The medieval town of Ypres stands on the main route between France and the Belgian Channel ports.
In 1914 the German army had followed the Schlieffen Plan and marched through Belgium en route to Paris, France. The Belgian army had been unable to withstand the German advance and had been pushed back allowing the Germans to take the town of Antwerp.
The British Expeditionary force eventually managed to halt the German advance by defeating them at the Battle of Marnes in September.
After waiting for reinforcements the British determined to hold Ypres which was next in line for attack by Germany. The battle began on 19th October 1914 (sources vary as to the exact date with variants from 12th to 20th October) when the Germans made their first attack.
Fierce fighting continued through October and November with neither side gaining an advantage. The British troops were instructed to dig themselves into trenches in order to maximise their chances of holding the Germans back.
By November 22nd the weather had changed and the wet and cold conditions made fighting difficult. The Germans called off their advance.
There were to be two further battles for Ypres during World War One The Second Battle of Ypres which was fought between 22nd April 1915 and 25th May 1915 and the Third Battle of Ypres also known as The Battle of Passchendale which was fought between 31st July 1917 and 6th November 1917.
