VLAMERTINGHE MILITARY
CEMETERY

Ieper

West-Vlaanderen

Belgium

GENERAL DIRECTIONS: Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery is located 5 Kms west of Ieper town centre, on the Hospitaalstraat, which is a road leading from the Poperingseweg (connecting Ieper to Poperinge).

From Ieper town centre the Poperingseweg (N308), is reached via Elverdingsestraat then straight over two small roundabouts in the J. Capronstraat. The Poperingseweg is a continuation of J. Capronstraat and begins after a prominent railway level crossing. On reaching the village of Vlamertinge ( Vlamertinge is the modern spelling of Vlamertinghe) the cemetery is located on the Hospitaalstraat, which is the second right turning after the village church. The cemetery lies 50 metres along the Hospitaalstraat on the right hand side of the road.

Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery was started by French troops in 1914 and was taken over by Commonwealth forces in April 1915. It was used by fighting units and field ambulances until June 1917, when the land adjoining the cemetery was claimed for a military railway preventing further extension.

The cemetery is remarkable for the care with which men of the same unit were buried side by side if they died at about the same time. There is also a very high proportion of graves of Territorial units, in particular Lancashire Territorials, who have nearly 250 graves in plots IV, V and VI. During the early months of 1917, whenever it was possible, the 55th Division brought their dead from the front for burial here.

The cemetery now contains 1,175 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. The French graves were removed after the war, but three German war graves remain. There are also four Second World War burials dating from the Allied retreat to Dunkirk in May 1940.

The wrought iron gates were presented by the family of the late Lord Redesdale, whose son, Major Mitford, is buried in the Cemetery.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield

Victoria Cross: Captain Francis Octavius Grenfell, VC, 9^th (Queen's Royal) Lancers, died of wounds 24/05/1915, aged 35. Plot II. B.14. Son of Pascoe Du Pre Grenfell and Sophia, his wife. Educated at Eton, Francis became "Master of the Beagles" in 1898. On leaving Eton in 1899 he joined the 3rd (Militia) Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders. He saw service in the South African War.

Citation:

An extract taken from the London Gazette dated 16th November, 1914 records the following:- "For gallantry in action against un-broken Infantry at Andregnies, Belgium, on 24th August, 1914, and for gallant conduct in assisting to save the guns of 119th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, near Doubon the same day."

Shot at Dawn: 29219 Driver Alexander Lamb 21^st Battery, 2^nd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, executed for desertion, 02/10/1915. Plot II. E. 12.

Shot at Dawn: 12923 Private Albert Rickman, 1^st Bn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers, executed for desertion 15/09/1916, aged27. Plot IV. D. 7. Son of Charles and Anne Rickman, of 4, Carrington Terrace, Milford-on-Sea, Hants.

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 1112; Canada 54; Australia 4; South Africa 2; India 3; Germany 3; Total Burials: 1178

356676 Private

Adrian Kingsley Dorrity

1st/10th Bn. The King's

(Liverpool Regiment) - Liverpool Scottish

20/04/1917, aged 21.

Son of George Alexander Dorrity, a bookkeeper and his wife Margaret Ellen (nee Thomas). His mother wrote of his death in the family Bible, “My youngest and dearly loved boy.”

Plot VI. G. 4.

Picture courtesy of Jackie Wilson, his great niece.