175 replies to this topic

[laughton]

This post caught my eye as only this weekend I had pulled out the maps to find exactly where HILL 60 was located. Duguid's works refered to it as the "likely site" of the first gas attack, but we as Canadians may not know of its exact location as our forces were to the north of Ypres at the time (except the PPCLI).

In the end the Germans did not select that southern area - the winds seldom blew from that direction. I suppose the Algerians wished it had, as they took the brunt of the gas.

I would like some day to see HILL 60 but I have to appreciate that SO MUCH has changed that I have to accept what is there when I get there is what I will see. I hope there will be a monument to record the significance of HILL 60.

Best regards from a jealous Canadian who does not have the ability to see the battlefields as do our European friends!

Richard of Canada

[bluedog]

This post caught my eye as only this weekend I had pulled out the maps to find exactly where HILL 60 was located. Duguid's works refered to it as the "likely site" of the first gas attack, but we as Canadians may not know of its exact location as our forces were to the north of Ypres at the time (except the PPCLI).

In the end the Germans did not select that southern area - the winds seldom blew from that direction. I suppose the Algerians wished it had, as they took the brunt of the gas.

I would like some day to see HILL 60 but I have to appreciate that SO MUCH has changed that I have to accept what is there when I get there is what I will see. I hope there will be a monument to record the significance of HILL 60.

Best regards from a jealous Canadian who does not have the ability to see the battlefields as do our European friends!

Richard of Canada

  Richard

  There is a monument just off the road that commemorates the Australian Tunnellers ,many of them will remain
  under the hill forever.

  It may be a point of interest the the Bronze Plaque on the Memorial has some small jagged holes in it that alledgedly
  are from bullets during action in the area in WW2.

  Regards

  Peter

[sabine72]

getting this tread back in the front line
read in the news paper today that the city of ieper has bought land at hill 60.
but what about the house? will it be build or not?
sabine

[york16]

Richard

  There is a monument just off the road that commemorates the Australian Tunnellers ,many of them will remain
  under the hill forever.

  It may be a point of interest the the Bronze Plaque on the Memorial has some small jagged holes in it that alledgedly
  are from bullets during action in the area in WW2.

  Regards

  Peter

pic showing the bullet holes in the australian memorial.

[sabine72]

after some reading and emailing hugh I understand that the house will be build and blocking the vue from hill 60 towards ieper.
an other nice part gone.
sabine

[(Hugh)]

Planning permission for this house has been granted by Ieper Council today, 15.12.09.

There is now an appeal process lasting 30 days. I should also tell you that the planning permission has been granted for this house not on the plot shown at the beginning of this post, but on the next door one, opposite the Australian Tunnellers Monument and the pedestrian entrance to Hill 60.

I have a lot more information on this and the appeals process, but I took a bit of a beating previously in this post so anyone interested in further information on this matter can PM me.

[Keith Roberts]

this link will take to to the website and petition. Please lets give it strong support.

www.savehill60.org



Keith

[Paul Reed]

I received an email about the site today; I am fully aware that Belgium is an over-crowded country in many respects and needs ground for housing but in somewhere like Flanders which profits greatly from battlefield tourism there has to be anawareness that some sites need to be preserved. The view at the Hill has changed so much since I've been visiting, it would be a shame to have that final view of Ypres lost forever.

http://www.savehill60.org/

[chrisharley9]

I have signed the petition & forwarded on to many friends - please do the same

[sabine72]

yes please forward to as many people you can
it's for a good cause
kind regards
sabine

[askar]

All

I hope no one minds but I have posted a link to this site in:

http://www.arrse.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic/p=...61.html#3079961

Should anybody feel this is inappropriate, please let me know and I will remove.

[(Hugh)]

That's fine, askar, our chief weapon is publicity.
Publicity and legal action.
Our two weapons are publicity and legal action. And public opinion.  
Drat! Amongst our weaponry are publicity, legal action and public opinion and a fanatical devotion to our cause. ......................Shall I start again?

