Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery

Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery is a British war cemetery in the Belgian municipality of Wulvergem (Heuvelland, West Flanders), established in December 1914. It lies along what was once the road connecting Wulvergem to Lindenhoek, in an area that during the First World War was one of the most contested stretches of the Flanders front, close to the fighting around Messines and Kemmel Hill.

How did the cemetery start and who is buried here?

The cemetery was begun by four battalions of the 5th Division and was first known as Wulverghem Dressing Station Cemetery, named after the medical aid post around which it grew. Soldiers who died of wounds sustained at nearby front-line positions were buried here. The site was used from December 1914 until June 1917, and again in September and October 1918, during the war's final stages. By the Armistice in November 1918, the cemetery held 162 graves — today known as Plot I, the oldest section of the burial ground.

Why does the cemetery hold so many more graves today?

After the war, remains were brought in from smaller, scattered battlefield cemeteries and isolated graves in the surrounding area. Among the burial grounds consolidated here were Auckland Cemetery near Messines, which held the graves of twelve New Zealand soldiers; the neighbouring Cornwall Cemetery, with 21 graves of soldiers from the United Kingdom; Frenchman's Farm, north of Wulvergem, where soldiers who fell in 1914-15 were buried, including one French soldier; and Neuve-Eglise North Cemetery, on the road to Lindenhoek, containing the graves of soldiers who died in early September 1918. These consolidations significantly expanded the cemetery beyond its original size.

How many war dead are commemorated here today?

Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery now commemorates a total of 1,010 Commonwealth servicemen who died during the First World War. The site remains under the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), the organisation responsible for maintaining Commonwealth war graves worldwide.

Has the cemetery undergone recent restoration?

Yes. Between September 2024 and March 2025, essential restoration works were carried out to address stability issues and natural weathering that had damaged the cemetery's boundary walls. Funded by the Flemish Government, the works included reinforcing the foundations and rebuilding the surrounding walls.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the cemetery located? Along the former road linking Wulvergem to Lindenhoek, in the municipality of Heuvelland in West Flanders, near the coordinates 50.76364, 2.84372.

Who were the soldiers buried here? Mostly British soldiers, along with New Zealand troops and one French soldier, who died fighting in the Flanders sector between 1914 and 1918.

Who maintains the cemetery today? The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, with recent restoration works funded by the Flemish Government.

Is the site open to visitors? Yes, like most CWGC cemeteries in Flanders, it is publicly accessible and forms part of the First World War remembrance trail through the Heuvelland region.