Woods Cemetery

Woods Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground located near the area known as The Bluff, south of Ypres (Ieper) in Belgium. The site sits within the former Western Front of the First World War and forms part of the dense network of war cemeteries scattered around Ypres, commemorating soldiers who fell during the fighting in this region between 1914 and 1918.

Where exactly is this site located?

The cemetery lies at the coordinates 50.822361, 2.915194, south of the centre of Ypres, close to the landmark known as The Bluff, one of the notable features on the former front line in this part of Flanders. The area around Ypres was the scene of some of the fiercest and longest-lasting engagements of the First World War, which is reflected today in the dense concentration of military cemeteries still found throughout the region.

What is a CWGC cemetery?

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is the organisation responsible for maintaining the graves and memorials of Commonwealth service members who died during the two World Wars. Cemeteries under CWGC care follow a consistent, easily recognisable layout — uniform headstones, carefully tended lawns and planting, and a restrained, dignified design regardless of the size of the site. Woods Cemetery, though modest in scale compared with some of the larger war cemeteries in the region, follows the same standards of care and remembrance.

Why is Ypres so significant in First World War history?

Ypres and its surroundings were the setting for three major battles (the Battles of Ypres) and prolonged trench warfare that claimed hundreds of thousands of casualties on both sides of the front. It was in this area that chemical weapons were used on a large scale for the first time, during the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915. The landscape around the town still bears the marks of those events, with numerous war cemeteries, memorials and sites of remembrance dotting the countryside — Woods Cemetery being one of them.

What should visitors know before coming here?

Woods Cemetery is first and foremost a place of remembrance and rest for fallen soldiers, not a conventional tourist attraction, and visitors are expected to observe the quiet and respect appropriate to such sites. The cemetery forms part of a wider network of First World War heritage sites around Ypres, and many visitors combine a stop here with visits to other nearby CWGC cemeteries and locations connected to the history of the Western Front in this part of Belgium.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Woods Cemetery located? South of Ypres (Ieper), Belgium, near the area known as The Bluff.

Who maintains this cemetery? The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), which cares for the graves of Commonwealth service members.

From which period does this site date? It relates to the fighting of the First World War on the Western Front in the Ypres area.

Is it part of a wider remembrance trail? Yes — it sits among numerous other cemeteries and memorial sites connected to the Battles of Ypres.