The Menin Road – The Craters at Hooge

Hooge Panorama 1

The area around Hooge was the scene of almost constant fighting between 1914 & 1917.  Both sides exploded mines beneath the front line trenches here, the evidence of which, as you will see, still exists among the trees to the side of the Menin Road, and it was here, on 30th July 1915, that the Germans first used flamethrowers, liquid fire as it was referred to at the time, against the British positions.

Hooge

Hooge

Before the War Hooge Chateau stood near this spot, but by July 1915 artillery had reduced it to rubble and it was never rebuilt.  The current building, a hotel and restaurant, was built on the site of the original stables.

Hooge

In October 1914, during the First Battle of Ypres, the Chateau was being used as the headquarters of the staff of the British 1st & 2nd Divisions as they directed the desperate fighting to prevent the Germans taking Ypres.  On 31st October a number of German shells exploded on or around the chateau, two penetrating the rooms where British officers were in conference.  Both Divisional Commanders, Major Generals Lomax (1st Division) and Monro (2nd Division) were wounded along with others in attendance; six British officers were killed as a consequence of the shelling including Lomax, who would die of his injuries nearly six months later.  On the subjects of generals, if they interest you, try clicking here for a detailed look at these much-maligned men.

Hooge

Anyway, first a brief resumé of the main actions that took place here, and then on to the photos:

21st February 1915 – The Germans explode the first mine beneath the trenches at Hooge.  19th July 1915 – The British explode one and a half tons of ammonal beneath the German positions and consolidate the huge crater torn in the German lines.  30th July 1915 – Using liquid fire for the first time, the Germans break through the British lines and capture the crater.  9th August 1915 – The British recapture the crater; they will hold it until the summer of 1916.  25th September 1915 – A British attack at Hooge is an expensive failure, costing some 4,000 casualties.  6th June 1916 – The Germans detonate four mines beneath the British trenches at Hooge and retake the crater and the British front line.  31st July 1917 – Hooge and the surrounding area is captured by the British on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele).  21st March 1918 – The Germans recapture Hooge and almost take Ypres during their Spring Offensive.  28th September 1918 – Hooge changes hands for the last time as the final British offensive of the War pushes the Germans inexorably eastwards before the Armistice brings hostilities to an end.

Hooge

There are a number of information boards we will come across that are well worth enlarging – the text should be legible if you do so.

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

One of a number of German bunkers still in evidence around the crater.  This particular bunker dates from the winter of 1915-1916.

Hooge

IHooge

Some shots of the interior of the bunker, with and without flash:

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

This large water-filled crater is actually a combination of the German mines blown in June 1916, and is not the infamous Hooge Crater, long since filled in.

Hooge

And here’s the proof.  It seems to be one of those popular Great War misconceptions that what is in evidence today is the famous Hooge Crater, but it isn’t,…

…as is clear to see on these two aerial photographs from the previous information board.  On the left, a single large crater can be seen highlighted in yellow.  This is the Hooge Crater, the largest mine explosion of the war at the time, the photo purportedly taken on the day it was blown, 19th July 1915.  Fast forward to 6th June 1916 on the right, the Hooge Crater still highlighted in yellow, the four new mine craters blown that day by the Germans now in evidence, along with an ‘X’ marking the spot at which we are standing,…

Hooge Panorama 2

…and you can now see that it is the remains of the German craters that we see in front of us, not, as so many sources will tell you, the Hooge Crater, which was once beyond the trees to the left and, as mentioned, was filled in long ago.

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

It seems that we are now standing right on the spot of the German flamethrower attack of 30th July 1915.

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

At the far end of the crater, another German bunker, this one dating from 1917…

Hooge

…and what appears to be a part of a third in the foreground.

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Caught in the act No 1.

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Caught in the act No 2.

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

Hooge

The Menin Road, with the battlefields of 1914 & 1917 away in the distance to the east.

Hooge

No time to visit today, but there is an excellent museum in this restored chapel that I highly recommend you look around should you ever visit Hooge.

Hooge

Hooge

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25 Responses to The Menin Road – The Craters at Hooge

  1. Raymund Walker says:

    Great photos visited hill 60 this, year and most battle sites but missed this one,ray walker Australia.

