Yorkshire Trench

When we say you can walk through history we mean it. At Yorkshire Trench you can walk through a WWI trench site

You studied WWI at school, but do you really know what the “war to end all wars” was really like? Get a peek into history at Yorkshire Trench for free. Here, in 1915, British soldiers fought against Germany for a long two years in the trenches. 155 soldiers died here from the 11th Brigade of the British 4th Division.

Yorkshire Trench is hidden away near an industrial site. Modern life keeps going, but this trench preserves an important part of Ypres’ history. The trench is pretty much preserved from how it looked in 1915. You’ll see details here that make it all the more real from sandbags to old hand grenades.

Explore the trenches and imagine what life was like during the Great War. There’s info boards (in multiple languages) and photos all throughout to give you even more detail. Combine with a visit to the In Flanders Fields Museum for a full history day out.

• Historical Site: in total, 600 soldiers died here in a trench battle in WWI. How did that happen? Well, the Allied forces tried to attack the German trench, which was just 100ft away. 155 Allied soldiers died in that battle. Their bodies were undiscovered for 70 years until a group of Belgian archaeologists (known as The Diggers) found them.
• The Unknown Soldiers: sadly, only one soldier of the Allied 155 soldiers has been identified; his name was François Metzinger, a French soldier.