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Memorial · Ypres, West Flanders
Yorkshire Trench & Dug-out
A reconstructed section of a British First World War trench in Boezinge, north of Ypres, on the site where amateur archaeologists found an underground shelter from 1917. It lies amid an industrial area.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Discover
About Yorkshire Trench & Dug-out
Yorkshire Trench is located in Boezinge, about 5 kilometres north of Ypres, near the Ieper-IJzer canal. The ground remained almost untouched from the war until the 1990s, when construction of an industrial area began. Before the works, a group of Belgian amateur archaeologists known as The Diggers began excavating the site.
The main excavations, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, revealed trenches dating from 1915 and a British underground shelter from 1917, dug several metres below the surface. There soldiers slept and sheltered from the artillery, with access by narrow ladders.
At the site about 70 metres of trench have been reconstructed following the exact positions on the old military maps. The A‑shaped wooden supports are original; the walkways and sandbags were rebuilt. The shelter itself remains closed beneath the earth, and the entrances are marked on the surface.
Information panels tell the story of the place and of the people found during the excavations. The contrast with the modern warehouses around helps to understand how the front cut across what is today ordinary landscape.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
20 to 30 minutes.
Best time
During the day, year-round. After heavy rain the bottom of the trench can fill with water.
How to get there
By car or bicycle, leaving Ypres north towards Boezinge; the site is within Boezinge's industrial area, signposted as Yorkshire Trench. It's about a 10-minute drive. It can be combined with Essex Farm Cemetery on the same route.
Tip
Combine the visit with Essex Farm, a few minutes away, to see on the same outing a dressing station and a trench from the same sector of the front. Do not enter fenced areas or descend into the shelter entrances.
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Yorkshire Trench & Dug-out
Can you enter the underground shelter?
No. The shelter was documented and then closed again for safety and conservation. On the surface the entrances and the reconstructed trench are marked.
Is the trench original?
The position and the A‑frame wooden structures are original. The walkways and sandbags were rebuilt so the section could be visited.