Ramskapelle Belgian Military cemetery

There was heavy fighting at Ramskapelle during the Battle of the IJzer in October 1914. The Germans advanced up to this point, after they had crossed the river on 23 October.

Behind the cemetery there is a cycle path that follows the course of the old railway line between Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide. It was behind the embankment of this railway line that the Belgian Army dug in to make its last stand. The embankment served both as a defensive earthwork and as a dyke to prevent the flood waters from swamping the Belgian positions. The plan to flood the IJzer plain was developed during the last week of October 1914, and by the end of the month much of the countryside was under water. The plan worked and the German advance was brought to a halt for the rest of the war.

Parts of the embankment were strengthened or raised, and a series of observation posts and bunkers were made using a thick type of brick from the brick factory at Wulpen. There are no fewer than 163 of these shelters along the cycle path of what is now known as the Frontzate.

This military cemetery is a concentration cemetery, containing burials brought here from elsewhere. The names of two-third of the casualties are unknown.

Go to Ramskapelle station for more information.

Vl. Toeristisch bezienswaardigheden