Nine Elms British Cemetery

Nine Elms British Cemetery sits just west of Poperinge, along the Helleketelweg road branching off the N33 ring road. It's one of many burial grounds scattered around what was once the rear area of the Ypres front, where casualty clearing stations treated the wounded during the First World War.

How did this cemetery come about?

The site was opened in 1917 by the 3rd Australian and 44th Casualty Clearing Stations, which had relocated to Poperinge — the former from Brandhoek, the latter from Lijssenthoek. Both units operated here between September and December 1917, during the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as Passchendaele. Almost all the burials in Plots I to IX date from this period, marking the men who died of wounds despite treatment close behind the front line.

A later group of plots — X, XI, XIII, XIV and XV — was filled between March and October 1918. These graves trace a turbulent final year of the war: the German spring offensive in Flanders, the British counter-attacks that followed, and the Allied advance through the summer and autumn of 1918.

How many graves are here?

The cemetery holds 1,556 Commonwealth burials from the First World War alongside 37 German war graves from the same period — an unusual case of former enemies resting in the same ground. A separate group of 22 Second World War graves belongs to the retreat toward Dunkirk in 1940.

Who designed the cemetery?

Nine Elms British Cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, one of the principal architects who shaped the layout of what is now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's network of cemeteries across Belgium and France. His work is recognisable in the ordered rows of headstones and the restrained, park-like planting found throughout the site.

What should visitors expect on site?

The cemetery lies directly on the Helleketelweg, a short distance from central Poperinge, and is easy to reach by car. Given the number of burials, the grounds are fairly extensive, but the layout makes it straightforward to walk between plots at a steady pace. Wheelchair access is possible, though the terrain can make it somewhat difficult in places.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cemetery open to the public? Yes. Like nearly all Commonwealth War Graves Commission sites, Nine Elms British Cemetery is open year-round and free to visit.

Why are there German graves here too? The casualty clearing stations based nearby treated wounded prisoners of war as well as Allied soldiers, which is why German casualties were buried alongside British and Commonwealth troops.

Is this the only cemetery linked to the clearing stations that used this site? No — Brandhoek and Lijssenthoek, the two locations the clearing stations moved from before settling near Poperinge, each have their own separate war cemeteries, also open to visitors in the area.

What else is worth noting beyond the graves themselves? The plot layout designed by Blomfield, together with the Cross of Sacrifice and Stone of Remembrance typical of CWGC cemeteries, lets visitors trace the timeline of the fighting in Flanders, from the 1917 plots through to those from the war's final year.