Steenkerke Military Cemetery

During the war Steenkerke was behind the front and was therefore spared the worst of the destruction, although the village square was bombarded by the Germans in the spring of 1918. Steenkerke was primarily a rest area for the troops away from the line. It was also an area for aid posts and field hospitals. Those who died of their wounds were buried nearby. More than 530 soldiers now have their final resting place here.

Amongst the headstones, there are nine of the so-called 'hero crosses', marking the graves of Flemish soldiers. These crosses were designed by Corporal Joe English and from 1917 onwards were placed on Flemish graves at the request of families made to a special 'heroes commemoration committee'. The soldiers concerned were usually supporters of the cause of Flemish emancipation.

The artist Joe English was also a supporter of this cause. He died of peritonitis in the L’Océan 2 Hospital in Vinkem and was buried here in Steenkerke (although not, curiously enough, under one of his crosses). Close to the former site of L’Océan 2 in Vinkem there is a small monument to English's memory.

It was here in 1920 that the first IJzer Pilgrimage took place, with speeches by Professor Frans Daels, Filip de Pillecyn and Juliaan Platteau, who were all member of the Front Movement. Joe English's remains were later transferred to the crypt at the IJzer Tower in Diksmuide.

Steenkerkestraat, Steenkerke (Veurne)

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