Torreken Farm Cemetery No.1

Torreken Farm Cemetery No.1 is a small First World War military cemetery in Wijtschate, in the West Flanders province of Belgium. It sits in an isolated stretch of farmland roughly seven kilometres south of the centre of Ypres, near the road connecting Ypres to Armentières. The site remains an active place of remembrance maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) rather than a conventional visitor attraction.

How did the cemetery come about?

The cemetery was started by the 5th Dorsetshire Regiment in June 1917, during the fighting on the Ypres Salient. It continued to be used as a front-line burial ground until April 1918. Cemeteries of this kind were typically established quickly, close to dressing stations and forward positions, which explains the modest scale of the site and its location away from any larger settlement.

Who is buried here?

The cemetery holds 90 Commonwealth war graves from the First World War alongside 14 German war graves. This mix of burials from both sides of the conflict is not unusual for battlefield cemeteries in this part of Flanders, where the front line shifted repeatedly and the fallen were often buried close to where they fell, regardless of which army they served.

Who designed the cemetery?

The layout was designed by Wilfred Clement Von Berg, an architect who worked with the war graves authorities on the post-war commemoration of the fallen. As with many of the smaller cemeteries scattered across the region, the design follows the restrained, consistent style typical of CWGC sites: uniform rows of headstones, minimal accompanying structures, and carefully tended grounds.

How do you get there?

Access to the cemetery is across a field that is sometimes used for grazing livestock. Because of this terrain, the site is not suitable for vehicles or wheelchairs, and reaching it requires walking across farmland on foot. This is a common situation for many of the smaller war cemeteries around the Ypres Salient, which are scattered across surrounding fields well away from the main tourist routes.

Frequently asked questions

Is this still an active cemetery or purely a historic monument? It is a historic war cemetery managed by the CWGC. No new burials take place here, but the site is permanently maintained as a memorial to those who died.

How many people are buried here? A total of 104 graves: 90 Commonwealth soldiers and 14 German soldiers.

How far is it from Ypres? About 7.5 kilometres south of the town centre.

Can you drive up to the cemetery? No — the final stretch has to be covered on foot, across a field that is sometimes used for grazing.

Why is it called "No.1" if there is only one cemetery today? Historically there was more than one Torreken Farm cemetery in the area, which is reflected in the numbering. Only this one has survived to the present day.