Lone Tree Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery

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.

Lone Tree
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Lone Tree Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery
Used for those deceased 1916–1918
Established1917
Location50°46′29″N 02°51′42″E
near 
Wijtschate, Heuvelland, Belgium
Designed byJR Truelove
Total burials88
Unknowns
9
Burials by nation
Burials by war
Official nameFunerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front)
TypeCultural
Criteriai, ii, vi
Designated2023 (45th session)
Reference no.1567-FL25
Statistics source:

Foundation

Like the Spanbroekmolen cemetery nearby, Lone Tree Cemetery was established in 1917 at the start of the Battle of Messines.[1] Most of the burials are of men from the Royal Irish Rifles 36th (Ulster) Division[2] who died on the first day of the battle.[3] 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 hill[4] 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 91,000 pounds (41,000 kg) of ammonal and set 88 feet (27 m) below ground, at the end of a gallery 1,710 feet (520 m) long.[5] When detonated on 7 June 1917, its blast formed the "Lone Tree Crater" with a diameter of 250 feet (76 m) and a depth of 40 feet (12 m).[5] The crater at Lone Tree was acquired in 1929 by the Toc H foundation in Poperinge, today recognised as the Pool of Peace memorial.[6][7][8]

The cemetery was designed by J. R. Truelove.[2] 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.[9]

References
  1. Michael Duffy The Western Front Today – Lone Tree Cemetery FirstWorldWar.com 22 August 2009, accessed 31 August 2009
  2. CWGC :: Cemetery Details, accessed 31 August 2009
  3. wo1.be Archived 2012-02-23 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 31 August 2009
  4. WW1Cemeteries.com Archived 2010-10-01 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 31 August 2009
  5. Edmonds, J. E. (1991) [1948]. Military Operations France and Belgium, 1917: 7 June – 10 November: Messines and Third Ypres (Passchendaele). History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. II (Imperial War Museum and Battery Press ed.). London: HMSO. p. 53. ISBN 0-89839-166-0.
  6. Photo gallery: Battle of Messines Ridge Archived 2015-02-24 at the Wayback Machine, access date 16 February 2015.
  7. Messines, access date 16 February 2015.
  8. Holt, Tonie; Holt, Valmai (2014) [1997]. Major & Mrs Holt's Battlefield Guide to the Ypres Salient & Passchendaele. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books. pp. 192–193. ISBN 978-0-85052-551-9.
  9. First World War, accessed 19 August 2006
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