Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery

Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth war cemetery located about 5 kilometres west of the centre of Ypres, on the Hospitaalstraat, right by the village of Vlamertinge. It was begun as early as 1914, when French troops buried their dead here, and was taken over by Commonwealth forces in April 1915, becoming one of the many war cemeteries that grew up around Ypres during the First World War.

Why did Vlamertinge become a burial site?

For much of the war, the area around Vlamertinge lay just outside the normal range of German artillery fire. That relative safety made the village an important part of the rear area for the Ypres front — artillery units were stationed here, and, crucially, so were field ambulances and dressing stations. Wounded and fallen soldiers were brought back from the front line near Ypres, which explains why such a large cemetery grew up on this spot over time.

The cemetery was used by fighting units and field ambulances until June 1917. At that point, the land adjoining the cemetery was requisitioned for a military railway, which prevented any further expansion. This is precisely why, in the same year, a separate cemetery — Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery — was established nearby to continue burials connected with the Allied offensive launched on this part of the front later that summer.

What makes this cemetery distinctive?

Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery is notable for the particular care taken in laying out its graves. Men from the same unit who died at roughly the same time were buried side by side — a level of order that wasn't always possible at other wartime cemeteries, where burials often had to be carried out hastily and without such arrangement.

Another striking feature is the unusually high proportion of graves belonging to Territorial Force units, especially those from Lancashire. Plots IV, V and VI together hold nearly 250 graves of these soldiers, making this one of the largest concentrations of Lancashire Territorial burials among the war cemeteries in the Ypres area.

How many burials does it hold?

The cemetery now contains 1,175 Commonwealth burials from the First World War. The graves are marked with the familiar white Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstones, arranged in orderly plots and set within the carefully tended lawns and planting characteristic of CWGC cemeteries across Belgium and France.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the cemetery located? On the Hospitaalstraat, about 5 kilometres west of the centre of Ypres (Ieper), close to the village of Vlamertinge.

How does it differ from Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery? They are two separate cemeteries. The older one — Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery — was started in 1914 and used until June 1917, when lack of space led to the creation of a new cemetery nearby, used mainly for casualties from the fighting in the second half of 1917 and into 1918.

How many soldiers are buried here? 1,175 Commonwealth soldiers from the First World War.

Is the cemetery open to visitors? Yes. Like most CWGC cemeteries in the Ypres area, it is open to visitors year-round and free to enter.

Why are so many Lancashire soldiers buried here? Lancashire Territorial units saw heavy fighting in this sector of the front, and the proximity of Vlamertinge to medical stations meant that many of their fallen were brought here for burial, often laid to rest alongside comrades from the same unit.