A Tour of Zillebeke Part Four – Zillebeke Demarcation Stone

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Fifty yards to the east of Blauwepoort Farm Cemetery, another of the nineteen Demarcation Stones still to be found in Belgium can be seen on this traffic island at the turn-off that leads to Zillebeke village.  They were erected in the 1920s to either mark the extent of the German advance when it was halted in July 1918, or the point of departure from which the Allies launched the war’s final offensive the following month.  As I have no intention of repeating myself each time we visit one of these stones, you can find more information on them (and other stuff) here: Potijze Demarcation Stone.

Zillebeke Demarcation Stone

This trench map shows the German front line trenches (in red) to the east of Ypres as they were for much of the war, with the city itself in the top left corner.  The red dot just below the railway line to the south of Zillebeke Lake near the bottom of the map shows the location of the Zillebeke Demarcation Stone.  This was how close the Germans came to taking Ypres in the summer of 1918.  Close, but not close enough.

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This Demarcation Stone is topped by a British helmet.

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Others have French or Belgian helmets, depending on the nationality of the troops defending the sector where the stones are now sited.

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The inscription at the base is for once very clear: ‘Touring Club de Belgique.  Erected by the Ypres League.’  22 stones were originally erected in Belgium, 16 paid for by the Belgian Touring Club, and six by the Ypres League.

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This stone, as the previous photo shows, is one (we have visited two others on previous occasions) of six existing stones that are inscribed with the word ‘Ypres’.

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You will also have noticed by now that no other inscription remains on this particular stone.  If you have no idea what I am on about, I suggest you check out the link I mentioned earlier.

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Anyway, we must move on.  We are now heading for the Bluff, and the first of three cemeteries to be found there: Hedge Row Trench Cemetery

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