STRAND MILITARY CEMETERY
Hainaut
Belgium
GPS Coordinates - Latitude: 50.73277, Longitude: 2.88025
© Geerhard Joos
Location Information
Strand Military Cemetery is 13 Kms south of Ieper town centre, on the Rijselseweg N365, which connects Ieper to Wijtschate, Mesen and on 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 on the N365, 4 Kms beyond Mesen and immediately before the village of Ploegsteert on the left hand side of the road.
Visiting Information
Wheelchair access is possible via the main entrance.
Historical Information
'Charing Cross' was the name given by the troops to a point at the end of a trench called the Strand, which led into Ploegsteert Wood. In October 1914, two burials were made at this place, close to an Advanced Dressing Station,
The cemetery was not used between October 1914 and April 1917, but in April-July 1917 Plots I to VI were completed. Plots VII to X were made after the Armistice, when graves were brought in from some small cemeteries and from the battlefields lying mainly between Wytschaete and Armentieres. The cemetery was in German hands for a few months in 1918, but was very little used by them.
The following are some of the burial grounds concentrated into Strand Military Cemetery:-
EPINETTE ROAD CEMETERY, HOUPLINES (Nord), on the Southern outskirts of Houplines village, contained the graves of 24 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in November, 1914-September, 1915.
LA BASSE-VILLE GERMAN CEMETERY, WARNETON (West Flanders), on the road from La Basse-Ville to Warneton, contained the graves of 68 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from South Africa who died in German hands, April-August, 1918.
LE BIZET CONVENT MILITARY CEMETERY, PLOEGSTEERT, was in the grounds of the Assumptionist Convent between Le Bizet and Motor Car Corner. It contained the graves of 88 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from Canada who fell in October, 1914-October, 1916.
NACHTEGAAL No.1 GERMAN CEMETERY, MERCKEM (West Flanders), midway between Merckem and Houthulst, made in April, 1916, contained the graves of two R.F.C. officers who fell in June, 1917. It was closed in July, 1917.
PLOEGSTEERT WOOD NEW CEMETERY, WARNETON, in the South-East corner of the wood, contained the graves of 19 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in the loss and recapture of Le Gheer, October, 1914.
PROWSE POINT LOWER CEMETERY, WARNETON, was a little North of Ploegsteert Wood. It was made by the 1st Rifle Brigade, and it contained the graves of 13 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in 1915 and 1916.
TOUQUET-BERTHE GERMAN CEMETERY, PLOEGSTEERT, on the road from Ploegsteert to Le Gheer, contained two unidentified R.A.F. graves of July, 1918.
WARNETON CHURCHYARD was destroyed in the War. It contained the grave of one soldier from the United Kingdom, buried by the Germans in December, 1914.
There are now 1,143 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 354 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to six casualties known or believed to be buried among them, and to 13 whose graves in four of the concentrated cemeteries were destroyed by shell fire.
The eight Second World War burials (three of which are unidentified) all date from May 1940 and the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary force to Dunkirk ahead of the German advance.
The cemetery was designed by Charles Holden and William Harrison Cowlishaw
Total Burials: 1,162.
Commonwealth World War One Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 407, Australia 279, New Zealand 86, Canada 16, South Africa 1. Total 789.
Other World War One Identified Casualties: Germany 8.
Commonwealth Unidentified World War One Casualties: 354.
World War Two Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 5. Total 5.
Unidentified World War Two Casualties: 3.
Dedications
29335 Private Albert Casserley, 8th Bn. Border Regiment, 10th April 1918.
Remembered by nephews Derek and Richard
Strand Military Cemetery is 13 Kms south of Ieper town centre, on the Rijselseweg N365, which connects Ieper to Wijtschate, Mesen and on 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 on the N365, 4 Kms beyond Mesen and immediately before the village of Ploegsteert on the left hand side of the road.
Visiting Information
Wheelchair access is possible via the main entrance.
