Webmatters : Ration Farm Military Cemetery, La Chapelle-d'Armentières

Ration Farm Military Cemetery

Location

Ration Farm Military Cemetery is about 2.5 kms south of the village of La Chapelle-d’Armentières, on the south-eastern outskirts of Armentières. Leave La Chapelle-d’Armentières on the Fleurbaix road and cross over the Motorway bridge. The Cemetery is 500 metres further along on the right hand side of the road.

GPS	N	E	OSM
Decimal	50.657346	2.888329	Map

Historical Information

For much of the war, Ration Farm was just over a kilometre behind the front line at the end of a communication trench. The first cemetery, Ration Farm Old Military Cemetery, was begun in February 1915, close beside the farm buildings. It was used until October 1915 chiefly by units of the 6th Division and at the Armistice it contained 73 graves. In April 1923, these graves were moved into Plot VI of the present cemetery, at the request of the French authorities.

The present cemetery was begun (as Ration Farm New Military Cemetery) in October 1915 and remained in use until October 1918. It was very greatly increased after the Armistice when graves were brought in from isolated sites and small cemeteries on the battlefield, including:-

Chapel Farm Cemetery, Fleurbaix, which was two kilometres west of Bois Grenier. It contained 11 British graves of 1915 and 1916.

Ferme-du-Biez Military Cemetery, La Chapelle d’Armentières, which was two kilometres south-east of that village. It contained 36 British graves of 1915 and 1918.

For the most part, Plots I to V contain the original burials. Among the isolated graves brought in were many of Australian soldiers who died in the Attack at Fromelles on 19 July 1916.

There are now 1,313 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 677 of the burials are unidentified, but there are special memorials to six casualties know or believed to be buried among them.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

Two of three brothers

Private Arthur Matthews 475
6th Company
Australian Machine Gun Corps
Died on 4th July 1916 aged 23
Son of George and Ann Matthews
of Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia

Grave: I J 9

Driver Henry Matthews 10445
6th Company
Australian Machine Gun Corps
Died on 4th July 1916 aged 20
Son of George and Ann Matthews
of Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia

Grave: I J 8

The third brother, 2nd Lt Frederick Matthews DCM who also served in the 6th Company AMGC died on the 8th November 1916.

He is buried in the AIF Burial Ground at Flers
(Grave : X L 2)

Private Sidney Bromley 4903
53rd Bn Australian Infantry
Died on 19th July 1916 aged 23
Son of Sidney and Alice Bromley
of 4, View St., Waverley, New South Wales
His brother Albert Bromley also fell

Grave: VI J 43

Private Albert Bromley, who died on the same day, is one of those recovered at Pheasant Wood.

He is now buried in Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery
(Grave : I A 7).

Lance Corporal Harold Kay 33150
14th Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers
Died on 28th December 1917aged 23
Son of James and Ellen Kay
of 120, Olive lane, Darwen

Grave: IV A 5

Rifleman David Ireland 22602
1/18th Bn London Regiment
London Irish Rifles
Died on 3rd October 1918 aged 18
Son of James and Margaret Ireland
of Moneyquinn, Lislea, Co. Armagh

Grave: VII B 16