Spanbroekmolen British Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery

Spanbroekmolen British 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.

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.

Foundation


The cemetery, named after a nearby windmill, was established on the first day of the Battle of Messines in 1917. It contains burials from that day, plus one from the day after.

Many of those buried here were from the 36th (Ulster) Division and were killed by the force of the explosion of the British Spanbroekmolen mine. This mine, with eighteen others, was detonated at the start of the battle with the aim of destroying the German trenches and throwing communications into turmoil. The resulting crater, now filled with water, still exists and is called the "Spanbroekmolenkrater" or "Pool of Peace".

The cemetery was destroyed in later fighting and was reconstructed after the Armistice. Six graves could not be located and a "special memorial" notes the names of the men whose graves were not found.

The cemetery was designed by J. R. Truelove.