Hill 60, Ieper (Ypres) Belgium

Hill 60, so named because of the map contour around the site, is located about 2 miles south east of Ieper. In the Great War, its height and location made it a focus of fighting on the Ypres Salient.

Of particular note, although not so clear in this 2D video, is the current undulating nature of the preserved Hill 60 site. It is full of concrete bunkers but also vast areas of mine and artillery craters.

No doubt, Hill 60 was both an important location to hold militarily but a damned awful place to hold and live.

Corrections to commentary:

1. I keep saying Hill 62!! This is Hill 60.
2. I have been advised by Simon (Belgium) that the large above ground bunker seen in this video is Aussie made not German.

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Category:

Education

Tags:

• ieper
• ypres
• great
• war
• hill
• 60
• mine
• craters
• german
• bunkers
• bunker

[simonluigi]

know it's an australian one because I've read it a few times in a few books, because I've listend to a lot of guides who all said it and because all the German ones are build out of big blocks. The pillbox isn't build out of big blox but was made on the spot itself. I live only halve a mile from there so. If you've got any other questions on the area or Hill 60: shoot!

Simon

[VideoHistoryToday]

Hi Simon,

Thanks for the update. Thought you might live nearby. I really hate making errors like that.

I have added a note to the video introduction to correct my error, (also cannot believe I kept calling it 'Hill62' throughout the commentary. Only excuse I have is that I went to so many places in a few days, a few slip of the tongue errors slipped in). I might try to play with the annotation thing on YouTube as well, see what happens.

Thanks for the correction again.

[VideoHistoryToday]

Simon

Another comment below has added to the conversation. Asking for some local knowledge: can you help?

[simonluigi]

the pillbox you refer to is not a german one, it's an aussi. All the other ones are germans but that one isn't. Just so you'll know.

[VideoHistoryToday]

I assumed all the bunkers on the ridge here were German. Out of interest, how do you know it was Aussie made? I will put a note in Info section of the video though. (You mean the large above ground one?)

[timhortons232]

hill 60 was fought by canadians

[PlaystationNation2k9]

Didn't 10 000 Germans die in just a few minutes due to the detonation of several Australian and Canadian mines "Beneath Hill 60" (great Aussie war movie). I'm wondering how the occupants of the Belgium village feel about living atop of "Hill 60," knowing what happened there 95 years ago.....

[wingAbinga]

looks nice and peacefull

[boxwoodgreen]

There is I hear a quasi-legal battle going on over permits issued to build a new house on the lot where you look from Hill 60 to the Yper skyline in the distance at the end of the video. . It is is the only place through which you can see Yper directly from Hill 60. I sent a couple of emails from Canada to 2 Belgian officials involved. One of my great uncles was KIA June 13,1916 in the front line trench facing Hill 60. Last day of the Mount Sorrell battle.

[MixtapeWeekly]

i went to school to ypres there, travelled all the way to dover from yorkshire (HULL), to calais then belgium to ypres, im gonna move there when older because an amazing place

[lemonproject]

My great uncle Thomas Pickering (staffordshire) fought there. Someday i will visit.

[mitchtickler]

Shame about the big red numbers through the middle of the shots...

[skill1ful]

hi , i'm very interested in getting as much info as i can from hill 60 my grandfather fought there in 1915 as a sapper with the east surry's 1st battllion he was badly injured 3 days before they ' blew the hill ' and after a breif stay at a feild hospital was returned by hospital ship to netley naval hospital in southampton where he spent the next 19 months recovering from his injuries ! thanks trev

[freerider661]

my grandad fought here with the Blackwatch and sadly lost his life but i have his pocket bible and im now part of the 3rd bittalion blackwatch myself and we have done many parades at the meine gate and my grandfathers name along with many more scottish soldiers at up thier

R.I.P lCpl Thomas Mitchell

[soldier4670]

I had a nosebleed there.