Tancrez Farm Cemetery

Tancrez Farm Cemetery is a small First World War cemetery in the municipality of Comines-Warneton (Komen-Waasten), standing behind a rebuilt farmhouse that served as an aid post during the war. The site lies roughly 17 km south of the centre of Ypres, reached from the Rijselseweg (N365) linking Ypres to Wijtschate and Armentières: two kilometres past the village of Ploegsteert, a turn onto the Chemin de la Blanche (Witteweg) leads to the first right-hand turning, Rue du Touquet, where the cemetery lies about 500 metres along the road, past Motor Car Corner Cemetery.

How was the cemetery formed?

Burials at Tancrez Farm began in December 1914, during the early months of trench warfare on the Western Front. Field ambulances and fighting units continued to bury their dead here until March 1918, meaning the cemetery was in use for most of the war. This long span of use makes it a record of the successive phases of fighting that took place around Ploegsteert.

Who is buried here?

The cemetery now contains 333 Commonwealth burials and commemorations from the First World War. Six of the burials are unidentified, and one casualty is marked by a special memorial because he is known to be buried among the unidentified graves, even though his exact grave could not be established. Alongside the Commonwealth burials, the cemetery also holds two German war graves, a reminder that the front line in this area shifted more than once during the conflict.

Who designed the cemetery?

The cemetery was designed by Charles Holden, one of the architects who worked with the Imperial War Graves Commission (today the Commonwealth War Graves Commission) on the construction of war cemeteries across Belgium and France after the war. The layout follows the familiar pattern of these cemeteries: rows of headstones enclosed by low walls and planting, creating a quiet, contemplative setting.

What happened in the area during the war?

The commune of Ploegsteert, now part of Comines-Warneton, remained under Allied control for most of the First World War. The main exception came during the German spring offensive of 1918, when the area fell into German hands between 10 April and 29 September 1918. After Allied forces retook the ground later that year, cemeteries in the area, including Tancrez Farm, were consolidated and developed according to the post-war standards adopted for Commonwealth war graves.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the cemetery located? On Rue du Touquet, about 500 metres from its junction with the Witteweg, in the municipality of Comines-Warneton, close to the village of Ploegsteert.

How many people are buried here? 333 Commonwealth burials and commemorations, including six unidentified casualties, plus two German war graves.

Who maintains the cemetery? It is cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, like the other British and Commonwealth war cemeteries in the wider Ypres region.

Is this the only war cemetery in the area? No — Motor Car Corner Cemetery lies along the same route nearby, and the whole Ploegsteert area contains numerous smaller First World War cemeteries.