St Symphorien Military Cemetery

The cemetery contains 513 graves, including 284 German and 229 Commonwealth soldiers who died during the Battle of Mons in 1914.

The German Army established this burial ground in 1917 on land donated by Jean Houzeau de Lehaie, who required equal treatment for both German and British casualties.

The site holds the graves of John Parr and George Lawrence Price, recognized as the first and last Commonwealth soldiers killed during World War I.

Visitors can locate this Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery near Mons, featuring clear pathways between sections and informational panels about the buried soldiers.

The cemetery displays both German and British military graves with their respective national headstone designs, demonstrating a rare example of collaborative remembrance.

Location: Mons

Architects: William Harrison Cowlishaw

Official opening: September 6, 1917

Part of: Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front)

GPS coordinates: 50.43228,4.01076

Latest update: May 31, 2025 10:19