The Memorials featured on this page commemorate the British, South African, New Zealand and Indian Soldiers who lost their lives in both wars, in France & Belgium. The Memorials for the Canadian & Australian Missing are shown on the relevant pages on this site. All are cared for by the workers of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Thanks is due to the CWGC for the details of the Memorials which I have used below. As well as these Memorials scattered throughout both countries, there is a vast array of Divisional and Personal Memorials. It is almost an impossible task to list them all on this website.
Arras Memorial
The French handed over Arras to commonwealth forces in the spring of 1916 and the system of tunnels upon which the town is built were used and developed in preparation for the major offensive planned for April 1917. The commonwealth section of the Faubourg d'Amiens cemetery was begun in March 1916, behind the French military cemetery established earlier. It continued to be used by field ambulances and fighting units until November 1918. The cemetery was enlarged after the armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields and from two smaller cemeteries in the vicinity. The cemetery contains 2,651 commonwealth burials of the First World War. In addition, there are 30 war graves of other nationalities, most of them German. During the Second World War, Arras was occupied by United Kingdom forces headquarters until the town was evacuated on 23 may 1940. Arras then remained in German hands until retaken by commonwealth and free french forces on 1 September 1944. The cemetery contains seven commonwealth burials of the Second World War. The graves in the French military cemetery were removed after the first world war to other burial grounds and the land they had occupied was used for the construction of the arras memorial and Arras Flying Services Memorial. The Arras Memorial commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 august 1918, the eve of the advance to victory, and have no known grave. The most conspicuous events of this period were the arras offensive of April-may 1917 and the German attack in the spring of 1918. Canadian and Australian servicemen killed in these operations are commemorated by memorials at Vimy and Villers Bretonneux. A separate memorial remembers those killed in the battle of Cambrai in 1917. The arras flying services memorial commemorates nearly 1,000 airmen of the Royal Naval Air Service, the Royal fFying Corps, and the Royal Air Force, either by attachment from other arms of the forces of the commonwealth or by original enlistment, who were killed on the whole western front and who have no known grave. Both cemetery and memorial were designed by sir Edwin Lutyens, with sculpture by Sir William Reid Dick.
Arras Flying Services Memorial
The Arras Flying Services Memorial commemorates nearly 1,000 airmen of the Royal Naval Air Service, the Royal Flying Corps, and the Royal Air Force, either by attachment from other arms of the forces of the commonwealth or by original enlistment, who were killed on the whole western front and who have no known grave. The British air services originated in the use of balloons for purposes of reconnaissance. The balloon gave way to power-driven air machines and in 1911 an air battalion of the Royal Engineers was formed. In 1912 the air battalion was absorbed into the Royal Flying Corps which consisted of a naval wing and a military wing and a central flying school. These two wings developed during the course of the war, both sections expanding greatly until they combined and the royal air force came into being on the 1 April 1918. During the Second World War, Arras was occupied by United Kingdom forces headquarters until the town was evacuated on 23 May 1940. Arras then remained in German hands until retaken by Commonwealth and Free French forces on 1 September 1944. The cemetery contains seven commonwealth burials of the Second World War. Both cemetery and memorial were designed by sir Edwin Lutyens, with sculpture by Sir William Reid Dick.
Bayeux Memorial
The allied offensive in north-western Europe began with the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944. The Bayeux memorial stands opposite the cemetery and bears the names of more than 1,800 men of the commonwealth land forces who died in the early stages of the campaign and have no known grave. They died during the landings in Normandy, during the intense fighting in Normandy itself, and during the advance to the river seine in august. There was little actual fighting in Bayeux although it was the first french town of importance to be liberated. Bayeux war cemetery is the largest commonwealth cemetery of the Second World War in France and contains burials brought in from the surrounding districts and from hospitals that were located nearby. The cemetery contains 4,144 commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 338 of them unidentified. There are also 505 war graves of other nationalities, the majority German.
