HEDGE ROW TRENCH CEMETERY
Zillebeke
West-Vlaanderen
Belgium
GENERAL DIRECTIONS: The cemetery is 4km south east of Ieper on Verbrandemolenstraat, leave Ieper through the Lille Gate and cross the ring road towards Armentieres and Lille, the road name changes to Rijselweg, after 1km is a left turn into Komenseweg, follow this road for 2.5km and take a right into Vaartstraat, after just short of 1km is the left turn into Verbrandmolenstraat, about 400 metres along on the right is the grassed path to the cemetery.
This cemetery, one of three in this immediate area known as "The Bluff", the other two being 1st D.C.L.I. and Woods cemeteries, is named after a trench which ran through this area, it was started in March 1915 and used until August 1917.
The cemetery has an unusual layout of the graves, all are placed in a circle around the Cross of Sacrifice, and this is because the continued severe fighting in this area throughout the war meant that the graves were continuously disturbed by shell fire. After the war it was found that it was not possible to individually identify each grave due to the torn up nature of the ground, although it was known who had been buried here, therefore the headstones were inscribed with ‘Known to be buried in this cemetery’ and placed in the fashion you can see today.
Further Information: Parking is also extremely difficult here as there is no natural pull off in the area that will not block other road users, it is usually necessary to park well onto the grass verge, but be careful, the ground here is very wet at the best of times and there is a possibility you may get stuck. Access to the three cemeteries in this area is by foot only. These cemeteries, whilst quite out of the way are good examples of small battlefield cemeteries.
CASUALTY DETAILS: UK 96; Canada 2; Total Burials: 98
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