St. Quentin Cabaret Military Cemetery

St. Quentin Cabaret Military Cemetery is a small First World War cemetery in the municipality of Comines-Warneton (Komen-Waasten), Belgium, roughly ten kilometres south of the centre of Ypres. Its name comes from a small inn that once stood nearby, close to the front line during the war's early years.

Where does the name come from?

The cemetery takes its name from the St. Quentin Cabaret inn, which stood about 460 metres east of Kandahar Farm near the village of Wulvergem. This part of the Flanders front saw fierce fighting from the very start of the war, and the area around the inn quickly became a burial ground for soldiers who fell defending the line nearby.

When was it established?

Burials began here in February 1915, with the first graves in Plot I, Rows E and F, made by the 46th (North Midland) Division. Over the following years the cemetery continued to be used by the various divisions rotating through this sector of the front near Wulvergem. Burials stopped in April 1918, when German forces captured Wulvergem during their spring offensive. The village and cemetery were retaken in September 1918, but by then only two further burials were added before the war ended.

How many soldiers are buried here?

The cemetery contains 460 Commonwealth burials from the First World War. Among them are 65 soldiers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, making the site a meaningful stop for visitors tracing New Zealand's losses on the Western Front.

Where exactly is it located?

St. Quentin Cabaret Military Cemetery lies about 10.5 kilometres south of Ypres (Ieper) town centre, on a road leading off the Rijselseweg (N365), the route connecting Ieper with Wijtschate, Mesen (Messines) and onward to Armentières. The surrounding landscape is flat and rural, typical of the old front-line countryside in West Flanders, dotted with numerous smaller war cemeteries within a few kilometres.

What should visitors know before going?

The cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), following the familiar layout of neat rows of uniform headstones, well-kept lawns and a Cross of Sacrifice as the central feature. It is not a major tourist attraction in the conventional sense, but rather part of the wider Flanders battlefields memory trail that also includes Ypres, Ploegsteert Wood and Mesen. For anyone interested in First World War history, it offers a quiet, intimate stop that illustrates the human cost of fighting over a small stretch of front line that changed hands several times during the war.

Frequently asked questions

Is entry to the cemetery free? Yes, CWGC cemeteries are open to the public free of charge throughout the year.

Is there parking nearby? The cemetery sits on a local road; small pull-in spots typical of rural CWGC cemeteries in the region are available close by.

How long does a visit take? Given its small size, a visit typically takes between 15 and 30 minutes.

Are there other war cemeteries close by? Yes — several other CWGC cemeteries lie within a few kilometres, including the larger Ploegsteert Wood Military Cemetery, reflecting how densely this part of Flanders is marked by First World War memorial sites.