LA CLYTTE MILITARY CEMETERY

Reninghelst

West-Vlaanderen

Belgium

GENERAL DIRECTIONS: La Clytte Military Cemetery is located 8 Kms west of Ieper town centre on the N304 Klijtseweg, a road leading from the N375 Dikkebuseweg, connecting Ieper to Dikkebus, Klijte and on to Loker. From Ieper town centre the Dikkebusseweg (N375) is located via Elverdingsestraat, straight over a roundabout onto J.Capronstraat (for 30 metres), then left along M.Fochlaan. Immediately after the train station, the first right hand turning is the Dikkebusseweg. 7 Kms along the Dikkebusseweg lies the village of De Klijte (formerly La Clytte) and the right hand turning at the roundabout just before the village leads onto the N304 Reningelststraat. The cemetery lies 100 metres after this right hand turning on the left hand side of the road.

The first burial in the cemetery took place on the 1st November, 1914, and between that date and April, 1918, Plots I, II and III and part of Plot IV were filled. The hamlet of La Clytte was used as Brigade Headquarters, and the burials were carried out by Infantry, Artillery and Engineer units (out of 600, 250 are those of Artillery personnel and 66 are those of Engineers). After the Armistice Plot IV was completed, and Plots V and VI formed by the concentration of isolated graves and small graveyards from the area round Reninghelst, Dickebusch, Locre and Kemmel. There are now 1,082 casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 238 of the burials are unidentified and one of the graves, brought in from LEICESTER CAMP CEMETERY, is marked with the names of two men between whom the identification rests. Other special memorials commemorate casualties known to have been buried in the cemetery, but whose graves could not be located.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens & Noel Ackroyd Rew

Shot at Dawn: Private L. Mitchell, 8th Bn. Yorks and Lancs Regiment, executed for desertion 19/09/1917, plot 3. A. 2.

The mass pardon of 306 British Empire soldiers executed for certain offences during the Great War was enacted in section 359 of the Armed Forces Act 2006, which came into effect on royal assent on 8 November 2006.

CASUALTY DETAILS: UK 1010; Canada 51; Australia 12; New Zealand 3; South Africa 6; Total Burials: 1082

13018 Serjeant

Percy Hatfield

7th Bn. King's Shropshire Light Infantry.

Killed in action by artillery fire at U Trench in the St. Eloi sector of Belgium on 13/06/1916.

Plot II. D. 30.

Husband of Mrs Hatfield 12 Wreckin Terrace, Castle Forgate, Shrewsbury.

Picture courtesy of Philip Morris of Shrewsbury ^

59322 Gunner

Isaac Butler

"D" Battery, 315th Bde. Royal Field Artillery

Killed in action 21/07/1917, aged 23.

Plot II. F. 7

Isaac was born 16th April, 1884 in Birmingham, he never married and was the third generation of the family to carry the name. Isaac was killed in action at 0300 hours on 21/07/1917.

Picture courtesy of his Great nephew, Ian Bishop

22477 Bombardier

Andrew Crompton Maxwell

52nd Bty. 15th Bde

Royal Field Artillery

10/10/1917

Plot III. D. 21.

Born in North Shields, Northumberland, England and was the son of Michael Maxwell and Jane Codling one of 9 children. He was a regular soldier serving in South Africa prior to the war. He was mentioned in dispatches for bravery whilst stopping a galloping horse and averting any injuries to a crowd of spectators.

He was married to Isabella Hobbs in 1911 and they had one child, my mother: due to his army commitments and his untimely death my mother never met him.

Picture courtesy of grandson Brian Gilbertson