Deadly fire in the Ypres ramparts casemates 13 December 1917

Ten men dead in horrific circumstances. The specific cause was never identified. Here is their story.

Location of tragedy

Detail from a pre-war map of the centre of Ypres. I have highlighted the bridge across the old moat (the Porte de Menin, or Menin Gate, with the moat called the Kasteelgracht) and a street south of it that runs behind the ancient eastern ramparts.

The street south of the Menin Gate is now called Bollingstraat. It is shown here in Imperial War Museum photograph Q43421 “Road behind the ramparts looking south from the Menin Gate: Ypres, 1921”. In the earth bank of the ramparts, a series of shelters or casemates were constructed as part of the city’s defences in the 1600s.

Same street but further south. Imperial War Museum Q28949 “Troops outside dugouts along the Rampart, near the Menin Gate, Ypres, 1915.” The face of the casemates and the entrances to them had been sandbagged to protect them from the blast of shell explosions. Note the ruined walls of the church on the right. The map above gives it as St Jacques, but it now goes by the Flemish name of Sint-Jacobskerk. Facing it is a taller, light-coloured structure: I refer to this below.

With thanks to my friend Johan Ryheul, this is a photo of the casemates of the light-coloured structure seen above. I cannot tell whether this was before or after the fire.

Google Maps: the same spot today. The rebuilt St-Jacobskerk can be seen on the right. Note the white van parked on the left.

The white van was parked here. This is the facade of some of the renovated casemates as they were in 2009 (compare with more up to date photograph at foot of the page). The brick structures and the upper floors seen in John Ryheul’s photo above were demolished and not rebuilt.

Fire

All images below are from the war diary of the Adjutant of 33rd Division (National Archives WO95/4209) unless stated. The diary of divisional headquarters was destroyed in the fire.

On 18 November 1917, the 33rd Division moved into the Ypres sector. Its headquarters was set up partly in the casemates below the Ypres ramparts and partly in the rear at Brandhoek. The division took over the Passchendaele front and held it for just under a month. On 13 December 1917, the division was in the process of being relieved and moving to the rear at Steenvoorde when disaster struck at the forward headquarters.

Most of the known details are from the record of a court of inquiry that took place after the event.

Sketch of the casemate affected: note that it has five chambers and a rectangular addition in the centre. This appears in photo Q28949 above and implies that this casemate is the structure that appears in a light colour and is also that shown in the 2009 photo. The title includes a grid map reference 28 NW 1 8 c 10 65. This is curious as it points to a location much further west. I assume it be an error, for the location of this casemate is actually 8 d 10 65. The artist was Lieutenant Kennard, who was acting as camp commandant for the small garrison of the casemates at the time.

Detail of the interior: I refer you to the digitised war diary for a copy that can be zoomed out for greater detail. Winess statements suggest that most, if not all, of those who died were accomodated in the left-hand casemate.

Graphic details of events emerged at this court of enquiry.

The witness statements are all included with the war diary. I have picked out a few that serve to explain the event and portray its sudden, chaotic and ultimately fatal nature:

Colonel Edmund Christopher Packe, Royal Fusiliers and serving as AA & QMG 33rd Division: he reported that the only main exit was blocked by fire. He also said that the divisional GSO1, GSO2 and CRA all got out before this exit was blocked.

IWM photo HU116535. Packe. Managed to escape via a boarded-up opening in the signal room, which led him into the electric lighting vault.

Packe also described the internal arrangement of the casemates. The canvas partitions and sheeting, along with no signage, meant that it was not clear where any form of exit was, even had it been light enough to see.

Lieutenant-Colonel William Francis Taylor Corrie also got out by sheer luck.

Staff Sergeant Major S/19237 Ernest Northcote Soilleux, Army Service Corps, was possibly the last man ever to speak to Sergeant Major Gubby, who was killed.

The inquiry could not determine the exact cause of the fire nor did it find any cause to blame anyone, but it did point the finger at the fact that passages were closed off and their very existence not clear. Such poor basic safety practice cost ten men their lives.

The casualties

From the graves register of Ypres Reservoir Cemetery (Commonwealth War Graves Commission). The ten dead were taken for burial in graves 19 to 28 in row B of Plot 4.

Some of the dead of the fire were initially reported as missing believed killed (named in the official lists in January 1918), and this was eventually corrected to accidentally killed. They were:

Corporal 115989 George Frederick Gray, Royal Garrison Artillery with 77th Heavy Artillery Group. From 26 Rosebery Gardens in Crouch End, he attested in the Group System and was called up to begin service at the age of 30 on 3 September 1916. He landed in France on 14 December 1917 and was posted to 77th HAG. George was married and had two children.

