Ypres (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The commemoration services in Ypres and Langemark-Poelkapelle mark the beginning of the First World War gas attacks, which occurred one hundred ten years ago in Steenstraete. The incident occurred precisely one hundred and ten years ago within the Steenstraete hamlet, which separated Bikschote from Zuidschote.
People from Ypres and Langemark-Poelkapelle gathered to celebrate the 110th anniversary of World War I’s initial major chemical warfare event. A chlorine gas attack took place on April 22, 1915, in Steenstraete village, which lies between Bikschote and Zuidschote.
Thousands of people suffered injuries after the gas attack because they suffocated from breathing the poisonous chemicals. The commemorations are accompanied by relatives who lost loved ones in the attack, such as Dominique, who lost his grandfather in the attack at age 78.
“They are letters from two lovers, Angèle and Georges,”
says Annick Vandenbilcke of the museum.
“A couple who clearly loved each other, they had three children. The man enlists in the army and goes to war. It is mainly the letters from Angèle to her husband that have been preserved.”
“There are few letters from her husband. But then the communication stops, and Angèle starts a long search. She desperately writes to many different agencies in the hope of getting some news about her husband. That correspondence cuts through the marrow. You can feel in her letters that she keeps hoping that he will turn up. Against her better judgment.”
What was the impact of the first gas attack in wWI?
History records the first extensive chlorine gas attack as taking place on April 22, 1915, when Germany released 168 tons of chlorine gas near Ypres, Belgium, which significantly changed the course of chemical warfare. Through their chlorine gas attack, German forces launched approximately 168 tons of the lethal agent against French colonial and territorial troops across a 6-kilometre operating front. Six thousand soldiers lost consciousness within minutes as the initial attack led to 1,200 fatalities. The asphyxiation process killed numerous victims, but many soldiers also experienced permanent respiratory harm.
The Hague Convention of 1899 prohibited the use of chemical weapons, and the chlorine gas attack established a pattern for additional uses of poison gas during World War I. During the war period, chemical weapons resulted in over 90,000 soldier deaths and worldwide caused 1.3 million casualties.
The Ypres Salient became one of the most tragic battlefields of World War 1 after hosting intense warfare that resulted in over 1 million fatalities among all participating forces. WWI memory remains significant in this region because of its numerous military cemeteries and commemorative sites, exceeding 150 in number. The Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres contains over 50,000 personal items, including soldiers’ and civilians’ letters, diaries, and captured photographs.
Since 1928, the nightly Last Post ceremony at Menin Gate keeps alive the memory of all those who fell during the war, including victims of gas attacks. Modern international prohibitions against chemical warfare exist due to the 1915 attack, along with major treaties, which include the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.
