Chimney Observation Post and Name Stone No. 8

Observation posts 1914-1918 Along the front line, church towers, windmills, and other buildings that offer a view of the surroundings are quickly requisitioned and used as observation posts. However, little is mentioned about these observation posts in war literature. They are manned by only a small number of soldiers, who had a rotation of three men per day. The observers must monitor the muzzle fire of enemy cannons and relay the data to their own artillery to launch a counterattack. During bombardments, they determine the direction of their own artillery fire. At other times, they monitor enemy troop movements or the construction of new reinforcements and trenches from the observation post. The stations on the Nieuwpoort-Diksmuide railway line are located on the front line and are highly suitable for this task. Inside, sturdy, tower-like structures made of concrete beams are erected. Often, the building is shot to pieces, but the observation post remains standing. In Ramskapelle, the remains of an observation post can still be found at the former station. In Ramskapelle, the chimneys of a large brickworks complex are used as an 'Observation Post' from which the entire surrounding area can be surveyed. The buildings housing personnel are repeatedly fired upon. At least one of the round chimneys is used as an observation post and is still partially preserved. The yellow brick interior is encased in reinforced concrete from the current top down to about the middle, with rebar protruding in many places. A narrow access leads to a climb through a narrow funnel to one of the concrete platforms, equipped with observation holes. From here, there is an exceptionally good view of the Nieuwpoort-Veurne canal and the area behind it, the village of Ramskapelle, and the city of Nieuwpoort with its lock complex.

The chimney of the former flax factory located at Koolhofstraat z/n was classified as a monument by M.B. on March 28, 1996, due to its general significance formed by the industrial-archaeological value as a remnant of a flax factory from the interwar period and as a symbol of the industrial past of the site with visual ties to the brickworks.

Name Stone No. 8

The 'name stones' were placed in the 1980s at important sites for the Belgian army where there were no memorials yet. Each time it is about a diamond-shaped commemorative stone made of white natural stone that is tilted against a rectangular base of reinforced concrete. Centrally the colored coat of arms of the province of West Flanders; below it "1914-1918" and the monogram of King Albert I. In a circle around this: "Observation Post Brickworks." The name stones were designed and executed by Pieter-Hein Boudens, born in Bruges on April 29, 1955. The diamond-shaped name stones measure 80 x 80 x 10 cm. The letters are deeply V-shaped carved and lightly gray patinated. At the top, the coat of arms of the province of West Flanders is displayed in anodized aluminum. At the bottom, the official monogram of King Albert I is often carved in as a tribute to

Heyde Etienne