Yorkshire Trench

Preserved WWI frontline trench discovered in 1992, opened to visitors in Boezinge

At Boezinge, about 5 km north of Ypres on the Pilkem Ridge, the Yorkshire Trench is one of the best-preserved First World War frontline positions you can actually walk through. The trench was discovered by accident in 1992 and excavated to reveal a section of the British line with original wooden structures still in place underground. Part of the excavation has been re-exposed and is now a small free-to-visit site.

Unlike the manicured heritage reconstructions at some other sites, this trench has the unsettled quality of something genuinely found rather than restored. The ground is wet, the timber is rotting, and you are standing in a ditch dug by men who expected to return to it. Combined with nearby Essex Farm Cemetery, it makes a compelling half-day out on the northern part of the battlefield.

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A story
The Yorkshire Trench was only discovered in 1992 during gas pipeline works in Boezinge, north of Ypres. Workers uncovered a perfectly preserved section of British front-line trench including a wooden fire-step, duckboards, and a drainage sump — exactly as the soldiers had left it. Excavation revealed human remains, personal effects, and military equipment. Some of the recovered soldiers were later identified and given proper burials.

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