A Visit to the Battlefield of the YSER AND THE BELGIAN COAST. (continued 2)

The tombs of Charles-le-Téméraire and Marie of Burgundy, originally placed in the choir where they worthily contributed to the decoration of the sanctuary, were later removed to a closed chapel on the right, formerly the old Chanterie—reconstituted in 1812 of the écoutète Pierre Lanchals, who was tortured and beheaded in 1488 by the city burghers. His tombstone is still to be seen there, but it is the Burgundian tombs which retain the visitor's attention. Reproductions of the latter abound, and several European museums (among others, Cluny, Paris) possess plaster facsimiles. That of Marie is sixty years earlier than her father's, and is greatly superior both in style and execution. It is the work of Pierre Beckee of Brussels; the other is by Junghelinck, a native of Antwerp. The sarcophagi are in black marble with recumbent life-size statues of gilded copper; on the sides are the enamelled armorial bearings of the numerous domains belonging to the House of Burgundy. Philippe-le-Beau dedicated this mausoleum to his mother, who died at the age of 25 in consequence of a fall from her horse. Later, the remains of Charles-le-Téméraire, killed at Nancy, having been taken to Bruges, Philippe II had a tomb built for them on the lines of the first one. At the time of the Revolution the tombs were taken to pieces and hidden; the parts were reassembled in 1816, thanks to a subsidy of 10,000 francs granted by Napoleon.

The church contains many 17th and 18th century pictures, several remarkable works dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, paintings, panels and polyptics, among others an Adoration of the Shepherds by P. Pourbus, a triptych (first chapel on the left of the Ambulatory), and a Transfiguration triptych, the central panel of which is attributed to Mistaert (first chapel on the south side-aisle). Claeyssens, Van Orley, Marc Gheeraerts, Gérard Zeghers (Adoration of the Wise Men (western wall)) etc.... are likewise represented. In the Ambulatory, on the left-hand side, is the Gruuthuuse tribune of carved stone and wood, which used to communicate with the neighbouring house and was built by Louis de Gruuthuuse in 1472. Several other tombs are worthy of note, among others, that of Gérard David, the famous painter of The Unjust Judge; deceased in 1523, he was buried near the tower staircase. The Sacristy contains some fine 16th century sacerdotal ornaments named after Marie of Burgundy.

The Cathedral of St. Saviour.

Cathedral of St. Saviour.

This church, with its massive tower, rises abruptly on the left. The cemetery which formerly surrounded it has been transformed into a public garden surrounded with railings and heavy modern pilasters. The church was built in 1183-1228 in the fine primitive Gothic style of the period, on the site of an ancient sanctuary which was destroyed by fire. Vestiges of its stone foundations are still visible in the tower. The building was frequently modified in the course of time, hence an ensemble, in which figure the various periods of the Gothic style: parts of the transept and the choir, 13th century; the naves, 14th century; the chevet and apsidal chapels, 15th and 16th centuries; the vaulting, rebuilt in 1732; the four pinnacled spires of the tower, completed in 1875. The principal measurements are as follows:—length: 330 feet; width: 126 feet; width at the transept: 176 feet; height: 96 feet.

Like Notre-Dame (see p. 99), St. Saviour's is a typical specimen of the Flemish churches, as regards its rich furnishings, decoration and ornaments which form a veritable collection of works of art. Access is gained through two side doorways.

Polychrome decoration (1874-1875 by J. Bethune) replaced the previous distemper on the walls, pillars and ribs of the vaulting, itself believed to hide a former decoration of which no traces remain. A marble rood-loft of the 17th century decorated with a statue of the The Creator by Quellin the Younger, and surmounted by an organ-case, separates the nave from the choir. The latter contains curiously carved 15th century choir-stalls, above which are the armorial bearings of the Knights of the Golden Fleece, a famous order founded by Philippe-le-Bon in 1429, and whose 13th chapter was held in the cathedral in 1478.

The numerous paintings by local artists include: The Martyrdom of St. Hippolytus, a polyptych (veiled), attributed to Dierick Boute, in the third chapel of the ambulatory. On the left of the transept, in the Chapelle des Cordonniers is the Tombstone of Burgher Wautier Copman (1387), with its wonderful, shrouded figure—the finest tombstone that the 14th century has left us. Opposite is another fine stone, though inferior in style, i.e. that of Martin de Visch (1453). Various tablets of brass and bronze in relief, carved wood altar-pieces, tombs of bishops, the shrine of Charles-le-Bon, etc ..., besides the art treasures in the Salle des Marguilliers and sacristy, are worthy of note.

The St. John Hospital.

