DIVISIONAL COLLECTING POST CEMETERY & EXTENSION
West-Vlaanderen
Belgium
GPS Coordinates Latitude: 50.87399 Longitude: 2.89406
Location Information
The cemetery is located to the North East of the town of Ieper. From the station turn left and drive along M.Fochlaan to the roundabout, turn right and go to the next roundabout. Here turn left into M.Haiglaan and drive to the traffic lights. Here turn right onto the dual carriageway direction Poelkapelle/A19. Carry on for about 1km over the river and you will see a sign for New Irish Farm Cemetery. Turn left here to the crossroads and turn left again, the cemetery is approx 50 metres on the right.
Visiting Information
Wheelchair access with some difficulty.
Historical Information
Divisional Collecting Post Cemetery was begun by field ambulances of the 48th (South Midland) and 58th (London) Divisions in August 1917. It continued in use until January 1918 and at the Armistice contained 86 graves.
Between 1924 and 1926, the original cemetery was considerably enlarged when graves were brought in from the surrounding battlefields and some small burial grounds in the area. The cemetery and extension essentially form a single site, but the records of the original burials and concentrations were kept separately until they were combined in 2001.
The CEMETERY comprises Rows B to E of Plot I and in addition to the original burials, special memorials have been erected to two casualties known to have been buried in Westroosebeke Churchyard, whose graves could not be located. In all, 88 Commonwealth casualties of the First World War are now buried or commemorated in the cemetery. There is also one German war grave.
The EXTENSION is made up of Rows F to S of Plot I and all of Plot II, a total of 676 Commonwealth burials. Of these, 511 are unidentified.
Total Burials: 765.
Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 200, Australia 31, Canada 19, New Zealand 3. Total 253.
Unidentified Casualties: 512.
The cemetery and extension were designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield and William Harrison Cowlishaw
The cemetery is located to the North East of the town of Ieper. From the station turn left and drive along M.Fochlaan to the roundabout, turn right and go to the next roundabout. Here turn left into M.Haiglaan and drive to the traffic lights. Here turn right onto the dual carriageway direction Poelkapelle/A19. Carry on for about 1km over the river and you will see a sign for New Irish Farm Cemetery. Turn left here to the crossroads and turn left again, the cemetery is approx 50 metres on the right.
Visiting Information
Wheelchair access with some difficulty.
Historical Information
Divisional Collecting Post Cemetery was begun by field ambulances of the 48th (South Midland) and 58th (London) Divisions in August 1917. It continued in use until January 1918 and at the Armistice contained 86 graves.
Between 1924 and 1926, the original cemetery was considerably enlarged when graves were brought in from the surrounding battlefields and some small burial grounds in the area. The cemetery and extension essentially form a single site, but the records of the original burials and concentrations were kept separately until they were combined in 2001.
The CEMETERY comprises Rows B to E of Plot I and in addition to the original burials, special memorials have been erected to two casualties known to have been buried in Westroosebeke Churchyard, whose graves could not be located. In all, 88 Commonwealth casualties of the First World War are now buried or commemorated in the cemetery. There is also one German war grave.
The EXTENSION is made up of Rows F to S of Plot I and all of Plot II, a total of 676 Commonwealth burials. Of these, 511 are unidentified.
Total Burials: 765.
Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 200, Australia 31, Canada 19, New Zealand 3. Total 253.
Unidentified Casualties: 512.
The cemetery and extension were designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield and William Harrison Cowlishaw
Images in this gallery © Werner Van Caneghem
A working party going up at night on a duck board track through the flooded shell-holes. Wieltje, 11 January 1918. © IWM (Q 8428)
2819 Private
Edmund (Teddy) James Cooper
26th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
6th October 1917, aged 23.
