throughout the past century. The stone was dedicated on Saturday 29th July 2000. There was a strong presence of Old Comrades and serving Liverpool Scottish soldiers from A (King's) Company of the Territorial Army's newly-formed King's and Cheshire Regiment together with a civic and church representration from Liverpool. The dedication was conducted bt the Rev Canon Nicholas Frayling, Rector of Liverpool, and Father Boni Van Looveren of Ieper.

History - Stone Memorial - Battlefield Today - Revised Programme for the Dedication

History

In the Battle of Hooge 'Of 23 officers and 519 other ranks who went into action, only two officers .... and 140 men came through untouched'. Four officers and 75 other ranks were killed; 11 officers and 201 other ranks were wounded and 6 oficers and 103 other ranks were reported as missing (almost all of whom were subsequently reported as killed). The photograph above was taken by Private Fyfe of the Liverpool Scottish, a press photographer by profession, lying wounded on the German front line. An artillery observation party (an officer and his signaller) can be seen going forward . The banner that can be seen on the right hand side is to indicate the progress of the attacking troops to the friendly artillery so that supporting fire may be lifted and moved on. Wounded men are lying in the foreground and a shell is exploding in Railway Wood. This panorama of two photographs is from the Regimental History and the originals are in the Imperial War Museum .

The picture to the left shows the officers of the Liverpool Scottish taken at Tunbridge Wells prior to the battalion's [1st/10th (Scottish) Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment)] departure for France and Belgium in Nov 1914. After the charge at Hooge in June 1915, nearly half of them were dead and the majority of the remainder had been wounded. (Picture from the Liverpool Scottish Museum archives)

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The Stone Memorial

The stone was the keystone above the entrance at the Fraser St (Liverpool) Barracks of the Liverpool Scottish. It shows the badge of the 10th (Scottish) Bn, The King's (Liverpool Regiment) with a piece of ropework decoration above it. In 1967, on the disbandment of 1st Battalion The Liverpool Scottish, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, V (The Liverpool Scottish) Company of the Highland Volunteers was formed. Most of the Fraser St. building was demolished and the stone went into store. In about 1978, it was relocated outside the new HQ in Childwall in Liverpool (Forbes House) where it was set in a brickwork plinth about five feet high and seven feet across . The stone itself is about four feet high and wedge-shaped. On the closure of Forbes House in 1999 following the Strategic Defence Review, it was decided to offer it to the Belgian town of Ieper (Ypres) where friendships have been established during the dedication of the Chavasse Memorial in Brandhoek churchyard in 1997 and during previous visits.

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The Battlefield Today

The area is shown on the map to the left (Map Nationaal Geografisch Institut of Belgium 28/1-2 scale of 1:25000 available from the Ieper Tourist Office at a cost of about £4)

The section shown is about 3 km to the East of Ieper/Ypres and the Menin Road runs left to right on the bottom edge. Running North from the Menin Road to Railway Wood is 'Cambridge Road' and the distance between the Southern and the Northern junction is about 600 metres. It was from the Cambridge Road that the Liverpool Scottish advanced East in the area between Railway Wood and Witte Poort Farm towards Bellewaarde Ridge. Note the number of water-filled craters along the ridge line. The position of the memorial is to be on the bend in the track just below the 'll' in Bellewaarde.

The view from just South of Witte Poort Farm uphill to the East towards the white Cross of Sacrifice of Royal Engineers Grave at the top of Bellewaarde Ridge is shown here in the photo to the right. The Liverpool Scottish advanced up the hill to the left of the picture. The Liverpool Scottish memorial is at GR 956337 just to the right (South East) of the RE Grave Cross of Sacrifice

The view from the RE Grave at the the top of Bellewaarde Ridge looking West back down the hill toward Ieper (Ypres). The towers of the Cloth Hall and the Cathedral can be seen in the enlarged photo. Railway Wood can just be seen at the right of the picture. In the foreground the Cross of Sacrifice marks the grave of twelve men who worked with 177th (Tunnelling) Company, Royal Engineers, and who were killed and are buried in the tunnels below. The 'White Horse of Hanover' regimental badge of The King's (Liverpool Regiment) that can be seen on the enlarged picture on the base of the Cross commemorates Edward Poulton, a soldier of the Liverpool Scottish who was attached to the Tunnelling Company. The Liverpool Scottish advanced both through Railway Wood and over the open ground which can be seen in the photo.

Another view of Railway Wood can be seen in the photo to the right. The viewpoint is from the top of the Bellewaarde Ridge by the RE Grave and the camera is looking North West. Note that the wood looks rather leafier on this picture (taken July 1998) than in Private Fyfe's photograph of June 16th 1915 at the head of the page.

The photo to the left is taken looking West from the RE Grave on the crest of the Bellewaarde Ridge and shows Witte Poort Farm on the 'Cambridge Road'. Cambridge Road runs across the picture and roughly marks the Start Line of the attack on 16th June 1915. The right hand edge of this picture marks roughly the lefthand (or southern boundary) of the Liverpool Scottish area on 16th June 1915. In 1915 a hedgerow running towards the hill crest from Cambridge Road marked this boundary. Today, the hedge no longer exists but the fields which it divided are still in different ownership and in 2000 the division was clearly seen as different crops were in each of the fields.

