MÉTEREN MILITARY CEMETERY
Nord
France
GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 50.74349, Longitude: 2.68886
Location Information
Méteren is a village 17.5 kilometres south-west of Ieper (Belgium) and 3 kilometres west of Bailleul on the main road to Cassel.
When heading through the village towards Bailleul from Cassel, turn left along D18 opposite the Mairie. Méteren Military cemetery is 200 metres further up this road on the left hand side and is situated to the rear of the civil cemetery.
Historical Information
Méteren was occupied by German forces early in October 1914 and on 13 October, their entrenched positions covering the village were captured by the 10th Brigade of the 4th Division. The village then remained in Allied hands until the German offensive of April 1918. The 33rd Division held it against heavy German attacks on 13 April, but it was lost on the 16th. The sector was then taken over by French troops for a time, but on 19 July, the 9th (Scottish) Division (2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers and South African Composite Battalion) recovered the site of the village after a fortnight's bombardment which completely destroyed the houses.
The cemetery was made in 1919 by the French authorities, who brought in Commonwealth, French and German graves from the neighbouring battlefields and from other cemeteries, which included the following:-
BERTHEN CHURCHYARD, in which 13 soldiers and airmen from the United Kingdom, two soldiers from Canada, and one soldier from Newfoundland were buried (by Field Ambulances or fighting units) in 1916 and 1918.
LE ROUKLOSHILLE MILITARY CEMETERY, METEREN, a little South of the hamlet of Le Roukloshille, between Meteren and Godewaersvelde. Here, in April-August 1918, 38 soldiers from Australia, 26 soldiers and airmen from the United Kingdom and one French soldier were buried by fighting units.
MÉTEREN CHURCHYARD, in which 11 soldiers from the United Kingdom were buried (one in 1914 and the others in 1917) by Field Ambulances or fighting units.
MONT-DES-CATS BRITISH AND INDIAN CEMETERIES, GODEWAERSVELDE, a quarter of a mile South-East of the gates of the Trappist monastery. The hill was captured on the 12th October 1914, by the 4th Hussars, the 5th and 16th Lancers and "D" Battery, R.H.A. Two small graveyards were made in April 1915, one containing the graves of nine soldiers from the United Kingdom and two from Canada, and the other those of 16 soldiers from India. Six other British soldiers, buried within the Monastery, have also been reinterred in Méteren Military Cemetery.
The German and some of the French graves have since been removed to other cemeteries.
Méteren Military Cemetery now contains 768 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 180 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to five casualties believed to be buried among them. There are also special memorials to one soldier buried in Méteren Churchyard, and one Indian soldier buried in Mont-des-Cats Indian Cemetery, whose graves were destroyed in later fighting. There are also 69 French burials here.
Total Burials: 838.
Commonwealth World War One Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 429, Australia 96, South Africa 26, New Zealand 17, India 15, Canada 6. Total 589.
Commonwealth World War One Unidentified Casualties: United Kingdom 158, Australia 9, New Zealand 5, South Africa 5, India 2, Canada 1. Total 180.
Other Nationalities: France 69.
The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and William Harrison Cowlishaw
Images in gallery below © Werner Van Caneghem
Image above © Werner Van Caneghem
Méteren, France. c. 1917. The battlefield on which the Australian, British and German Armies fought.
Méteren, France. c. 1918. 11th Bn. Royal Scots about to embark on a daylight raid removing their personal belongings, pay books and identity discs.
12th Battalion Royal Scots manning the lip of a mine crater at Méteren, 23 June 1918. © IWM (Q 6736)
Images in gallery below © Geerhard Joos
Original grave of 4 soldiers of the Seaforth Highlanders at Méteren. These soldiers, along with another 5 members of the same regiment are now buried in a collective grave (163-170) at Méteren Military Cemetery. Within the grave are: Pte. T. Potter, Pte. J. Alexander, Private I. J. Shortman, Sgt. J. Murray, Pte. W. Chalmers, Pte. J. Smellie, Pte. R. Hastie, Pte. D. Swanson and Pte. W. Innes.
There are actually 9 burials in this grave, one (T. Potter) is listed on the casualty return as 169A.
