Zillebeke Churchyard Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Zillebeke Churchyard Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
burial ground for the dead of the First World War
located near Ypres
(now Ieper) in Belgium
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.
In the early days of the war, whilst the front line
was still mobile, specific cemeteries for soldiers were comparatively rare and the dead were often buried in local churchyards or municipal burial grounds near where they were killed. Zillebeke
was on the front line for much of the war and its churchyard was used for the war dead. These 1914 burials reflect the mobility of the front line as they are largely of officers, and reflect the officer class of that point in the war as they were nobility
or the sons of the wealthy and the well-connected
. As such, the cemetery deviates from almost every other Commission burial ground by having two private memorials, breaking the "equality in death" principle the Commission was founded under and not complying with Sir Frederic Kenyon's report, still otherwise followed to this day, that Commission cemeteries "were designed to avoid class distinctions that would conflict with the feeling of 'brotherhood' which had developed between all ranks serving at the Front". The private memorials are a headstone dedicated to Lieutenant John Henry Gordon Lee-Steere and the tomb of Second Lieutenant Baron Alexis George de Gunzburg.
Amongst the nobility or well-connected buried in the cemetery are Lieutenant Henry Parnell, 5th Baron Congleton
, Major Lord Bernard Charles Gordon-Lennox
, son of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond
and the Hon William Reginald Wyndham, son of Henry Wyndham, 2nd Baron Leconfield
.
The Commission part of the cemetery was designed by W H Cowlishaw.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission 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...
burial ground for the dead of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
located near Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
(now Ieper) in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first 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...
.
The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium
Albert I of Belgium
Albert I reigned as King of the Belgians from 1909 until 1934.-Early life:Born Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad in Brussels, he was the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen...
in recognition of the sacrifices made by the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
in the defence and liberation of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
during the war.
Foundation
Front line
A front line is the farthest-most forward position of an armed force's personnel and equipment - generally in respect of maritime or land forces. Forward Line of Own Troops , or Forward Edge of Battle Area are technical terms used by all branches of the armed services...
was still mobile, specific cemeteries for soldiers were comparatively rare and the dead were often buried in local churchyards or municipal burial grounds near where they were killed. Zillebeke
Zillebeke
Zillebeke is a village in the Flemish province of West-Vlaanderen in Belgium. The former municipality is now part of Ypres.-History:On March 3, 1914 the then municipality was granted the arms are those of the last Lords of Zillebeke, the Canton family, Viscounts of Winnezeele, which had in 1740...
was on the front line for much of the war and its churchyard was used for the war dead. These 1914 burials reflect the mobility of the front line as they are largely of officers, and reflect the officer class of that point in the war as they were nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
or the sons of the wealthy and the well-connected
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
. As such, the cemetery deviates from almost every other Commission burial ground by having two private memorials, breaking the "equality in death" principle the Commission was founded under and not complying with Sir Frederic Kenyon's report, still otherwise followed to this day, that Commission cemeteries "were designed to avoid class distinctions that would conflict with the feeling of 'brotherhood' which had developed between all ranks serving at the Front". The private memorials are a headstone dedicated to Lieutenant John Henry Gordon Lee-Steere and the tomb of Second Lieutenant Baron Alexis George de Gunzburg.
Amongst the nobility or well-connected buried in the cemetery are Lieutenant Henry Parnell, 5th Baron Congleton
Baron Congleton
Baron Congleton, of Congleton in the County Palatine of Chester, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1841 for the Whig politician and former Secretary at War and Paymaster of the Forces Sir Henry Parnell, 4th Baronet. His eldest son, the second Baron, devoted his life...
, Major Lord Bernard Charles Gordon-Lennox
Lord Bernard Gordon-Lennox
Major Lord Bernard Charles Gordon-Lennox , was a British soldier.Gordon-Lennox was the third son of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond, by his first wife Amy Mary, daughter of Percy Ricardo, of Bramley Park, Guildford, Surrey. Charles Gordon-Lennox, 8th Duke of Richmond and...
, son of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond and Lennox KG, GCVO , styled Lord Settrington until 1860 and Earl of March between 1860 and 1903, was a British politician and peer....
and the Hon William Reginald Wyndham, son of Henry Wyndham, 2nd Baron Leconfield
Henry Wyndham, 2nd Baron Leconfield
Henry Wyndham, 2nd Baron Leconfield , was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament.A direct descendant of Sir John Wyndham, Leconfield was the eldest son of George Wyndham, 1st Baron Leconfield, and Mary Fanny Blunt...
.
The Commission part of the cemetery was designed by W H Cowlishaw.