Prowse Point Military Cemetery

Prowse Point Military Cemetery is a small burial ground maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), located in the municipality of Comines-Warneton (Dutch: Komen-Waasten) on the border area between Belgium and France. It sits within the Ypres Salient, the bulging stretch of the Western Front around the city of Ypres that became one of the deadliest battlegrounds of the First World War.

Where exactly is the cemetery located?

The site lies at approximately 50.74° north latitude and 2.90° east longitude, in a quiet rural setting south of Ypres. The surrounding landscape is typical of Flanders farmland dotted with small settlements — a peaceful scene that belies the intensity of the fighting that once took place across this same ground.

What is the CWGC and why does it matter here?

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is the organisation responsible for commemorating and maintaining the graves of Commonwealth service personnel who died during the First and Second World Wars. It cares for hundreds of cemeteries and memorials across Europe, and Prowse Point Military Cemetery is one of many such sites clustered around Ypres, an area that saw repeated battles between 1914 and 1918 for control of a strategically vital road and rail junction.

Who is buried here?

The cemetery holds the graves of soldiers who died fighting on this section of the Western Front during the First World War. As with other CWGC sites, the uniform white headstones arranged in ordered rows, set within carefully tended lawns, are designed to give equal dignity to every fallen soldier, regardless of rank or origin.

Why visit?

For travellers following the First World War remembrance trail in Belgium, Prowse Point Military Cemetery offers a smaller, more intimate counterpart to the larger and better-known cemeteries around Ypres. It is a place for quiet reflection, giving visitors a sense of the human cost of the Western Front away from the crowds that gather at the region's most iconic memorial sites, such as the Menin Gate in Ypres itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Prowse Point Military Cemetery located? The cemetery is situated in the municipality of Comines-Warneton (Komen-Waasten), within the area historically known as the Ypres Salient, near the Belgian-French border.

Who maintains the cemetery? It is cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the organisation responsible for the upkeep of Commonwealth war graves.

From which period do the graves date? The cemetery is linked to the fighting of the First World War on the Western Front in the Ypres area between 1914 and 1918.

Is entry free? CWGC cemeteries are generally open to the public free of charge, year-round.

Is it worth combining with other remembrance sites nearby? Yes — the Ypres area is home to numerous war cemeteries and memorials, making it possible to plan a longer route focused on the history of the First World War along this stretch of the front.