Zantvoorde British 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 ...

burial ground for the dead of the

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 ...

located in the

Ypres Salient The Ypres Salient around Ypres in Belgium was the scene of several battles and an extremely important part of the Western front during the First World War. Ypres district Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the Ieperlee. ...

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 ...

on the Western Front. It also contains the remains of a British airman killed during 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 ...

History

During the early stages of the First World War, the village of Zandvoorde, now known as Zantvoorde, and surrounding area was the scene of severe fighting. The village itself was defended by the Life Guards. The German forces captured it in late 30 October 1914 and buried the 350-odd British who had been killed there. The area remained under German control until late September 1918.

Foundation

Zantevoorde British Cemetery was established after the First World War for the remains of soldiers killed in the area, mostly from 1914. It also contained bodies collected from several smaller cemeteries in the area. These included 138 British soldiers, most of whom were killed during late 1914, from the Kruiseeke German Cemetery, and Wervik German Cemetery.

Cemetery

The cemetery, designed by the English architect

Charles Holden Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

and administered by the

, is located on the Kruisekestraat Road, to the east of

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

. A

Cross of Sacrifice The Cross of Sacrifice is a Commonwealth war memorial designed in 1918 by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). It is present in Commonwealth war cemeteries containing 40 or ...

is positioned in the southeast corner of the cemetery while a

Stone of Remembrance The Stone of Remembrance is a standardised design for war memorials that was designed in 1917 by the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens for the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC). It was designed to commemorate the dead of World War I, to b ...

is midway along the east wall. The cemetery also contains a memorial to 32 British soldiers originally buried in German military cemeteries but whose graves were unable to be located in the postwar period. It holds the remains of 1,583 Allied soldiers who died during the First World War. Of these, 1,524 were British, 22 were from Canada, two from Australia and a sole Indian is interred in the cemetery. Most were buried by the Germans in the aftermath of the fighting in October 1914 and their identities were lost; 1,135 of them are recorded as being unknown. The cemetery also holds the remains of a British airman killed in 1941, during the Second World War. Zantvoorde British Cem

Two

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 are buried at the cemetery;

James Brooke Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (29 April 1803 – 11 June 1868), was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868. Brooke was bor ...

, killed on 29 October 1914, and Louis McGuffie, who died on 4 October 1918.

Notes

References

External links

{{Authority control Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Belgium Cemeteries and memorials in West Flanders World War I cemeteries in Belgium Ypres Salient