Hooge, Belgium
Encyclopedia
Hooge is a small village in Flanders
in Belgium
. During the First World War it was the site of intensive fighting.
which was used as the Divisional Headquarters for the area. The staff at the château, from the 1st and 2nd Divisions were all killed when the château was shelled on 31 October 1914.
German forces
attacked the château between 24 May and 3 June 1915, and, despite the detonation of a British mine by the 3rd Division, leaving a massive crater, took control of the château and the surrounding area on 30 July. The château and the crater (craters being strategically
important in relatively flat countryside) were taken by the British 6th Division on 9 August. It was reclaimed by the Germans on 16 June 1916 and retaken by the British on 31 July 1917 when the 8th Division managed to push past it by about a mile.
Hooge became the location for a war cemetery
in October 1917. Opposite the cemetery there is now a museum, founded in 1994.
The Germans retook the site in April 1918 as part of the Spring Offensive
but were expelled from the area by the British on 28 September as the offensive faltered.
During this time, the chateau was completely destroyed along with the entire village; several large craters from underground mines were blown over the course of the 1917 fighting. The site of the chateau is now a theme park. Close to the theme park is a hotel, and next to that a pond formed by a crater from a mine blown up by the British on 19 July 1915.
Among those killed in the fighting in Hooge was Gerard Anderson
, the British
hurdler who participated in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics and died in November 1914.
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. During the First World War it was the site of intensive fighting.
History
During the First World War Hooge was the site of a châteauChâteau
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
which was used as the Divisional Headquarters for the area. The staff at the château, from the 1st and 2nd Divisions were all killed when the château was shelled on 31 October 1914.
German forces
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
attacked the château between 24 May and 3 June 1915, and, despite the detonation of a British mine by the 3rd Division, leaving a massive crater, took control of the château and the surrounding area on 30 July. The château and the crater (craters being strategically
Military strategy
Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. Derived from the Greek strategos, strategy when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general", 'the art of arrangement' of troops...
important in relatively flat countryside) were taken by the British 6th Division on 9 August. It was reclaimed by the Germans on 16 June 1916 and retaken by the British on 31 July 1917 when the 8th Division managed to push past it by about a mile.
Hooge became the location for a war cemetery
Hooge Crater Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
Hooge Crater Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in the Ypres Salient in Belgium on the Western Front....
in October 1917. Opposite the cemetery there is now a museum, founded in 1994.
The Germans retook the site in April 1918 as part of the Spring Offensive
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
but were expelled from the area by the British on 28 September as the offensive faltered.
During this time, the chateau was completely destroyed along with the entire village; several large craters from underground mines were blown over the course of the 1917 fighting. The site of the chateau is now a theme park. Close to the theme park is a hotel, and next to that a pond formed by a crater from a mine blown up by the British on 19 July 1915.
Among those killed in the fighting in Hooge was Gerard Anderson
Gerard Anderson
Gerard Rupert Lawrence "Laurie" Anderson was a British hurdler who participated in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics and held the world record for the 440-yards hurdles.-Life:...
, the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
hurdler who participated in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics and died in November 1914.