Reflection points (war dead in the castle domain of Zonnebeke) - wheelchair accessible

In 1917, hundreds of soldiers fell in the castle domain of Zonnebeke. Most were buried on the spot. After the war, excavation coordinates were noted for each body that ended up in a Commonwealth cemetery. Thus, we know that over 170 Allies were found in the castle park. Unfortunately, there are no excavation data known for German war dead. Still, we know that hundreds of Germans perished here.

This 3.2 km walk takes you through the park along spots where bodies were exhumed. They are marked with ‘reflection points’, beacons that remind us of the dramas that took place there (the painted lines indicate the number of fallen soldiers who had a field grave; a red line means that the body could be identified). Along the way, you will meet some men who fought and died near the museum.

A paper walking map is available at the Passchendaele Museum.

This version of the walk is fully accessible for wheelchair users.

Want to learn more about the castle domain during the Battle of Passchendaele? Then visit our online expo or stop by the Passchendaele Museum where various items are displayed that are linked to these fallen soldiers.

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On September 26, 1917, Allied troops reach Zonnebeke. Eight days later, they capture the rest of the village. Most of the dead found in the park after the war fell during this period. These are mainly Australians and Brits, although Canadians and some South Africans were also exhumed. The majority remain unidentified.

You start your walk at the entrance of the museum. (1) This is the place where the Australian-Jewish shoemaker William Hyams is exhumed in 1920, close to where he stood ready to attack on October 4, 1917. William now rests at Buttes New British Cemetery, Plot 29, Row C, Grave 7.

Walk towards the large entrance gate on Ieperstraat. Turn right there. A little further lies the Passchendaele Research Center. This is the knowledge center of the Passchendaele Museum, where the research took place that made this project possible. Here, a body is also exhumed after the war: Robert Berry, who fell on November 12, 1917.

Go to the abbey garden, the garden next to the church. On the church wall, you will see a memorial panel. (2) It commemorates the fallen of the Canadian 21st artillery battery. They operated howitzers, a type of artillery, by the church ruin in October and November 1917. William Bruford, John Hirst, and John Tabrett are initially buried next to the remains of the pre-war orangery, roughly where some archaeological stone remains lie today. Today they rest at White House Cemetery.

Through the pond, you reach the wooded eastern edge of the park. (3) Here the body of William Deschamps was exhumed. The 25-year-old Australian fell on October 21, 1917. At that time, Zonnebeke was still firmly in German hands. This suggests that William may have been captured and died while being taken away, thus being buried on the spot. Today he rests at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot 25, Row H, Grave 20.

Not accessible: (4) Just past the buildings lay the Brit Percy Ansdale. Here you have a nice view of the ridge to the east of Zonnebeke. This highly coveted height was captured by the Australians on October 4, 1917. One of the hundreds of German dead that day is Günther von Heyking, the son of the German top diplomat Edmund von Heyking and writer Elisabeth von Flemming. His great-grandmother Bettina von Arnim was also a famous German writer. Günther goes missing here on October 4, 1917. His only brother Alfred falls in France in 1918. Further along is a place where seven bodies were exhumed. (5) One of them was George Forshaw. George belongs to the elite of British Guiana. After a short legal career, he moves to Canada for health reasons and enlists. George is killed by German shellfire while laying footpaths. He is first buried in the east of the castle domain. Today he rests at Perth China Wall Cemetery, Plot V, Row J, Grave 3.

Keep walking along the forest. Through the Passchendaele Memorial Gardens, you go to the sheep pasture. From there, you will walk via the sheep barn to the rural parts of the castle domain. (6) Here lies the initial burial site of James White. The 18-year-old Australian fell on October 5, 1917, from German shellfire while delivering messages. Today he rests at Buttes New British Cemetery, Plot 18, Row C, Grave 17.

In the same area, Hans Conrad goes missing on October 4, 1917. His unit, the Reserve Infantry Regiment 212, suffers extraordinarily high losses that day in Zonnebeke: more than 1000 dead, wounded, and prisoners. This is because they are ready to launch a counterattack at the same time as the Australian assault.

Hans comes from Sønderborg, Denmark. Many Danish and Polish speakers served in the German army during the Battle of Passchendaele, as large parts of Denmark and Poland belonged to Germany at that time. In Zonnebeke, dozens of foreigners in the German army perished: Marian Dobrzykowski, Svend Svendson, Ladislaus Grobelny, …

Continue walking and take the right path at the end. A little further on, you will see Molenaarelst coming into view. (7) On September 26, 1917, Wilhelm Segin is seriously injured in the back at this hamlet. Multiple operations are needed to remove splinters from eight ribs. Wilhelm survives the war, graduates as a theologian in the 1920s, and starts a family. He remains physically disabled for the rest of his life.

The 23-year-old Australian Joseph Lapworth is also seriously injured here in the back on September 26. He is killed when a shell hits the stretcher he is being carried on. ‘They have got me again’ were his last words. The reflection point in the distance to the left, next to the tall row of trees, is the place where he was buried. After the war, his body is transferred to Bedford House Cemetery, Plot 3, Row A, Grave 8.

A little further on, the road leads into some fields. Don't take a look to the right at this vast area. (8) Between September 26 and October 4, 1917, the Australian front runs through these fields. Because of this, and because this area was excavated for clay extraction after the war, many bodies have been exhumed here: 45 to be exact, almost all Australians. One of them is Edgar Worrall. The medical student falls on October 4, three days after his 20th birthday. Today he rests at Aeroplane Cemetery, Plot 5, Row A, Grave 3.

Continue walking towards the park. Go over the bridge. (9) Many bodies have been exhumed here. Laborer Alfred O’Brien and gold seeker James Pryke served in the same unit. Both fell on October 4, 1917, and were buried together in the field. After the war, their bodies were transferred to Buttes New British Cemetery, Plot 28, Row A, Graves 16 and 18.

Continue until the parking lot. (10) Here in 1920, the body of the Australian James Rowlands is exhumed and transferred to Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot 36, Row D, Grave 1. Also, James, a bank clerk from Melbourne, is killed like so many on October 4, 1917.

Take a small detour via the Pou Maumahara, a special New Zealand monument. Then walk to the mansion Villa Zonnedaele, up to the cannon. (11) At this spot, after the war, the bodies of five South Africans were found. Only one of them is identified: Norman Cruddas. Together with the others, he is reburied at La Brique Military Cemetery No.2, Plot 1, Row Y, Grave 2.

Norman is born into a business family in British India. He lives in Swaziland when he joins the army. Before he loses his life, two of his brothers die in service: Hugh falls in France and Seymour takes his own life on a troopship.

Walk in the direction of the castle. (12) On October 4, 1917, the Australian Alexander Bethune falls by the castle pond. His comrades place a memorial cross here with his name and that of three others. Alexander's body is never found or identified after the war. Therefore, today he is remembered at the Menin Gate, on panel 23 D.