Hooge Crater
Location
Hooge Crater Cemetery is 4 kilometres east of Ieper town centre on the Meenseweg (N8), connecting Ieper to Menen. From Ieper town centre the Meenseweg is located via Torhoutstraat and right onto Basculestraat. Basculestraat ends at a main crossroads, directly over which begins the Meenseweg. The cemetery itself is located 3.5 kilometres along the Meenseweg on the right hand side of the road.
Historical Information
Hooge Chateau and its stables were the scene of very fierce fighting throughout the First World War. On 31 October 1914, the staff of the 1st and 2nd Divisions were wiped out by shell fire in the chateau.
From 24th May to 3rd June 1915, the chateau was defended against German attacks and in July 1915, the crater was made by a mine sprung by the 3rd Division.
The Hooge Mine
On the 30th July the Germans took the chateau, and on 9 August, it and the crater were regained by the 6th Division.
Flamethrowers
The Germans retook Hooge on 6 June 1916 and on 31 July 1917, the 8th Division advanced 1.6 kilometres beyond it. It was lost for the last time in April 1918, but regained by the 9th (Scottish) and 29th Divisions on 28 September.
Hooge Crater Cemetery was begun by the 7th Division Burial Officer early in October 1917. It contained originally 76 graves, in Rows A to D of Plot I, but was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves were brought in from smaller cemeteries in the area and from the battlefields of Zillebeke, Zantvoorde and Gheluvelt.
There are now 5,924 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 3,578 of the burials are unidentified but special memorials record the names of a number of casualties either known or believed to be buried among them, or whose graves in other cemeteries were destroyed by shell fire.
The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.
Two graves believed to be the soldiers named
It may be that they are not sure which is which
|
Corporal W Curtin 9176 |
Corporal Charles Reilly 9498 |
Grave: XXI L 1/2 |
Grave: XXI L 1/2 |
3774 Private Patrick Bugden VC
31st Bn Australian Infantry
Died on 28th September 1917 aged 20
Son of Thomas and Annie Bugden, of Tweed Heads, New South Wales
Born at Gundurimba, New South Wales
The London Gazette: No 30400, dated 26th November 1917
For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty when on two occasions our advance was temporarily held up by strongly defended "pill-boxes". Private Bugden, in the face of devastating fire from machine guns, gallantly led small parties to attack these strong points and, successfully silencing the machine guns with bombs, captured the garrison at the point of the bayonet.
On another occasion, when a Corporal, who had become detached from his company, had been captured and was being taken to the rear by the enemy, Private Bugden, single-handed, rushed to the rescue of his comrade, shot one enemy and bayoneted the remaining two, thus releasing the Corporal. On five occasions he rescued wounded men under intense shell and machine gun fire, showing an utter contempt and disregard for danger.
Always foremost in volunteering for any dangerous mission, it was during the execution of one of these missions that this gallant soldier was killed.
Grave: VIII C 5
Hooge Crater Museum opposite the cemetery
A visit to the small museum and café across the road is well worth the visit.
Hooge Crater Museum
Ieper