At the end of the Great War, the bodies of only three British heroes were every formally repatriated; the Unknown Warrior, the nurse EdithCavell, and Captain Charles Algernon Fryatt. Whilst many people are familiar with the Unknown Warrior, and some have heard ofthe nurse Edith Cavell, the story of Captain Fryatt has long since been forgotten.

This special exhibition will, therefore, tell the story of this brave mercantile marine master mariner who used his ship the SS Brussels, in an attempt to ram submarine U.33 of the Kaiserliche Marine and defend himself from attack to save his passengers, his crew and his ship, an act which was recognised a the highest levels within Britain.

When, in June 1916, the captain and his ship were captured by five German destroyers off the Hoek van Holland, he was subjected to a court martial in the Provinciaal Hof in Brugge, found guilty as a ’franc tireur’ and, to the outrage of many in Britain and globally, was killed by firingsquad in the Hof van Aurora on 27th July of that year. Such was his fame that, in July 1919, his body was exhumed from its grave in the Assebroek Cemetery and repatriated to his hometown of Harwich over a period of four days, during which no fewer than five memorial services were held in his honour. As 27th July this year marks the 110th anniversary of his death, historian and collectorMark P. Baker will be bringing his special exhibition to the SaintGeorge’s Memorial Church Hall in Ieper from 22nd to 28th July where many of the artefacts that were produced at the time will be on display to illustrate this remarkable story.