Cambrai Memorial
The Cambrai memorial commemorates more than 7,000 servicemen of the United Kingdom and South Africa who died in the battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917 and whose graves are not known. Sir Douglas Haig described the object of the Cambrai operations as the gaining of a 'local success by a sudden attack at a point where the enemy did not expect it' and to some extent they succeeded. The proposed method of assault was new, with no preliminary artillery bombardment. Instead, tanks would be used to break through the German wire, with the infantry following under the cover of smoke barrages. The attack began early in the morning of 20 November 1917 and initial advances were remarkable. However, by 22 November, a halt was called for rest and reorganisation, allowing the Germans to reinforce. From 23 to 28 November, the fighting was concentrated almost entirely around Bourlon wood and by 29 November, it was clear that the Germans were ready for a major counter attack. During the fierce fighting of the next five days, much of the ground gained in the initial days of the attack was lost. For the allies, the results of the battle were ultimately disappointing but valuable lessons were learnt about new strategies and tactical approaches to fighting. The Germans had also discovered that their fixed lines of defence, no matter how well prepared, were vulnerable. The Cambrai memorial was designed by H. Chalton Bradshaw with sculpture by C. S. Jigger. The memorial stands on a terrace at one end of Louverval military cemetery. The chateau at Louverval was taken by the 56th Australian infantry battalion at dawn on 2 April 1917. The hamlet stayed in allied hands until the 51st (Highland) Division was driven from it on 21 march 1918 during the great German advance, and it was retaken in the following September. Parts of rows B and C of the cemetery were made between April and December 1917 and in 1927, graves were brought in from Louverval chateau cemetery, which had been begun by German troops in March 1918 and used by commonwealth forces in September and October 1918. The cemetery now contains 124 First World War burials.
Dunkirk Memorial
Dunkirk witnessed the landing of the British expeditionary force in September and October 1914. Throughout the First World War it was a seaplane base and later an American naval air service base. The town was also a french hospital centre and the 8th Canadian stationary hospital was there from November 1918 to April 1919. Although an estimated 7,500 shells and bombs fell on the town during the war, ship building and other port activities continued. During the Second World War, Dunkirk was the scene of the historic evacuation of the British expeditionary force from France in may 1940. Dunkirk town cemetery contains 450 commonwealth burials of the First World War, ten of them unidentified. The graves are situated in plots 1 to 3 in the public part of the cemetery to the right of the main entrance, and in plots 4 and 5 of the commonwealth war graves section adjacent to the Dunkirk memorial. Of the 800 second world war burials, more than 200 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 58 soldiers known to be buried among them. These graves are in plots 1 and 2 of the section by the Dunkirk memorial. There are also Czech, Norwegian and polish war graves within the commonwealth section, and war graves of other nationalities will be found elsewhere in the cemetery. The Dunkirk memorial stands at the entrance to the commonwealth war graves section of Dunkirk town cemetery. It commemorates more than 4,500 casualties of the British expeditionary force who died in the campaign of 1939-40 and who have no known grave. The memorial was designed by Philip Hepworth. The engraved glass panel depicting the evacuation was by John Hutton.
La Ferte-Sous-Joarre Memorial
The la Ferte-Sous-Joarre memorial commemorates nearly 4,000 officers and men of the British expeditionary force who died in August, September and the early part of October 1914 and who have no known grave. The monument consists of a rectangular block of stone, 62 feet by 30 feet and 24 feet high, with the names of the dead engraved on stone panels on all sides of the monument. The monument is surmounted by a sarcophagus and a trophy carved in stone. At the four corners of the pavement are stone piers with urns, carved with the coats of arms of the empire.
