Sanctuary Wood Cemetery, Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Zillebeke, Belgium
Sanctuary Wood Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission-maintained burial ground southeast of Ypres containing approximately 2,000 burial sites and commemorations. Architect Edwin Lutyens designed the grounds with uniform white headstones arranged in organized rows across the carefully maintained landscape.
The burial ground was established in 1915 to honor those who fell during battles from 1914 to 1917 in the surrounding area. The intense fighting near Mount Sorrel in June 1916 accounts for a significant portion of those interred here.
The burial ground holds soldiers from numerous nations, making it a place where visitors encounter names and origins carved into stone from across the world. Walking among the headstones reveals the international scope of the conflict as it unfolded in this region.
The burial ground sits about 5 kilometers east of Ypres along Canadalaan road, near the Canadian Hill 62 Memorial. Visitors can walk freely during regular hours, and the site is easy to navigate with well-marked pathways.
Between 1927 and 1932, the burial ground underwent major expansion by gathering graves from nearby sites, with some remains transferred from as far as Nieuwpoort. This consolidation turned the cemetery into a central resting place for scattered wartime dead across a broad territory.
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