Memorial 57th Wild Rifles Wijtschate

Text on the plaque :
"The 57th Wild Rifles, an Indian battalion, arrived at Wulvergem on 22 October 1914. On 23 October they came to Wijtschaete. The picture show us soldiers in the mainstreet, now Ieperstraat, which was not destructed yet. "They look in the direction of the "Oosttaverne", a hamlet to the east of Wijtschate. During the battle a lot of men were killed. A company was reduced to 60 of its original 140 soldiers. Later on, as an order to retire was still not received several officers were killed, wounded or missing. In the other ranks 192 men lost their lives or were wounded and 98 did not return, the most of them were killed.
On the 750 men who had entered the Salient, only 460 remained."

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: Informatiebord
• Photos: Luc Van Waeyenberge