Prowse Point Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery

Prowse Point Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front in Belgium.

Prowse Point Military Cememtery
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Used for those deceased 1914-1918
Established1914
Location50°44′38″N 02°53′55″E
near 
Ieper, West Flanders, Belgium
Designed byW H Cowlishaw
Total burials233
Unknowns
1
Burials by nation
Burials by war
Statistics source: WW1Cemeteries.com

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.[1]

Foundation

The cemetery is on the site of a stand made by the 1st Battalions of the Hampshire Regiment and Somerset Light Infantry in October 1914. Major (later Brigadier-General) Charles Prowse displayed heroism at this stand and the site (and thus cemetery) was named after him.[2] This makes the cemetery unique on the Salient for being named after an individual.[3]

The cemetery was begun in November 1914 and continued to be used until fighting moved beyond the Ploegsteert area in April 1918.[4]

The cemetery was designed by W H Cowlishaw.[3]

Notable graves include Sergeant W A Connor of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, who was awarded the French Croix de guerre.[5]

Later burials
Private Richard Lancaster's grave flanked by two unknowns, three weeks after being interred at Prowse Point

This site featured heavy fighting at numerous points in the war. As such, remains of combatants are still occasionally being discovered in the area. Private Harry Wilkinson of the Lancashire Fusiliers was originally listed on the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing but his body was recovered and buried here in 2001.[6]

More recently, the remains of Private Richard Lancaster of the Lancashire Fusiliers, plus two others unidentified, were found and were buried at Prowse Point with full military honours.[7] The ceremony was attended by his granddaughter.[8]

References
  1. First World War, accessed 19 August 2006
  2. Bourne, John Charles Bertie Prowse in the Lions Led by Donkeys Archive, University of Birmingham, undated, accessed 27 September 2007
  3. Commonwealth War Graves Commission, accessed 27 September 2007
  4. WW1Cemeteries.com Archived 2007-10-13 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 27 September 2007
  5. Wereledoorlog I in de Westhoek record on W A Connor Archived 2007-02-28 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 27 September 2007
  6. Wereledoorlog I in de Westhoek record on Harry Wilkinson Archived 2007-02-28 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 27 September 2007
  7. Waterfield, Bruno The Daily Telegraph "First World War victims finally buried" 5 July 2007, accessed 27 September 2007
  8. MoD Defence News, 4 July 2007, accessed 27 September 2007
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