Bus House Cemetery
- Country Belgium
- Total identified casualties 266 Find these casualties
- Region West-Vlaanderen
- Identified casualties from First & Second World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 50.81293, Longitude: 2.88728
RESTORATION WORKS
We have almost finished the necessary restoration works at this site. The work, which is funded by the Flemish Government, entails complete reconstruction of the boundary walls built on new foundations.
Due to stability issues, one wall could not yet be rebuilt. The cemetery remains open to the public, with the exception of the area to be completed.
For more details please do contact us at enquiries@cwgc.org.
PLEASE NOTE
This cemetery is currently closed to the public for safety reasons.
Location information
Bus House Cemetery is located 4 km south of Ieper town centre, on the Sint-Elooisweg, a road leading from the Rijselseweg (The road to Armentieres N365). From Ieper town centre the Rijselstraat runs from the market square, through the Lille Gate (Rijselpoort) and directly over the crossroads with the Ieper ring road. The road name then changes to the Rijselseweg. 4 km along the Rijselseweg, the road forks and branching immediately from the right hand fork is the Sint-Elooisweg (In effect two immediate right hand turnings). The cemetery lies 500 metres along the Sint-Elooisweg on the left hand side of the road towards Voormezele.
Visiting information
Wheelchair access to this cemetery is possible via the main entrance.
History information
This cemetery stands behind a farm-house that was called "Bus House" by the troops during the First World War. It was made in June-November 1917, but one grave of January 1915 was brought in during the war, and four more were added in April 1918. The British Expeditionary Force was involved in the later stages of the defence of Belgium following the German invasion in May 1940, and suffered many casualties in covering the withdrawal to Dunkirk. A number were killed during the battle on the Ypres-Comines canal and were originally buried where they died, but in 1941 their graves were brought in from sites scattered throughout the commune for reburial in this cemetery. Bus House Cemetery contains 206 First World War burials,12 of them unidentified, and 79 from the Second World War, nine of them unidentified. There are also two French war graves within the cemetery. The cemetery was designed by W H Cowlishaw.