Underhill Farm Cemetery
- Country Belgium
- Total identified casualties 181 Find these casualties
- Region Hainaut
- Identified casualties from First World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 50.74099, Longitude: 2.86995
Location information
Underhill Farm Cemetery is located 12 Kms south of Ieper town centre, on a road leading from the Rijselseweg N365, which connects Ieper to Wijtschate, Mesen (Messines) and on to Armentieres. From Ieper town centre the Rijselsestraat 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. 3 Kms after the town of Mesen lies the right hand turning onto the Rue du Petit Pont. (Kleine Brugstraat). 1 Km along this road on the right hand side of the road lies the cemetery.
Visiting information
ARRIVAL
The cemetery is not signposted. The cemetery is located on Rue du Petit Pont, approximately 900 metres west of the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing.
PARKING
It is possible to park in front of the cemetery along the perimeter wall, at the side of the road. Most of the parking area is within 5 to 10 metres of the main gate, and there is space for multiple vehicles.
The ground is flat and firm with a compacted gravel surface.
There is a telegraph pole at the side of the parking area to the left of the main entrance.
ACCESS LAYOUT AND MAIN ENTRANCE
The cemetery is rectangular shaped and runs parallel to the road.
The main entrance is in the middle of the cemetery with a hedge on either side running the entire length of the cemetery.
The entrance has a brick and stone paved area in front of the gate. Two brick and stone pillars, with a mid-level (thigh height) black metal, two-leaf gate, and a latched handle opens the left-side leaf inwards into the cemetery. The right-side leaf is opened by lifting a vertical latch at ground level. Stone paving under the gate leads into the cemetery. The grass is approximately 25 mm lower than the paving.
The Register Box is located inside the cemetery, in the right-side pillar viewed from inside the cemetery.
The Cross of Sacrifice is immediately inside the cemetery entrance.
There are 2 large stone steps at either end of the cemetery, in line with a brick and stone planter in front of the Cross of Sacrifice.
The ground is level along the front of the cemetery, and the grass slopes down steeply along the line of the steps and planter to the burial area. The ground is level below the upper section behind the steps and planter.
ALTERNATIVE ACCESS
There is a service entrance next to a brick tool store at the left end of the cemetery.
There is a mid-level, thigh height two-leaf green mesh metal gate. The gate is 275 cm wide and opens outwards into the parking layby. A lever handle opens the left side, and a vertical latch at ground level opens the right side.
At the alternative entrance, the ground is flat and firm; the surface is grass and compacted soil with a narrow stone kerb level with the grass along the length of the gate.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The cemetery is permanently open.
History information
'Underhill Farm' and 'Red Lodge' were the names given to two buildings on the north-western edge of Ploegsteert Wood. They were occupied by dressing stations and the cemetery which they used, is close to the farm.
The cemetery was begun in June 1917 and used until January 1918. It fell into German hands in the spring of 1918, when it was used under the name of "The Military Cemetery at the foot of the Nightingale Hill". The cemetery was recovered in September 1918 and used again for Commonwealth burials until October.
There are 190 Commonwealth casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. Nine of the burials are unidentified and special memorials commemorate five casualties whose exact places of burial in the cemetery could not be determined.
The cemetery was designed by G H Goldsmith.