THE WWI INFONDATION AREA at a GLANCE
1st Battle of the Yser:
On the night of October 22 to 23, 1914, Belgian officers set fire to the church so that the Germans could not use it as an observation post. The next day, however, the Germans pushed further and occupied several farms. However, the farm is completely destroyed. However, three days later the Germans managed to cross the Yser. The Belgian army cannot push them back, only bring them to a standstill.
During the night of October 30 to 31, the Yser plain was flooded by the Belgians, putting an end to the German advance.
On this site, a Belgian outpost bunker was built on the old ruins of a damaged farm in March 1915. This outpost bunker was very strategically located. It was more than 1km into the inundation area. This place was actually an island in the middle of the inundation area.
The island could only be reached via slippery footbridges.
The island was further expanded in 1917 with 2 accompanying concrete shelters (command post and 1st aid post), barbed wire, trenches and connecting trenches.
Today you can visit the fortified outpost bunker. On the roof you have an orientation table and a beautiful view of the polders. With some imagination you can go back 100 years in time. There is also an intact “Demarcation pole” next to the bunker with the inscription “Here the captor was stopped”. A memorial chapel has also been erected on this site.
Memorial columns and memorial stones have also been erected next to the chapel in honor of Belgian regiments that served here.