1940-1945 Remembrance
The Canal esplanade:
remembering 1940-1945
Every year, the Comité de la Bataille du Canal and the Entente des Associations Patriotiques de Comines-Warneton commemorate the Allied soldiers who were present in Comines-Warneton during the Second World War.
Commemoration of the Battle of the Canal:
The Comité de la Bataille du Canal remembers the 235 British soldiers who fell in May 1940 on the banks of the old Comines-Ypres Canal. Their stubborn resistance (26, 27 and 28 May 1940) stemmed the German advance and enabled the British Expeditionary Force to evacuate in Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo).
Commemorative memorial to the Battle of the Canal
At the request of the Comité de la Bataille du Canal, the local artist Roger Coppe created a monumental stele to remember the British soldiers of the 13th and 143rd Brigades who fell during the fighting in May 1940.
Inaugurated in 1970 in the shadow of the church of Comines, the sculpture was transferred to the Canal esplanade along the RAVeL trail in 2002. This memorial symbolises German pliers closing in on Dunkirk to prevent the evacuation of British troops.
The horizontal axis of the monument is oriented east-west towards Dunkirk. The concrete teeth represent the seven units that withstood for three days and three nights to facilitate Operation Dynamo. One of the pliers’ jaws is topped by a cross facing west too.
Memorial to the Canadian soldiers
In 2002, a memorial was erected in honour of the soldiers of the 8th Army Field Regiment (S.P.) Royal Canadian Artillery on the Canal esplanade.
Relieved after bitter fighting in Italy, this unit was billeted in the region in March 1945. The Canadians received a warm welcome and enjoyed six weeks of rest before leaving for Holland.
An annual ceremony is held in March in front of the memorial.
Visitor info
Date
Battle of the Canal
26-28 May
Tribute to the Canadian soldiers
- March
Location
-
Esplanade du Canal
Rue de Warneton • 7780 Comines
Address and contact
Comité de la Bataille du Canal
- +32(0)56 55 80 81 ou +33(0)6 81 20 51 16
- f.maekelberg@gmail.com
Tribute to the Canadian soldiers
- +32(0)56 55 87 20 ou +33(0)473 36 06 47
- filthy.13@hotmail.com
