Battle of Passchendaele: Centenary Commemorations

This Lords Library briefing provides information on the Battle of Passchendaele and events held to commemorate it ahead of a debate in the House of Lords on 19 October 2017.

The Third Battle of Ypres, or the Battle of Passchendaele as it became known, encapsulated a series of engagements fought between 31 July and 6 November 1917. In the words of historians Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson, no Great War campaign excites stronger emotions, and no better word better encapsulates the horror of combat on the Western Front than ‘Passchendaele’. This briefing provides a short summary of the key events of the battle, describes the scale of the engagement and the casualties resulting from it, then details commemoration events which took place during this summer to honour those who lost their lives.