CEMETERIES

Toronto Avenue Cemetery This is the only Belgian CWGC cemetery in which all the burials are Australian - 78 in all. This unique cemetery is hidden in Ploegsteert Wood, near Messines and has very few visitors. The soldiers buried here are from the 9th Brigade and died while fighting in the Battle of Messines in June, 1917. Toronto Avenue is a beautiful cemetery and its position in the wood provides for a interesting and reflective visit.
Tyne Cot Cemetery Tyne Cot is very different to Toronto Avenue Cemetery. It is the largest CWGC cemetery on the Western Front, with a total of 11 956 graves. 8366 of these graves are unidentified and there are 1 368 Australian burials. As well, almost 35 000 men are commemorated on a screen wall which runs along the back of the cemetery. Included in this walled memorial are men from New Zealand whom fell in the area and who have no known grave. Of particular interest to Australians is that the Cross of Sacrifice, which appears in every CWGC cemetery, is located on a former German blockhouse which was captured by the AIF during the infamous Battle of Passchendaele in late 1917..
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery This beautiful cemetery was situated near a major hospital during the war. As a result, most of the graves are identified, as those buried there died of their wounds and were able to be clearly identified. Lijssenthoek is the second largest British Cemetery after Tyne Cot, and it has a total 1131 Australians buried there.
Ramparts British Cemetery - Ieper Ramparts British is a small, beautiful cemetery situated near the Lille Gate on the outskirts of Ieper. It overlooks the moat and provides a very tranquil and reflective setting. There are eleven Australians buried here. Six of these men were killed by the same shell explosion and are buried side by side.
Buttes New British Cemetery This cemetery is situated in the once infamous Polygon Wood and is overlooked by the Australian 5th Division Memorial. The wood provides for a peaceful setting and of the 2066 burials here, 564 are Australians. The memorial at the far end of the cemetery is in honour of 383 New Zealand soldiers who went missing during the battles in the area.
Bedford House Cemetery This is a stunning cemetery is situated just south of Ieper on on the N365. It is set on the grounds of an old moated chateau and has over 4000 burials, 200 of which are Australian. The interesting thing about the cemetery is that it is largely unseen from the road and requires a small walk along a path to get to the main area. Once there, the layout of the cemetery is quite striking. It is definately worth a visit.

Toronto Avenue Cemetery

This is the only Belgian CWGC cemetery in which all the burials are Australian - 78 in all. This unique cemetery is hidden in Ploegsteert Wood, near Messines and has very few visitors. The soldiers buried here are from the 9th Brigade and died while fighting in the Battle of Messines in June, 1917.

Toronto Avenue is a beautiful cemetery and its position in the wood provides for a interesting and reflective visit.

Tyne Cot Cemetery

Tyne Cot is very different to Toronto Avenue Cemetery.

It is the largest CWGC cemetery on the Western Front, with a total of 11 956 graves. 8366 of these graves are unidentified and there are 1 368 Australian burials. As well, almost 35 000 men are commemorated on a screen wall which runs along the back of the cemetery. Included in this walled memorial are men from New Zealand whom fell in the area and who have no known grave.

Of particular interest to Australians is that the Cross of Sacrifice, which appears in every CWGC cemetery, is located on a former German blockhouse which was captured by the AIF during the infamous Battle of Passchendaele in late 1917..

Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery

This beautiful cemetery was situated near a major hospital during the war. As a result, most of the graves are identified, as those buried there died of their wounds and were able to be clearly identified.

Lijssenthoek is the second largest British Cemetery after Tyne Cot, and it has a total 1131 Australians buried there.

Ramparts British Cemetery - Ieper

Ramparts British is a small, beautiful cemetery situated near the Lille Gate on the outskirts of Ieper. It overlooks the moat and provides a very tranquil and reflective setting.

There are eleven Australians buried here. Six of these men were killed by the same shell explosion and are buried side by side.

Buttes New British Cemetery

This cemetery is situated in the once infamous Polygon Wood and is overlooked by the Australian 5th Division Memorial.

The wood provides for a peaceful setting and of the 2066 burials here, 564 are Australians. The memorial at the far end of the cemetery is in honour of 383 New Zealand soldiers who went missing during the battles in the area.

Bedford House Cemetery

This is a stunning cemetery is situated just south of Ieper on on the N365.

It is set on the grounds of an old moated chateau and has over 4000 burials, 200 of which are Australian.

The interesting thing about the cemetery is that it is largely unseen from the road and requires a small walk along a path to get to the main area.

Once there, the layout of the cemetery is quite striking.

It is definately worth a visit.

