Abeele Aerodrome Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front.
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.
Foundation
The cemetery, at Abele in Belgium but metres from the border with France, was founded by French troops in April 1918, receiving Commonwealth and American burials between July and September 1918.WW1Cemeteries.com , accessed 19 June 2006
After the Armistice, the French and American graves were concentrated at other cemeteries, leaving just Commonwealth burials. These were increased by concentrating 25 graves from the nearby Boeschepe churchyard in France.
The cemetery is named for the wartime aerodrome established in nearby fieldsCWGC website, accessed 19 June 2006 although the cemetery itself contains no Royal Air Force graves.
The cemetery was designed by G. H. Goldsmith, who also designed Orient House in Manchester.Centre for the Urban Built Environment , accessed 19 June 2006
Notable graves Reference works point to two unusual inscriptions on gravestones in this cemetery. One asks the poignant question "Old Pal, why don't you answer me", whilst another, less unusually, is in Welsh and reads "Arglwydd Dangos Ini Tad Digon Yw Ini".YpresSalient.co.uk, accessed 19 June 2006
Casualties by Units This is a list of the 104 known casualties in the cemetery, Commonwealth and foreign casualties are given in bold. +Buffs: 14Sherwood Foresters: 11West Yorkshire Regiment: 11King's Shropshire Light Infantry: 8York and Lancaster Regiment: 9Lancashire Fusiliers: 7Royal Engineers: 7Royal Field Artillery: 7Cheshire Regiment: 7Middlesex Regiment: 3North Staffordshire Regiment: 3Royal Army Medical Corps: 2Royal Garrison Artillery: 2Duke of Wellington's Regiment: 1Queen's Royal Regiment: 1Royal Irish Fusiliers: 1South Wales Borderers: 1King's Regiment: 1Royal Irish Rifles: 1Seaforth Highlanders: 1Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers: 1Highland Light Infantry: 1King's Royal Rifle Corps: 1Manchester Regiment: 1Army Cyclist Corps: 1
References
External links
wo1.be