Resources required

• Resource A: Conditions in the Salient
• Resource B: The Rebuilding of Ypres
• Resource C: The Rebuilding of Ypres - Focus Questions
• Resource D: The Rebuilding of Ypres Character Cards
• Resource M: Soldiers of the Commonwealth
• Resource N: Additional Resources
• Resource O: Map

 
Rationale and learning intentions

Pupils need to see that war memorials are the product of a great deal of thought, planning and debate. War memorials also need to be firmly placed in their historical context if their purpose, meaning and significance are going to be fully understood by pupils. The main focus of this enquiry is an active learning activity that simulates the debate that took place concerning how best to commemorate the thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the fighting that took place around Ypres during the First World War. It helps pupils understand how British visions for commemoration came into conflict with the attitudes and needs of the local Belgian population.

 
'Hell on Earth': Why was Ypres the scene of such heavy fighting during the First World War? Pupils use the narrative, the photograph collection (Resource A) and the map (Resource O) to explore the four key battles that took place around Ypres. Pupils establish why

Ypres was the scene of such heavy fighting during World War One.

British and Commonwealth casualties were so high in this area. (Resource M provides information on the contribution of the Commonwealth to the war effort.  Resource N provides additional sources including websites for the archives of the UK, Canada and Australia through which individual soldiers can be researched).

Pupils use the photographs to infer what conditions were like on the battlefields.  Resource A contains a variety of images illustrating many aspects of life including living conditions behind the lines, the daily tasks for working parties, time spent in the front line trenches, conditions during a battle and the aftermath.  The images have been selected to demonstrate a variety of experiences and conditions.

The photograph (IWM Q5935) of stretcher bearers (Resource A) struggling through the mud near Boesinghe is often used in textbooks and on websites to demonstrate the appalling conditions on the Western Front. This is because it shows the mud up to the knees and the look of ‘agonised desperation’ on the men’s faces.   Pupils could be asked to choose one picture that they consider best demonstrates the appalling conditions men had to endure during the Third Battle of Ypres.

A new battle begins: Why was Ypres the cause of so much debate and controversy after the war had ended? Pupils explore why there was so much debate about the future of Ypres when the First World War ended.

Pupils read the narrative and Resource B before being assigned character cards (Resource D) and taking part in a structured debate about the future of Ypres. (Resource C)
It should be pointed out to pupils that one of the main reasons for Britain going to war in the first place was to defend Belgium’s right to a democratic government. Pupils should understand how British visions for commemoration came into conflict with:

• the right of the Belgian government to take decisions such as this itself.
• the needs of the local Belgian population.

Taking part in an active learning activity and arguing ‘in role’ should increase pupils’ engagement with the topic and increase their understanding of why there were such contrasting views about what should happen to Ypres at the end of the war.  

• How was the debate resolved?  Why was the Menin Gate such a good site for the main British war memorial?
• Pupils should explore a range of reasons why the Menin Gate was chosen as the site for a British war memorial (e.g. non-controversial, symbolic significance, architectural benefits).

Pupils should write in role as Reginald Blomfield to the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC) explaining why the Menin Gate is the ideal site. Pupils can use Blomfield’s character card (Resource D) to help them with this task.