DuringWorldWarⅠ,Ypres,aBelgiancity,wasacentreofintensebattlesbetweentheGermanandtheAlliedforces.
InOctober1914,whenatrenchheldbyafewBritishsoldierswasrushedbyGermans,PrivateGroganwasnotpreparedtofollowhissergeant'sorderstoabandonhispost:"No,notifthekinghimselforderedme."Hethenappearedtogoberserk,andwitharoarrushedupthetrenchtowheresevenGermanswerepositioned.Hekilledallofthem,returningafewminuteslaterwithacutforehead,fourteethmissing,andabayonetdrippingblood."Wherehaveyoubeen?"inquiredhissergeant."TherewereGermansinthistrenchafewminutesago."Grogangrinned,saying,"Sotherewere,buttheywerenotlikingitsotheywent."
第一次世界大戰時，比利時城市伊普爾是德軍和同盟軍激戰的重要戰場。
一九一四年十月，幾名英軍守着一條戰壕，遭德軍突襲，二等兵格羅根不肯遵從中士棄守陣地的命令：「不行，國王親自下令都不行。」說罷，他瘋了一樣，大吼一聲，衝到戰壕裏七個德軍佔領的地方，把他們都殺死，幾分鐘之後回到原地，額頭砍傷了，四顆牙齒脫掉，刺刀還滴着血。中士問他：「你剛才去了哪裏？幾分鐘之前，這戰壕裏還有德軍。」格羅根咧嘴笑道：「不錯，但他們不喜歡這裏，所以跑了。」