Spoilbank Cemetery

Spoilbank Cemetery is a small Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground located in the Ypres Salient, in the West Flanders region of Belgium — one of the most heavily fought-over sectors of the Western Front during the First World War. Unlike the larger, better-known cemeteries of the area, Spoilbank is a modest, quiet site, but it serves the same purpose as every CWGC cemetery: honouring soldiers who died between 1914 and 1918.

Where is Spoilbank Cemetery located?

The cemetery lies within the municipality of Ypres (Dutch: Ieper), in the province of West Flanders, Belgium, at coordinates 50.820139, 2.899722. This places it firmly within the Ypres Salient — the bulge in the Allied front line around Ypres that was surrounded by German forces on three sides for most of the war.

What was the Ypres Salient?

The Ypres Salient was the name given to the section of front line that pushed outward around the town of Ypres, exposed to enemy fire from multiple directions. It was the setting for three major battles of Ypres (1914, 1915 and 1917) as well as the fighting around Passchendaele. Casualties in this small stretch of Flanders were so numerous that the surrounding countryside became one of the densest concentrations of war cemeteries anywhere in the world — ranging from vast sites such as Tyne Cot to small burial grounds established close to dressing stations, aid posts, and supply routes just behind the front line. Spoilbank Cemetery belongs to this second group: a compact site reflecting the local, often improvised nature of burials carried out near the fighting.

Who maintains the cemetery?

Spoilbank Cemetery is cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, an organisation founded in 1917 to record and maintain the graves of Commonwealth service members who died in the two World Wars. The CWGC manages hundreds of cemeteries and memorials across Belgium and northern France alone, applying a consistent design language across all of them: uniform white headstones marked with a cross or Star of David, carefully tended lawns, and structured planting, regardless of whether a cemetery holds a handful of graves or many thousands.

What should visitors know before going?

Like most CWGC sites, Spoilbank Cemetery is open to the public year-round and free to visit. It offers no visitor infrastructure of its own — no ticket booth, no gift shop — which is typical of the smaller cemeteries scattered across the former Salient. This makes it a fitting stop for travellers who want a quieter, more reflective encounter with the history of the First World War, away from the crowds found at the region's largest memorial sites.

Frequently asked questions

Is Spoilbank Cemetery free to visit? Yes. Cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission are open to the public free of charge.

Which conflict are the graves associated with? The graves date from the First World War, connected to the fighting around the Ypres Salient.

Are there other war cemeteries nearby? Yes. The area around Ypres contains one of the highest concentrations of war cemeteries in the world, with many other CWGC sites located within a short distance.

Who is responsible for the cemetery's upkeep? The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains Spoilbank Cemetery, as it does with all Commonwealth war graves worldwide.