Passchendaele, Belgium. 24 October 1917. The first of twenty segments copied from an original ...

Accession Number	P02416.001
Collection type	Photograph
Object type	Black & white - Film copy negative
Conflict	First World War, 1914-1918
Copyright	Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain This item is in the Public Domain

Description

Passchendaele, Belgium. 24 October 1917. The first of twenty segments copied from an original panorama photograph, made up of individual photographs joined together, showing a 155 degree arc of the battlefield from Houthulst Forest to Passchendaele. The line printed along the top of the original parorama indicates degrees from true north in an arc from the position of the camera eg. 0 degrees is printed on the second segment, which is true north from the camera position. The panorama was taken from grid reference V14c5827, a position on the northern outskirts of Poelcappelle. During the Third Battle of Ypres the II Anzac Corps attacked Passchendaele on 12 October 1917. Although some of the forward units reached the outlying buildings of the village they were forced to fall back. During the eight week period leading up to and including the attack on Passchendaele the AIF suffered the most severe casualities for any period during the war with a total of 38,000 casualties, averaging 7,300 for each Australian Division, which resulted in a reinforcement crisis that was never overcome. The AIF was withdrawn from the Ypres area before Passchendaele was eventually captured on 10 November 1917 by the 1st Canadian Division. Reproduced and printed by No. 5 Advanced Section, AP&SS (Army Publication and Stationery Store) (Donor W. Collins)