Le Touret Memorial
The memorial in Le Touret Military Cemetery, Richebourg L’Avoue, is one of those erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to record the names of the officers and men who fell in the Great War and whose graves are not known. It serves the area enclosed on the north by the river Lys and a line drawn from Estaires to Fournes, and on the south by the old southern boundary of the first army about greenway; and it covers the period from the arrival of the II corps in Flanders in 1914 to the eve of the Battle of Loos. It does not include the names of officers and men of Canadian or Indian regiments; they are found on the memorials at Vimy and Neuve Chapelle.
Loos Memorial
The Loos Memorial forms the side and back of Dud Corner Cemetery, and commemorates over 20,000 officers and men who have no known grave, who fell in the area from the River Lys to the old southern boundary of the First Army, east and west of Grenay. Loos-en-Gohelle is a village 5 kilometres north-west of Lens, and Dud Corner Cemetery is located about 1 kilometre west of the village, to the north-east of the N43 the main Lens to Bethune road. Dud Corner Cemetery stands almost on the site of a German strong point, the Lens Road Redoubt, captured by the 15th (Scottish) Division on the first day of the battle. The name "Dud Corner" is believed to be due to the large number of unexploded enemy shells found in the neighbourhood after the Armistice. On either side of the cemetery is a wall 15 feet high, to which are fixed tablets on which are carved the names of those commemorated. At the back are four small circular courts, open to the sky, in which the lines of tablets are continued, and between these courts are three semicircular walls or apses, two of which carry tablets, while on the centre apse is erected the Cross of Sacrifice.
Neuve Chapelle Memorial
The village of Neuve Chapelle is some 5 kilometres north of la Bassée and 20 kilometres west-south-west of Lille. The memorial is 800 metres south-west of the village on the east side of the road from la Bassée to Estaires. The memorial takes the form of a circular enclosure, in the foreground of which is a column nearly 15 metres high, recalling the pillars of Asokar, surmounted by a lotus capital, the star of India and the imperial crown. On either side of the column two carved tigers guard this temple of the dead. The column and the tigers are supported by a "podium", on the near side of which is carved "India 1914-1918", while on the far side are the battle honours of Indian units on the western front. From the ends of the podium a pierced stone railing extends half-way round the circle, and the ends of the semicircle are marked by two small domed "chattris", roughly east and west. The far semicircle is enclosed by a solid wall on which are carved the names of over 4,700 soldiers of the Indian army. Also engraved on the memorial is the following inscription: to the honour of the army of India which fought in France and Belgium, 1914-1918, and in perpetual remembrance of those of their dead whose names are here recorded and who have no known grave. In 1964 a special bronze panel was designed to add to this memorial the names of 210 servicemen of undivided India who died during the 1914-1918 war, whose graves at Zehrensdorf Indian cemetery, East Germany, were un-maintainable. Although this plaque still exists, these graves were reinstated following the renovation in 2005 of Zehrensdorf Indian cemetery in Germany and which is now the official point of commemoration. Also to be found at this site is the Neuve Chapelle 1939-1945 cremation memorial. In 1964 the remains of 8 Indian soldiers (including 2 unidentified) were exhumed from Sarrebourg french military cemetery extension and cremated. The names of the 6 identified soldiers are engraved on panels at the Neuve Chapelle memorial, together with the following inscription: 1939 - 1945 in honour of these soldiers who died in captivity in north-west Europe and whose mortal remains were committed to fire. There are 39 members of the 1914-1918 Indian forces commemorated here who are now known to have been cremated at Patcham Down, Sussex.