The broad gateway of this building, with its low vaulting, opens out in front of Notre-Dame, from which it is separated by Rue St. Catherine. A little further on, the old entrance, now walled-up, has retained its small corner columns and double tympanum, the latter containing a rare specimen of 13th century decorative art, i.e. two high reliefs depicting: The Death of the Virgin and The Burial Scene. Unfortunately, the entrance has been entirely restored in such a manner as to take away much of the interest which attached to the mutilated structure.

Rue St. Catherine, River Reye, and Hôpital St. Jean.

Here the Rue St. Catherine crosses the Reye, in whose waters are reflected the gloomy walls, pierced with high windows, and the stepped gables of the hospital, forming one of the most striking sights of old Bruges (Photo above).

The building dates from the 13th century and contains a number of antiques together with the names of the donors. Behind the remarkable old building facing the street, a new hospital was built in 1856 on the site of the cemetery; fortunately, the uninteresting appearance of these modern constructions is hidden by the old buildings.

The hospital includes a small museum, in which are kept the famous works of Hans Memling, classified under the following names: The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine (large folding altar-piece), The Adoration of the Child Jesus (triptych with oak panels), Sibylle Sambetha (portrait of Mary Moreel, from the Hospital of St. Julien), The Virgin with Apple (a diptych of the same origin), and lastly, the famous Shrine of St. Ursula, made of wood, with double gables, about 34 inches high, 36 inches long, and 13 inches wide, bearing on its sides, framed with archings and separated by small columns, representations of the six episodes from the Legend of St. Ursula and the eleven thousand Virgins. (Photo p. 104.)

St. Ursula's Shrine.

The two panels of the gables represent the Saint and the Madonna respectively; 6 medallions, attributed to a pupil of Memling, decorate the roof.

The six side panels represent the episodes of the legend: 1, St. Ursula landing at Cologne; 2, Passing through Basle; 3, Reception in Rome (the masterpiece of the series); 4, Return to Basle; 5, The Massacre of the Virgins at Cologne; 6, Death of St. Ursula (Photo opposite).

About sixty pictures of great value complete the Hospital Museum, together with a number of relics and pieces of carving. Most of them are by unknown masters. Among others, the masterpiece by Van Oost the Elder, the Meditating Christian, is especially worthy of notice. The hospital contains other curiosities, such as the Chapel, the Dispensary with its ancient furniture and fittings, and the old patients' ward with its double vaulted nave.

The Béguinage Convent and the Minnewater

Follow Rue St. Catherine (continuation of Rue Notre-Dame, beyond the Hospital), then take Rue de la Vigne (third on the right) leading to Place de la Vigne. Immediately on the right, behind the Béguinage Bridge over the Reye, at the end of Minnewater Lock, is the Renaissance porch (1776) of the entrance to the Béguinage Convent (photo, p. 105 and sketch below).

A grassy courtyard shaded with slender elms and bordered by low white cottages, neat and clean like those of a Dutch village, breathes monastic calm and peace. The tiny church, dating from the beginning of the 17th century, was built on the site of the 13th century edifice (destroyed by fire). The Béguinage was founded by Countess Jeanne of Constantinople. The northern door is the only remaining vestige of the former building. In the interior are several paintings and tombs of Nuns ("Béguines"). Adjoining the house of the Supérieure (Grande Dame), is a 15th century chapel containing a carved tabernacle, a brass tablet with a 16th century effigy, and painted vaulting.

On the right, at the other side of the bridge is the Minnewater (Photo, p. 105 and sketch opposite).

The Minnewater was formerly a navigable basin constructed at the point where the Reye enters the city. The original wooden bridge, flanked with two towers of masonry, was replaced in 1470 by the present structure. The eastern tower no longer exists, but the round western one still stands at the head of the bridge, and commands a charming view—often reproduced pictorially—of the town, with its towers and the Béguinage Convent in the foreground.

Entrance to the Béguinage.

Follow Rue de l'Arsenal, turning left into Rue St. Catherine, at the corner of which stands the Musée de Peinture (See sketch, p. 104).

The Minnewater. In the background: Tower of Notre-Dame.

Entrance to the Musée de Peinture.

The Musée de Peinture.