Historical Information
'Charing Cross' was the name given by the troops to a point at the end of a trench called the Strand, which led into Ploegsteert Wood. In October 1914, two burials were made at this place, close to an Advanced Dressing Station,
The cemetery was not used between October 1914 and April 1917, but in April-July 1917 Plots I to VI were completed. Plots VII to X were made after the Armistice, when graves were brought in from some small cemeteries and from the battlefields lying mainly between Wytschaete and Armentieres. The cemetery was in German hands for a few months in 1918, but was very little used by them.
The following are some of the burial grounds concentrated into Strand Military Cemetery:-
EPINETTE ROAD CEMETERY, HOUPLINES (Nord), on the Southern outskirts of Houplines village, contained the graves of 24 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in November, 1914-September, 1915.
LA BASSE-VILLE GERMAN CEMETERY, WARNETON (West Flanders), on the road from La Basse-Ville to Warneton, contained the graves of 68 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from South Africa who died in German hands, April-August, 1918.
LE BIZET CONVENT MILITARY CEMETERY, PLOEGSTEERT, was in the grounds of the Assumptionist Convent between Le Bizet and Motor Car Corner. It contained the graves of 88 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from Canada who fell in October, 1914-October, 1916.
NACHTEGAAL No.1 GERMAN CEMETERY, MERCKEM (West Flanders), midway between Merckem and Houthulst, made in April, 1916, contained the graves of two R.F.C. officers who fell in June, 1917. It was closed in July, 1917.
PLOEGSTEERT WOOD NEW CEMETERY, WARNETON, in the South-East corner of the wood, contained the graves of 19 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in the loss and recapture of Le Gheer, October, 1914.
PROWSE POINT LOWER CEMETERY, WARNETON, was a little North of Ploegsteert Wood. It was made by the 1st Rifle Brigade, and it contained the graves of 13 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in 1915 and 1916.
TOUQUET-BERTHE GERMAN CEMETERY, PLOEGSTEERT, on the road from Ploegsteert to Le Gheer, contained two unidentified R.A.F. graves of July, 1918.
WARNETON CHURCHYARD was destroyed in the War. It contained the grave of one soldier from the United Kingdom, buried by the Germans in December, 1914.
There are now 1,143 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 354 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to six casualties known or believed to be buried among them, and to 13 whose graves in four of the concentrated cemeteries were destroyed by shell fire.
The eight Second World War burials (three of which are unidentified) all date from May 1940 and the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary force to Dunkirk ahead of the German advance.
The cemetery was designed by Charles Holden and William Harrison Cowlishaw
Total Burials: 1,162.
Commonwealth World War One Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 407, Australia 279, New Zealand 86, Canada 16, South Africa 1. Total 789.
Other World War One Identified Casualties: Germany 8.
Commonwealth Unidentified World War One Casualties: 354.
World War Two Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 5. Total 5.
Unidentified World War Two Casualties: 3.
Dedications
29335 Private Albert Casserley, 8th Bn. Border Regiment, 10th April 1918.
Remembered by nephews Derek and Richard
Images in this gallery © Werner Van Caneghem
British troops taking up timber for a trench support through a communication trench at Ploegsteert, March 1917. © IWM Q 5092
Six of the 8 World War Two Burials
Images © Werner Van Caneghem
A group of soldiers of the Lancashire Fusiliers infantry regiment at the entrance to a communication trench between walls of sandbags running from Hyde Park Corner at the corner of Ploegsteert Wood to the front line. January 1917.© IWM Q 4647
Images in this gallery © Geerhard Joos
Canadian troops in the front line trenches at Ploegsteert, March 1916. © IWM Q 446
Soldiers of the Lancashire Fusiliers in a front line trench opposite Messines. The men are cleaning a Lewis Gun. o the left of the photographs, can be seen the gas alarm horn and wind vane. Several rows of sandbags form the top left-hand edge of the trench. January 1917 near Ploegsteert. © IWM Q 4648
Soldiers, probably from the 12th Battalion, the East Surrey Regiment, seen in a British communication trench in Ploegsteert Wood, during the Battle of Messines, 11th June 1917. © IWM Q 2314