Ploegsteert Memorial
The Ploegsteert memorial commemorates more than 11,000 servicemen of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in this sector during the First World War and have no known grave. The memorial serves the area from the line Caestre-Dranoutre-Warneton to the north, to Haverskerque-Estaires-Fournes to the south, including the towns of Hazebrouck, Merville, Bailleul and Armentières, the forest of Nieppe, and Ploegsteert wood. The original intention had been to erect the memorial in Lille. Those commemorated by the memorial did not die in major offensives, such as those which took place around Ypres to the north, or loos to the south. Most were killed in the course of the day-to-day trench warfare which characterised this part of the line, or in small scale set engagements, usually carried out in support of the major attacks taking place elsewhere. Berks cemetery extension, in which the memorial stands, was begun in June 1916 and used continuously until September 1917. At the armistice, the extension comprised plot i only, but plots ii and iii were added in 1930 when graves were brought in from Rosenberg chateau military cemetery and extension, about 1 kilometre to the north-west, when it was established that these sites could not be acquired in perpetuity. Rosenberg chateau military cemetery was used by fighting units from November 1914 to august 1916. The extension was begun in May 1916 and used until March 1918. Together, the Rosenberg chateau cemetery and extension were sometimes referred to as 'red lodge'. Berks cemetery extension now contains 876 First World War burials. Hyde Park corner (royal berks) cemetery is separated from berks cemetery extension by a road. It was begun in April 1915 by the 1st/4th royal Berkshire regiment and was used at intervals until November 1917. Hyde Park corner was a road junction to the north of Ploegsteert wood. Hill 63 was to the north-west and nearby were the 'catacombs', deep shelters capable of holding two battalions, which were used from November 1916 onwards. The cemetery contains 83 commonwealth burials of the First World War and four German war graves the cemetery, cemetery extension and memorial were designed by H. Chalton Bradshaw, with sculpture by Gilbert Ledward.
Pozieres Memorial
The Pozieres Memorial relates to the period of crisis in March and April 1918 when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back by overwhelming numbers across the former Somme battlefields, and the months that followed before the Advance to Victory, which began on 8 August 1918. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918. The Corps and Regiments most largely represented are The Rifle Brigade with over 600 names, The Durham Light Infantry with approximately 600 names, the Machine Gun Corps with over 500, The Manchester Regiment with approximately 500 and The Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery with over 400 names. The memorial encloses Pozieres British Cemetery, Plot II of which contains original burials of 1916, 1917 and 1918, carried out by fighting units and field ambulances. The remaining plots were made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields immediately surrounding the cemetery, the majority of them of soldiers who died in the Autumn of 1916 during the latter stages of the Battle of the Somme, but a few represent the fighting in August 1918. There are now 2,755 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 1,375 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 23 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. The cemetery and memorial were designed by W H Cowlishaw.
RE Grave, Railway Wood
The R E Grave marks the spot where eight Royal Engineers of the 177th Tunnelling Company and four attached infantrymen were killed in action underground during the defence of Ypres between November 1915 and August 1917. The grave takes the form of a small enclosure with a Cross of Sacrifice bearing a dedicatory inscription and the names of those buried there. The grave was designed by A J H Holden.
Soissons Memorial
The original British Expeditionary Force crossed the Aisne in August 1914 a few kilometres west of Soissons, and re-crossed it in September a few kilometres east. For the next three and a half years, this part of the front was held by French forces and the city remained within the range of German artillery. At the end of April 1918, five divisions of Commonwealth forces (IX Corps) were posted to the French 6th Army in this sector to rest and refit following the German offensives on the Somme and Lys. Here, at the end of May, they found themselves facing the overwhelming German attack which, despite fierce opposition, pushed the Allies back across the Aisne to the Marne. Having suffered 15,000 fatal casualties, IX Corps was withdrawn from this front in early July, but was replaced by XXII Corps, who took part in the Allied counter attack that had driven back the Germans by early August and recovered the lost ground. The Soissons Memorial commemorates almost 4,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom forces who died during the Battles of the Aisne and the Marne in 1918 and who have no known grave. The memorial was designed by G H Holt and V O Rees, with sculpture by Eric Kennington.