This Museum contains a collection of early Flemish masterpieces. At the entrance are two famous paintings by Gérard David (1498): The Judgment of Cambyses and The Chastisement of the Unjust Judge. Next come: The Last Judgment, by Jean Prévost (1525); The Baptism of Christ, a triptych by Gérard David (1507), with portraits of the donor and his family; The Virgin and Child, St. George and St. Donatian, with a fine portrait of the donor, Canon Van der Paele, by Jean van Eyck (1436); a triptych by Memling (1484); St. Christopher, St. Maurus and St. Giles, with a portrait of the donor, W. Moreel, his wife, five sons and eleven daughters (St. George and John-the-Baptist are depicted on the folding leaves); The Last Judgment, by Van den Coornhuuse, a master-painter of Bruges; two miniatures, by G. David; two paintings, by Lancelot Blondeel (1545): St. Luke and The Legend of St. George; also paintings by Pourbus, Clayessens, Claeys, Van Oost and Van Goyen.

Continue along Rue St. Catherine, taking on the right, Rue Vieille-de-Gand as far as Place de la Porte de Gand.

The Porte de Gand.

This is one of the city's former seven gates, of which only four remain. The Ghent Gate, a specimen of the military architecture of the Middle-Ages, has like the St. Croix Gate (p. 108), retained much of its mediæval aspect. To the right of the gate are gardens which occupy part of the ramparts.

The Porte de Gand.

Quai Vert, seen from the Quai des Dominicains.

Take Rue de la Porte de Gand, opposite the gate, to the modern Church of Mary-Magdalene, Gothic in style, situated in front of a pretty park.

Take Rue des Ciseaux, which skirts the church on the right, then Rue des Corroyeurs Noirs, on the left, prolonged by Rue du Cheval.

The latter crosses the Reye at the Quai Vert, which, at this point, is very pretty (Photo above).

Turn left, into Rue Haute, and return to the Grand'Place.

Second Excursion.

Starting from the Grand'Place, by Rue de la Bride, continued beyond the Place du Bourg by Rue Haute, cross the Pont du Moulin and follow Rue Longue, at the end of which is the mediæval Porte St. Croix (photo, p. 108.) The last two remaining windmills of Bruges are on the ramparts, to the left.

Follow the ramparts to Rue des Carmes, at the corner of which is the Local des Archers de St. Sebastien (16th century), with its quaint, slender tower. Portraits of Members of the Guild are preserved there, among others, those of Emperor Maximilian and Charles II of England.

Continue along Rue du Persil which ends at Quai de la Poterie; take the latter on the left, as far as the Hospice de la Poterie.

Porte de St. Croix, and the Windmills on the Ramparts.

La Poterie.

This is both a church and a home for the aged poor. Its gabled façades were charmingly restored by Ch. Verschelde, chief initiator of the movement for the renovation of Bruges Architecture, deceased in 1881.

Choir of the Chapelle de l'Hospice de la Poterie.

Chapel of the Virgin, in the Chapelle de l'Hospice de la Poterie.

The polychrome decoration of the interior of the church recalls that of the Frauenkirch at Nuremberg.

The nave dates from 1358; the choir, marble rood-loft and other portions are 17th century. The tombs of Nicolas Despars (1597) and Jean de Beer (1608), and the rich Treasury in the Sacristy are interesting.

The Museum (parlour, refectory, corridors) contains ancient furniture, ivory carvings, antiquities, rich Flemish tapestries, and a fairly large collection of pictures.

The Séminaire.

The Seminary, situated immediately beyond the Poterie, is the old Abbey of the Dunes, which was reconstructed at Bruges in 1623-1628. The church, rebuilt in 1775, replaced the original edifice founded in the 12th century between Furnes and Coxyde, and destroyed by the Iconoclasts in 1556.

Since the Revolution, it has been successively a hospital, school, lycée, warehouse, and athenæum. Today it is a diocesan seminary.

The seminary contains a collection of portraits of the bishops and abbots of Bruges and Ypres, also the famous Visitation, by Albert Dürer, in which that great master displays to the full his exquisite talent. It is the only piece of sculpture by Dürer in the country.

Continue along Quai de la Poterie as far as the Pont des Carmes opposite the street of the same name. Cross the bridge and take Rue de la Cour de Gand leading to the small Place Memling, in which stand a quaint STATUE of the artist and the ancient Hôtel des Orientaux.

In the continuation of Rue de la Cour de Gand, beyond Place Memling, is one of the two last remaining wood-panelled houses of Bruges. Place Jan van Eyck (Photo and sketch, p. 110) is next reached.

Here stands the heavy bronze statue of Jan van Eyck, the gifted inventor of oil painting.

In front, is the Academy or Poortersloge (14th century), formerly the House of the Burghers, then the meeting-place of the White Bear Company, whose emblem may still be seen in the corner of the building which overlooks the Rue Espagnole. It is the Beertje van Loge, the oldest "burgher" of Bruges, just as the Mannekenpis is the oldest "burgher" of Brussels. However, the "Bear of Bruges" is the older of the two (1417).

