_At the fork, just before entering the village_--protected by a series of powerful blockhouses--_take the road on the right leading to Oosttaverne_ (now totally destroyed). _Follow the main road_ (Ypres-Warneton) _on the right as far as the place called Gapaard_ (photo below), _then turn to the left along the road to Houthem._ A series of little bridges over shell-craters full of water--once the River Wanbecke--are crossed. [Illustration: GAPAARD. END OF VILLAGE, GOING TOWARDS HOUTHEM] [Illustration: HOLLEBEKE CHÂTEAU, BEFORE THE WAR. IT HAS BEEN RAZED TO THE GROUND (_photo, Antony, Ypres_)] _Go through Houthem_, which was razed to the ground. Beyond an armoured shelter built against the brick wall of a house, _the road turns to the left. Cross the canal by the temporary bridge._ The old bed of the canal is marked by some crumbling blocks of concrete. _A few yards further on, take the level-crossing over the Ypres-Lille Railway._ It was on this line that on October 22 and 23, 1914, the Germans brought up an armoured train which bombarded Ypres with incendiary shells, causing the first serious damage to the town. _A few hundred yards beyond the railway turn to the right at the village of Kortewilde_, where a few wooden houses are being erected among the ruins. _After crossing a number of little bridges over the Gaverbeck canal, the road, rising slightly, turns to the right._ At this turning the Château (photo above) and village of =Hollebeke= ought to be visible on the left, but this part of the battlefield is in so chaotic a condition that neither road, canal, nor village can be distinguished. [Illustration: WHERE GHELUVELT USED TO STAND, ON THE ROAD TO MENIN] During the first battle (November, 1914) the Germans launched attacks in great force between Hollebeke and Messines, and captured both these places. Hollebeke was retaken on July 13, 1917, during the first phase of the great British offensive for the clearing of the town. After being lost again in April, 1918, Hollebeke was finally recaptured by the Allies in October. _The road first rises, then descends._ On the hillside are the ruins of Zandvoorde. _At the entrance to the village take the Zillebeke-Wervicq road on the left, then first to the right, then to the left, between two wooden houses. The road descends, then, undulating slightly, joins the main road from Ypres to Menin, opposite Gheluvelt,_ the site of which is marked by a sign-post. This was one of the important strategic points in the first German offensive of 1914 (see p. 7), when the village was captured by the enemy. During the battle for the clearing of Ypres, fierce fighting took place to the west of =Gheluvelt=, especially at Tower Hamlet. From November, 1917, to April, 1918, the firing-line ran through the village. Gheluvelt was retaken by the British in October, 1918. _Take the main road from Ypres to Menin on the right. Only at Gheluvelt will a passable road to Becelaere be found_.