Passchendaele Archives and Memorial

In July my family and I traveled to France and Belgium for a 14-day tour of battlefields, military museums, and history. As the consummate genealogist, I poked my head in archives and libraries that were open when we were there. One of those was the Passchendaele Archives.

But first, a bit of history.

Also known as the third battle of Ypres, the Battle of Passchendaele was fought from 18 July to 6 November 1917 in Flanders. The offensive's goal was to push the German's away from the ports and eliminate the U-boat bases along the coast. However, it came to be known as one of the bloodiest WWI battles.

Commanded by General Sir Douglas Haig the Bristish forces shelled the German lines for 10 days. In total, roughly 4.5 million shells fell on the enemy. Haig believed the German Army was close to collapse and with one large offensive the war would soon be over.

The British forces consisting of mostly Australian and New Zealand troops fought through rain and

extensively shelling beginning in mid-July to attempt the capture Passchendaele Ridge from the German forces.  Historians state the largest amount of rain in 30 years fell at this time. The result, men and horses drowning in the quagmire. Haig ordered the assault suspended until the 20th of September.

Herbert Plumer took command on 20 September and made some progress with captures of land east of Ypres. Canadian troops 100,000 strong were ordered to Passchendaele in mid-October and through their planning, the Canadians captured the ridge.

In the nearly three month offensive, the Allies gained just under five miles. The human toll was also massive with 325,000 Allied and 260,000 German casualties. In addition, the town was completely destroyed.

The Memorial Museum in Passchendaele and the attached Memorial Park is a remarkable experience. It brings to life the story of these men and the utter futility of it all. The family spent 7 hours there touring the museum, walking the park, and visiting Tyne Cot cemetery. If you ever have the chance to do this, I highly recommend it.

During lunch, I read a few fliers about other attractions in the area. During the browsing of leaflets, I discovered one for the local archives. I looked at my husband, he looked back at me, sighed, shrugged and we adjusted our plans. It's like he knows me!

The archive is in a 1920s era art deco home (beautiful and one of the oldest in the town) with a library and research center set-up. Primarily the archive performs research on the persons who fought at this battle. Their primary goal is to create a database with the name and military information for every man who fell during the battle. Not only for the Allies but for the German soldiers too.

In addition to the database, the historians on-site will research your WWI ancestors who were at the Battle of Passchendaele. So, if you are doing research on this area of WWI I recommend contacting the archives. They are friendly, multilingual, and excited to share information with you.

Sources:
BBC "Battle of Passchendaele: 31 July - 6 November 1917"
Canada and the First World War "Passchendaele"
Historic UK "The Battle of Passchendaele"