Brandhoek New Military Cemetery

Brandhoek New Military Cemetery is one of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial grounds near Ypres, in the Belgian province of West Flanders. It sits beside the road connecting Ypres to Poperinge, in an area that during the First World War lay largely beyond the reach of shellfire — which is exactly why British army medical facilities were concentrated here rather than closer to the front line.

Why was the cemetery established here?

In the summer of 1917, three Casualty Clearing Stations — the 32nd, the 44th, and the 3rd Australian — were stationed in the Brandhoek area. Their presence was tied to preparations for the major Allied offensive that opened in July 1917, known today as the Battle of Passchendaele. The scale of the fighting and the resulting casualties made it necessary to open a new burial ground, hence the name "New Military Cemetery," distinguishing it from an earlier, smaller cemetery already standing in the same village. A month later, in August 1917, a third cemetery was opened at Brandhoek as well, a clear indicator of how heavy Allied losses had become at this stage of the war.

Who is buried here?

The cemetery holds 530 Commonwealth burials from the First World War alongside 28 German war graves. Graves from both sides of the conflict sharing one military cemetery was not the norm, but it did occur at sites where field hospitals treated wounded soldiers regardless of which army they served. Most burials date from July and August 1917, corresponding to the most intense fighting of the opening phase of Passchendaele.

The best-known grave belongs to Captain Noel Chavasse, a British Army medical officer awarded the Victoria Cross and Bar together with the Military Cross. Chavasse is one of only three people in history to have received Britain's highest award for gallantry twice, a distinction that draws visitors interested in the history of military honours and First World War field medicine.

Who designed the cemetery?

The cemetery's layout and architectural features were designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, a British architect responsible for numerous CWGC cemeteries and memorials across Flanders and northern France. The orderly rows of headstones, characteristic of Commonwealth War Graves Commission sites, give the ground a quiet, contemplative character despite its proximity to a busy road.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the cemetery located? Brandhoek New Military Cemetery lies about 6.5 km west of central Ypres, along Zevekotestraat, the road leading toward Poperinge.

Is this the only cemetery at Brandhoek? No. The same village is also home to the earlier Brandhoek Military Cemetery and the later Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No. 3, which opened in August 1917.

Why are German soldiers buried here too? The cemetery grew up around medical evacuation stations that treated wounded from both sides of the front, which explains the 28 German graves alongside Commonwealth burials.

Who was Noel Chavasse? He was a British Army medical captain and one of only three people in history awarded the Victoria Cross twice, recognised for his courage in rescuing wounded soldiers under fire.