Place Jan Van Eyck.

The building was used as an Art Gallery from 1719 to 1898. Since then it has been entirely rebuilt in the original style, with a slender tower facing the Rue de l'Outre, and now contains the State Records.

On the right of the square stands the ancient Tonlieu, with its pretty façade, large gable and porch, the whole artistically restored in 1880. The Municipal Library, comprising some 15,000 volumes, is now housed there. The collection includes a series of incunables printed by Colard Mansion of Bruges (15th century), 562 MSS, a collection of epitaphs, and the Steinmetz Collection of drawings and engravings.

Take Rue de l'Académie, facing which, on arriving at the Place du Theatre, is the Maison des Génois, a souvenir of the great prosperity of the city during the Burgundian epoch.

The tympanum of the door is decorated with a St. George and Dragon. This ancient warehouse of the rich Italian merchants is now a café.

In the middle of the Square is the Theatre and behind it, the gloomy Maison des Tonneliers.

Tourists should here take a stroll through the old picturesque streets of this quarter, especially Rue des Aiguilles and Rue au Beurre, which lead to the Church of St. Jacques.

The Church of St. Jacques.

Irregular in style, this church has a square tower with a pyramidal roof.

Erected in the 13th century and enlarged in the 15th, it bears the stamp of both periods. Especially noticeable are the irreparable marks of restorations carried out in defiance of the principles and character of the original styles. The church was sacked during the religious troubles of the 16th century. The most unfortunate alterations were those carried out at the end of the 17th century. In 1820 a ceiling was added, cutting off the upper portion of the columns and pillars. Attempts have since been made to remedy these defects.

The church contains many valuable works of art, the most important of which is The Tomb of Ferry de Gros, treasurer of the Order of the Golden Fleece, deceased in 1544, and of his two wives, Philippine of Wiebaut and Catherine of Ailly. It is one of the very few surviving specimens of 16th century Flemish art, and remained for a long time in a walled-up chapel used as a store-room. In 1864, the chapel and tomb were completely restored. The figures are recumbent, on two superimposed stones, Ferry and his first wife being uppermost. The other stone is by far the more remarkable of the two. Attempts have been made to restore the original polychromy of the monument. The tomb and the Chapel form a very harmonious and decorative whole.

Among the paintings are: on the altar in the Chapel of Souls, a reredos in three parts. It represents St. Cosmas and St. Damian, and is considered to be Lancelot Blondeel's greatest masterpiece. In the same chapel: a triptych, by Peter Pourbus (1556), The Virgin of the Seven Afflictions, and a Resurrection, by the same painter (1578). In the south aisle: The Presentation of the Virgin, one of the finest works by Van Oost the Elder (1655). On the altar, in the northern nave: The Coronation of the Virgin by Albert Cornelis (1520), the only work of this master, and a fine Triptych, by Jan Mostaert (1474-1555).

In the chapels are copper and brass tablets. The carved wood pulpit, rood-loft and choir-stalls are in decadent Renaissance style (17th century). Behind the high-altar is a three-storied marble tabernacle, dating from 1593. The belfry contains some very fine bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1525.

On leaving the Church of St. Jacques, the tourist may either turn left over the bridge and along Rue des Baudets, as far as the Porte d'Ostende (photo below) or return to the Grand'Place, by Rue St. Jacques, on the right.

The Porte d'Ostende.

Fourth Day. FROM BRUGES TO POPERINGHE, NEAR YPRES.

Lunch at Dixmude, but provide luncheon baskets, in case of need.

Leaving the Grand'Place, Bruges, via the Place du Marché-aux Œufs, take Rue de la Monnaie, on the left, then Rue Nord du Sablon, and beyond the station and level-crossing, Rue du Maréchal. Go through the Porte Maréchale which, like the Ostend Gate, bears traces of its 17th century restoration (Photo, p. 113).

At the fork, 1 km. further on, take the right-hand road to St-André. Pass through same, then through Varssenaere, Jabbeke, Westkerke and Ghistelles. Beyond Ghistelles (level-crossing), take the Ostend-Thourout road, on the left. Pass through Moerdijck (24½ kms.), and on reaching the hamlet of Halve-Barreel, turn to the right.

Maréchale Gate, by which the tourist leaves Bruges.