4th Battalion Parade Ground Cemetery This isolated cemetery is situated on the slope of Braund's Hill above Monash Valley. It can be accessed via a new set of stairs from Johnston's Jolly and is definately worth a visit, as the 123 men buried here (107 Australians) would be rarely visited. A notable burial is Colonel Henry MacLaurin, commander of the 1st Brigade, who was killed by a sniper on 26 April on the ridge named after him.
Shell Green Cemetery This is another cemetery that is a little off the beaten track. It is situated near Bolton's Ridge in one of the rare relatively level areas of the Anzac zone. It can be visited by walking along Artillery Road, which connects Lone Pine with the beach area. There are 419 Australians buried here and apart from the interest in visiting these men, the views over the Aegean and around the gullies and ridges provide an interesting angle from this lesser known area of Anzac.

4th Battalion Parade Ground Cemetery

This isolated cemetery is situated on the slope of Braund's Hill above Monash Valley.

It can be accessed via a new set of stairs from Johnston's Jolly and is definately worth a visit, as the 123 men buried here (107 Australians) would be rarely visited.

A notable burial is Colonel Henry MacLaurin, commander of the 1st Brigade, who was killed by a sniper on 26 April on the ridge named after him.

Shell Green Cemetery

This is another cemetery that is a little off the beaten track. It is situated near Bolton's Ridge in one of the rare relatively level areas of the Anzac zone. It can be visited by walking along Artillery Road, which connects Lone Pine with the beach area.

There are 419 Australians buried here and apart from the interest in visiting these men, the views over the Aegean and around the gullies and ridges provide an interesting angle from this lesser known area of Anzac.

Etaples Military Cemetery Etaples Military is a very large, panoramic cemtery that lies on the French coast near the town of Etaples. During the war this area held many army camps and hospitals and the cemetery became the burial area for the soldiers who died of their wounds in these hospital. There are nearly 11 000 burials, of which 461 are Australian. As you walk into the cemetery, the beautiful coastal background gives way to the foregrond of row upon row of tragic headstones. Etaples was the final cemetery visited by the Debt of Honour Tour group and all agreed that it was a fitting cemetery in which to end their pilgrimage. One of the best photos taken on the tour is of Jenny Mandryk sitting on the memorial wall looking over the graves (below)
Wimereux Military Cemetery Wimereux Military Cemetery is situated on the French coast a few kilometres north of Etaples in the town of Wimereux. It is a unique cemetery in that the headstones are all laid out flat due to the unstable nature of the ground. This provides a very interesting contrast to the normal style adopted in all other CWGC cemeteries. The cemetery held special interest for the Debt of Honour group as Melina Pavlic's relative, George Keefer, is buried here. Another interesting burial is that of Lt Col John McCrae, who wrote the famous poem, 'In Flander's Fields'.
Becourt British Cemetery THis beautiful cemetery is situated near the old Pozieres battlefields in the Somme area and is another that is set in a wood. hThis setting gives the cemetery a somewhat eerie feeling at times, especially on a cold, overcast day. There are 705 known burials in the cemetery, one of whom is Pte Ned Small, who is the relative of Samantha Clark from the Debt of Honour tour group.

Etaples Military Cemetery

Etaples Military is a very large, panoramic cemtery that lies on the French coast near the town of Etaples. During the war this area held many army camps and hospitals and the cemetery became the burial area for the soldiers who died of their wounds in these hospital.

There are nearly 11 000 burials, of which 461 are Australian.

As you walk into the cemetery, the beautiful coastal background gives way to the foregrond of row upon row of tragic headstones.

Etaples was the final cemetery visited by the Debt of Honour Tour group and all agreed that it was a fitting cemetery in which to end their pilgrimage.

One of the best photos taken on the tour is of Jenny Mandryk sitting on the memorial wall looking over the graves (below)

Wimereux Military Cemetery

Wimereux Military Cemetery is situated on the French coast a few kilometres north of Etaples in the town of Wimereux.

It is a unique cemetery in that the headstones are all laid out flat due to the unstable nature of the ground. This provides a very interesting contrast to the normal style adopted in all other CWGC cemeteries.

The cemetery held special interest for the Debt of Honour group as Melina Pavlic's relative, George Keefer, is buried here.

Another interesting burial is that of Lt Col John McCrae, who wrote the famous poem, 'In Flander's Fields'.

Becourt British Cemetery

THis beautiful cemetery is situated near the old Pozieres battlefields in the Somme area and is another that is set in a wood.

hThis setting gives the cemetery a somewhat eerie feeling at times, especially on a cold, overcast day.

There are 705 known burials in the cemetery, one of whom is Pte Ned Small, who is the relative of Samantha Clark from the Debt of Honour tour group.