Messines Ridge British Cemetery
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| Messines Ridge British Cemetery | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
 | |
| Used for those deceased 1914–1918 | |
| Established | Postwar |
| Location | 50°45′54″N 02°53′27″E / 50.76500°N 2.89083°E near |
| Designed by | Charles Holden |
| Total burials | 1,493 |
Unknowns | 954 |
| Burials by nation | |
Allied Powers:
| |
| Burials by war | |
First World War: 1,493 | |
Messines Ridge British Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in the Ypres Salient in Belgium on the Western Front.
The town of Messines, now known as Mesen, was the location of a number of battles during the First World War, beginning when it was captured by German forces in late October-early November 1914. Later in the war, it formed the southern corner of the Ypres Salient and in June 1917, the New Zealand Division drove the Germans out in the Battle of Messines, taking 3,700 casualties in the process. In March 1918, it was lost to the Germans in the Spring Offensive and returned to Allied control again in September 1918, when it was seized during the Hundred Days Offensive.[1]
Foundation
Messines Ridge British Cemetery was established after the First World War for the remains of soldiers collected from several smaller cemeteries in the area. These included the Bell Farm Cemetery, Blauwepoortebeek Cemetery, Bousbecques East German Cemetery, Bristol Castle Military Cemetery, Lumm Farm Cemetery, Middle Farm Cemetery, Onraet Farm Cemetery, Queensland Cemetery and the River Douve Cemetery. Most of these cemeteries held men that were killed in the period from June to December 1917. One, the Bousbecques East German Cemetery, held four British soldiers that had died in November 1914 while the Bristol Castle Military Cemetery dated from September–October 1918.[2]