  2. Magicfingers says:

    Thanks Raymund. Difficult to fit everything in on one trip though. Hope you’ve found the Hill 60 stuff elsewhere on this site.

  3. Lee says:

    Very interesting with great photos. I hope to visit the area in the near future as my Great Grandad was killed here on the 31st July 1917. I have discovered his grave is in the cemetery so would like to visit. If anybody has any information about that date I would be very interested in seeing it.

    • phil stevens says:

      Hi Lee just came back from visiting my great grandfathers grave, Joseph morgan 34540 of the loyal north Lancashire regiment also lost his life on July 31 1917 along with r bibby 203786, c e London 27880 & H Friedman 35710 all of the same regiment and burried side by side , no idea what happened to them but it was the first day of 3rd ypres battle,

      • David London says:

        My Great Grandad was Charles Edward London (27880) whom you mention. I visited Hooge in 2006. His son lived a good long life, and his grandson and other descendants still know about him.

        • Magicfingers says:

          Thanks for commenting David. I do rather hope Phil sees your comment.

          • David London says:

            Thank you, I hope he does too. Bit of background from what we as a family know about my Great Grandad, Charles Edward London. He lived in what is now Elephant & Castle, South London (so a mystery to the family why he was in the Loyal Lancashire Regt) and was a ‘driver’ for Pickfords removals as his trade – driver in those days being horse and cart driver. He was married a few months before he died to Alice (who was a widow until she died in the 1970s), and in his military service he was also used as a driver – “Horse Transport”. We happened upon this site yesterday, 31/7/2017 as it was the exact 100th anniversary of his date of death, and as I’m sure you know there were major commemorations of this day yesterday. Anyway is heartening to know via the wonders of Google that someone else was interested in him, and thanks for providing a great site for interested people to learn all about it.

  4. Magicfingers says:

    As I mention in the post Lee, 31st July 1917 was a big day. Name and regiment would be helpful. There are photos of Hooge Crater Cemetery (the first cemetery I ever visited in Flanders, actually) elsewhere on this site, although not a full tour around the cemetery, I’m afraid (yet). And if you check out all the posts in the ‘Menin Road’ category you will find out a lot more about this area, which might be of interest. Oh, and thanks for your kind comments. Glad you enjoyed it.

  5. Lee says:

    It’s been a while since I checked this site so thanks for your responses. My Great Grandfather was Cpl. William Humphreys L/10391 Royal Fusiliers who died on the 31st July 1917 age 33. I hope to get to the cemetary in the next couple of months. I have family in Holland who have recently visited after we discovered where his grave was located. I would like to find out more about him And it would be great to find a photo as we do not have any Of him. I guess it could be a difficult search, dO either of you know if there would be a regiment photo anywhere.

    • Magicfingers says:

      Hello again Lee. You could try the Royal Fusiliers Museum for starters; they may have a photo, or you might be able to arrange to go there and look through the regimental archives (if they keep them – they may have passed them on elsewhere, but they will be able to tell you where) yourself; all depends how they do things there. Maybe try the record office where your Great Grandfather came from, but you are quite right that it would most likely be a difficult search.

      Hope your trip goes well, and check out the ‘Menin Road’ category that I mentioned previously (if you haven’t done so) before you go.

  6. Stewart says:

    Thank you for this website. It is very well-made and the content fascinating.

    One sentence caught my attention very sharply, “25th September 1915 – A British attack at Hooge is an expensive failure, costing some 4000 casualties.” My great uncle, Thomas Venus of Pagham in Sussex (71st Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery/9 HAG), died that day in the Remi Sidings of wounds received at Hooge (information available on the CWGC Lijssenthoek site).

    I would dearly like to know more about the events of that day and understand the Hooge attack was subsidiary to the Battle of Loos (which rightly takes prominence). Please would you direct me to the source of the information in your sentence and any other likely sources for further information.

    I would dearly like to know more about what happened at Hooge/(Bellewaarde?) that day. Thank you!

