Flanders Field

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Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial is a cemetery in Waregem, Belgium, for 368 American soldiers who died in battle in World War I. Most of these American military personnel died while liberating Belgium during the war.

Canadian John McCrae's "In Flanders Fields", one of the best-known war poems ever written, references Flanders Field.

1 Description
2 Location
3 Hours of operation
4 External links

[edit] Description

The cemetery occupies a six acre (24,000 m²) site. Masses of graceful trees and shrubbery frame the burial area and screen it from the passing traffic. At the ends of the paths, leading to three of the corners of the cemetery, are circular retreats with benches and urns. The headstones are aligned in four symmetrical areas around the white stone chapel that stands in the center of the cemetery.

The altar inside the chapel is of black and white grand antique marble having draped flags on each side; above it is a crusader's sword outlined in gold. The chapel furniture is of carved oak, stained black and white veining to harmonize with the altar. On the side walls are inscribed the names of 43 of the Missing In Action who gave their lives in the service of their country, but whose remains were never recovered or identified.

[edit] Location

Flanders Field lies on the southeast edge of the town of Waregem, along the Lille-Ghent E17 highway. It is located 175 mi (282 km) north of Paris, France and 46 mi (74 km) west of Brussels. The cemetery is within 30 mi (48 km) of Brugge (Bruges) and Gent (Ghent), two cities in Flanders. Waregem may be reached by train from Brussels via Ghent in approximately one hour; from Paris, Gare du Nord, in about five hours via Lille and Kortrijk (Courtrai), and five and a half hours via Brussels and Ghent. Taxi service is available from the station in Waregem.

[edit] Hours of operation

The cemetery is open daily to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except 25 December and 1 January. It is open on host country holidays. When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is on duty in the Visitors’ Building to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and memorial sites.