Thiepval Memorial
On 1 July 1916, supported by a french attack to the south, thirteen divisions of commonwealth forces launched an offensive on a line from north of Gommecourt to Maricourt. Despite a preliminary bombardment lasting seven days, the German defences were barely touched and the attack met unexpectedly fierce resistance. Losses were catastrophic and with only minimal advances on the southern flank, the initial attack was a failure. In the following weeks, huge resources of manpower and equipment were deployed in an attempt to exploit the modest successes of the first day. However, the German army resisted tenaciously and repeated attacks and counter attacks meant a major battle for every village, copse and farmhouse gained. At the end of September, Thiepval was finally captured. The village had been an original objective of 1 July. Attacks north and east continued throughout October and into November in increasingly difficult weather conditions. The battle of the some finally ended on 18 November with the onset of winter. In the spring of 1917, the German forces fell back to their newly prepared defences, the Hindenburg line, and there were no further significant engagements in the Somme sector until the Germans mounted their major offensive in March 1918. The Thiepval memorial, the memorial to the missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. The memorial also serves as an Anglo-french battle memorial in recognition of the joint nature of the 1916 offensive and a small cemetery containing equal numbers of commonwealth and french graves lies at the foot of the memorial. The memorial, designed by sir Edwin Lutyens, was built between 1928 and 1932 and unveiled by the Prince of Wales, in the presence of the president of France, on 31 July 1932. The dead of other commonwealth countries who died on the Somme and have no known graves are commemorated on national memorials elsewhere. The memorial commemorates 72,112men who died on the Somme and have no known grave.
Tyne Cot Memorial
The Tyne Cot Memorial is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres salient. Broadly speaking, the salient stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert wood in the south, but it varied in area and shape throughout the war. The salient was formed during the first battle of Ypres in October and November 1914, when a small British expeditionary force succeeded in securing the town before the onset of winter, pushing the German forces back to the Passchendaele ridge. The second battle of Ypres began in April 1915 when the Germans released poison gas into the allied lines north of Ypres. This was the first time gas had been used by either side and the violence of the attack forced an allied withdrawal and a shortening of the line of defence. There was little more significant activity on this front until 1917, when in the third battle of Ypres an offensive was mounted by commonwealth forces to divert German attention from a weakened french front further south. The initial attempt in June to dislodge the Germans from the Messines ridge was a complete success, but the main assault north-eastward, which began at the end of July, quickly became a dogged struggle against determined opposition and the rapidly deteriorating weather. The campaign finally came to a close in November with the capture of Passchendaele. The German offensive of March 1918 met with some initial success, but was eventually checked and repulsed in a combined effort by the allies in September. The battles of the Ypres salient claimed many lives on both sides and it quickly became clear that the commemoration of members of the commonwealth forces with no known grave would have to be divided between several different sites. The site of the Menin gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates those of all commonwealth nations except New Zealand who died in the salient, in the case of United Kingdom casualties before 16 august 1917. Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. Other New Zealand casualties are commemorated on memorials at buttes new British cemetery and Messines ridge British cemetery. The Tyne cot memorial now bears the names of almost 35,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Herbert baker with sculpture by Joseph Armitage and F V Blundstone, was unveiled by Sir Gilbert Dyett in July 1927. The memorial forms the north-eastern boundary of Tyne cot cemetery, which was established around a captured German blockhouse or pill-box used as an advanced dressing station. The original battlefield cemetery of 343 graves was greatly enlarged after the armistice when remains were brought in from the battlefields of Passchendaele and Langemarck, and from a few small burial grounds. It is now the largest commonwealth war cemetery in the world in terms of burials. At the suggestion of King George v, who visited the cemetery in 1922, the cross of sacrifice was placed on the original large pill-box. There are three other pill-boxes in the cemetery. There are now 11,952 commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in Tyne cot cemetery. 8,365 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to more than 80 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials commemorate 20 casualties whose graves were destroyed by shell fire. The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert baker.
