In our thoughts today: William Edward Hipkiss, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (Photo Blog)

Bray Farm at Poelkapelle, Belgium. View towards Varlet Farm.

An able seaman on land

Able Seaman William Edward Hipkiss from Birmingham was a brave member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. 
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He enlisted on the 24th of April 1917, age 19. After his training in England, he joined the Howe Battalion on the 27th of September in France.
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​He was killed only a month later on October the 26th 1917, during the start of the 2nd battle of Passchendaele. His battalion attacked the German frontline near Varlet farm, a German strongpoint on the left of a forgotten village called Wallemolen, Belgium.
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Royal Naval Division WWI Propaganda (1915). Source: www.ww1propaganda.com

RNVR. The badge of the Howe Battalion. Source: © IWM (Q 68448)  (photo edited)

Wallemolen (Passchendaele) before the Great War, Belgium.
​Source: http://gabolem.canalblog.com/archives/2014/12/19/31168018.html

Wallemolen, Passchendaele today (2017).

Wallemolen, Passchendaele today (2017).

The attack on October 26 

October the 26th, 1917. It was a cold, grey and rainy morning.  The front line was reduced to a scene from Dante Inferno: a dark landscape covered with a sea of mud and many craters, all filled with water and rotting corpses. ​Although both sides suffered hard under this cruel circumstances, the Germans had a slight advantage since they were defending their heavily fortified farms and pillboxes. 
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Young William Edward Hipkiss already spent a night in the frontline, trying to get some rest in the cold Flanders mud. He was waiting to attack the fortified ruined farms near the village Wallemolen, on the left of Passchendaele.

Poelkapelle, Belgium today. View over the attacking ground. In the far distance the starting position of the 63rd Division.

The Howe battalion, part of the 63rd Royal Naval Division, was in the second wave of the attack.  The division gave support to the Canadians who were attacking on their right flank. William's Battalion was ordered to push through the consolidated lines of Anson battalion in order to capture the next objective near Source Trench.
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Heavy shelling and machine gun fire however made that impossible and the assault was stopped in the center of the front, between Bray and Varlet Farm. We can only guess what happened with William that day but one thing is for sure, he would never return to his home in Birmingham.
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Poelkapelle. Photo taken on the road between Bray Farm and Varlet Farm. View towards Bray Farm. 

Poelkapelle. Photo taken on the road between Bray Farm and Varlet Farm. View towards Varlet Farm.

Poelkapelle. Map of the area around Varlet Farm. Source: http://poelcapelle14-18.be/Varlet%20Farm

Bray and Varlet Farm after the war

Today it is hard to imagine that such a peaceful place was once hell on earth. Nothing here reminds us of the region’s tragic history except for the war debris, which is still spread out over the fields. After the war the region recovered from his wounds and many houses and farms were rebuild.

Bray Farm at Poelkapelle can be visited an has an impressive collection of found relics. 

Bray Farm at Poelkapelle, Belgium.

Bray Farm at Poelkapelle. View towards Varlet Farm.

In the far distance Banff House (left) and Bray Farm (right).

 Banff House at Poelkapelle, Belgium.

Varlet Farm at Poelkapelle, Belgium.

Varlet farm is now a Bed&Breakfast with a great collection of relics, all found in the surrounding fields during the past years. ​

Varlet Farm at Poelkapelle, Belgium.

Varlet Farm, Poelkapelle, Belgium. 63rd Division Memorial Plaque.

Tyne Cot Cemetery

William’s body was never found and he has no known grave.
​He is commemorated on the memorial wall at Tyne Cot Cemetery, panel 2.

Panel 1&2 of the Tyne Cot Memorial Wall, Zonnebeke, Belgium. 

Cross of sacrifice at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke.

William Edward Hipkiss is commemorated on panel 2.

Cross of sacrifice at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke, Belgium.

Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke, Belgium.

Join us in remembering William Edward Hipkiss

​Many thanks to the family of William for the information they gave to us. It is thanks to their reaction on our blogpost on the first day of the battle of Passchendaele (the Boezinge sector)  that we came across his story. 
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100 years ago today, brave William Edward Hipkiss fought and died far from home. Please join us in remembering him and all the other men who fought and died during the Battle of Passchendaele. ​

Let us know if you have any relatives who fought during WWI. Reply to our blog or send us your stories or subject suggestions. We’ll be happy to integrate them into our blog whenever possible. 
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Thank you for sharing our blogpost!

​Tom and Sarah

Battlefield Photography

Sources
www.wartimememoriesproject.com
http://poelcapelle14-18.be
http://gabolem.canalblog.com/archives/2014/12/19/31168018.html
www.iwm.org.uk
www.ww1propaganda.com
​​https://brayfarmcollection.weebly.com
​​www.varletfarm.com
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ABOUT OUR BLOG

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We take you along our photographic journey through the World War battlefields in Belgium and France. With our black and white photographs and self written poetry, we share our impression of these historic, heroic and tragic events.