What happened at the Battle of Passchendaele, how many people died and how was the centenary commemorated?
Brave soldiers who faced the horrors of the deadly battle are to be commemorated
THE Battle of Passchendaele was a brutal battle which took place on the Western Front during World War One and left over half-a-million troops dead on both sides.
It was also the first time poison gas had been used on the Western Front. Here's everything you need to know as the battle's 100-year anniversary is marked...
When was the battle of Passchendaele?
Officially known as the Third Battle of Ypres, Passchendaele was a three-month battle which started on July 31 and ended on November 6 2017 in the West Flanders region of northern Belgium.
The battle was over who controlled the ridges south and east of Ypres, vital to the supply routes of the German 4th army which controlled Flanders.
The offensive was part of a strategy decided by the Allies at conferences in November 1916 and May 1917, but a campaign in Flanders was controversial, and Prime Minister David Lloyd George had opposed the idea.
But Field Marshal Haig, who controlled British troops on the Western Front, had long wanted an offensive in Flanders and wanted to reach the Belgian coast to destroy German submarine bases.
Among those who fought in the battle – described as “hell” by war poet Siegfried Sassoon – was the “Last Tommy” Harry Patch, who died in July 2009, aged 111.
Who fought in the battle and who won?
The Allied forces included troops from the British Empire, Australia, Canada, India, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, France and Belgium, fighting against the German 4th army.
It ended when British and Canadian troops captured the village of Passchendaele on November 6, allowing Field Marshal Haig to call off the offensive.
A German withdrawal had seemed inevitable in early October, but a myriad of problems prolonged the deadly stalemate.
The weather caused huge problems, with the heaviest rainfall in 30 years creating a quagmire so deep that men and horses drowned in it.
Constant shelling had devastated the drainage system and the thick mud clogged up rifles and immobilised tanks.
Allied troops also had to be diverted to Italy after a German victory in the battle of Cappoletto, weakening their forces in Flanders.
How many soldiers died in the battle of Passchendaele?
About 325,000 Allied troops and 260,000 Germans died in the battle, in which the Allies gained just five miles of ground in three months and six days.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said it was important to remember the "horrors" of the battlefields, and honour those who died.
Ms Bradley said: "Some of World War One's most defining images of futility, mud, gas attacks and trenches come from these very battlefields.
"As the war recedes into the distance, it is our responsibility to not only mark the years that have gone past, but to keep alive the memories of those who sacrificed so much."
Paul Breyne, the Belgian general commissioner for the commemoration, said his government was deeply committed to supporting the commemoration.
It was of utmost importance to remember those who "made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and peace", he said.
He said Belgium was looking forward to welcoming those who were travelling "to pay tribute to those who fought with dedication and bravery, 100 years ago, in this devastating battle".
What is happening to mark the centenary?
A series of events are being held to mark the centenary, with descendants of British soldiers who fought in the battle offered free tickets to the commemorations in Ypres.
The main ceremony was on July 31 at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Tyne Cot Cemetery, in Ypres, where 12,000 British and Commonwealth troops are buried.
There was also a Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate memorial in Ypres on July 30 and a number of live performances in the town's market square to tell the story.
Both events were shown on large screens in the centre of Ypres for those who were not successful in getting tickets for the two events.
Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the battle, two Chelsea Pensioners were invited to launch a spectacular VR experience at the Household Cavalry museum, alongside BBC historian Dan Snow.
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