RE Farm Cemetery

R.E. Farm Cemetery is a small Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground located near Wijtschate, Belgium, within the area historically known as the Ypres Salient on the First World War Western Front. It holds the graves of soldiers who fell during fighting in this part of Flanders.

Where does the cemetery's name come from?

The name "R.E. Farm" was the military designation given to a local farmstead otherwise known as Ferme des douze Bonniers. During the war, army units frequently assigned simplified English names to farms and landmarks so troops could reference them easily on trench maps, and this practice is how the cemetery came to carry its current name.

How did the cemetery come into being?

The site's history begins in December 1914, when the 1st Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment started a burial ground (designated Cemetery No.1) on the eastern side of the farm. It was used by fighting units as well as field ambulance personnel until April 1916, with occasional further burials in 1917.

A month later, in January 1915, the same battalion opened a second cemetery (No.2) on the western side of the farm. This second site saw far less use than the first. After the Armistice, the 23 graves it contained were exhumed and moved into Cemetery No.1, which then took on the name it carries today, R.E. Farm Cemetery.

Why did this stretch of front line matter?

The village of Wytschaete, today's Wijtschate, changed hands repeatedly during the war. It remained under Allied control until 1 November 1914, was back in Allied hands from June 1917 until April 1918, and was finally retaken by Allied forces from 28 September 1918 through to the end of the war. The R.E. Farm building itself stayed under Allied control until April 1918, making it a notable strongpoint for units operating in this sector of the Ypres Salient.

How many burials does the cemetery contain?

R.E. Farm Cemetery contains 179 First World War burials in total, of which 11 remain unidentified. The majority of those buried here are British servicemen, 132 in number, alongside a substantial contingent of 47 Canadian soldiers, reflecting the involvement of different Commonwealth forces in the fighting along this section of the front.

Who designed the cemetery?

The cemetery's layout was designed by W.C. Von Berg, an architect who worked on several Commonwealth war cemeteries in the wider Ypres area. Like many CWGC sites in the region, R.E. Farm Cemetery has a quiet, orderly character typical of these places of remembrance, with rows of uniform headstones set within maintained lawns.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is R.E. Farm Cemetery located? The cemetery lies close to the village of Wijtschate, in the Belgian province of West Flanders, within the area historically known as the Ypres Salient.

From which period do the burials date? All burials relate to the First World War, with the earliest graves dating back to December 1914.

How many graves are there? The cemetery holds 179 war graves, including 11 unidentified soldiers.

Was the cemetery always a single site? No. Two separate cemeteries originally existed on the same farm; the smaller one was closed after the war and its graves transferred into the larger site, which retained the name R.E. Farm Cemetery.