Perth Cemetery, world War I cemetery in West Flanders, Belgium
Perth Cemetery is a burial ground near Ypres in Belgium where many Commonwealth soldiers rest. The site has neat rows of headstones, a cross of sacrifice, and is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to keep the graves clear and visible.
The cemetery began in November 1914 when French soldiers laid the first graves, followed by British regiments starting in 1917. The name China Wall derives from a nearby communication trench built with sandbags because water made traditional digging impossible.
The name Perth connects to Scottish soldiers, as many buried here came from that part of Britain. The cemetery shows how people expressed remembrance through simple, orderly rows of headstones that mark the resting places of men from different nations and backgrounds.
The cemetery is open year-round and free to visit, located about three kilometers east of Ypres on a narrow road. A site plan is available to help locate specific graves, and respectful conduct is expected from visitors.
The cemetery also goes by China Wall, named after a nearby communication trench where soldiers had to build with sandbags instead of digging because water levels were too high. About half of the more than 2700 burials are of soldiers whose identities could not be confirmed, reflecting the difficult conditions soldiers faced.
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