Menin Road South Military Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
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| Menin Road South Military Cemetery | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
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| Used for those deceased 1916-1918 | |
| Established | January 1916 |
| Location | near Ieper, West Flanders, Belgium |
| Designed by | Sir Reginald Blomfield |
| Total burials | 1658 |
| Unknown burials |
119 |
| Burials by nation | |
Allied Powers:
Unknown: 65 |
|
| Burials by war | |
| World War I: 1658 | |
| Statistics source: WW1Cemeteries.com and CWGC | |
Menin Road South Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of World War I located near Ypres, on the Western Front.
The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium in recognition of the sacrifices made by the British Empire in the defence and liberation of Belgium during the war.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Foundation
The cemetery lies to one side of the infamous[2] Menin Road. The road ran from Ypres to the front line at a point which effectively remained static for almost the entire war.[3] The cemetery therefore remained an Allied possession throughout the war.
It was founded in January 1916 and was used until summer 1918.[3] After the Armistice, the neighbouring Mein Road North cemetery was concentrated into this cemetery, with additional concentration from single battlefield graves from the front itself.[4]
The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.[3]
[edit] Special memorials
The cemetery has 79 "special memorials".[5] In the form of stone obelisks or just headstones with special notations, they record the names of 24 soldiers known or believed to be buried in the cemetery and a further 54 whose graves were lost in later fighting or could not be found after the war.[3] As these are known casualties (not "missing"), they are included in the total figure for burials in the cemetery and are not recorded on the Menin Gate.
[edit] Notable graves
The cemetery holds the grave of acting-Captain Thomas Riversdale Colyer-Fergusson,[4] of the Northamptonshire Regiment who was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for valour "in the face of the enemy" in the Commonwealth.
[edit] References
- ^ First World War, accessed 19 August 2006
- ^ Hughes, Sarah "Anything but boring..." South African newspaper, accessed 13 October 2007
- ^ a b c d Commonwealth War Graves Commission Menin Road South Military Cemetery entry, accessed 13 October 2007
- ^ a b WW1Cemeteries.com, accessed 13 October 2007
- ^ firstworldwar.com - the Western Front today, accessed 13 October 2007
[edit] External links
- CWGC cemetery register: Details • Reports • Plans • Photographs
