La Clytte Military Cemetery

La Clytte Military Cemetery is a First World War Commonwealth cemetery located west of Ypres, along the road connecting the town to Dikkebus, Klijte and Loker. The site takes its name from the old French designation of the nearby village, known today by its Dutch name, Klijte.

How did this cemetery come to be?

During the war, the surrounding area served as a rear zone behind the front line — the hamlet hosted a brigade headquarters, and nearby positions were occupied by artillery, infantry and engineer units. The first burial took place on 1 November 1914, only months into the conflict as the front around Ypres was still taking shape. Over the following years, up to April 1918, successive rows of graves were added for soldiers who fell in the fighting around the Kemmel hills and the surrounding villages.

Who is buried here?

A substantial share of the burials belong to artillery and engineer personnel, reflecting the site's role as an operational rear area where batteries and support units were stationed, rather than purely front-line infantry. After the Armistice, the cemetery was further expanded when remains were brought in from smaller, scattered graves and burial grounds in the area around Reninghelst, Dikkebus, Locre and Kemmel, forming the final rows of the cemetery.

Today the cemetery holds more than a thousand First World War casualties, buried or commemorated. A significant proportion of the graves remain unidentified, marked according to the practice of the time when a soldier's identity could not be established. Among those laid to rest here are also soldiers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, a reminder that troops from across the British Empire took part in the fighting along this stretch of the Western Front.

Why visit?

The cemetery sits in a quiet, rural corner of the Heuvelland region, away from the busier memorial trail around Ypres itself, which makes a visit feel more intimate and reflective. The site is a reminder that the fighting in this part of Flanders was not confined to Ypres alone, but stretched across the belt of hills and villages to its west, where prolonged battles were fought over strategically important high ground, including the nearby Kemmel hill.

Visitors will find the layout typical of Commonwealth war cemeteries — rows of uniform white headstones, a central Cross of Sacrifice and a Stone of Remembrance — alongside information about the units whose soldiers rest here. The cemetery forms part of a wider network of war cemeteries scattered across the Heuvelland region, together documenting the scale of the fighting that took place on this small stretch of West Flanders between 1914 and 1918.

Frequently asked questions

When was the cemetery established? The first burial took place on 1 November 1914, and the cemetery was expanded in stages throughout the war and shortly after its end.

How many soldiers are buried here? More than a thousand First World War casualties, a considerable number of whom remain unidentified.

Which military units are most represented among the burials? Mainly artillery and engineer units, reflecting the area's role as a rear zone, though infantry and other formations are also present, including soldiers from New Zealand.

Is the cemetery open to visitors? Yes, like most Commonwealth war cemeteries in the region, it is open to the public year-round and free to visit.