Historic postcards from Ieper

During World War I Ieper was reduced to rubble from direct impact of German artillery and its inhabitants had to be evacuated in 1915. After the war the whole town was rebuilt by its' people. All new buildings, but made to look as it did before the war without any sign of damage.

Here are some historic postcards which depict Ieper during the war years, the notes below each postcard are from the reverse side.

These "Tommies" are clearing the road through Contalmaison after its terrible bombardment by our guns.

Ypres - La Rue au Beurre, The Butter Street

Ypres - Les Derniers fugitifs, The last fugitives

The Ruins of Ypres

Ypres - The Saint-James Church

Ypres - The Cattle Market

Captain Bruce Bairnsfarther (1873-1959) Royal Warwickshire Regiment, creater of the character 'Old Bill' and WWI-cartoons. Produced by Andre de Bruin

Day 8: In Flanders Fields

It was an early start on Tuesday morning with a tour around the Salient, the first stop was to the site where John Macrae wrote the poem 'In Flanders Fields'.

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short day ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch' be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, through poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

What once was the battle ground.

Langemark, the German cemetery

The Canadian Monument, built in honour of those who endured the first German chlorine gas attacks in April 1915.

Tyne Cot Cemetry: The largest British Commonwealth war cemetery in the world containing 11,956 graces and the Memorial to the Missing, a semicircular wall inscribed with the names of a further 34,000 men whose bodies were never recovered.

Memorial Museum Passchendaele, this had a lot of information about the battles and also a reconstructed trench.

Menin Gate: "He is not missing, he is here"

"I should like to acquire the whole of the ruins of Ypres...a more sacred place for the British race does not exist in the world" - Sir Winston Churchill, January 1919

The Menin Gate, built on the site of the old Menenpoort, which served as the main route for British soldiers heading to the front, is the memorial to the unknown soldier. Engraved with thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient but have no grave. Everyday at 8pm the Last Post is sounded beneath the gate by volunteers from the local fire brigade.

More information here

Ieper

Cemetery by the City walls

Wall plants live on limy soil. In Flanders they only survive on old brick walls built with lime mortar, like the original Ieper Fortress Walls. Before the restorations, the wall vegetation was very abundant here. Only wall pellitory, wall rue and common whitlowgrass survived in large numbers. The other 16 species have become rate. Expansion is still possible because these walls (Eastern side of the fortress) were restored with limy mortar.

Day 7: Turnhout to Ieper

Day 6: Turnhout

I spent Sunday exploring the countryside of Turnhout with Chris and Senna.

Day 5: Amsterdam - Antwerp - Mechelen - Turnhout

An 8am train Amsterdam Central to Antwerp, then to the Cathedral town, Mechelen to visit the exhibition opening at De Garage. I was involved in an exhibition in Mechelen last year in the Museum Hof can Busleyden, which is a great brick building.

Day 4: The Hague

On Friday I went to The Hague to see the Museum Mauritshuis which has a huge collection of Dutch art works, including the famous Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer and The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius.

Brick painting at the Panorama Mesdag Museum.

In the evening I went to the opening of a great new project space in West Amsterdam near Sloterdijk train station, WAAR Projects which was showing 'Sand' by Naheed Raza.

Day 3: Amsterdam

The Dageraad Complex designed by Michel de Klerk in 1921/23.

Day 2: Amsterdam

Day two started off with an early morning visit to the Olympic Stadium, constructed in brick and designed by architect Jan Wils for the 1928 Summer Olympics. More information here.

Then to the Het Schip Museum, which is dedicated to the history of the Amsterdam School housed in a converted Post Office set within an amazing social housing complex designed by Michel de Klerk in 1919.

Day 1: Amsterdam

First day of the third leg, I flew from Gatwick this morning into Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam bound. I spent most of the day walking around, absorbing the surroundings and navigating myself, what a beautiful city! I went to visit the Rijksmuseum (to see their collection - including various Vermeer paintings, I bought a post card of this one) and the Stedelijk Museum, both of which were under construction.