At the first group of houses turn to the right, then to the left at the first fork. At the first house of the hamlet of Leugenboom (3½ kms.), take the foot-path on the right, from which, 150 yards to the left, can be seen the Pommern or Leugenboom Battery, at the edge of the wood. This battery comprises a 15in. long range gun, which did most of the bombarding of Dunkirk. The gun, protected by armour, is mounted on a steel bridge having a pivot in front, the rear part of the gun travelling along a circular rail-track in a concrete pit nearly 70 feet in diameter. The gun was manœuvred by means of electric motors. On either side are large shelters in reinforced concrete. In front of and below the platform there was an electric generator group. A large shelter of reinforced concrete, on the right, was probably the Post of Commandment. There is a dummy gun emplacement further on.

"Pommern" or "Leugenboom" Battery, near Leugenboom Hamlet.

Concrete Shelter at St. Pierre-Cappelle.

Return by the same road to Moerdijck, turn left beyond the bridge, pass through Moere (2 kms.), and after crossing the light railway, take the road on the right which follows the railway to Leke village (5½ kms.). Beyond the ruins of the church, take the right-hand road to St. Pierre-Cappelle (4 kms.), whose church is in ruins. Continue straight along the Nieuport road, noticing the many observation-posts and concrete shelters. Throughout the region crossed by the itinerary, on both sides of the Yser, the ground has been completely devastated by trenches, shelters and bombardments. The villages have vanished. Today these places are the resort of pilgrims. Spermalie (2 kms.) is next reached.

Beyond the bridge, at the fork, take the right-hand road (in bad condition) to Mannekensvere.

A few heaps of stones and débris are all that remains of Mannekensvere. To visit St. Georges, cross the Yser by a small wooden foot-bridge, near the place where the Pont de l'Union used to stand. (It is impossible for vehicles to cross the river). Between the Yser and St. Georges, follow a "boyau" (by-trench) to the first Belgian and German lines, marked by many concrete shelters pierced with loop-holes.

The Site of Mannekensvere village.

Mannekensvere was situated on the right bank of the Yser. The Pont de l'Union, which crossed the Yser 3 kms. from Nieuport, connected it with St. Georges, situated a little further back, on the left bank, along the Nieuport-Bruges Road. These two villages and the bridge were among the principal targets of the Germans. On October 18, 1914, Mannekensvere, an advance-post of the Belgian 2nd Division, was carried by the Germans, but recaptured shortly afterwards by the Belgian 7th Infantry Regiment (Major Evrard). Unfortunately, the German heavy artillery made the position untenable on the following day, and Major Evrard was forced to re-cross the Pont de l'Union, which he blew up. St. Georges, on the contrary, was captured only on October 23, after the crossing of the Yser by the enemy, and the loss of Groote-Hemme Farm which covered it from the south.

The Inundations near Dixmude.

Return to Spermalie, where turn to the right.

Temporary foot-bridge across the inundations.

The whole of the region now about to be crossed was flooded throughout the war. Today, the waters have receded, leaving it covered with reeds.

Schoore (1 km.), completely razed, is next reached.

Schoore was situated slightly to the right of the Yser, on the road to Bruges. The Belgian 1st Division had its advance-posts there. The village was captured on October 18, 1914, by a battalion of the German IIIrd Corps, after a four hours' bombardment.

The Pont de l'Union, between St. Georges and Mannekensvere.

The Yser at Schoorbakke.

Cross the Yser at Schoorbakke (2 kms.)

This village had a bridge across the Yser, at the end and to the west of the great bend in the river, beginning at Tervaete.

This important strategical point was early threatened by the enemy. After the furious combats of October 15-22, the grand assault was launched on the night of the 22nd. A battalion of the Belgian 4th Infantry Regiment, though practically hemmed in by the enemy, defended it heroically, and only evacuated the position at dawn on the 23rd (see p. 12).

Between the Yser and the shelters bordering its left bank, a foot-path on the right leads to Groote-Hemme Farm (1 km. 300.)

Keep straight along the road. The first road on the left leads to Stuyvekenskerke (1½ kms.) of which only a few broken walls remain.

To the left of the church there is a temporary footway along the road; today the latter is recognizable only by the stumps of the trees which formerly bordered it. The footway leads to the site on which stood the Château of Vicogne, and further on, to Tervaete (Photo, p. 117.)

From this village, the Yser describes a wide curve towards the west which ends at Schoorbakke. At Tervaete, a bridge spanned the Yser. From the right bank the enemy were able to enfilade and even attack the Allies' defences on the left bank, in the rear, and effect a crossing of the river at that point. This explains the frequency and fierceness of the German attacks on Tervaete, which was first lost then recaptured on October 22, 1914, being finally captured by the Germans the next day (See p. 12).

