Passendale

Passendale
Passendale
NIS
Postal code	8980

Passendale (Dutch pronunciation:

Leie valleys. It is also commonly known as a battlefield and the name of a campaign during World War I, the Battle of Passchendaele

.

History

Early history

In the pre-Roman and Roman times the area of the town was located along the border between the

bishoprics of Tournai and Thérouanne

. The town is first recorded in 844 as Pascandale, and may be named after an individual by the name of Paulus or Pasko.

Benedictine convent of Nonnebossen. Both the abbey and the convent were destroyed during an iconoclasm (Beeldenstorm

) of 1580.

First World War

Passchendaele Ridge 60 m (200 ft) gives its name in common parlance to a

New Zealander, Australian and Indian troops fought on the side of the Allies, under the command of Field Marshal Douglas Haig

.

The combination of a field littered with shell hole craters and relentless rain led to a battlefield having the consistency of porridge. The holes in the earth filled with water, debris, and bodies, causing nearly everything to be coated with a slick layer of slime. Despite the rain, contamination of the water supply led to massive dehydration and sickness amongst the troops on both sides during the long months of battle. Guns sank into the earth and troops drowned in the soft mud as they tried to charge the line.

Finally, after sixteen weeks of fighting in conditions which varied from rain, mud, and slime, to hot and dry weather with great clouds of dust, the initial objective of Passchendaele Ridge had been gained at a cost of 270,000 Allied casualties, including 17,000 officers. German casualties were likewise staggering, with 217,000 German casualties; the village was levelled.[2]^[3]

Sights

Different nations' war cemeteries are found in Passendale:

Tyne Cot Cemetery (the largest Commonwealth

cemetery in the world), the New British Cemetery, the Canadian Memorial, and the New Zealand Forces Memorial. The town also hosts a war museum as well as numerous memorials dedicated to the different nationalities that participated in the epic battle.

Every year, Passendale hosts a number of commemorative events and exhibitions. Those of 2008 were the 90th memorial commemorations of the end of the First World War. Passchendaele (2008) was a Canadian film directed by Paul Gross about the Battle of Passchendaele.

Local produce

Passendale is also known for

Van Honsebrouck brewery in Ingelmunster

.

References

Notes

^ "Geschiedenis". Dienst Toerisme Zonnebeke (in Flemish). 23 January 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
^ Edmonds 1948, pp. 361–363.
^ Reichsarchiv 1942, p. 96.

Bibliography

Die Kriegführung im Sommer und Herbst 1917. Die Ereignisse außerhalb der Westfront bis November 1918. Der Weltkrieg. Vol. XIII (Die digitale landesbibliotek Oberösterreich 2012 ed.). Berlin: Mittler. 1942.
OCLC 257129831
. Retrieved 17 November 2012.

ISBN 0-89839-166-0
.

External links

[1] "Geschiedenis". Dienst Toerisme Zonnebeke (in Flemish). 23 January 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2017.

[FOOTNOTEEdmonds1948361–363-2] Edmonds 1948, pp. 361–363.

[FOOTNOTEReichsarchiv194296-3] Reichsarchiv 1942, p. 96.

[3]

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
Geographic	MusicBrainz area