Plot I. H. 13
Son of Louisa and Edmund Cooper of Seymour, Tasmania, Australia. Enlisted 19 August, 1915 and embarked from Hobart, Tasmania 27 October, 1915 on HMAT A38 Ulysses. Joined the 12th Battalion from the 26th on 4th March 1916. Received a gun shot wound to the right hand in France and sent back to England on the HS Dieppe from Calais for treatment. Rejoined unit in France 12th January 1917. Killed in Action 6th October 1917 in the vicinity of Westhoek Ridge near Ypres. Body exhumed and reburied at the Divisional Collecting Post Cemetery Extension. Received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal posthumously. Commemorated on panel 65 at the Australian War Memorial – Roll of Honour
Picture and information courtesy of Sandra Cook
Edmund (Teddy) James Cooper
26th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
6th October 1917, aged 23.
Plot I. H. 13
Son of Louisa and Edmund Cooper of Seymour, Tasmania, Australia. Enlisted 19 August, 1915 and embarked from Hobart, Tasmania 27 October, 1915 on HMAT A38 Ulysses. Joined the 12th Battalion from the 26th on 4th March 1916. Received a gun shot wound to the right hand in France and sent back to England on the HS Dieppe from Calais for treatment. Rejoined unit in France 12th January 1917. Killed in Action 6th October 1917 in the vicinity of Westhoek Ridge near Ypres. Body exhumed and reburied at the Divisional Collecting Post Cemetery Extension. Received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal posthumously. Commemorated on panel 65 at the Australian War Memorial – Roll of Honour
Picture and information courtesy of Sandra Cook
Captain
Lloyd Ghent
3rd Coy. Australian Machine Gun Corps
20th September 1917, aged 22.
Plot II. J. 17.
Son of Thomas and Alison Isabel Ghent, of 128, Tinning St., Brunswick, Victoria, Australia.
Lloyd Ghent
3rd Coy. Australian Machine Gun Corps
20th September 1917, aged 22.
Plot II. J. 17.
Son of Thomas and Alison Isabel Ghent, of 128, Tinning St., Brunswick, Victoria, Australia.
235488 Private
William Mead
6th Bn. Leicestershire Regiment
29th April 1918, aged 30.
Plot I. O. 12.
Husband of Jenny Mead, of 2, Tiln Rd., Retford, Notts.
William Mead
6th Bn. Leicestershire Regiment
29th April 1918, aged 30.
Plot I. O. 12.
Husband of Jenny Mead, of 2, Tiln Rd., Retford, Notts.
6347 Private
Alfred Charles Slade
12th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
6th October 1917, aged 25.
Plot I. G. 15.
Son of Alfred and Grace Lavinia Slade, of 68, Warwick St., Hobart, Tasmania. Born at Bridgewater, Tasmania.
A driver prior to his enlistment on 8 May 1916, he embarked on HMAT Botanist (A59) on 24 August 1916. On 6 October 1917 he was killed in action at Ypres, aged 25 years. This photograph was originally worn in a locket.
Alfred Charles Slade
12th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
6th October 1917, aged 25.
Plot I. G. 15.
Son of Alfred and Grace Lavinia Slade, of 68, Warwick St., Hobart, Tasmania. Born at Bridgewater, Tasmania.
A driver prior to his enlistment on 8 May 1916, he embarked on HMAT Botanist (A59) on 24 August 1916. On 6 October 1917 he was killed in action at Ypres, aged 25 years. This photograph was originally worn in a locket.
In the moonlight, a British soldier walks through water-filled shell-holes near Wieltje, 11 January, 1918. © IWM (Q 8429)
Images in this gallery © Geerhard Joos
St Jean, Belgium. c. 1918. A tin of bully beef being shared by some German Army prisoners of war during the Battle of Flanders.
Infantry wearing bandoliers of ammunition in support trench at Wieltje, 19 August 1917. © IWM (Q 5888)
c. 1917. A German Army Commander with his adjutant and staff being held as prisoners of war at St Jean. This group were captured in a dugout during the battle at Broodseinde. The Commander is second from the left.
St Julien, Belgium. c. 1918. A motor engined railed vehicle which was used to haul ammunition to British Army guns in the front area.
