French military cemetery Machelen

In the last months of WWI there was still heavy fighting on the Leie. The German occupier did not want to give up its favorable positions on the Leie . Here in the region the French troops entered into a bloody battle with the Germans. The French soldiers won the battle, but this was accompanied by heavy losses.

The fallen were initially buried in the fields. After the war, the municipality of Machelen-aan-de-Leie donated a piece of land to give the French victims a dignified resting place.

Initially, only the victims who had fallen in Machelen were buried here. Later, the French who were buried in 15 municipal cemeteries in the area were also given a final resting place here. It is the second major French military cemetery in Belgium.

In 1923, the Ghent Bishop Zegers definitively inaugurated the cemetery.

The French from the colonies played a large part in the liberation. The many 'strange names' in the cemetery prove this. Respect was shown for the religious beliefs of each deceased. For example, Christians received a cross as a grave marker, a crescent was placed on that of Muslims , and the only Jew in the cemetery received a Star of David on his grave marker. There is also one Chinese buried there. The original wooden crosses were replaced in 1927 by cast iron ones, and in 1980 by the current composite models.

The 'French Cemetery' is also a Commonwealth cemetery. After all, an RAF pilot who was thought missing for a long time also rests here .

The cemetery contains a sober memorial cross by G. Lefèvre and a memorial wall by the French artist Batsy-Gatry.

On the first Sunday of September, the French-Belgian committee organizes an annual commemoration here.

Willem Vandenameele