Flanders Fields 14-18

21/10/2026

As part of our series of sharing our followers’ stories, we remember the life of William Spencer. William was born in 1897 in Dorset, England. During the First World War, he served as a gunner in the Royal Field Artillery.

On 3 September 1917, William was on the guns when a German shell hit his emplacement at 10.15pm. He and all of his friends were killed. They are buried side by side together at Canada Farm Cemetery, Ypres.

His family said William had just celebrated his 20th birthday on 27 August. His mother had sent a cake to mark his birthday. A few days after he and his friends were killed, his parents received his final letter, it read: “Do not worry about me, I am well. Thank you for the cake, I shared it with my pals.”

Thank you to his family for sharing his story with us and for sharing this image.

Now, and always, we will remember him.

20/10/2026

The following services are due to take place in November 2026:

17 November 2026
10:30am - a rededication service for Corporal George Thomas Lloyd of 1/4th Battalion, The King's Shropshire Light Infantry, who was killed in action on 26 March 1918. This service will take place at Grevillers British Cemetery, France.

2:45pm - a rededication service for Company Sergeant Major Herbert Richard Bannister of 2/7th Battalion, The Manchester Regiment, who was killed in action on 21 March 1918. This service will take place at Grand-Seraucourt British Cemetery, France.

18 November 2026
11:30am - a rededication service for Major Francis George Wynne of 2nd Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment attd. Wiltshire Regiment, who was killed in action on 10 April 1918. This service will take place at Messines Ridge British Cemetery, Belgium.

1.30pm - a rededication service for Lieutenant Fred Naylor of 1st Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment, who was killed in action on 10 April 1918. This service will take place at Strand Military Cemetery, Belgium.

19/10/2026

On this day in 1914, the First Battle of Ypres began—an early turning point in the First World War and the start of a harsh new phase in the fighting.

Ypres, positioned close to the Belgian coast, became the centre of the German advance toward France’s Channel ports during the “race to the sea.” Field Marshal Sir John French shifted Allied forces to hold the line, but as winter set in, relentless rain, cold, and mounting casualties brought the fighting to a bleak halt.

With neither side able to break through, the struggle solidified into the trench warfare that would define the Western Front. The seasoned soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force—the “Old Contemptibles”—were soon joined by thousands of volunteers and conscripts as the demands of the war grew. By the end of the battle, the Allies had suffered an estimated 54,000 casualties, while German losses reached roughly 130,000 in just one month of combat.

📷- Men of the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry sheltering from shrapnel behind the Headquarters of 20 Brigade, Ypres, 1914. IWM (Q 57205)

16/10/2026

Today we remember Frederick George Dancox. He was born on 19 March 1878 in Worcester, England. He served as a Private in the 4th Battalion, the Worcestershire Regiment, 88 Brigade, 29th Division.

On 9 October 1917, he and his regiment were fighting at the Battle of Poelcappelle. The aim of the battle was to drive the German Army from Passchendaele Ridge.

Frederick and his regiment attacked north of Ypres-Staden railway with the aim of capturing the Namur Crossing where the road ran beneath the railway.

During the battle, Frederick worked his way around a German barrage. He managed to enter and capture a German pill-box singlehanded and emerged with “a machine gun under his arm and 40 German soldiers.”

For his actions he was awarded the Victoria Cross. His citation reads: “By his resolution, absolute disregard of danger and cheerful disposition, the moral of his comrades was maintained at a very high standard under extremely trying condition.”

Sadly, he would never receive his Victoria Cross, he was meant to return to England when he was killed on 30 November 1917 in Masnieres, France. He left behind a wife and four children.

Now and always, we will remember him.

14/10/2026

Today, as part of our Share Your Story series, where we share stories of the ancestors of our followers, we remember the life of Francis Edward Baldwin.

Francis Edward Baldwin served as part of the 1/8th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. He enlisted with the Territorial army in 1913 and served as a private in the 1/8th Battalion. In March 1915, he was sent to France and just a few weeks later would find himself in Flanders Fields.

In April 1915, the German Army launched chlorine gas attacks for the first time as part of the Second Battle of Ypres, causing heavy casualties. After this, the British and Canadian forces launched advances to create a breakthrough. Francis' regiment moved into the Verlorenhoek/Zonnebeke area around 24 April 1915.

It is thought Francis was killed in action during the battle on the 26 April 1915 as part of Second Battle of Ypres. There is no evidence he survived or was taken prisoner, therefore he was declared missing by his unit. As he has no known gave, Francis Edward Baldwin is remembered on the Menin Gate.

We’d like to extend our thanks to his family for sharing his story with us.

Now and always we will remember him.

📷 - © Damian West

12/10/2026

On 12 October 1917, the New Zealand army experienced what is still widely regarded as its darkest day.

The army launched an attack on Bellevue Spur, part of the Passchendaele Ridge at 5.25am. However, the terrible weather and ground conditions meant the initial artillery barrage was ineffective in the mud, leading the New Zealanders to be exposed to heavy German machine gun fire.

The soldiers were unable to get through the barbed wire and as a result were pinned down in shell craters. Eventually, they fell back to the starting lines.

Officially, there were 843 soldiers from the New Zealand army killed that day, although it is thought the number could be even higher and approximately 3,000 casualties. Many of the soldiers were left lying in the mud and some died before help could get to them.

The casualties sent shockwaves back home as well as on the Western Front with many realising the true horrors of war.

Now, and always, we will remember them.

📷 - New Zealand machine gunners fitting machine gun belts with cartridges © IWM (Q 67808)

11/10/2026

The Vladslo German Military Cemetery was created during the first days of the Battle of IJzer, as the war went on more graves were brought here from other sites. Today, over 25,000 soldiers are buried at the cemetery.

Among them is Peter Kollowitz the 18-old son of famous artist Kāthe Kollowitz. She created “The Grieving Parents” a statue which stands at the back of the cemetery.

© Bart Heirweg

09/10/2026

The Battle of Poelcappelle began on this day in 1917. It was part of the Third Battle of Ypres, later known as Passchendaele.

The battle marked a decisive turning point in Passchendaele as the Autumnal weather began to set in and the weather deteriorated. It became almost impossible to move artillery due to waterlogged ground. The rain had previously given the German army a short respite from their earlier defeats.

However, on 9 October 1917, 10 divisions from Britain, Australia and New Zealand launched an advance on 12km of ground in order to capture the Passchendaele Ridge.

Many of the troops were exhausted from trudging through the mud before they even reached the starting positions. It proved incredibly difficult to get ammunitions to them.

Most soldiers were pushed back to the start, the only successes of the battle were made in the north at the villages of Veldhoek and Poelcappelle.

The Allies reported approximately 12,000 wounded, missing and killed in the battle. The German Army have reported similar numbers. Many soldiers could not be rescued from the battlefields due to the weather and ground conditions.

Now, and always, we will remember them.

📷 - Men of the 4th Battalion, Coldstream Guards, looking at a German howitzer (possibly 10.5 cm Feldhaubitze M.12) they captured on the outskirts of Houlthulst Forest during the Battle of Poelcappelle, 9 October 1917. © IWM (Q 6048)

📷 - Battle of Poelcappelle. Duck-board carrying party, near Langemarck (Langemark-Poelkapelle), 11th October 1917. © IWM (Q 3005)

08/10/2026

07/10/2026

📷 - A soldier checking the steel reinforcing rods of a German pill box, the completion of which had been prevented by the advance of the British troops during the attacks on Passchendaele. © AWM A02448