Vlissegem Churchyard

Vlissegem Churchyard is a small parish cemetery in the centre of the village of Vlissegem, in the West Flanders province of Belgium, roughly 10 km east of Ostend. It sits on the Dorpsplaats, the village's main square, close to the Vijfwegestraat, a road linking the N9 route between Ostend and Bruges. The churchyard holds the graves of seven Commonwealth servicemen from the Second World War and is registered with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).

Why are Commonwealth war graves here?

Like many parish cemeteries scattered across this part of Belgium, Vlissegem became a burial site through two distinct phases of the war. In May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force took part in the defence of Belgium following the German invasion, suffering heavy casualties while covering the withdrawal toward Dunkirk. Some of the burials here date from that period of fighting.

Commonwealth forces did not return to this stretch of Belgium until September 1944, as the country was being liberated from German occupation. Yet the years in between were not free of losses connected to the region: numerous airmen were shot down or crashed here while flying raids against strategic targets in Belgium, or while returning from missions over Germany. It is this combination of ground fighting in 1940 and aerial losses in the following years that accounts for the seven war graves found at Vlissegem.

What to expect when visiting

The churchyard is modest in scale — this is not a sprawling military cemetery but a section of an ordinary village parish burial ground, typical of many communities across Belgium. The Commonwealth graves lie alongside local civilian burials, giving the site a quiet, community feel rather than the monumental character of the larger war cemeteries found closer to the old First World War front lines.

Its position right in the village centre, next to the main square, makes it an easy stop for anyone travelling between Ostend and Bruges who wants to include a brief moment of remembrance in a route otherwise focused on the region's better-known wartime history.

Frequently asked questions

How many war graves are at Vlissegem Churchyard? The churchyard contains seven Commonwealth war graves from the Second World War.

From which period of the war do the burials date? Some graves relate to the British Expeditionary Force's defensive fighting in May 1940, while others belong to airmen lost during raids on Belgium and Germany later in the war.

Where exactly is the churchyard located? On the Dorpsplaats, the main square of the village of Vlissegem, near the Vijfwegestraat linking the N9 road between Ostend and Bruges, about 10 km east of Ostend.

Is this a large military cemetery? No — it is a section of a regular parish churchyard, one of many such small burial sites across Belgian Flanders where Commonwealth soldiers rest alongside local residents.

Can visitors access the churchyard freely? Yes, as part of the village's parish cemetery it stands in an open public space in the centre of Vlissegem and can be visited without the restrictions sometimes found at larger military sites.