Canada Farm Cemetery

Canada Farm Cemetery is a small First World War burial ground located roughly 8.5 kilometres north-west of Ypres town centre, on the Elzendammestraat, a road linking the Veurneweg with Elverdinge and onward to Veurne. Set away from the busier memorial routes closer to Ypres itself, the cemetery offers a quieter, more secluded stop for visitors seeking a reflective experience away from the more heavily visited sites.

Where does the name come from?

The cemetery takes its name from a nearby farmhouse that served as a dressing station during the Allied offensive of 1917. Wounded soldiers evacuated from the front lines during the fighting around Ypres were brought here for treatment. Despite the Canadian reference in its name, only a small number of those buried here were actually Canadian — the vast majority of casualties came from the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

Who is buried here?

The cemetery holds close to 910 First World War burials. Most of the graves date from between June and October 1917, the period when the dressing station at the farm was busiest, receiving casualties directly from the nearby front lines. Those buried here came from various units of the British and Commonwealth forces, reflecting the scale and international character of the fighting that took place in this part of Flanders.

Who designed the cemetery?

The cemetery was designed by Reginald Blomfield, one of the principal architects working with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), with assistance from Arthur Hutton. Blomfield designed numerous war cemeteries across Flanders and France, giving them the calm, orderly layout typical of CWGC sites — regular rows of white headstones, carefully maintained lawns, and a central Cross of Sacrifice.

What is the site like today?

The cemetery is permanently open to visitors, and the route to it is signposted. Because of its distance from central Ypres, it tends to attract visitors specifically planning a route through the lesser-known First World War memorial sites, including descendants searching for a particular grave and those with a deeper interest in the history of the Great War. In 2009 the cemetery was granted protected monument status, underlining its historical and cultural significance for the region.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cemetery easy to reach? Yes, it is signposted and open year-round, though it lies some distance from the centre of Ypres, so a car or bicycle is the most practical way to get there.

Why is it called "Canada Farm" if most of those buried are not Canadian? The name comes from the farmhouse used as a dressing station in 1917, not from the nationality of those buried there — a naming pattern common among CWGC cemeteries in the Ypres area.

Is the cemetery open to the public? Yes, it is freely accessible and open throughout the year to anyone wishing to pay their respects or learn about this part of the Western Front.