    • Magicfingers says:

      Hello Stewart. Thank you for your kind comments; glad you are enjoying the site. As far as the British attack of 25th September 1915 is concerned, it was the largest of the subsidiary attacks, taking place over a front of about a mile from Hooge to the Bellewaarde Ridge. A couple of mines preceded the attack at Hooge, and south of the Menin Road progress was made, but north of the road the men of 3rd Division couldn’t get through the uncut wire and machine gun positions protecting the chateau, and the redoubt at the south west edge of Bellewaarde Lake could not be taken either. Further north 14th Division failed to take Bellewaarde Farm, despite breaking the German lines a little further north. At the end of the day the British were back in their starting trenches, with the casualties mentioned above. Various sources, although there is not a large amount in print about it that I have found: Lynne McDonald 1915, Nigel Cave Sanctuary Wood & Hooge, Philip Warner The Battle of Loos, and some contemporary articles published in the 1920s in book form.

      • Ronald Chamberlin says:

        My Great uncle Corporal David Campbell 994, 4th.Battalion of Gordon Highlanders was killed in action at Hooge 25th. September 1915 aged 23 years, his body was never found, but he is mentioned at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

        • Magicfingers says:

          Thanks for commenting Ronald – nice to add another soldier’s name – every time someone reads their names they are not forgotten, if you see what I mean.

  7. Stewart says:

    Thank you Magicfingers, that is very helpful.

  8. Terri Whitaker says:

    In http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/flanders/hooge/ it states that the Hooge Crater is in the grounds of Kasteelhof ‘T Hooghe (as stated below), but you said it is not. Who is right?
    The crater is now in the grounds of a hotel (the Kasteelhof ‘T Hooghe), but you can enter the site of the crater and walk part way around it. The crater (now water-filled) is quite large, and there are also pillboxes positioned around it, one of which is now partly submerged at the edge of the crater, and inaccessible.

    • Magicfingers says:

      Hello Terri. Now you’ve made me have to rewrite a part of this post! Not because my information is wrong, certainly not (lol), but to make the Hooge Crater conundrum clearer. All the craters were indeed in the grounds of Kasteelhof ‘T Hooghe, but the ones that remain are German ones, not the Hooge Crater. So I have explained it all, hopefully a bit better, with proof, at about photo 24 in the post. Please let me know if that removes any doubt. There are other little possible clues too, not that they are required – for example, if the actual Hooge Crater was still there, do you think that the sign on the Menin Road would read ‘Frontline Hooge – the site of mine craters’, as it does? I think it would say ‘The Hooge Crater’. Anyway, lmk what you think. And thanks for posing the question.

  9. Terri Whitaker says:

    Thanks very much, Magicfingers, for your prompt and clear reply. I am no longer confused! Everything you say makes sense. I’ve looked at your post around photo 24.

    • Magicfingers says:

      You are welcome Terri. Any time. Pleased it now makes sense. It’s all rather unfortunate that when so many people, and especially newcomers to the battlefields, are disabused of the fact that the crater isn’t actually in the nearby cemetery (myth number 1) they are then told instead that it’s over the road in the trees, which, as we’ve seen, it isn’t (myth number 2).

  10. Ronald Chamberlin says:

    Thank you Magicfingers, although I never new my Great uncle David who was killed over 100 years ago, now that I am over 71 years myself the strange thing is I think more & more about him, VERY strange indeed. I think it may be is because I have known about him for the vast majority of my life. Ronald.

    • Magicfingers says:

      Hello Ronald. Nice to see you back. What you say is interesting indeed. I suppose it is strange, perhaps, but it doesn’t feel strange. Bear in mind that what I try to do is bring back these men’s memories by way of this website, or get people interested enough to delve into their own ancestors, or just delve full stop, and it sounds pretty good to me! And I am no psychologist, but as you say, you have known about him all your life. Cheers!

  11. Pauline Haycock says:

    Were the 1/5 Leicestershires at Hooge in 1915

  12. Andy McMillan says:

    My Grandfather Richard McMillan was wounded at Hooge on 30th July 1915, he was in 7th Rifle Brigade that had been relieved at Hooge the night before the German attack but recalled to the front to counter attack. As far as I can work out he would have been wounded in the area just south of where the cemetery is now. My Father and I intend to visit this year on 30th July.

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