Passchendaele New British Cemetery

The village and its surroundings are mentioned in almost every phase of the war. On October 13, 1914, the 7th Division advanced to Roeselare, and on October 16, the same division, along with the 3rd Cavalry Division and Belgian troops, retreated via Passchendaele. On October 17, the village was occupied by cavalry, and on October 18 and 19 by French cavalry and Territorial troops. On October 20, the village fell into enemy hands.
On November 6, 1917, the 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade recaptured the village and pushed a little further. This conquest was part of the 2nd Battle of Passchendaele, the last in the series of battles during the 3rd Battle of Ypres. By mid-April 1918, the Allied line was pulled back towards Ypres, and the village fell back into German hands. This remained the case until Belgian troops recaptured the village on September 29, 1918.

The New British Cemetery was established after the war by concentrating scattered graves in the battlefields around Passchendaele and Langemark. Almost all casualties fell during the autumn of 1917. One casualty died in November 1914 and one in May 1915.

Currently, 2098 Commonwealth dead are commemorated. More than 3/4 of them are unidentified. 'Special memorials' were erected for 4 soldiers from the United Kingdom and 3 from Canada "Believed to be buried in this cemetery".

The cemetery covers an area of 7246 m² and is enclosed on three sides by a rough stone wall and by a stone wall on the street side.

molenaar