Hyde Park Corner (Royal Berks) Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery

Hyde Park Corner (Royal Berks) 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
This small cemetery was founded by 1st and 4th Royal Berkshire Regiment troops in April 1915. The cemetery later expanded across the road, where the Berks Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery Extension was built.

The cemetery was designed by H(arold) Chalton Bradshaw, who also designed the Cambrai Memorial in France.

Notable graves
The cemetery contains the graves of 87 soldiers. Amongst these graves lies Rifleman Samuel McBride of the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles, who was executed for desertion on 7 December 1916. It is now felt by many that these "shot at dawn" men were unfairly tried and executed as they may have been suffering from combat stress reaction rather than acting in cowardice.

Another buried there is Ronald Poulton-Palmer, who was a well–known rugby union footballer, who captained in the 1913–1914 season, and played in the last test match before the outbreak of war. He was killed by a sniper in May 1915, while serving a lieutenant in the Royal Berkshire Regiment.