There are two cemeteries contain war graves, adjacent to each other, 1 Km east of Ieper town centre: Ypres Town Cemetery and Ypres Town Cemetery Extension.
YPRES TOWN CEMETERY
Ypres Town Cemetery was used from October 1914 to May 1915 and once in 1918. The cemetery contains 145 First World War graves, grouped among the civilian graves.
One of the graves in Ypres Town Cemetery is Prince Maurice Victor Donald of Battenberg, son Princess Beatrice, youngest of Queen Victoria’s grandsons, brother of Queen Ena of Spain, cousin of the Tsar of Russia and the Kaiser and nephew of Prince Louis of Battenberg.
Prince Maurice Victor Donald of Battenberg was born at Balmoral on 3 October 1891. A professional soldier, he was commissioned into the 1st Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps. His battalion arrived in France on 12 August 1914 and took part in the battles at Mons and the Aisne. On 27 October 1914 the Prince was killed, leading his men, by a shell burst near Zonnebeke.
Lord Kitchener offered to have his body returned to the UK but the Prince’s Mother declined the offer, as she knew that the Prince would have wanted to be buried among his men.
YPRES TOWN CEMETERY EXTENSION
Ypres Town Cemetery Extension, located on the east side of Ypres Town Cemetery, was begun October 1914 and was used until April 1915 and on two further occasions in 1918. The extension was enlarged when 367 graves were brought in from smaller cemeteries east and north of Ypres. There are now 598 Commonwealth First World War casualties buried or commemorated in the extension; 137 are unknown and there are special memorials to 16 servicemen believed to be buried among them.
There are also 43 Second World War graves, of which 13 are unknown.
The graves, from left to right, are
- 4390120 Private Harry White, 4th Battalion, the Green Howards, 29 May 1940, age 19. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Harry White, of Redcar, Yorkshire.
- Unknown soldier of the Second World War, 27 May 1940.
- 6977323 Fusilier Herbert Wilson, 2nd Battalion the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 27 May 1940, age 30. Son of William and Mary Wilson.