Voormezeele Enclosures No.1 and No.2

Voormezeele Enclosures No.1 and No.2 is a Commonwealth war cemetery located about 4 km south-west of the centre of Ypres, next to the village of Voormezele in West Flanders. It belongs to the network of cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and sits within the area known as the Ypres Salient, the bulging front line around Ypres that was fought over almost continuously throughout the First World War.

Where does the name come from and how was the cemetery formed?

The word "Enclosures" points to how the site grew during the war: rather than being planned as a single cemetery from the start, it developed as separate burial plots opened at different stages of the fighting and only later joined together. Enclosure No.1, now Plot I, was begun in March 1915 by the 28th Division and continued in use by the 17th, 3rd and other divisions, as well as by the artillery, until April 1918. Enclosure No.2, now Plot II, was also started in March 1915 and remained in use until April 1917. Because the two plots span such a long stretch of the war, the cemetery reflects the fighting around Ypres as an ongoing, years-long struggle rather than a single battle.

Who is buried here?

The cemetery holds 593 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War, either buried or commemorated on site. Of these, 40 burials are unidentified, and 19 graves destroyed by shellfire are marked with special memorials rather than conventional headstones — a solution the CWGC used across the region wherever remains could no longer be reliably located after the fighting had moved on. A handful of graves in Row N were added by German forces, while further Commonwealth burials were made in September and October 1918. One more grave was brought into Row F after the Armistice, moved from a burial site within the village of Voormezele itself. The cemetery also contains six German war graves, a reminder of how closely the front lines shifted back and forth across this small stretch of ground.

Who designed the cemetery?

The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, one of the principal architects behind the visual language of British war cemeteries after the First World War. Lutyens helped define the CWGC style seen across dozens of sites in the Ypres Salient: restrained layouts, uniform white headstones, and a calm, orderly setting that stands in deliberate contrast to the destruction that once covered this ground.

Why visit?

Voormezeele Enclosures No.1 and No.2 is smaller and less visited than the largest cemeteries and memorials around Ypres, which makes it a quieter, more contemplative stop for anyone tracing the history of the war in this area. It offers a good sense of how local, front-line burial grounds were established close to the fighting itself, rather than as large, purpose-built memorial sites planned after the war. Its position near Voormezele and other villages of the Ypres Salient makes it easy to combine with a wider First World War heritage route through the region.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the cemetery located? On Voormezeele Dorp, in the village of Voormezele, about 4 km south-west of the centre of Ypres.

How many people are buried here? 593 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War, including 40 unidentified burials, plus six German war graves.

Who designed the cemetery? Sir Edwin Lutyens, one of the leading architects of CWGC cemeteries.

When was the site in use? Enclosure No.1 from March 1915 to April 1918, Enclosure No.2 from March 1915 to April 1917, with further burials added in September–October 1918.