Current Information:

Age-38

12, Great Stanhope Street, Bayswater

Zillebeke Churchyard, Belgium

First Battle of Ypres

Between 21st October and 22nd November, 1914 a desperate fight took place around the Belgium city of Ypres, the first of three major battles that were to be fought there during the course of the war. British troops entered Ypres in October. The 1st and 2nd Divisions plus the 3rd Cavalry Division had made their way up from the Aisne as part of the “Race to the Sea”, whilst the 7th Division came west to Ypres after Antwerp had fallen. The Germans knew that Ypres was the gateway to the Channel ports and that these were vital to Britain’s war effort so they poured reinforcements into the area. The fighting fell into three distinct battles; the Battle of Langemarck, 21-24 October, the Battle of Gheluvelt, 29-31 October and the Battle of Nonne Bosschen, 11 November. Ypres did not fall to the Germans but its defence during these two months resulted in the destruction of much of the old regular British Army.

During the first week of November, 1914, the 1st Lifeguards, of 7th Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division were in a position of readiness half way between Zillebeke and Hooge, in a wood during the day  and spending the nights in billets in a farm half a mile north-west of Verbranden Molen. At 3.30pm on 6th November, 1st Lifeguard were sent urgently to support French units at Zillebeke which had been driven from their trenches by a strong attack. Coming under fire they dismounted and took up positions on the Klein-Zillebeke ridge and in the fighting that followed as the Lifeguards attacked a wood, William Wyndham was killed.