[irishmen1916]

Just signed the petition, and passed it on to a few friends, not just Hill 60, but this whole area needs to given
respect, because of all the tunnels/unknown graves in this aera.

Peter

[Ernst]

I think this is a typical Belgium internal affair and I don’t understand why foreigners try to interfere. Do they think Belgium is some kind of bananarepublic with lower standards and moral than they have themselves?

[chrisharley9]

Ernst

By the very nature of the battlefield it is not a internal Belgim affair; the view from Hill 60 is entirely the reason it was fought over by men of many nations

Chris

[(Hugh)]

I think this is a typical Belgium internal affair and I don't understand why foreigners try to interfere. Do they think Belgium is some kind of bananarepublic with lower standards and moral than they have themselves?

Everyone running this campaign live in Ieper and are Belgian citizens and Belgian residents. This is a local campaign needing international support. Ernst, I hope you will sign the Petition.

[Paul Reed]

Well put, Hugh.

[judy7007]

I have signed the petition & forwarded on to many friends - please do the same

Signed and passed on too Chris, important.
Judy

[BJay]

I've received a link to the petition from three different sources today so word is definitely spreading.  I've signed.  

Good luck to those running the campaign locally.

Barbara

[sabine72]

barbara
thank you for signing
this is more then just a belgian issue it is world heritage that has to be saved.
kind regards
sabine

[Ernst]

Ernst, I hope you will sign the Petition.

I'm afraid it's not my point of view.

[SMG65]

Ernst

On 20 March 1916, my Great Uncle, Pte William Finch, 5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, aged 18 years, was killed somewhere between Trench 37 and Trench 40 at Hill 60.
It's because of his and many other soldier's sacrifices, British, Commonwealth, French and Belgian that you can have a point of view.

Sean

[RoyEvans]

I'm afraid it's not my point of view.

Ernst,

I respect your point of view, but would you be good enough to explain why you hold it?

I confess to having an interest in that a relative was killed there, what is your interest?

Roy

[David Faulder]

Ernst

On 20 March 1916, my Great Uncle, Pte William Finch, 5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, aged 18 years, was killed somewhere between Trench 37 and Trench 40 at Hill 60.
It's because of his and many other soldier's sacrifices, British, Commonwealth, French and Belgian that you can have a point of view.

Sean

And he is exercising it!

On 26 April 1918 my Grandfather died South of Ypres and still probably lies out there in some field.  That can be said of many others involving hundreds of square miles.  One of the things my grandfather was said to have gone to fight for was for the Belgians to be free to enjoy and use their land.  I do not feel it is not for me to tell them that the view points from Hill X, Wood Y, trench Z etc. towards Ypres (potentially covering scores of square miles) should be set in aspic; if the Belgians decide that housing is more important than protecting a part of a particular view, they are free do so.  They do not owe me anything - the many acres with the "given in perpetuity" plaques are sufficient.

David

Edited by David Faulder, 23 December 2009 - 11:24 PM.

[(Hugh)]

I do not feel it is not for me to tell them that the view points from Hill X, Wood Y, trench Z etc. towards Ypres (potentially covering scores of square miles) should be set in aspic;

David
[/quote]

We are very interested in the original decision to preserve the battlefield and are searching for the archive which would cover the Belgian Governments deliberations. The expectation is that the panoramic view of the town and the Ieper plain played a part in making this decision. Any info on where this might be would be welcome.

Ernst points to a  flaw in the campaign so far, that the website was only in English. It was put up in a hurry last Saturday, when getting the word out was deemed most important. We have hurried to correct the perception that the campaign is run by interfering foreigners, and translators are now at work producing a mirror Flemish site.
It is also essential if in a later stage, a local campaign is needed in Zillebeke-Zwarteleen.

Belgian signatories on the petition carry particular weight, so we genuinely hope that Ernst will change his mind. This is about one house on a tiiny piece of land, not an attack on Belgian housing policy or political procedures.

So for the reasons above, I think it best for me to step back and leave it to the more authentic locals to speak in future.
Hugh