Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Hogeziekenweg,  8900 Ieper, Belgium

The cemetery is located to the North East of the town of Ieper (Ypres). From the station turn left and drive along M. Fochlaan to the roundabout, turn right and go to the next roundabout. Here turn left into M. Haiglaan and drive to the traffic lights. Here turn right onto the dual carriageway direction Poelkapelle/A19. Carry on for about 1km over the river and you will see a sign for New Irish Farm Cemetery. Turn left here to the crossroads and turn left again, the cemetery is approx 50 metres on the right.

The cemetery was established by field ambulances of the 48^th (South Midland) Division and the 58^th (London) Division in August 1917 and was used until January 1918  -  by which time 86 burials had been made here. 

The CEMETERY comprises Rows B to E of Plot I and in addition to the original burials, special memorials have been erected to two casualties known to have been buried in Westroosebeke Churchyard, whose graves could not be located. In all, 88 Commonwealth casualties of WWI are now buried or commemorated in the cemetery.   -   There is also one German war grave.

From 1924 to 1926, after the Armistice, the cemetery was enlarged (extended) by concentrating battlefield graves and those from smaller cemeteries.

The cemetery and its extension were considered separate sites until their records were combined in 2001.

The EXTENSION is made up of Rows F to S of Plot I and all of Plot II,
increasing the numbers to 765, more than 512 of whom are unidentified.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium in recognition of the sacrifices made by the British Empire in the defence and liberation of Belgium during the war.

Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan.  16 October 2014.  Lest we forget.