Gun Salute Marks 100 Years Since End Of The Battle Of Passchendaele

A one hundred gun salute has been fired in northern France to mark the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele.

The restored vintage weapons, manned by volunteers from around the world, were specially assembled for the service in Fort de Seclin, Lille.

It is estimated as many as 475,000 soldiers lost their lives in the battle, fought from July 31 to November 10 1917.

The battle to seize Passchendaele ridge raged for three months, one week and three days.

A million shells and the worst rain in 30 years turned the battlefield into a hellish quagmire. Mud was up to soldiers' thighs and many of the half a million victims drowned.

Canadian reinforcements finally captured Passchendaele and it amounted to an advance of only a few hundred yards.  

The weapons fired today to honour those who fell at Passchendaele have been lovingly restored. Historic gun restorer, John Slough said:

“These are all original guns. Whether they were used at Passchendaele I don't know but they are all dated with Great War dates on them.”

“My grandfather was killed at Passchendaele which is why I wear his medals on the wrong side and I never knew him of course. He died when he was 32 and he was the gunsmith on his Battery of guns.”

Staff Sergeant Craig Thomson-Hay worked on one of the historic artillery pieces, saying:

“Especially for repairs there are none, you can't walk down to a shop and buy them.

"So it is a lot of consideration with fabrications and fabrication companies, so don't break what you're trying to fix, or don't break it more when you're trying to fix it, was kind of the most thing that was going through my head.”

In total, 16 restored guns were fired by mostly battlefield reenactors. Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium and France were all been represented.

A hundred years on Passchendaele is judged a strategic and tragic failure, but the soldiers who perished in such appalling conditions are not forgotten.