From George Gray’s army service record (National Archives WO363). The witness William Edward Sharp mentions several of the others who lost their lives: he survived the war. We can only wonder what nightmares he suffered after this event and seeing the “entirely unrecognisable” bodies of comrades being taken away for burial.

Temporary Regimental Sergeant Major 618 Walter Charles Gubby, Royal Garrison Artillery with headquarters of 33rd Divisional Artillery. Landed in France on 16 August 1914 with Artillery Clerks section. Born in Surrey in 1882, he married Leah Smith in Sheepscar, Leeds in 1906. They went on to have five children, the youngest daughter being aged only seventeen months old when her father died. A dependents pension was paid to the family, then at 21 Devonshire Road in West Croydon. His Long Service & Good Conduct Medal was issued posthumously in 1920.

Second Lieutenant Richard Henry William Huitt, Royal Garrison Artillery. 77th Heavy Artillery Group. Born at Kinghorn, Fifeshire in Scotland in 1892, he later lived with his family at Ryde on the Isle of Wight and at Sculcoates in East Yorkshire. His father was an army pensioner, having served in the Royal Artillery and ended service as Company Sergeant Major in 1909. Richard followed him into the corps and served for almost eleven years in the ranks before being commissioned, landing in France in May 1915 as Corporal 25535 and becoming an officer on 7 July 1917.

Richard Huitt, then a Bombardier, when he featured with two brothers in an article in the Hull “Daily Mail” of Wednesday 11 November 1914.

Second Lieutenant, Acting Captain, George Duncan Isaac, Royal Garrison Artillery serving as Acting Adjutant of 77th Heavy Artillery Group. Born in Sheerness in Kent in 1889, he joined the General Post Office as a clerk in 1905. He was commissioned on 5 October 1916.

Gunner 89222 William Thomas Le Noury, Royal Field Artillery attached to 77th Heavy Artillery Group. Aged 29 when he died, he was the only son of Alice Julia Le Nour, of Canada House, 68 Mount Durand, Guernsey, and the late William Le Noury. He had served in France since May 1915.

From the “Guernsey Evening Press” of Wednesday 19 December 1917 (British Newspaper Archive)

Gunner 90248 George Pavitt, A/156th Brigade Royal Field Artillery. Aged 34, he was the husband of Helena Maud Pavitt of 42, Larch Road, Balham. He had been in France since November 1914.

Sergeant 253169 Charles Edward Smalley, Royal Engineers attached to signal section of headquarters of 77th Heavy Artillery Group. Husband of Alice Smalley of 46, James Street, Louth, Lincolnshire. After a brief period with the Special Reserve of the Lincolnshire Regiment, he had enlisted in 1910 as a regular with the Royal Garrison Artillery and seen service in Ceylon before going to France in December 1914. A qualified signaller, he transferred to the Royal Engineers Signal Service on 1 July 1917.

From Smalley’s army service record (National Archives WO363). What a terrible note to receive.

Captain Herbert Mather Spoor, Royal Army Medical Corps. Medical officer attached to headquarters of 77th Heavy Artillery Group. Son of the Reverend Ralph M. and Mrs. Spoor; husband of Mary Ann Maria Spoor, of Vine House, Middle Stoke, Rochester, he was aged 45 when he lost his life. He has qualified at the University of Edinburgh in 1908, becoming “MB Bac. Surg.”, and was commissioned on 17 April 1915. Herbert served in France and Flanders from 13 December 1916 – exactly one year. He was awarded the Military Cross in September 1917.

Bombardier L/6356 Alfred George Taylor, Royal Field Artillery attached HQ 33rd Division. One of six children, the family of Frederick and Ellen Taylor of Southcroft Road in Streatham, Surrey. His father was a railway foreman. He enlisted on 8 March 1915 and landed in France with 156 Brigade RFA in December 1915.

70936 Lawrence Cecil Turner. From Chellaston in Derby, he enlisted aged 25 on 7 June 1915, joining the 20th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) and going to France with it in November 1915. He was wounded on 10 August 1916 and transferred to the Machine Gun Corps on 2 December 1916.

From Lawrence Taylor’s army service record (National Archives WO363). Another document confirms that he was of 19th Machine Gun Company but serving as Batman to Lieutenant Harrison, Acting Adjutant to the Divisional Machine Gun Officer. The witness Gunner Philip Marshall survived the war.

Today

The location of the ten graves in Ypres Reservoir Cemetery.

The graves are in the distance in this photograph, which is used on the CWGC wensite.

The location of the deadly fire today. It has been in use as “Brasserie Kazematten”. A brewery named “Kazematten” is located in another block much further south along Aalmoezeniersstraat.

Links

33rd Division