Grootebeek British Cemetery

Grootebeek British Cemetery
Grootebeek British Cemetery
	Commonwealth War Graves Commission
	Used for those deceased 1915-1918
Established	April 1918
Location	50°49′34″N2°46′56″E / 50.8261°N 2.7822°E Coordinates: 50°49′34″N2°46′56″E / 50.8261°N 2.7822°E ; near Reningelst, West Flanders, Belgium
Total burials	111
Burials by war
	World War I: 109 (Commonwealth); World War II: 2 (Commonwealth);
	Statistics source: CWGC

Last updated April 05, 2019

Grootebeek British Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the Western Front of the First and Second World War. It is located near Reningelst in the municipality of Poperinge in western Belgium. The cemetery is surrounded by farmland and can only be reached via a 100-metre grassed path which is not suitable for vehicles.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars. The Commission is also responsible for commemorating Commonwealth civilians who died as a result of enemy action during World War II. The Commission was founded by Sir Fabian Ware and constituted through Royal Charter in 1917 named the Imperial War Graves Commission. The change to the present name took place in 1960.

The Western Front was the main theatre of war during the First World War. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne. Following the Race to the Sea, both sides dug in along a meandering line of fortified trenches, stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier with France, which changed little except during early 1917 and in 1918.

The Western Front was a military theatre of World War II encompassing Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany. World War II military engagements in Southern Europe and elsewhere are generally considered under separate headings. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale combat operations. The first phase saw the capitulation of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France during May and June 1940 after their defeat in the Low Countries and the northern half of France, and continued into an air war between Germany and Britain that climaxed with the Battle of Britain. The second phase consisted of large-scale ground combat, which began in June 1944 with the Allied landings in Normandy and continued until the defeat of Germany in May 1945.

History

The war cemetery was established in April 1918 during the Battle of the Lys for use by British field ambulances and fighting units. The cemetery, located in a field near the hamlet of Ouderdom on the Poperinge-Wijtschate road, was originally called "Ouderdom Military Cemetery" but later renamed after the stream Grootebeek (or Groote Kemmelbeek) which runs beside it. The cemetery was designed by W.H. Cowlishaw.

The Battle of the Lys from 7 to 29 April 1918, was part of the 1918 German offensive in Flanders during World War I, also known as the Spring Offensive. It was originally planned by General Ludendorff as Operation George but was reduced to Operation Georgette, with the objective of capturing Ypres, forcing the British forces back to the channel ports and out of the war. In planning, execution and effects, Georgette was similar to Operation Michael, earlier in the Spring Offensive.

Poperinge is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, Flemish Region, and has a history going back to medieval times. The municipality comprises the city of Poperinge proper and surrounding villages. The area is famous for its hops and lace.

First World War

The village of Reningelst was in Allied hands from the autumn of 1914 to the end of the First World War. The site near the hamlet of Ouderdom was used for burials of soldiers until the end of September 1918. It absorbed a number of earlier burials and memorials from the area. From March 1915, Commonwealth burials had been made in Reningelst Churchyard, the Reningelst Churchyard Extension and the Reningelst New Military Cemetery, and a small Indian cemetery had been created at the site of the present-day Grootebeek British Cemetery in April 1915.

Second World War

During the Second World War, the Grootebeek British Cemetery was used again. The two burials from this time date from May 1940 and the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force ahead of the German advance.

Description

Grootebeek British Cemetery contains 109 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. One grave destroyed by shell fire is now represented by a special memorial, and another special memorial records the name of Private John Lynn VC, DCM (1887 – 1915) who was buried in Vlamertinge Churchyard but whose grave was similarly destroyed by fighting. There is also a Cross of Sacrifice within the cemetery.

John Lynn VC DCM was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Victoria Cross highest military decoration awarded for valour in armed forces of various Commonwealth countries

The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for gallantry "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces. It may be awarded posthumously. It was previously awarded to Commonwealth countries, most of which have established their own honours systems and no longer recommend British honours. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command although no civilian has received the award since 1879. Since the first awards were presented by Queen Victoria in 1857, two-thirds of all awards have been personally presented by the British monarch. These investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace.

The Distinguished Conduct Medal, post-nominal letters DCM, was established in 1854 by Queen Victoria as a decoration for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranking below the Victoria Cross, until its discontinuation in 1993 when it was replaced by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. The medal was also awarded to non-commissioned military personnel of other Commonwealth Dominions and Colonies.

Notable memorials

Private John Lynn VC, DCM (1887 – 1915)

Gallery

Private John Lynn VC
Cross of Sacrifice

External links

www.cwgc.org

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