Bunker Frontzate

Here on the border of Pervijze and Ramskapelle, two brick shelters from WWI were reconstructed in 2008. When the iron basin was flooded in 1914, the railway bed functioned as a natural dike. All culverts and canal passages were closed; machine gun and shelter posts were built into the bed. At the end of WWI, only the walls of these structures remained, not a single shelter was covered. After the war, building materials were scarce and local residents reused everything that could serve. Rails and sandbags were used in this construction.

Next to the shelters you will find a Decauville narrow gauge railway that served to supply the front.

The 'angels' of Pervijze

In November 1914, the first forward medical post was set up in Pervijze by 2 English motorcycle enthusiasts and heroines, Elsie Knocker and Lairi Chrisholm.

The Germans allowed Elsie to pick up the wounded in no man's land. First her dog brought a request for permission, which resulted in no firing. She had to wear her nurse's hat and not a helmet. In the spring of 1918, both 'Angels van Pervijze' received an award from King Albert I. In the spring of 1918 they had to give way after German gas attacks surprised them.

Willem Vandenameele