Artillery Wood Cemetery, near
Boezinge,
Belgium, is a
Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery from the
First World War.
The
cemetery grounds were assigned to the
United Kingdom in perpetuity by King
Albert I of Belgium
Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934.
Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...
in recognition of the sacrifices made by the
British Empire in the defence and liberation of
Belgium during the war.
Establishment
The cemetery was established in 1917 after fighting in the immediate area – the
Battle of Pilckem Ridge – had moved away and was used for burials until March 1918.
At the point of the
Armistice there were some 141 graves in the cemetery. Concentration from the battlefields and three smaller cemeteries (Boesinghe Chateau Grounds, Brissein House and Captain's Farm) enlarged this to the present 1,307.
Notable burials
It is the location of the grave of
Hedd Wyn (1887–1917), posthumous winner of the
bardic chair at the 1917
National Eisteddfod
The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitors ...
, and of
Francis Ledwidge
Francis Edward Ledwidge (19 August 188731 July 1917) was a 20th-century Irish poet. From Slane, County Meath, and sometimes known as the "poet of the blackbirds", he was later also known as a First World War war poet. He befriended the establish ...
(1887–1917), the Irish poet.
BBC One
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Image:HeddWynGravestone.jpg, Hedd Wyn's gravestone
File:Artillery Wood Cemetery 6.JPG, Francis Ledwidge
Francis Edward Ledwidge (19 August 188731 July 1917) was a 20th-century Irish poet. From Slane, County Meath, and sometimes known as the "poet of the blackbirds", he was later also known as a First World War war poet. He befriended the establish ...
's gravestone
References
External links
*
Artillery Wood Cemetery
at Find a Grave
Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fin ...
{{CWGC cemeteries in Ypres municipality
Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Belgium
World War I cemeteries in Belgium
Cemeteries and memorials in West Flanders