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Remembered Today:

Smallest CWGC cemetery on the Western Front


AlanCurragh

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On a fairly quiet, sunny Monday morning, just wondering which is the smallest (in terms of number of burials) CWGC cemetery on the Western Front?

Anyone know? Off the top of my head, Caesar’s Nose with 68 is the smallest I can think of.

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hunters cemetary newfoundland arranged around the shell hole with 41.

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Hi,

I am not too knowledgable about theSomme, but as far as the Ieper salient goes The smallest official stand alone CWGC cemetery is RE Grave Railway Wood, although there are no head stones and in reality this is a memorial to 12 men. Although the smallest number of headstones are always found in plots in civilian cemetery's, sometimes just one burial.

Yours Brum

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Brummy beat me to it!!

Mind you - the R. E. Grave is counted as a little more than just a Memorial according to CWGC records. It is considered a proper cemetery and the records state that it marks 12 indentified burials.

Tom

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Hi Tom,

Yes it is officialy recognised as a cemetery by the CWGC for all official purposes, thats why I put it in here. But I think that many people may not see it as such as it is not a trditional graves and headstones cemetary.

Brum

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The smallest has to be Meteren Isolated Grave. Only 1 body.

Garth

Hi Garth,

A question Where is the Meteren? I ask because I know a cemetery thats called Meteren Military Cemetery and this has several hundred graves . Is there another Meteren, in France perhaps?

Cheers Brum

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Brummy

You are in the right area. Meteren Isolated Grave (as it appears on the CWGC website) is 550 metres South West of Meteren church. It's the other side of the main road from Bailleul.

It is difficult to find and I had a chat with Terry Denham last year because I'd had trouble finding it. If I get a chance on my next visit I will go back and get a photo.

Garth

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The smallest CWGC cemetery is the R.E.Grave in Belgium. It is an official cemetery and it matters not that there are no headstones.

There are of course a number of isolated graves which are listed by CWGC as 'cemeteries' and if you wanted to be pedantic these would count. However, some isolated graves are officially regarded as being inside a very close-by CWGC cemetery and are not listed separately.

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Despite the small # of " burials" it also has a Cross of Sacrifice. Those with less than 40 have no Stone of Remembrance, right?

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Paul

Not quite right.

Generally, those with 40 or more burials have a Cross of Sacrifice and those with 400 or more also have a Stone of Remembrance.

There are exceptions to this rule and the R.E.Grave is one of them.

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Hello,

RE Grave is in fact a memorial to 1 officer, 3NCO's and 8 men of the 177 Tunnelling Company who certainly died in the neighbourhood but UNDERGROUND (tunnelfights) and who were never recovered.

Isn't?

(I found Red Farm Military Cemetery, Vlamertinge;46 burials

http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/cemetery_...=2102008&mode=1

http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/cemetery_...=2102008&mode=1

But no Stone of Remembrance!)

Greetings

Joris

Westouter

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Joris,

Bridge House Cem. (near St Julien) ? 45.

Tuileries Zillebeke has 37 (but also special Memorials to 69 British men and 3 French soldiers known to be buried there).

Aurel

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Damned Aurel, you are better!

but;

Hello eveyone,

About Lt Atwood Morris lonely grave at Meteren;

http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/casualty_...casualty=273710

The Lt died on 13-10-1914. He is buried were he felt. After the war, his parents asked if he could remain buried at this spot. They got the permission and in 1920 they bought that piece of land and placed an memorial. It is a little roof with on top a watch made by Smith from London.

His brother gave the ground to Meteren in 1965, if they did maintenance of it.

Foto's will be delivered!!!

Greetings from the Flanders-French frontier!

Joris

Westouter

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Thanks for everyone's replies - I know it is a bit of a train-spotter question but I always find the small, out of the way cemeteries are the most moving.

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Gentlemen

You are missing the point.

CWGC's official list of cemeteries in France and Belgium gives R.E.Grave as the smallest of their locations (by burial) excluding isolated graves.

It does not matter how you wish to 'define' the word 'cemetery', this remains the case. R.E.Grave is not a memorial in CWGC's sense of the word. It is a cemetery (CWGC Number - Belgium.504).

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Brummy

You are in the right area. Meteren Isolated Grave (as it appears on the CWGC website) is 550 metres South West of Meteren church. It's the other side of the main road from Bailleul.

It is difficult to find and I had a chat with Terry Denham last year because I'd had trouble finding it. If I get a chance on my next visit I will go back and get a photo.

Garth

Hi,

Thanks for the info, this and the post by Joris has sparked my curiosity and I will try to visit this grave soon.

Brum

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Brum

There are also a few other isolated graves on the Western Front as well as Meteren.

2/Lt H.A.Boyd & Pte J.Cousins at Ferme des Arceries, La Haute-Maison

Capt R.Heumann, S/Maj B.Mills & Sjt A.W.Torrance at Faffemont Farm, Combles

Maj W.H.K Redmond near Locre Hospice Cemetery, Belgium

Capt C.R.Tidswell at Etricourt

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Gentlemen

You are missing the point.

CWGC's official list of cemeteries in France and Belgium gives R.E.Grave as the smallest of their locations (by burial) excluding isolated graves.

It does not matter how you wish to 'define' the word 'cemetery', this remains the case. R.E.Grave is not a memorial in CWGC's sense of the word. It is a cemetery (CWGC Number - Belgium.504).

Hi Terry,

My Point regarding the fallen is and has always been that they should have their memories honoured and recorded in an equal and appropriate manor and having visited R.E. Grave last week I beleive that this has been acheived on this site. If people whish to regard this as a cemetery or a memorial is unimportant to me I just see it as a job well done for the sake of the lads who died doing their job.

Brum

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Brum

There are also a few other isolated graves on the Western Front as well as Meteren.

2/Lt H.A.Boyd & Pte J.Cousins at Ferme des Arceries, La Haute-Maison

Capt R.Heumann, S/Maj B.Mills & Sjt A.W.Torrance at Faffemont Farm, Combles

Maj W.H.K Redmond near Locre Hospice Cemetery, Belgium

Capt C.R.Tidswell at Etricourt

Hi again,

Cheers for the info will definately try to get to Locre this week situation permiting.

Brum

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Brum

You will have no trouble finding Redmond. He is only a few yards from the cemetery.

I agree with you that R.E.Grave is a fitting commemoration of the men who lie beneath.

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