From Stuyvekenskerke, return to the road previously followed, turning left towards Pervyse. Shortly before reaching Pervyse are the remains of an elevated footway, which formerly crossed the inundated ground. After crossing what used to be the permanent way of the Dixmude-Nieuport railway, the village of Pervyse is reached (3½ kms.) The railway embankment formed the boundary of the inundated area, and was fortified. Shelters and graves are still to be seen all the way along. There was an observation-post on the top of the railway-station, to the left of the road.

Temporary Bridge at Tervaete, on the impassable road to Stuyvekenskerke, in 1919.

Pervyse, in ruins, was made famous by the heroic resistance of the French Marines who beat off the enemy's fierce onslaughts of October and December 1914.

The houses bordering the road at the entrance to the village were turned into machine-gun blockhouses, thus barring the way.

Ramscappelle Church.

Beyond the church is a crossing; the road on the right leads to Ramscappelle (4½ kms.) which played an important part in 1914. On October 30, 1914, a fierce German thrust ended in the capture of the village—already on the point of being inundated—from the Belgian 5th and 6th Infantry Regiments. The loss was one of the greatest importance, as no lines of resistance had been prepared in the rear. The recapture of Ramscappelle was therefore an indispensable if very difficult operation. (See p. 15.)

Caeskerke Church (August 1917).

The left-hand road leads to Dixmude. Caeskerke (5½ kms.), a station on the Dixmude-Nieuport railway, is next reached. The Headquarters of Admiral Ronarc'h were established there in October 1914, and it was this fact which caused it to be bombarded by the Germans, whose shells quickly reduced it to ruins.

Beyond Caeskerke, cross the Yser; before reaching the bridge, on the left, along the riverside, is a trench with numerous shelters, known as the "Boyau de la Mort" (Death Trench). It was enfiladed by machine-guns posted in the flour-mill on the opposite bank of the Yser (on the right, near the bridge), which the Germans had converted into a fortress. (Photo p. 124.)

The "Boyau de la Mort" (Death Trench). See p. 19. In the background: Dixmude.

The tourist next reaches Dixmude (2½ kms.), arriving at the Grand' Place.

DIXMUDE.

Dixmude was a small ancient town of some 4,000 inhabitants, situated in the midst of fields on the right bank of the Yser.

It was entirely destroyed. Of the town's monuments and buildings, traces of the parish-church of St. Nicholas only remain (on the left side of the square). The chevet dated from the 14th century, the rest of the building being early 16th century. The church contained a magnificent rood-loft of finely carved white stone (1540). Above the high altar was a fine Adoration of the Wise Men, by Jordaens (1644). The rich ancient furnishings comprised: a marble font with a bronze cover (1626), choir-stalls, pulpits, a "Calvary" altar, a carved oak organ-loft, wrought copper chandeliers, candlesticks, etc.

From the heap of stones and débris—the remains of the church tower—there is a good view of the ruined town. In the same square stood the Hôtel-de-Ville, Gothic in style, built about 1870. It was entirely razed (Photo below).

Dixmude, seen from the ruined Church (1919).

Dixmude. The Hôtel-de-Ville, before the war.

The left-hand road leads to the bridge over the Handzaeme Canal, one of the most picturesque parts of Dixmude. Close by, to the left of the road, stood the Béguinage, comprising some twenty houses grouped around a small chapel, and a fine garden. The place is now overrun with weeds.

The Defence and Capture of Dixmude.

Dixmude was the scene of most desperate fighting from October 15 to November 10, 1914. The French Naval Brigade—6,000 men commanded by Admiral Ronarc'h—with a brigade of the Belgian 3rd Division under General Meiser, and a few battalions of Senegalese troops, held out heroically for a month against enemy forces six times more numerous and supported by masses of heavy artillery.

On October 16, along the roads encumbered with refugees from the region of Thourout, the Marines, in their retreat from Melle to Ghent, reached Dixmude in the pouring rain, accompanied by the Belgian batteries under Major Pontus. Under enemy pressure the advanced positions of the town were abandoned.

At that time, the river formed the only line of defence against the enemy thrust, there being no trenches, shelters, or wire entanglements.

In spite of great fatigue, due to the forced marches, the Marines and Infantry, with the help of some companies of Belgian Engineers, organised defences in the vast plain. Trenches were made round the town, 1 km. beyond its outskirts, whilst the bridges, footways and dikes of the Yser Canal were fortified at the same time.

The Chevet of the church before the war. (Photo E. Thill.)

The defences of the bridgehead of Dixmude were divided into two sectors, separated by the Caeskerke Road.

