WULVERGHEM-LINDENHOEK ROAD MILITARY CEMETERY

 

Heuvelland

 

West-Vlaanderen

 

Belgium

 

Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery is located 13 Kms south of Ieper town centre, on a road leading from the Kemmelseweg N331 connecting Ieper to Kemmel. From Ieper town centre the Kemmelseweg is reached via the Rijselsestraat, through the Lille Gate (Rijselpoort) and straight on towards Armentieres (N365). 900 metres after the crossroads is the right hand turning onto the Kemmelseweg (made prominent by a railway level crossing). 2 Kms after passing the village of Kemmel lies the left hand turning onto the Hooghofstraat. The cemetery lies 1.5 Kms along the Hooghofstraat on the right hand side of the road.

The cemetery was begun in December 1914 by four battalions of the 5th Division and was called at first Wulverghem Dressing Station Cemetery. It was used until June 1917, and again in September and October 1918, and at the Armistice it contained 162 graves, the present Plot I. Graves were then brought in from the surrounding battlefields and the following smaller burial grounds:- AUCKLAND CEMETERY, MESSINES, on the North bank of the Douve between Messines and Wulverghem, contained the graves of twelve New Zealand soldiers (including nine of the 2nd Auckland Regiment) who fell on the 7th June, 1917. CORNWALL CEMETERY, MESSINES, 150 metres West of Auckland Cemetery, contained the graves of 21 soldiers from the United Kingdom (including 20 of the 1st D.C.L.I.) who fell in December, 1914-January, 1915. FRENCHMAN's FARM, WULVERGHEM, nearly 600 metres North of the village, contained several groups of graves; and in them were buried 29 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one French soldier who fell in 1914-15. NEUVE-EGLISE NORTH CEMETERY was on the Neuve Eglise-Lindenhoek road. It contained the graves of 20 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell on the 2nd and 3rd September, 1918, and of whom 16 belonged to the 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers. NEUVE-EGLISE RAILWAY HALTE (or RAILWAY SIDING) CEMETERY was at the light railway station on the South side of the village. It contained the graves of 14 soldiers from the United Kingdom (including seven of Queen Victoria's Rifles) who fell on the 5th January, 1915. These formed Plots II-V. Within these later plots almost the whole period of the war is represented, in particular the defence of the Kemmel front in April 1918 and the final advance of September 1918. There are now 1,010 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 352 of the burials are unidentified, but there are special memorials to two casualties believed to be buried among them and to seven others buried elsewhere whose graves were destroyed in the fighting of 1917-18. The cemetery was designed by Charles Holden.

 

CASUALTY DETAILS: UK 843; Canada 54; Australia 35; New Zealand 69; South Africa 9; Total Burials: 1010

 

394587 Rifleman

Harold William Martin

9th Bn. London Regiment

(Queen Victoria's Rifles)

04/09/1918, aged 19.

Son of Charles David and Elizabeth Ann Martin, of 4, Brunswick Rd., Bexleyheath, Kent.

Plot I. D. 34

 

Picture courtesy of Kim Towler, Rifleman Martin has no known family left to remember him and is now forever remembered on our Roll of Honour

 

200236 Serjeant

James Harwood MM

1st/4th Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment

25/09/1918, aged 22.

Son of Henry and Sarah Harwood, of Orchard Place, Arundel, Sussex. He received his MM for action at Beersheba, Palestine November 1917. 

Plot II. C. 16.

 

Picture courtesy of Great, great, great nephew, Simon Whittle.

 

11056 Private

Joseph Hyland

1st Bn. Royal Irish Fusiliers

02/09/1918

Plot IV. G. 23.

 

"The boy lies sleeping, no more the guns

the boy lies sleeping, no more suns"

 

Picture courtesy of his nephew, Charles Hyland

 

27222 Corporal

George Cockshoot, MM

2nd Bn. South Lancashire Regiment

25/09/1918, aged 25,

Resident of Darwen, Lancashire

Plot IV. B. 28.

After locating George’s Active Service record and other documents, I have found that George volunteered for the Army on 13th March 1916 in Preston. He served with the 8th and 2nd Battalions, South Lancashire Regiment. He was posted to the Western Front in July 1916 and was wounded for the first time on 9th August 1916. It seems that George was wounded in action on three separate occasions and was also once “buried by a shell” before returning to the front line. He was promoted to rank of Corporal on 13th April 1918 and was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in battle on 27th of June 1918. He was shot and killed by a sniper on 25th September 1918 whilst serving at the front line near Ypres in Belgium.

An obituary in remembrance of George Cockshoot was placed in the Darwen News of October 5th 1918 by his family, the obituary included a photograph and notes from two of his comrades.

Picture courtesy of Dominic Ceraldi, great, great nephew of this soldier

 

324762 Rifleman

John Hayes

6th Bn. London Regiment

(City of London Rifles)

28/09/1918

Plot IV. D. 24.

 

Picture courtesy of Joe Pengelly, great nephew of this soldier

Back

Latest additions to the site  |  Belgian Cemetery Index  | French Cemetery Index 

Other Cemeteries and Memorials around the world  |  British Cemeteries and Memorials   |  1939-1945 Cemetery Index

Cemeteries with Victoria Cross burials  |  Cemeteries with "Shot at Dawn" burials  |  Regimental Badge Archive  |   Roll of Honour

Information on how to submit a photograph or image to the site  |  Book Reviews  |   About Us and our task  |  Links  

Site Map   |   Miscellaneous articles