White House Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| White House, Ieper | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
 |
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| Used for those deceased 1915-1918 | |
| Established | 1915 |
| Location | near Ieper, West Flanders, Belgium |
| Designed by | Sir Reginald Blomfield |
| Total burials | 1,171 |
| Unknown burials |
323 |
| Burials by nation | |
Allied Powers:
|
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| Burials by war | |
| World War I: 1163
World War II: 8 |
|
| Statistics source: WW1Cemeteries.com and CWGC | |
White House Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of World War I located in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front.
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]
Contents |
[edit] Foundation
The cemetery was founded by Commonwealth troops in March 1915 and remained in use until April 1918.[2] After the Armistice in November 1918, the cemetery was enlarged by concentrating graves from eight outlying cemeteries.[2]
The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield[2] who was also responsible for the nearby Menin Gate memorial.[3]
[edit] Notable graves
The cemetery contains the graves of some 1,163 soldiers of the Great War. Amongst these are the graves of four men executed by the Commonwealth military authorities - Private HH Chase of the Lancashire Fusiliers, executed for cowardice on 12 June 1915; Private WJ Turpie of the Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, executed for desertion on 1 July 1915; and Privates RW Gawler and AE Eveleigh of The Buffs (East Kent Regiment), executed for desertion 24 February 1916.[4] Private Turpie reached the United Kingdom about a month after deserting. He was apprehended by the police and confessed to being a deserter. Brought back to the Front, he was convicted at a court martial and subsequently executed.[5]
On 7 November 2006, the British government reversed its previous decision and announced a pardon for all soldiers executed in the Great War.[6]
Also buried at this cemetery is Private Robert Morrow of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, who won the Victoria Cross[4] for carrying wounded to safety under heavy fire but was killed later that year at the front.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ First World War, accessed 19 August 2006
- ^ a b c Commonwealth War Graves Commission accessed 1 October 2006
- ^ GreatWar.co.uk, accessed 1 October 2007
- ^ a b WW1Cemeteries.com, accessed 1 October 2007
- ^ Putkowski, JJ Shot at Dawn Campaign website on Turpie's trial, accessed 1 October 2007
- ^ Shot at Dawn Campaign website, accessed 1 October 2007
[edit] External links
- CWGC cemetery register: Details • Reports • Plans • Photographs
