Lone Tree 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 in Belgium. It is located at Spanbroekmolen, on one of the highest points of the Messines Ridge.
Foundation Like the Spanbroekmolen cemetery nearby, Lone Tree Cemetery was established in 1917 at the start of the Battle of Messines.Michael Duffy The Western Front Today – Lone Tree Cemetery FirstWorldWar.com 22 August 2009, accessed 31 August 2009 Most of the burials are of men from the Royal Irish Rifles 36th (Ulster) DivisionCWGC :: Cemetery Details, accessed 31 August 2009 who died on the first day of the battle.wo1.be , accessed 31 August 2009 Most graves are of soldiers who went "over the top" early in the morning of 7 June 1917.
Some of the men buried here were actually killed by the explosion of the mine placed by the British Royal Engineers under Lone Tree hillWW1Cemeteries.com , accessed 31 August 2009 at Spanbroekmolen, which was blown around 15 seconds later than planned. The Spanbroekmolen mine formed part of a series of mines under the German lines. It was charged with of ammonal and set below ground, at the end of a gallery long. When detonated on 7 June 1917, its blast formed the "Lone Tree Crater" with a diameter of and a depth of . The crater at Lone Tree was acquired in 1929 by the Toc H foundation in Poperinge, today recognised as the Pool of Peace memorial., access date 16 February 2015.Messines, access date 16 February 2015.
The cemetery was designed by J. R. Truelove. 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.First World War, accessed 19 August 2006
References
External links
Lone Tree Military Cemetery at Find a Grave