HYDE PARK CORNER (ROYAL BERKS) CEMETERY

Comines-Warneton

Hainaut

Belgium

General Directions: Hyde Park Corner (Royal Berks) Cemetery is located 12.5 km south of Ieper town centre, on the Rijselseweg (N365), a road connecting Ieper to Armentieres.

From Ieper town centre the Rijselsestraat runs from the market square, through the Lille Gate (Rijselpoort) and directly over the crossroads with the Ieper ring road. The road name then changes to the Rijselseweg.

The cemetery lies 12.5 km along the N365 after passing through the settlements of Wijtschate and Mesen. The cemetery is located on the left hand side of the road and opposite the prominent Ploegsteert Memorial.

Hyde Park Corner was a road junction to the north of Ploegsteert Wood, Hill 63 was to the north-west and nearby were the "Catacombs", deep shelters which were capable of holding two battalions, which were used from November 1916 onwards. The cemetery was begun in April 1915 by the 1st/4th Royal Berkshire Regiment and was used at intervals until November 1917. It contains 83 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and four German war graves.

BERKS CEMETERY EXTENSION is separated from Hyde Park Corner Cemetery by a road.

Shot at Dawn: 5009 Rifleman Samuel McBride, 2nd Bn. Royal Irish Rifles, executed for desertion on 07/12/1916,  Row A. 17.

The mass pardon of 306 British Empire soldiers executed for certain offences during the Great War was enacted in section 359 of the Armed Forces Act 2006, which came into effect on royal assent on 8 November 2006.

Casualty details: UK 81; Canada 1; Australia 1; Germany 4; Total Burials 87

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