Essex Farm Military Cemetery

The Ypres Salient

Essex Farm

Cemetery
Dressing Station

Ypres Salient War Graves

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Origins

The burials on the site of this British military cemetery were begun by the French Army during the First Battle of Ypres (19 October - 22 November 1914). The French occupied this sector of the Allied Front north of Ypres (Ieper) until mid April 1915.

During the Second Battle of Ypres, which began on 22 April 1915, the ground west of the Ieper-Ijser (Ypres-Yser) canal and south of Boesinge was taken over by the British. A Dressing Station was located on the western end of Bridge Number 4, also known as Brielen Bridge. The village of Brielen was a few kilometres to the west of this bridge. For information on the location of the canal bridges refer to the Battle Study (Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge: 22 April, 17.30 hours).

The Ieper-Ijser (Ypres-Yser) canal at Essex Farm looking due north. (1) This photograph shows the Ieper-Ijser canal looking north (1). Essex Farm Military Cemetery is located below the canal bank on the left of the photo, i.e. to the left of the trees. Initially the British Army Dressing Station was simply a number of dugouts cut into the spoilbank on the western (left) side of the canal. Gradually the Dressing Station was developed into a number of concrete shelters.

British Casualties

The black and white photograph (2) is a contemporary photo looking to the south-east showing original grave markers. The shattered trees behind the cemetery are on the western Ieper-Ijser canal bank. The colour photo (3) was taken in 2000 from the same viewpoint. The 49th Division memorial can just be seen to the right of the tree on the left of the photo.

The cemetery was used by several British divisions holding this sector from 1915 to August 1917. Men from these divisons are buried throughout the cemetery. Plot I contains the dead of the 49th (West Riding) Division from 1915. The dead of the 38th (Welsh) Division dated in the autumn of 1916 are buried in Plot III.

Of the 1,199 British casualties buried or commemorated in the cemetery only 1,100 are identified. There are special memorials to 19 casualties who are known to be buried in the cemetery but whose identified graves have been lost.

Essex Farm Military Cemetery, 1999 (3) After the war the cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

Debt of Honour Register

An alphabetical listing of the Register of Graves for this cemetery is available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. In the 'Debt of Honour Register' search facility select 'Cemeteries' and type in the cemetery name 'Essex Farm'.

15 Years Old: Rifleman Valentine Joe Strudwick

Rifleman Valentine Joe Strudwick, no. 5750, 8th Battalion The Rifle Brigade, was aged 15 when he died on 14 January 1916. He is one of the youngest British casualties of the Great War. This boy soldier was the son of Louisa Strudwick of 70, Orchard Road, Dorking, Surrey.

His final resting place is to be found at Grave Reference: Plot I. Row U. Grave 8.

49th Division Memorial

The 49th Division Memorial is immediately behind the cemetery, on the canal bank.

'In Flanders Fields the poppies blow...'

Essex Farm Dressing Station was the location in May 1915 where the Canadian Army Doctor Major John McCrae wrote his famous poem 'In Flanders Fields'. He was inspired to write the poem following the death of a friend during the Second Battle of Ypres.

Location

The cemetery is located on the east side of the N369 Ieper - Boezinge road, about 1.5 kilometres north of Ieper (Ypres).

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Acknowledgements

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Photographs

(2) (IWM neg. no. 100418) Photograph of original 1914-18 grave markers in Essex Farm by kind permission of the Imperial War Museum Department of Photographs