Vis-En-Artois Memorial
This memorial bears the names of over 9,000 men who fell in the period from 8 august 1918 to the date of the armistice in the advance to victory in Picardy and Artois, between the Somme and loos, and who have no known grave. They belonged to the forces of Great Britain and Ireland and South Africa; the Canadian, Australian and New Zealand forces being commemorated on other memorials to the missing. The memorial consists of a screen wall in three parts. The middle part of the screen wall is concave and carries stone panels on which names are carved. It is 26 feet high flanked by pylons 70 feet high. The stone of remembrance stands exactly between the pylons and behind it, in the middle of the screen, is a group in relief representing St George and the dragon. The flanking parts of the screen wall are also curved and carry stone panels carved with names. Each of them forms the back of a roofed colonnade; and at the far end of each is a small building.
Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial
The Menin gate is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres salient. Broadly speaking, the salient stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert wood in the south, but it varied in area and shape throughout the war. The salient was formed during the first battle of Ypres in October and November 1914, when a small British expeditionary force succeeded in securing the town before the onset of winter, pushing the German forces back to the Passchendaele ridge. The second battle of Ypres began in April 1915 when the Germans released poison gas into the allied lines north of Ypres. This was the first time gas had been used by either side and the violence of the attack forced an allied withdrawal and a shortening of the line of defence. There was little more significant activity on this front until 1917, when in the third battle of Ypres an offensive was mounted by commonwealth forces to divert German attention from a weakened french front further south. The initial attempt in June to dislodge the Germans from the Messines ridge was a complete success, but the main assault north-eastward, which began at the end of July, quickly became a dogged struggle against determined opposition and the rapidly deteriorating weather. The campaign finally came to a close in November with the capture of Passchendaele. The German offensive of March 1918 met with some initial success, but was eventually checked and repulsed in a combined effort by the allies in September. The battles of the Ypres salient claimed many lives on both sides and it quickly became clear that the commemoration of members of the commonwealth forces with no known grave would have to be divided between several different sites. The site of the Menin gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates those of all commonwealth nations (except New Zealand) who died in the salient, in the case of United Kingdom casualties before 16 august 1917. Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. Other New Zealand casualties are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British cemetery. The Ypres (Menin gate) memorial now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Bloomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer in July 1927.
38th Welsh Division Memorials at Goumier Farm and Mametz Wood
This German blockhouse North of Ypres was captured by elements of the 51st Highland Division on 31st July, 1917. During the 1920’s a Plaque was fixed above the doorway In Memory of Comrades of the 38th Welsh Division. It is nowhere as striking as it's counterpart on the Somme, created by St. Clears man David Peterson, which is shown below. The photo is looking across Death Valley towards Mametz Wood, in the direction of the 38th Divisions attack on July 10th, 1916.
Memorials to the Ulster Division, Thiepval, and the Island of Ireland Peace Tower, Messines
These two magnificent Memorials below were erected in the Memory of the Irishmen who lost their lives during the Great War. The upper photo is of the Memorial to the 16th Ulster Division, who made history on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme by successfully capturing their objectives opposite Thiepval Wood-the only Division to do so on that bloody day of the 1st July, 1916. The photo beneath is of the Island of Ireland Peace Tower, at Messines, South of Ypres. The Tower was unveiled in 1998 by President Mary McAleese of Ireland, HM Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms and King Albert II of Belgium, and is in memory of the Irish Soldiers who fought and died in World War 1.
The Tank Corps Memorial, Pozieres
The Tank Corps memorial, at Pozieres on the Somme battlefront, marks the first occasion upon which tanks were used in battle. It lies to the South of the main road, the D929, from Bapaume to Albert. The Memorial is in memory of the brave men of the Heavy Machine Gun Corps and Tank Corps who gave their lives in the Great war. Tanks were first used at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette on 15 September 1916 as part of the ongoing Somme Offensive. The obelisk memorial, surrounded by four mini tanks, is sited at a position where tanks were gathered in readiness for the attack on the night of 14 September 1916. There are bullet holes in some of the tanks due to it being hit by bullets from a US Army P-51 Mustang, which strafed a retreating German Convoy during 1944.
