A man-made ridge near Ypres became one of the Great War's most contested sites.
In short: The Bluff, a prominent ridge south of Ypres, was not a natural feature but a byproduct of failed canal construction. This artificial high ground became a brutal military objective during the First World War, eventually housing a cemetery named for the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry who first established it.
The First DCLI Cemetery, located near The Bluff in Belgium, serves as a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for soldiers who perished during the First World War. The site derives its name from the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, the unit that founded the cemetery prior to the intense fighting that characterized the region in 1916. While it initially held only the graves of DCLI members, the site was later expanded by concentrating burials from the surrounding former battlefields.
The geography of the area is uniquely artificial. The Bluff was formed by spoil heaps left behind from unsuccessful attempts to dig a canal, creating a rare elevated position in an otherwise flat landscape. This height made it a strategic prize. In February 1916, German forces seized the ridge, only for the 14th (Light) Division to recapture it on 2 March. The conflict continued throughout the year, notably in July 1916 when German forces detonated a mine beneath the ridge without successfully capturing it. During the 1918 Spring Offensive, the Germans again took control, but the area was finally reclaimed by the 14th (Light) Division on 28 September.
The cemetery itself was designed by J R Truelove. Its existence is a permanent fixture of the landscape due to a decree by King Albert I of Belgium, who granted the grounds to the United Kingdom in perpetuity. This gesture was intended to honor the sacrifices made by the British Empire in the defense and liberation of Belgium. Today, the site of this former battlefield has been transformed into a provincial nature reserve and picnic area known as Provinciaal Domein Palingbeek, offering a quiet contrast to the violent history of the ridge.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: First DCLI Cemetery, The Bluff
- Also: First DCLI Cemetery, The Bluff
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