Battle of Passchendaele: Ceremony in Belgium marks 100 years since one of First World War’s deadliest offensives
British royals will join Belgian king and queen Philippe for centenary commemorations
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Senior politicians and royals will gather in western Belgium to commemorate the centenary of one of the bloodiest offensives of the First World War.
Charles, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prime Minister Theresa May will be among those attending a ceremony marking 100 years since the Battle of Passchendaele.
More than 100 days of fighting in the summer and autumn of 1917, starting on 31 July, left more than half a million men dead or injured on both sides.
Monday's commemoration centres on the Tyne Cot cemetery near Ypres in Belgium, the largest Commonwealth burial ground in the world with 11,971 servicemen buried or remembered there - with 8,373 of them identified.
The British royals will join Belgian king and queen Philippe and Mathilde at the ceremony.
It comes after William and Kate joined Ms May to represent Britain at the Menin Gate and a later show in the Gross Markt square.
William spoke as the daily Last Post was played at the towering edifice, inscribed with the names of the missing from three years of hard fighting around Ypres a century ago.
Watched by some 200 descendants of those who fought, he said: "During the First World War Britain and Belgium stood shoulder to shoulder.
"One hundred years on, we still stand together, gathering as so many do every night, in remembrance of that sacrifice."
Sunday's poignant Last Post was the 30,752nd time it has been played since 1928.
The towering Menin Gate in the Belgian town is covered with the names of 54,391 British dead who have no known grave, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
In just over three months of conflict there were more than half a million casualties - 325,000 Allied soldiers and 260,000 to 400,000 Germans - in the Belgian battlefields.
PA
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments