Pic(k) of the week 33: BATTLE OF LANGEMARCK - 100 years ago but not forgotten

August 15, 2017

Pic(k) of the week 33: BATTLE OF LANGEMARCK - 100 years ago but not forgotten

Born and raised in the western part of Belgium, I've been confronted with a lot of World War I (and II) history, as the area is the center of some of the bloodiest man to man battles humanity has ever seen...

100 Years ago, the three day Battle of Langemarck started, part of the larger Battle of Passchendaele (also known as the Third Battle of Ypres), which is often criticized for being one of the most horrific and senseless battles of WW I; killing more than half a million people, on both sides of the front, over a three month period. All of this, for just a few kilometers of shift in the Western front and eventually the recapture of the small village of Passchendaele (Passendale in Flemish).

The last few years the Flanders Field region has been marked with several large remembrances with one the largest ones being held just a few weeks ago. Part of it was held at the Memorial Museum Passchendaele, where a few hundred re-enactors were role playing some of the events of 1917.

The image below of a British soldier donning a gas mask next to his horse, is such a very telling scene. Especially since horses played such a large role in WW I as the primitive vehicles available at the time, often couldn't cope with the rough and muddy terrain. Even more so during the Battle of Passchendaele (sometimes called the Battle of Mud) as 100 years ago, the region saw some of the heaviest rainfall in more than 30 years. Ironically the last few weeks in Belgium have been very wet as well!