From the last weeks of September 1917 onwards, during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele Campaign), Australian troops – as part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) – played a major role. They were almost constantly involved in a series of heavy battles in the centre of the conflict zone.
To mark the 105th anniversary in 2022, a 2.60-metre-high steel silhouette was placed at this central site on the edge of Polygon Wood, overlooking the height of Broodseinde. The silhouette symbolises an Australian ‘digger’ (the nickname of Australians) with the characteristic ‘slouch hat’, heading for Passchendaele. It serves as a reminder of the significant Australian deployment in the autumn of 1917.
There is a direct link to the monument ‘The Long Road to Passchendaele’ on the Frezenberg. The monument shows 11 silhouettes of 11 Allied nationalities who took part in the fighting in the region. These soldiers march towards Passchendaele to fight at strategic locations. One of these locations for the Australians was Polygon Wood.
