Passchendaele New British Cemetery
Location
Passchendaele (now Passendale) New British Cemetery lies 10.5 kilometres north east of Ieper town centre on the S’Graventafelstraat, a road leading from St Jan to Passendale.
Two roads connect Ieper town centre onto the Zonnebeekseweg; the Torhoutstraat leads from the market square onto a small roundabout. At the roundabout the first right turn is Basculestraat. At the end of Basculestraat, there is a crossroads and Zonnebeekseweg is the turning to the left.
7 kilometres along the Zonnebeekseweg, in the village of Zonnebeke, lies the left hand turning onto the Langemarkstraat (further on this street name changes to Zonnebekestraat).
2 kilometres along this road, and after passing Dochy Farm New British Cemetery, lies the right hand turning onto the ‘S Graventafelstraat. 4 kilometres along the ‘S Graventafelstraat, and after passing the New Zealand Memorial, lies the cemetery on the left hand side of the road.
| GPS | N | E | OSM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decimal | 50.90427 | 3.01081 | Map |
Historical Information
The village and its neighbourhood are associated with every phase of the war. On the 13th October 1914, the 7th Division advanced to Roulers, and on the 16th, with the 3rd Cavalry Division and Belgian troops, it retired through Passchendaele. On the 17th, the village was occupied by the cavalry, and on the 18th and 19th by French cavalry and Territorials; but on the 20th it passed into enemy hands.
On the 6th November 1917, after the severest fighting in most unfavourable weather, the 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade took, and passed, the village; this fight was part of the Second Battle of Passchendaele, the last of the Battles of Ypres, 1917.
In the middle of April 1918, in the Battles of the Lys, the British line was withdrawn far back on the road to Ypres; but on the 29th September, in the course of the Allied offensive in Flanders, Belgian forces recaptured the village.
The New British Cemetery was made after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the battlefields of Passchendaele and Langemarck.
Over three quarters of the burials are unidentified
Almost all of the burials are from the autumn of 1917, but one is identified who fell in November 1914, and one other who fell in May 1915.
There are now over 2,000, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, over three quarters are unidentified and special memorials are erected to four soldiers from the United Kingdom and three from Canada, believed to be buried among them.
The cemetery covers an area of 7,246 square metres and is enclosed on three sides by a low rubble wall, and on the road side by a stone wall.
At Crest Farm on the Western outskirts of Passchendaele, is a Memorial of the sacrifices of the Canadian forces in this area.
In the distance is the village of Passendale
Able Seaman J Goodison R/2862
Anson Battalion
Royal Naval Division
Died on 6th November 1917 aged 19
Son of James Goodison
of 2, Posnett St., Stockport
Grave: VII B 23
Private James Tong 204261
15th Bn Canadian Infantry
48th Highlanders of Canada
Died on 3rd November 1917 aged 30
Son of Mr and Mrs W Tong
of 50, Byron St., Kingsley Park, Northampton, England
Grave: XVI D 22