THIS year marks the 100th anniversary of the battle of Passchendaele, the third battle of Ypres and one of the most brutal conflicts of the First World War.

It took place between July 31 and November 10, 1917, in west Flanders, Belgium. More than half a million combatants lost their lives.

Especially for Looking Back, Weymouth historian Greg Schofield is helping us to remember the Weymouth men who died in the first phase of the battle.

By 1917, The French Army was a shadow of its former self, having suffered horrific losses in 1916 at the Battle of Verdun, and this was followed by further catastrophic losses in early 1917 during the disastrous Nivelle Offensive. Their spirit broken, the French Army mutinied, and although it was brought back under control, any further offensive action was out of the question.

This left the British Army as the main allied strike-force on the Western Front, having become a fully trained unit, and gained much valuable experience from the Somme campaign of the previous year.

The Allied Command decided to launch a major campaign at Ypres, break out of the salient and seize the major rail junction of Roulers which lay just behind the the German lines. At a time when armies were so reliant on railways for transportation of men and supplies, such an action would cripple German communications, make possible the seizure of the U-boat pens at Zeebrugge and free up large areas of Belgium for recruitment and supplies.

The campaign was to be carried out by General Gough and the British 5th Army, which would have to break through three main lines of German defence, each based on the ridges of Hooge, Ghulevelt and Pilkem, climbing up to the top of the salient. But, there had been a two month delay since the successful Messines campaign, and the element of surprise had been lost, giving the Germans time to strengthen their defences.

The opening bombardment lasted 10 days, during which 4.5 million shells were fired to break down the German defences, but all it succeeded in doing was destroying the drainage systems which kept the land dry. The result of this was, when the first assaults took place in driving rain on the 31st July, it did so through thick mud and water filled shell-holes against German defences which were virtually intact, they failed. Two further attempts were made to break through, which were beaten back with fierce counter-attacks. At this point, the attacks were called off to allow the army time to regroup, and General Gough was replaced by General Plumer.

Nothing had been gained for the loss of 67,000 men, amongst which were five Weymouth men:-

n Bertram Charles Arter Company Sergeant Major, 1st Wiltshire Regiment. Died 11th August, 1917 aged 35. Hit by a shell. Lived at ‘The Bungalow’, Rocky Knap, Dorchester Road.

*Percy Albert Hurford Private, 12th Royal Sussex Regiment. Killed in action 31st July, 1917, aged 22.

*Walter Frank Legg Private, 8th Royal Iniskilling Fusiliers. Killed in action 5th August, 1917, aged 19. One of three brothers fighting. Had worked for Biles Newsagents and then Weymouth Gas Company.

*Frederick J. Stevens Private, Army Machine Gun Corps. Died 31st July, 1917

*Herbert Wilson Corporal, Royal Engineers. Died 31st July, 1917, aged 29.

Lived 6 Gordon Row, Chapelhay.