Having no aeroplanes or heavy artillery, the 6,000 French Marines, with 5,000 Belgians of the Meiser Brigade—11th Regiment (Col. Leermans) and 12th regiment (Col. Jacques)—were attacked by three German Army Corps.

After an unsuccessful feint attack on October 16-17, the Germans, having meanwhile received reinforcements and siege artillery from Antwerp, renewed their assault with increasing violence.

On the 20th, at 11 a.m., the first big shell fell in the town. In conformity with the Burgomaster's orders, the civilians left the town, except the Carmelite Nuns and a few other persons, who were forced to leave a few days later.

A street in Dixmude, in 1918.

The Yser at Dixmude, before the war. (Photo Nels.)

The first shells fell on the church, which was burnt. Fires broke out everywhere and soon destroyed the town. The troops stoically awaited the attack, which came simultaneously from the north, east and south.

The assaulting columns were in massed formation, sixteen lines deep. They were literally mown down, and after a desperate struggle their scattered remnants were thrown back on their starting positions.

The attack continued on the following days, without appreciable enemy gain. Whenever, by force of numbers, they penetrated the defences, reserve sections of Marines drove them back at the bayonet's point.

Admiral Ronarc'h.

Dixmude was none the less in imminent danger. German troops crossed the Yser at Tervaete, and slipped along the left bank of the river with the intention of turning the position. In the thick of the battle and in spite of the incessant frontal attacks, Admiral Ronarc'h dispatched two battalions to the threatened point. Although the men were "half-dead with the cold and lack of sleep", a front was improvised between the Yser Canal and the embankment of the Nieuport-Dixmude railway. The manœuvre was a difficult one, but by prodigies of heroism the new line stood firm and became fixed.

On the 24th, a bombardment of unprecedented intensity was opened on the town and its defences, including the station of Caeskerke, where the Admiral's headquarters were situated, but the defenders held their ground unflinchingly under the terrible deluge of flying splinters. Towards evening, the enemy made a tremendous effort against the bridgehead of Dixmude. Eleven assaults in the north and north-east sector, and fifteen assaults in the south-east sector were successively repulsed. The German dead accumulated in heaps, right up to the Allies' trenches. The struggle continued hand-to-hand until midnight, in pitch darkness, the men floundering blindly in the mud.

The Yser at Dixmude, after the war. (See opposite.)

Exhausted by their tremendous efforts the enemy gave way. Dixmude was still inviolate, but on the morrow, as soon as the morning mists had risen, the bombardment began again along the whole line. Little by little the town fell into ruins.

On the night of the 25th, a company of German infantry managed to slip into the town. About a hundred of them crossed the bridge-road and in close formation made a dash for Caeskerke, with fife and drum at their head. That the men were drugged, explains their foolhardy exploit. A few prisoners, including several Belgian doctors, Commandant Jeanniot and some marines were captured. Held up soon afterwards, the Germans attempted to get back to their lines, shooting most of their prisoners at dawn. The doctors and a quarter-master alone were spared, being eventually delivered by a section of French Marines.

The troops under Colonel Jacques, exhausted by the struggle, were relieved by two battalions of Senegalese and a battalion of the Belgian 1st Line Regiment.

Keeping up their daily bombardment, the enemy now directed their main effort between Nieuport and Dixmude. However, they were held by the inundations which soon spread southwards. Moreover, the ceaseless rain had transformed the ground into a veritable sea of mud, which gradually invaded the trenches. Shivering with cold and fever, and up to their knees in slime, the Marines still stood firm.

The Capture of Dixmude.

On November 10 the Germans, infuriated by their repeated checks, attacked again with overwhelming forces. Part of the defences in the southern sector, between the railway and the Eessen road, held by Belgian infantry, gave way beneath the shock, bringing about the fall of the sectors on either side, held by the Senegalese troops. The line was pierced in the centre. The enemy swarmed through the breach, crossing the Handzaeme Canal to the north, while to the south, in the direction of the cemetery, they attacked the companies of Marines who continued to resist desperately. The Germans entered the town, the fight continuing from street to street and house to house, with countless surprises and ambuscades. Unarmed prisoners were made to march in front of the assailants, who proceeded to attack the positions on the Yser. Amongst them was Naval-Lieutenant Sérieyx, who, wounded in the arm, had just fought with his men to the last cartridge.

The Minoterie. (Flour Mill.)

On being ordered by the German Commandant to indicate the fordable places in the river, one of which was only some fifty yards away, the French officer, to gain time, made a complicated sketch of the position, placing himself and his men the while in front of the Germans. Becoming impatient, the German ordered the Frenchmen to call on the defenders of the canal to surrender.

