Belgian Military Cemetery Adinkerke

Adinkerke Military Cemetery is a small war cemetery on the edge of De Panne, surrounded by farmland just a few kilometres from the French border. It holds the graves of soldiers whose fates were tied to both world wars and to the wartime medical facilities that once operated on this stretch of the Belgian coast.

How did this cemetery come to be?

The story begins in the first months of the First World War. The earliest burials took place in mid-November 1914, once the front line stabilised along the Yser river and the area around De Panne and Adinkerke became a rear base for treating wounded Belgian and Allied soldiers. Two hospitals proved decisive: Cabour Hospital in Adinkerke, opened in April 1915, and L'Océan Hospital in De Panne, opened in December of the same year. Both treated large numbers of casualties from the Yser front, and the intense pace of admissions made a permanent burial ground for those who did not survive treatment an inevitable necessity.

The military cemetery at Adinkerke itself, run today as a site distinct from the neighbouring Belgian cemetery, was formally established in June 1917 for use by the Allied casualty clearing stations operating in this coastal sector.

Who is buried here?

The cemetery holds 365 burials in total. The largest group is 168 Commonwealth dead from the First World War, joined by 55 graves from the Second World War. Alongside them lie 142 Czech, Slovak and German war graves, giving Adinkerke an unusually mixed national character for such a small site. The presence of burials dating from 1940 to 1944 shows that the ground continued to be used during the occupation and liberation of Belgium in the Second World War.

Close by stand a separate Belgian military cemetery and the Adinkerke Churchyard Extension, which holds further Commonwealth burials — together the three sites round out the wartime history of this corner of the coast.

What does it look like today?

The cemetery is set among farmland and reached only by a roughly 50-metre grass path unsuitable for vehicles; the terrain and access make the site impossible to visit by wheelchair. The plain, restrained layout of the headstones and the isolated setting give the place a distinctly contemplative character, far removed from the seaside bustle of De Panne itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the cemetery located? About 6 km west of Veurne, 3 km inland from Koksijde, and roughly 20 km east of Dunkirk, within the municipality of De Panne near the village of Adinkerke.

From which period do the graves date? From 1917–1918 and again from 1940–1944, spanning both world wars.

Can the cemetery be reached by car? No — access is on foot via a grass path only, and the site is not wheelchair accessible.

Is this the only war cemetery in the area? No — a separate Belgian military cemetery and the Adinkerke Churchyard Extension, with additional Commonwealth graves, both lie nearby.