On a visit to Fromelles and VC corner, i came upon this cemetery. It is probably the most beautiful and peaceful corner of the Western Front i have visited.
It can be found by following the road north-west from VC Corner Cemetery and taking the D175 turn to the right shortly after the road crosses a stream - Layes Brook, which was a feature of the 1916 battlefield near Fromelles, and also important earlier in the War and further south near Neuve Chapelle.
It can be found by following the road north-west from VC Corner Cemetery and taking the D175 turn to the right shortly after the road crosses a stream - Layes Brook, which was a feature of the 1916 battlefield near Fromelles, and also important earlier in the War and further south near Neuve Chapelle.
It is reached by a path that crosses a moat and one enters the cemetery through a small entrance house. The moat runs all around the cemetery, and a bench at the rear left is a good spot to sit and enjoy the tranquility here. It is a wonderful place to stop and contemplate life. Ducks live in the moat and can be seen wandering among the graves here.
Started very early in the War, in October 1914, this cemetery was used until July 1915, and at the time of the Armistice contained just 123 burials. After the Armistice more burials were brought here, from other small cemeteries and the battlefields nearby, including Aubers Ridge, Loos and also Fromelles.
These later graves more than doubled the total number of burials here; there are now 356 burials here, with 207 of these unknown. There are 56 Australian graves here, but only 4 of them are named.
Many of the graves of unknown soldiers from the Great War in war cemeteries simply state "A Soldier of the Great War: Known Unto God". Occasionally there was sufficient information to identify the unit the soldier had served with, in which case this was included on his headstone, or else his rank or just the fact he was an officer.
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