Roeselare Communal Cemetery

Roeselare Communal Cemetery is a modest but historically significant burial ground on the edge of the town of Roeselare in the West Flanders province of Belgium. While it functions today as an ordinary municipal cemetery, its southern section holds the graves of soldiers who died during both World Wars, making it a meaningful stop for anyone tracing the First World War history of Flanders.

Why does this place matter historically?

Roeselare, formerly known by its French name Roulers, lay under German occupation from 19 October 1914 until 14 October 1918 — for almost the entire duration of the First World War. The town sat behind the German front lines in a critical sector of Flanders, not far from the battlefields of Ypres and Passchendaele. Its proximity to the front meant the communal cemetery was used, among other purposes, for the burial of prisoners of war and soldiers killed in the surrounding fighting.

Who is buried here?

The cemetery contains 91 First World War Commonwealth burials, 8 of which are unidentified. These graves are concentrated mainly in the southern part of the cemetery, arranged in separate national plots — alongside British and other Commonwealth soldiers rest French and Belgian servicemen, reflecting the international character of the conflict fought across this land.

Notably, three of the First World War graves were not originally located here: the remains were brought in during 1936 from churchyards in the nearby towns of Hooglede and Knokke, where the soldiers had first been buried.

The cemetery also holds seven Second World War graves, all dating from 1940 — the year of the rapid German invasion of Belgium and France.

What else stands out about this site?

The cemetery includes special memorials commemorating two casualties buried at the nearby Roulers German Cemetery whose original graves were destroyed by shellfire. Such memorials are common at cemeteries from this era: when a physical grave did not survive the fighting, a commemorative plaque became the only lasting marker of remembrance for the fallen soldier.

The site is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), the organisation responsible for the upkeep and documentation of Commonwealth war graves around the world.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors access Roeselare Communal Cemetery? Yes. As a municipal cemetery, it is open to visitors year-round, in line with most CWGC-maintained war cemeteries in Belgium.

How many war graves does the cemetery hold? It contains 91 Commonwealth First World War graves (including 8 unidentified soldiers) and 7 Second World War graves.

Why were some graves moved here from other towns? In 1936, the remains of three soldiers were transferred from churchyard cemeteries in Hooglede and Knokke, likely as part of a postwar effort to consolidate scattered war graves into larger, better-maintained cemeteries.

Which nationalities are represented among the buried soldiers? Alongside Commonwealth soldiers, mainly British, the cemetery also holds French and Belgian servicemen, buried in their own designated national plots.