Locre No.10 Cemetery

Locre No.10 Cemetery is a small war cemetery in the village of Loker (formerly known as Locre), in the Heuvelland region of Belgium, roughly 11.5 kilometres south-west of the centre of Ypres. The site dates back to the turbulent spring of 1918, when the front line in this part of West Flanders shifted repeatedly between opposing forces.

How did this cemetery come to be?

The ground was first used by French troops as a burial site during the fighting of spring 1918. Over time, the graves of 248 French soldiers originally interred here were later removed to another burial ground nearby. After the Armistice, graves of Commonwealth and German soldiers were brought into the cemetery from the surrounding battlefields, giving the site its present character.

Who is buried at Locre No.10 Cemetery?

Today the cemetery holds 58 First World War burials and commemorations of Commonwealth servicemen. Fourteen of these graves belong to soldiers who could not be identified, though special memorials mark three casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Alongside the Commonwealth plots, the cemetery also contains 75 German graves, of which only three carry an identified name.

This mix of graves from both sides of the conflict within a single, modest cemetery is unusual, and reflects how fiercely contested this stretch of the front was — ground changed hands so often that the fallen were often buried wherever the fighting had just taken place.

Why was the fighting around Loker so fierce?

For most of the war, Loker (Locre) remained in Allied hands, and the village's Convent of St. Antoine served as a base for field ambulances treating the wounded from nearby front lines. That changed dramatically during the German spring offensive of 1918: between 25 and 30 April, the village changed hands several times before finally being recaptured by French troops.

Fighting did not end there. On 20 May 1918, the convent itself became the scene of particularly severe combat, and it was not definitively retaken until the first week of July that year. Much of the toll reflected in the cemetery today traces back to this prolonged struggle for control of the village and its convent.

How to get there

The cemetery is located about 11.5 kilometres south-west of the centre of Ypres, on a road leading off the Dikkebusseweg (N375). It is open to visitors year-round, with no restricted visiting hours, making it accessible at any time.

Frequently asked questions

How many people are buried at Locre No.10 Cemetery? The cemetery contains 58 Commonwealth burials and commemorations, along with 75 German graves.

Were all the soldiers buried here identified? No. Fourteen of the Commonwealth graves belong to unidentified soldiers, and among the German burials only three have been identified.

Why are there no French graves at the cemetery today? The graves of 248 French soldiers, originally buried here in spring 1918, were later moved to another war cemetery.

Can the cemetery be visited independently? Yes, the site is open to the public and accessible throughout the year.