"But how can you expect them to surrender", was the calm rejoinder, "seeing that there are ten thousand of them". In reality, they numbered about two hundred.

At this point, heavy rifle fire to the north drew the attention of the enemy elsewhere, seeing which, the wounded officer, exhorting his men to follow him, jumped into the river and swam over to the other side.

When night fell, the bridges and flour-mill—a powerful blockhouse in reinforced concrete—were blown up, the whole of the Franco-Belgian troops having meanwhile been withdrawn behind the embankment of the Yser Canal, which they held under gunfire. The Germans sought to organise the ruins of the unfortunate town, whose destruction was now being completed by the Allies' artillery.

The inundations reached Dixmude, forming an impassable barrier for the enemy.

On November 26, 1914, the French Naval Brigade, which later further distinguished itself on other fields of battle, and whose flag was eventually decorated with the Légion d'honneur (fourragère), was mentioned in the Army Orders, in the following terms:

Gave proofs of the greatest energy and devotion in the defence of a most important strategic position.

Admiral Ronarc'h saluting the Flag of the French Marines.

Until October 1918, the enemy's front lines followed the banks of the canal and the Death Trench, dominated by the ruins of the flour-mill situated upstream from the destroyed bridge-road. For four years, violent raids and bombardments kept this sector, successively held by French Marines, Territorials, Zouaves, and Belgian Infantry, in a perpetual state of activity.

Finally, in September 1918, during the great Liberty Offensive, the Belgian 4th Division attacked the banks of the Yser Canal, turned Dixmude from the east, and in a single rush reached the banks of the Handzaeme Canal. On September 29, Dixmude, reduced to a chaotic waste covered with shapeless masses of débris and tangled barbed wire, and cut up entirely with trenches, was retaken by the Belgians.

Watching a Review of the French Marines.

Eessen Church.

On January 25, 1920, in the presence of King Albert, President Poincaré conferred the French Croix de Guerre on Dixmude, with the following mention.

"Won undying fame in the first days of the War by heroic, never-to-be-forgotten combats. Proved herself worthy of this glory by the fortitude with which she daily supported bombardments and fires, confident that her sacrifices were helping to save the Country and the Common Cause."

From the canal, return to the Grand'Place and take the Roulers Road, turning into the first by-road on the left; 3 kms. beyond the level-crossing, leave the Clercken Road leading to Houthulst Wood, on the right, and keep straight on to Eessen (3½ kms.) The belfry of the ruined church was long used by the Germans as an observation-post (Photo above).

In front of the church, turn left and cross the railway. The road leads to Vladsloo (large German cemeteries). Behind the church, turn left. On reaching the high road, turn left and enter the village of Beerst (5 kms.)

Beerst and, further north, Keyem served as advance posts in October 1914 to the Belgian 4th Division which was then defending Tervaete. Violently attacked on October 18, they were lost and retaken, being finally abandoned on the morrow. In a desperate effort to save Beerst, the French Marines captured it twice at the point of the bayonet, covering themselves with glory, but all to no purpose. Beerst was completely ruined. Many cellars, transformed by the Germans into fortified shelters, may still be seen.

On reaching the road to Dixmude, turn left, pass through Dixmude (3½ kms.) and leave the town by the road previously followed. Take the first road on the left to Loo (1½ kms.)

This small, ancient town is situated on the banks of the Yser canal. Its large 15th-16th century Gothic church, formerly an abbey, contains paintings and several fine tombs.

Keeping straight ahead beyond the Grand'Place, in which stands the Renaissance Hôtel-de-Ville, the tourist will notice, immediately on the left, an Old Gate (Westpoort), a vestige of the ancient fortifications. A sycamore tree, probably some four or five centuries old, near by, is said by the inhabitants to have been used by Julius Cæsar as a picket for tethering his horse.

Loo.

1. Westpoort Gate, and the "Julius Cæsar" Sycamore Tree;

2. The Grand'Place. The Hôtel-de-Ville (on the right), and the ruins of the Church.

Return to the Grand'Place, turn to the right, and cross the Yser. Reninghe (5 kms.) (razed) is next reached. To the right of the Square, take the street along which runs the local railway, leaving the church on the left. Before turning, the tourist will notice just beyond the church a small château dating from 1648 (Photo below). Follow the railway as far as Oostvleteren (4 kms. 300), where cross the Furnes road to reach Westvleteren, 1 km. 300 further on. Turn to the left, beyond the church of the latter village, keeping straight on to Poperinghe (10 kms.), via Eikhock.

Reninghe.

1. The 17th century Château;

2. Ruins of the Church.