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The Revised Programme for the Dedication - July 2000

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Key Timings on 29th July (full timtable below)

• 0900 hrs Chavasse Grave, Brandhoek New Military Cemetery (Warning: there are three CWGC cemeteries in Brandhoek
• 1000 hrs 'In Flanders Fields Museum', Ieper
• 1230 hrs Depart Ieper for Hooge battlefield
• 1400 hrs Depart Hooge for Tyne Cot Military Cemetery
• 1700 hrs Unveiling near RE Grave Memorial on the Hooge battlefield (NB Allow 20 mins to approach on foot)
• 1800 hrs Reception Hooge Crater Museum (TBC)
• 2000 hrs Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony (those marckhing to form up at 1930 - location TBC)

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Memorial Update

Approximately 130 people will travel from the UK for the unveiling. The stone arrived in Ieper in April, taken across the Channel in mid-April by Captain Spike McConnell in a seven tonne truck provided by Parcelforce. It was accompanied by two tons of Liverpool granite setts (street paving blocks - cobblestones) donated by the City of Liverpool to act as a surround to the memorial. The stone is to be placed on the crest of the Bellewaarde Ridge near the RE Grave Memorial so that in viewing it, the observer will look west over the hillside up which the Liverpool Scottish advanced on 16th June 1915, to their Start Line on Cambridge Road and beyond to Ieper (Ypres). There will be an inscription in English and in Dutch, the language of the people of Flanders. The day set for this is Saturday 29th July 2000 which is during the centenary year of the Liverpool Scottish.

Photographs of the Parcelforce Delivery to Ieper courtesy of Fernand Vanrobaeys of Ieper Town Hall

An open letter to the people of Merseyside from Colonel Ian Paterson OBE TD (Chairman of the Liverpool Scottish Regimental Council) has resulted in several families, whose fathers and grandfathers fought with the Liverpool Scottish, contacting us and they will accompany us on our journey. Open Letter

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Points of Detail

• About 130 people seem to be joining the Liverpool Scottish party from the UK including the Lord and Lady Mayoress of Liverpool (Councillor Eddie Clein and Councillor Pamela Clein) and the Rector of Liverpool, Canon Nicholas Frayling. The High Sheriff of Merseyside, Mr William Fulton, also hopes to be present. There will be a Brelgian civic representation, probably the Burgemeester of Ieper (Mr Luc Dehaene). There will be a Belgian group present at the unveiling and dedication who will have undertaken their own tour during the afternoon.
  
• Canon Frayling will preach at St. George's Memorial Church ( Rev. Ray Jones) on Sunday 30th July (Morning Service 1030)
  
• A group booking for tickets for the 'In Flanders Fields' Museum will be made for those on Coach B (Major Matthew Boulter). The cost is about £3 and people are asked to pay on the coach; this will greatly ease congestion on arrival at the Museum. It is possible that some additional tickets may be available and people interested should see Major Ian Riley or Major Boulter.
  
• Hooge battlefield/Tyne Cot visit to be guided by Major Boulter and Major Tony Swift - wet weather gear should be to hand, paths and tracks may be muddy
  
• Medals and Headress: Medals should be worn at the Unveiling and at the Menin Gate. The medals of relatives may be worn on the right breast. Spectators may wish to wear regimental headress if appropriate.
  
• Memorial unveiling: It is hoped that the Burgemeester of Ieper and the Lord Mayor of Liverpool will agree to jointly unveil the memorial. The space around the memorial is limited and and there is limited hard standing. It is recommended that stout shoes are worn (if not boots) and that coats/umbrellas are to hand.
  
• Parking for Unveiling: It is likely that those travelling in private cars will be asked to park alongside the main road so as not to obstruct any agricultural traffic; details still have to be confirmed with the police. The area immediately surrounding the memorial consists of a farm track, fields with crops and grass liable to turn to mud. Arrangements will be made to ferry up anybody for whom the 1 km walk might cause difficulties
  
• Movement to the Reception: This is probably best done on foot and it is understood that permission has been gained to go east through Bellewaarde Wood towards bellewaarde Farm and then south to the Hooge Crater Museum (about 1km). from there it will be possible to walk back down the Menin Road to parked cars.
  
• Pressure of numbers may possibly mean that the location for the reception after the unveiling may have to change though this is unlikely.
  
• Menin Gate: Those who wish to march a short distance with the serving element will need to form up with them at 1930 at a location near the Menin Gate to be confirmed. See 'medals and headress' above
  
• Liverpool Scottish Officers' Association: The reception for the dinner will take place at 2045 hrs at the Trompete near the Cloth Hall/Stadhuis on the main square in Ieper

Key Timings - Memorial Update - Points of Detail - Full Timtable

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Full Timetable as at 2/07/00

Key Timings - Memorial Update - Points of Detail - Full Timtable

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