La Clytte Military Cemetery is located 8 Kms west of Ieper town centre on the N304 Klijtseweg, a road leading from the N375 Dikkebuseweg, connecting Ieper to Dikkebus, Klijte and on to Loker. From Ieper town centre the Dikkebusseweg (N375) is located via Elverdingsestraat, straight over a roundabout onto J.Capronstraat (for 30 metres), then left along M.Fochlaan. Immediately after the train station, the first right hand turning is the Dikkebusseweg. 7 Kms along the Dikkebusseweg lies the village of De Klijte and the right hand turning at the roundabout just before the village leads onto the N304 Reningelststraat. The cemetery lies 100 metres after this right hand turning on the left hand side of the road.
Note the Dutch name for the town which you will see on signs and maps : De Klijte
GPS | N | E | OSM |
---|---|---|---|
Decimal | 50.801619 | 2.800425 | Map |
The first burial in the cemetery took place on the 1st November 1914, and between that date and April 1918, Plots I, II and III and part of Plot IV were filled.
The hamlet of La Clytte was used as Brigade Headquarters, and the burials were carried out by Infantry, Artillery and Engineer units (out of 600, 250 are those of Artillery personnel and 66 are those of Engineers).
After the Armistice Plot IV was completed, and Plots V and VI formed by the concentration of isolated graves and small graveyards from the area round Reninghelst, Dickebusch, Locre and Kemmel.
There are now 1,082 casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 238 of the burials are unidentified and one of the graves, brought in from Leicester Camp Cemetery, is marked with the names of two men between whom the identification rests.
Other special memorials commemorate casualties known to have been buried in the cemetery, but whose graves could not be located. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.
Private William Finnie 5520
19th Bn Canadian Infantry
Central Ontario Regiment
Died on 28th November 1915 aged 36
Son of John and Mary Finnie
of Salem, Ontario
Grave: I B 17
Private Lancelot Harris 1112
Honourable Artillery Company
Died on 28th April 1915 aged 20
Son of Robert and Maud Harris
of De La Warr Rd, Bexhill-on-Sea
Enlisted August 1914
Grave: I B 8
Private Keith Drozdovsky 135130
2nd Bn Canadian Infantry
Eastern Ontario Regiment
Died on 9th August 1917
Grave: II E 5
Private Stanislaw Alexandrovitch 32598
1/5th Bn King’s Own Scottish Borderers
Died on 26th September 1918 aged 35
Son of Michael and Eva Alexandrovitch
of Lithuania
Husband of Mary Alexandrovitch
of 64, Rose St, Glasgow
Grave: IV E 4
Private Leonard Mitchell 31184
8th Bn York and Lancaster Regiment
Died on 19th September 1917
Son of George Mitchell
of 74, Rawmarsh Rd, Rotherham, Yorks
His brother, William also died on service (see below).
Grave: III A 2
Shot at Dawn for desertion
Already under a suspended death sentence Mitchell went absent just before his unit went into battle.
Gunner William Mitchell 82231
107th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
Died on 9th August 1917 aged 26
Son of George Henry Mitchell
of 74, Rawmarsh Rd., Rotherham, Yorks
His brother, Leonard also died on service.
Grave: II E 1
The family my well not have been aware of Leonard’s fate. A fortunate coincidence that they happen to be in the same cemetery.