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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Ypres Town Cemetery Extension


laughton

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I have had the GRRF documents for this cemetery for some time but had never found the related COG-BR documents. Luckily, while researching the case of the Border Regiment Lieutenant I realized I needed to find out what happened to men of that regiment lost in early November 1914. Luckily, one man was in the Ypres Town Cemetery Extension, which led me to reading more about the cemetery as he had no COG-BR. Ah - they were only the burials after the armistice so I had to check for men lost in 1918-1919. That led to two (2) sets of COG-BR documents. As always, there may be more, so at any time you find any missing COG-BR just let me know and I will go fetch the rest.

 

Ypres Town Cemetery Extension Shared MediaFire Folder

 

What the CWGC has to say about the cemetery, to which I will add the TMC of any concentration cemeteries or main burial grounds that can be identified from the documents, as none are listed in the fact sheet:

Quote

From October 1914 to the summer of 1918, Ypres (now Ieper) formed the centre of a salient held by Commonwealth (and for a while French) forces. From April 1915, the town was bombarded and destroyed more completely than any other town of its size on the western front. By the outbreak of the Second World War, Ypres had been completely rebuilt, but saw heavy fighting before it fell to the Germans on 29 May 1940.

 

YPRES TOWN CEMETERY, close to the Menin Gate, was used from October 1914 to May 1915, and once in 1918. The cemetery contains 145 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, grouped in plots among the civil graves.

 

The EXTENSION, on the east side of the town cemetery, was also begun in October 1914 and was used until April 1915, and on two further occasions in 1918.

 

The extension was much increased after the Armistice when 367 graves were brought in from small cemeteries and isolated positions east and north of Ypres. During and after the fighting of May 1940, three civilian hospitals in the town, (Hopital de Notre Dame, the Clinique des Soeurs Noires and the Red Cross Hospital in St. Aloisius School, D'Hondstraat), cared for the wounded, and those who died were buried in the Town Cemetery Extension. Others buried on the battlefield were later brought in by the Ypres town services.

 

There are now 604 Commonwealth casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated in the extension. 141 of the burials are unidentified and there are special memorials to 16 servicemen known or believed to be buried among them. Second World War burials number 43, of which 13 are unidentified.

 

COG-BR 2763686: 28.D.25.c.6.6 just east of Frezenberg has seven (7) UBS with no additional details - just south of the main road from Ypres to Zonnebeke

COG-BR 2763715: 28.I.8.d.1.7 just south of the Menin Gate, perhaps one of the other cemeteries - top of page says "small cemetery", also some on next page

COG-BR 2763717: 28.I.16.b.9.0 is also recorded as a "small cemetery", seven (7) men on 2 pages, mostly RFA from 1917

COG-BR 2763725: 28.I.9.c.3.3 fifteen (15) men all exhumed from "small cemetery", on multiple pages, so now more than 15 from that area

COG-BR 2763774: 28.I.4.c.8.8 large group of A&S Highlanders from July 1917

 

It appears there are quite a few men in the extension from the immediate area around Ypres in areas such as I.8 and I.16 and related areas. A number of them are men that died of wounds (see CWGC about local hospitals).

 

Many of the burials have crosses with considerable detail, dating back to at least April 1915, probably ones that died at the local hospitals.

 

:poppy:COG-BR 2763703: a UBS at 28.I.4.b.7.7 with a "Shirt" or "Sheet" bearing 155498

 

COG-BR 2763706: is one of the two (2) UBS with the two (2) known of the 2nd Anglesey Coy of the Royal Engineers Sapper Thomas Lewis #6751, the only one on the Menin Gate Memorial?

 

COG-BR 2763756: just an interesting record, buried with the bodies

Edited by laughton
split off new topic for Gunner James Whitticase
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Richard, 
 

there seems to be a member on this forum, who seems to have an interest in the 2nd Anglesey Coy of the Royal Engineers.  

 

ive sent the details on to them and asked if they have a copy of the war diaries 

 

Alan 

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Information for the other cemetery YPRES RESERVOIR CEMETERY is in this topic:

 

Edited by laughton
oops - wrong cemetery, sheet misplaced
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