At Sanctuary Wood Museum, near the village of Passchendaele, a section of the British trenches has been preserved. For the soldiers in the War this was Hill 62 (referring to its slightly elevated location, which made it deadly when the attack uphill towards the German lines was launched). Some of the heaviest fighting of the First World War took place here in 1915-16

These are the only set of trenches preserved within the Ypres Salient and give a good idea of what a trench system looked like with saps, listening posts, trench mortar positions, sleeping dugouts, shell holes and blasted trees all left as they were at the end of the war. Mud and water at the bottom of the trenches reminded us that this was where soldiers lived and slept in all weathers. There is also an underground passageway - dug towards the German lines, with the aim of placing explosives under the German trenches.
In October 1914 the wood was in a quiet area - hence it became known as 'Sanctuary Wood'. But by 1915 it had become part of the front-line. In the summer of 1916 the Germans launched a number of attacks in the area, but were eventually driven back by the Canadians who retook Hill62, close to the site of the museum. Today the trees at the site are new - but there are remains of some original trees - blasted and full of bullet holes and shell fragments.