The cemetery is located to the North East of the town of Ieper. From the station turn left and drive along M.Fochlaan to the roundabout, turn right and go to the next roundabout. Here turn left into M.Haiglaan and drive to the traffic lights. Here turn right onto the dual carriageway direction Poelkapelle/A19. Carry on for about 1km over the river and you will see a sign for New Irish Farm Cemetery. Turn left here to the crossroads and turn left again, the cemetery is approx 50 metres on the right.
The much smaller Belle Alliance Cemetery is directly opposite.
GPS | N | E | OSM |
---|---|---|---|
Decimal | 50.873998 | 2.894114 | Map |
Divisional Collecting Post Cemetery was begun by field ambulances of the 48th (South Midland) and 58th (London) Divisions in August 1917. It continued in use until January 1918 and at the Armistice contained 86 graves.
Between 1924 and 1926, the original cemetery was considerably enlarged when graves were brought in from the surrounding battlefields and some small burial grounds in the area. The cemetery and extension essentially form a single site, but the records of the original burials and concentrations were kept separately until they were combined in 2001.
The Cemetery
The Cemetery comprises Rows B to E of Plot I and in addition to the original burials, special memorials have been erected to two casualties known to have been buried in Westroosebeke Churchyard, whose graves could not be located. In all, 88 Commonwealth casualties of the First World War are now buried or commemorated in the cemetery. There is also one German war grave.
The Extension
The Extension is made up of Rows F to S of Plot I and all of Plot II, a total of 676 Commonwealth burials. Of these, 511 are unidentified.
The cemetery and extension were designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.
Private Archibald Wilson 29892
3rd Bn Otago Regiment NZEF
Died on 16th December 1917
Grave: I S 6
It will be noted that Kiwi graves never carry an inscription.
This was because a small payment had to be made and their government felt that this was not fair on the poor and so, no grave carries an epitaph (Well, not entirely true, because two of their generals do have inscriptions !).
Private Allan Henderson 32668
3rd Bn Otago Regiment NZEF
Died on 16th December 1917
Son of Mr and Mrs A. Henderson
of 20 Arden St, Opoho, North East Valley
Dunedin, New Zealand
Grave: I S 7
Serjeant Arthur Scaife 9/397
3rd Bn Otago Regiment NZEF
Died on 18th October 1917 aged 27
Son of Willis and Mary Scaife
of Waimate, South Canterbury, New Zealand
Also served at Gallipoli.
Grave: II B 7