During the First Battle of Ypres the Germans came close to breaking through near the village of Geluveld, to the south of Zonnebeke, which was strategically placed on the way to Ypres. At the edge of the village was the Gheluvelt Château. You’re now standing in its reconstructed Grand Salon. See the gold bust? It was part of the château interior and it still bears the marks of the battle. On 31 October 1914 the village and the château fell into German hands. Heavy shelling had swept the British out of their shallow and fragile trenches. The way to Ypres lay open. In the painting on the wall you can see a counterattack by the Worcestershire Regiment. Five hundred exhausted and poorly equipped men were practically the last British reserves available. They received support from the South Wales Borderers, who had managed to hold their own at the edge of the château grounds. The Germans, taken by surprise, temporarily withdrew. The flush of victory did not last. That night the British were forced to give up the château once more. They were unable to evacuate all their wounded. When the Germans took over the building they found some seventy casualties, along with one doctor who had stayed behind to care for them. The attack did give the Allies valuable time to bring up French reinforcements. A German breakthrough to Ypres had been prevented for the time being.