Gazetteer of the Western Front - Ebblinghem

Ebblinghem is a village in the Department of Nord in France. It lies west of Hazebrouck, on the road to Arques and Saint-Omer. Its importance came not only as it provided potential billeting space for troops but because it lay on the Fontinettes to Lille railway line, which had come into operation in 1848.

The small station at Ebblinghem before the war [source: CPArama]

15th Casualty Clearing Station, which had previously been at Hazebrouck, began to report its location as Ebblinghem on 20 September 1917. Its war diary says little regarding the construction of its site except to say that it took over a farm and field. The CCS commanding officer had first visited the site, which he said was “on hill above Ebblinghem village” on 28 August and the move began a few days later. It was equipped with 500 beds.

2nd Casualty Clearing Station arrived from Outtersteene (via Ana Jana Siding north of Hazebrouck) on 11 April 1918 and admitted 290 patients next day.

Although Ebblinghem had been well behind the front line and remained so, the German advance in April 1918 (Battle of the Lys) brought the front closer and led to the British digging more defensive lines in the rear. This map, which dates to mid-1918, shows in red part of the “Saint-Omer Line” which passed by the east of Ebblinghem. Note, to the northeast of the village, the huts of the Casualty Clearing Stations, and the addition of a railway siding from which Ambulance Trains would take casualties from the CCS to the Base Hospitals on the French coast.

Present-day map. I have marked the centre of the hospital site with a red flag [using Linesman software]. The farm house and buildings which are just southwest of my flag still exist. They can be viewed from the lane and a visitor standing at the entrance to its driveway can be assured that they are in what was in the second half of 1918 a very busy military medical centre. Note the British cemetery (“Cim. brit.”) that lies along the lane (which is chemin des Loups). It is in the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as Ebblinghem Military Cemetery.

Using Google Maps. On the chemin des Loups, outside the cenetery and looking northwest across the former CCS site. There is now nothing to see of the former medical site, which lay on both sides of the lane, except for the presence of the farm builings. In the distance on the right (off this photo) the horizon is formed by the Flemish hills, where the fighting of the Battle of the Lys ended in late April 1918.

The CWGC says of Ebblinghem Military Cemetery, “The cemetery was begun by the 2nd and 15th Casualty Clearing Stations, who came to Ebblinghem in April 1918 at the beginning of the German offensive*. They used the cemetery until July. Further graves were added after the war from the following cemeteries [the churchyards at Bomy and Noordpeene, which between them contained six graves]. Ebblinghem Military Cemetery contains 441 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, and one from the Second World War. There are also 11 German burials. The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.”

*This is only partly true, as I have explained above.

The earliest five British deaths recorded at the cemetery that were not brought in later from elsewhere took place on 10 April 1918, the second day of the Battle of the Lys. Three of the five had been serving with 1st Siege Battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery. They died of wounds while in the care of 15th CCS and lie in Plot I, row A of the cemetery.

Visiting Ebblinghem today

Due to its location of the busy D642 Hazebrouck road, Ebblinghem is easy to find. It is a fairly typical northern French village, with houses and small industry clustered around the church (Église Saint-Samson) and railway station, but very few facilities. The village war memorial stands outside the church. The cemetery and hospital site is also easy to find by following the D55 north through the village centre and up the hill in the direction of Staple. There is a green CWGC sign at the turn onto chemin de Loups.

Links

Gazetteer of the Western Front

Locations of British Casualty Clearing Stations

Ebblinghem Military Cemetery