The great desire of the Germans to defeat the hostile northern wing, and to hit hardest the most hated of all our enemies, and, on the other side, the obstinate determination of the British to hold on to the passages to their country, and to carry out the offensive to the Rhine with all their resources, resulted in this battle being one of the most severe of the whole war. The deeds of our troops, old and young, in the battle on the YSER and of YPRES can never be sufficiently praised, and in spite of great losses their enthusiasm remained unchecked and their offensive spirit unbroken. THE THEATRE OF OPERATIONS The country in which it was hoped to bring about the final decision of the campaign of 1914 was not favourable to an attack from east to west. Western Flanders, the most western part of Belgium, is almost completely flat, and lies only slightly above sea-level, and in some parts is even below it. Mount KEMMEL, in the south, is the only exception; rising to a height of over 500 feet, it is the watch-tower of Western Flanders. Before the war it was a well-wooded ridge with pretty enclosures and villages. From its slopes and summits could be seen the whole countryside from LILLE to MENIN and DIXMUDE. The possession of this hill was of great importance. Our cavalry actually occupied it during the early days of October, but when the enemy advanced he immediately attacked it. The XIX Saxon Corps was still too far away to help, and so Mount KEMMEL fell into the enemy's hands. During the battle of YPRES it was his best observation post, and of the utmost assistance to his artillery. We repeatedly succeeded in gaining a footing on the eastern crest of the ridge in front of YPRES, but in the autumn of 1914, as also later in the war, this was always the signal for the most desperate fighting. It was thus that the heights of ST. ELOI,[19] the high-lying buildings of HOOGE and the village of WYTSCHAETE won their sanguinary fame. Lying in the midst of luxuriant meadows, with its high ramparts and fine buildings, YPRES was formerly one of the most picturesque towns in Flanders. In the fourteenth century it had a considerable importance, and became the centre of the cloth-weaving trade on its introduction from Italy. BRUGES, lying close to the coast, became the market for its wares. The Clothweavers' Guild, which accumulated great wealth, erected in YPRES a fine Gothic hall, whose towers with those of St. Martin's Church were landmarks for miles round. In modern times, however, the importance of the town greatly diminished. The cloth-weaving industry drifted away to the factories of MENIN and COURTRAI; and YPRES, like its dead neighbour BRUGES, remained only a half-forgotten memory of its former brilliance.