Zebrugge Bell - Maison Dieu, Dover, Kent
Posted by: 
MeerRescue
N 51° 07.683 E 001° 18.520
31U E 381650 N 5665424
The Zebrugge Bell - a gift from the King of Belgium as a memorial to the sacrifice of British servicemen in the Zebrugge Raid of 23rd April 1918.
Waymark Code: WMM74X
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/03/2014
Views: 5
The Zeebrugge Bell
This bronze bell is sited in a wooden framed tower on the front of the Dover
Town Hall (Maison Dieu).
The bell was taken from the Belgian's by the Germans during WW1 and fixed on The
Mole at Zebrugge to provide early warning of approaching Allied aircraft or
naval vessels.
A
gift of the King of the Belgians to the Corporation of Dover, the bell is a
memorial to the sacrifice of British Servicemen in the Raid on Zeebrugge on 23rd
April 1918, and is rung at noon every year on the anniversary of the raid.
The raid on Zeebrugge was carried out by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines and
denied the effective use of the ports and canals to the Germans.
Some 200 British Servicemen were killed and 400 were wounded in the ferocious
battle, which lasted barely 70 minutes, but during which eleven Victoria Crosses
and 679 other decorations were awarded.