Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Location Information
Meteren is a village and commune 30 kilometres north-west of Lille, and 3 kilometres west of Bailleul, on the N.42 (Lille-Boulogne road).

History Information
Meteren suffered considerably during the 1914-1918 war. Taken first by the Germans, then by British units, then by the Germans again, it was finally captured in July 1916 by Scottish and South African troops after a fortnight's bombardment which destroyed all the houses. The Communal Cemetery is on the northern side of the village on the D.318 road to Berthen. In it, close to, but outside, the western boundary wall of Meteren Military Cemetery (which is the 1914-1918 war Cemetery and also in the Commnunal Cemetery) is a small group of British graves. Here lie the remains of six British soldiers who fell during the 1939-1945 war, four of whom could not be identified by name.

Meteren Military Cemetery now contains 768 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 180 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to five casualties believed to be buried among them. There are also special memorials to one soldier buried in Meteren Churchyard, and one Indian soldier buried in Mont-des-Cats Indian Cemetery, whose graves were destroyed in later fighting. There are also 69 French burials here.