SPANBROEKMOLEN BRITISH CEMETERY
West-Vlaanderen
Belgium
Location Information
Spanbroekmolen British Cemetery is located 8 Km south of Ieper town centre, on a road leading from the Rijselseweg N365, which connects Ieper to Wijtschate and onto 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.
On reaching the village of Wijtschate the first right hand turning is the Hospicestraat leading onto the village square. The Wijtschatestraat leads from the village square, 1.5 Km beyond which lies the Scheerstraat on the left hand side. The cemetery itself lies 500 metres along the Scheerstraat on the left hand side of the road.
Visitors to this site should note the 200 metre grassed access path which is unsuitable for vehicles.
Visiting Information
Wheelchair access possible via main entrance.
Historical Information
The cemetery is named after a windmill which stood nearby and contains the graves of men killed in action on the first (or, in three cases the second) day of the Battle of Messines in 1917. The cemetery was destroyed in subsequent operations but found again after the Armistice.
There are 58 casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. Special memorials commemorate six servicemen who were known to have been buried in the cemetery but whose graves were later destroyed.
The cemetery was designed by J R Truelove.
Total Burials: 58.
Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 52. Total 52.
Spanbroekmolen British Cemetery is located 8 Km south of Ieper town centre, on a road leading from the Rijselseweg N365, which connects Ieper to Wijtschate and onto 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.
On reaching the village of Wijtschate the first right hand turning is the Hospicestraat leading onto the village square. The Wijtschatestraat leads from the village square, 1.5 Km beyond which lies the Scheerstraat on the left hand side. The cemetery itself lies 500 metres along the Scheerstraat on the left hand side of the road.
Visitors to this site should note the 200 metre grassed access path which is unsuitable for vehicles.
Visiting Information
Wheelchair access possible via main entrance.
Historical Information
The cemetery is named after a windmill which stood nearby and contains the graves of men killed in action on the first (or, in three cases the second) day of the Battle of Messines in 1917. The cemetery was destroyed in subsequent operations but found again after the Armistice.
There are 58 casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. Special memorials commemorate six servicemen who were known to have been buried in the cemetery but whose graves were later destroyed.
The cemetery was designed by J R Truelove.
Total Burials: 58.
Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 52. Total 52.
Images in this gallery © Geerhard Joos
After the tremor we saw the flames. I think Kruisstraat was the first, Spanbroekmolen, almost simultaneously with it. A sheet of flame that got tongued in the end. It went up higher than St Paul's - I estimated about 800 feet. It was a white incandescent light, we knew that the temperature was about 3,000 degrees centigrade. The German's there went up as gas. The biggest bit of German I found afterwards was one foot in a boot. (Lieut. Bryan Frayling)
British soldiers stand looking into the huge mine crater at Messines Ridge, blown up on the morning of the battle. Photographed on 11 June 1917. © IWM (Q 2325)
14/16657 Rifleman
William Kennedy
14th Bn. Royal Irish Rifles
7th June 1917
Row C. 1
Son of The Rev. S. G. Kennedy, of Cromwell House, Cromwell Road, Belfast. His brother J Kennedy also fell.
Picture of grave in gallery above
William Kennedy
14th Bn. Royal Irish Rifles
7th June 1917
Row C. 1
Son of The Rev. S. G. Kennedy, of Cromwell House, Cromwell Road, Belfast. His brother J Kennedy also fell.
Picture of grave in gallery above
18/1289 Rifleman
Hugh Rock
11th Bn. Royal Irish Rifles
8th June 1917, aged 22.
Row A. 9.
Son of George and Agnes Rock, of Ballylig, Killagan, Belfast. Native of Cloughmills, Belfast.
His headstone bears the inscription; "Oh Learn The Art Of War No More, But Trust The God Of Peace."
Hugh Rock
11th Bn. Royal Irish Rifles
8th June 1917, aged 22.
Row A. 9.
Son of George and Agnes Rock, of Ballylig, Killagan, Belfast. Native of Cloughmills, Belfast.
His headstone bears the inscription; "Oh Learn The Art Of War No More, But Trust The God Of Peace."
Images in this gallery © Werner Van Caneghem
.....We all got out of the tank and walked over to this huge crater. You'd never seen anything like the size of it; you'd never think that explosives would do it. But I saw about 150 Germans laid there, in different positions, throwing a bomb, a gun on their shoulder, all laid there dead. The mine had killed them. The crew stood there for about five minutes and looked. It made us think. That mine had won the battle before it started. We looked at each other as we came away and the sight of it remained with you always. To see them all laid there with their eyes open. (Pte. Frederick Collins)
20th May 1917; Aerial oblique. Plotting reference: 28N 30c. Key features: Spanbroekmolen. © IWM (BOX 7008-1334-20K-28N-1917)
