Heverlee War Cemetery is a
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...
(CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
located in
Heverlee
Heverlee () is a town in Belgium. It is a borough of the city of Leuven. Heverlee is bordered by Herent, Bertem, Oud Heverlee and several other municipalities that are part of Leuven (including Leuven proper and Kessel-Lo).
The town is the locati ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
.
The Heverlee War Cemetery was established in 1946 and contains 977
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
burials of the Second World War, twenty-nine
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
burials relocated to the cemetery, and twelve non-Commonwealth graves (including 11 Polish and 1 American airmen). The cemetery is one of those designed by Commission architect
Philip Hepworth
Philip Dalton Hepworth (12 March 1888 – 21 February 1963) was a British architect. He studied in both the UK and France, at the Architectural Association School of Architecture and the École des Beaux-Arts, and returned to work as an architec ...
.
Notable graves
*
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
recipients:
**
Donald Garland
Flying Officer Donald Edward Garland, VC (28 June 1918 – 12 May 1940) was a bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and ...
(1918–1940)
**
Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, classics, classical scholar, and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge, Pembroke College, Cambridge. He is widely known for his ''Elegy Written in a Country ...
(1914–1940)
**
Leslie Manser (1922–1942)
* Others:
**
John Balmer
John Raeburn Balmer, (3 July 1910 – 11 May 1944) was a senior officer and bomber pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born in Bendigo, Victoria, he studied law before joining the RAAF as an air cadet in 1932. An instruc ...
, Group Captain, RAAF
**
Lord Frederick Cambridge
Lord Frederick Cambridge (Frederick Charles Edward, born Prince Frederick of Teck; 24 September 1907 – 15 May 1940) was a relative of the British royal family. He was the younger son of Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, formerl ...
(1907–1940),
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the
Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...
**
Gerald MacIntosh Johnston
Gerald MacIntosh Johnston (1 October 1904 – 5 November 1944), known professionally as Gerald Kent, was a Canadian Broadway stage and film actor who was captured at the Dieppe Raid during the Second World War and died in a German POW camp.
Early ...
(1904–1944), Canadian stage and actor and later German POW
**
Andrew McPherson (1918–1940), RAF officer who piloted the first English plane to go over enemy lines during the Second World War
**
Alec Howie
Alec Douglas Howie (3 September 1913 − 22 May 1940) was a first-class cricketer who made one appearance for the Indian army cricket team. He died during the Second World War in the Battle of Belgium in 1940.
Early life
Alec Douglas Howie was ...
(1913–1940), cricketer
References
External links
*
*
{{coord, 50.8479, 4.7034, region:BE_type:landmark, display=title
Buildings and structures in Leuven
Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Belgium
Canadian military memorials and cemeteries
1946 establishments in Belgium
History of Leuven
Tourist attractions in Flemish Brabant