Comments by "Winston Smith" (@kryts27) on "WW1 Battlefields: The Hidden Secrets Of Ypres | Lost Battlefields | War Stories" video.

I knew little about this battle in World War 1, and how the Canadian allies and brothers in the dominions fought and died there, although I know a bit more about other World War 1 battles. Obviously Ypres was the Candian's version equivalent of Gallipoli to the Australians and New Zealanders. I lost a relative in the First AIF in Belgium in 1917 in the bloody battle of Passchendaele. This horrific battle was mired in mud, in an unusually wet summer and autumn in Western Europe. My relation lasted 2 years in the AIF from when he enlisted and to when he was killed or missing. He was 23 years old when he died. He was promoted from private to lieutenant in that time, was gravely wounded at least once, and was awarded the Military Medal. I unfortunately don't have any of his letters from the front, his history came from a history book compiled from a relation on my mother's side. In comparison to the Australians fighting at Passchendaele, the Canadians won a great victory at Vimy Ridge near Arras in 1917. Australians and Canadians shared very similar experiences in WW1 from two young countries. Lest we forget.
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