Saint Julien Memorial, Langemark-Poelkapelle Belgium - December 2018
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Saint Julien Memorial
We knew there was something was wrong. We started to march towards Ypres but we couldn't get past on the road with refugees coming down the road. We went along the railway line to Ypres and there were people, civilians and soldiers, lying along the roadside in a terrible state. We heard them say it was gas. We didn't know what the Hell gas was. When we got to Ypres we found a lot of Canadians lying there dead from gas the day before, poor devils, and it was quite a horrible sight for us young men. I was only twenty so it was quite traumatic and I've never forgotten nor ever will forget it. - Private W. Hay of the Royal Scots
One hundred and four years ago, on April 22 1915, German forces positioned along the Ypres Salient near Saint Julien Belgium unscrewed the tops of nearly 6000 cylinders containing 168 tons of chlorine gas. A northern breeze carried the gas towards French trench lines. The results were horrific. French colonial troops from Algeria began clutching at their throats and drowning in the liquid that quickly filled their lungs. They began to flee the front in the attempt to escape the gas or in terror seeing the effect on their fellow troops. A 7 kilometer gap in the front line was created by the panicked French. Canadian forces and an assembly of reserve French troops were thrown into the line. While the Germans failed to fully take advantage of the weaker Allied line, over six thousand Canadians became casualties during the fighting over the next 48 hours.
The Brooding Solider at the Saint Julien Memorial commemorates those Canadian soldiers. The solider stands guard over an otherwise unremarkable intersection in the small village. It’s a beautiful site and it is easy to feel emotional while visiting the memorial.
April 18, 2019
