Why is lijssenthoek significant?

For the Allied Forces Lijssenthoek was in a good strategic position to set up a medical centre for treating wounded from the Ypres Salient battlefields because it was located next to the railway line which ran between Poperinghe and Hazebrouck in France.

How many war cemeteries are in Belgium?

There are reportedly around 600 burial grounds containing Commonwealth war graves in Belgium, although the number may be as high as 800. Many of these burial grounds have only a single war grave or just a handful.

How many soldiers are buried in Belgium?

Overview. At the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium, covering 57 acres, rest 7,987 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives during the advance of the U.S. armed forces into Germany.

What happened at Lijssenthoek?

From June 1915, the cemetery began to be used for dead from British and Commonwealth military medical units. Four Allied casualty clearing stations were located at Lijssenthoek by 1917. Together, they eventually accommodated some 4,000 hospital beds and formed the biggest evacuation hospital in the Ypres Salient.

Why is Ypres now called Ieper?

Ypres is an ancient town, known to have been raided by the Romans in the first century BC. It is first mentioned by name in 1066 and is probably named after the river Ieperlee on the banks of which it was founded.

How many died on Flanders Field?

1. 150,000 deaths. This figure is based on the current records of the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres.

Why is it called Flanders Fields?

In Belgium, the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres, named after the poem and devoted to the First World War, is situated in one of Flanders’ largest tourist areas.

Where is the oldest grave in the world?

Taforalt cave in Morocco is possibly the oldest known cemetery in the world. It was the resting place of at least 34 Iberomaurusian individuals, the bulk of which have been dated to 15,100 to 14,000 years ago.

What is the largest military cemetery in Europe?

The Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in France covers 113.5 acres and contains the largest number of graves of our military dead of World War II in Europe, a total of 10,481.

What language do they speak in Ypres?

When the First World War was declared in August 1914 the town was known by it’s French name of Ypres. Now the town is formally known by the Flemish name of Ieper and Flemish is the local spoken language.