Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Commonwealth war cemetery in Adegem, Belgium.
Adegem Canadian War Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery with 1,155 burials, 45 of them unidentified, laid out in twelve symmetric plots across 18,145 m². A Cross of Sacrifice stands at the centre, and a memorial room sits at the rear. The entrance is a low brick and stone memorial with two capped pillars and a dark metal gate; behind it a paved path leads to a small brick building with a pale pediment and a cross.
The cemetery was created during the war at Canada's request to gather hastily dug soldier graves in one place; by May 1945 more than 800 were buried here. Most graves are of soldiers killed south of the Scheldt, especially during the two-week fight to cross the Leopold Canal in October–November 1944. The grounds were given their final layout in 1952–1953 and were protected as a monument in 2009.
Every second Sunday of September, a Canadian-Polish memorial ceremony is held here. Some Polish graves carry two names: soldiers enlisted under false names so their families in occupied Poland would not be targeted, and the alias was added so comrades could find the grave.
The cemetery lies east of Adegem's centre along the N9 road to Eeklo, on a rectangular 18,145 m² site. Enter through the brick and stone memorial gate; the Cross of Sacrifice stands centrally and the memorial space at the rear. The site is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which holds grave records.
Some Polish graves carry two names: soldiers enlisted under false names so relatives in Poland would not be targeted, and comrades added the alias to find the grave. Among the identified dead are 838 Canadians, 234 Britons, 2 Australians, 2 New Zealanders, 33 Poles and 2 French; one unidentified British sailor from World War I is also buried here.
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