A number of significant Anzac WWI Western Front battlefield sites and memorials have been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In total, 139 cemeteries and memorial sites on the former Western Front of World War One have been confirmed as among the latest additions to the UNESCO World Heritage List, including 16 sites in Wallonia, 27 in Flanders and 96 in France. In Flanders, some of the newly listed UNESCO sites include:
Mat McLachlan, Historian and founder of leading battlefield tour company, Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours believes the inclusion of the 139 Western Front WWI sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List is an incredibly important event.
“The inclusion of these sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List will help to ensure their preservation for future generations,” McLachlan said. “Remembering this history, and continuing to tell and share the stories of those who served – on both sides – is incredibly important to help educate about the impact of war, and it is wonderful to see these sites being internationally recognised for their importance and significance.”
The Menin Gate – this towering gate to the city of Ypres is a memorial to the Missing Commonwealth soldiers who died in and around the Ypres Salient. Nearly 55,000 names of soldiers who have no known grave are inscribed on the memorial’s name panels. Every night at 8pm a special Last Post ceremony is held at the Menin Gate.
Tyne Cot Cemetery and Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing – located in Zonnebeke, Tyne Cot is the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world, and the final resting place of almost 12,000 Commonwealth soldiers. The rear of the cemetery has a curved Memorial to the Missing, commemorating a further 35,000 soldiers who have no known graves.
Polygon Wood Cemetery and Buttes New British Cemetery – located at Polygon Wood, a large wood which was destroyed in the First World War, which was the site of a significant Anzac action on 26 September 1917. At the centre of Polygon Wood was a dominating mound called the ‘Butte’ which had been fortified by the Germans and used as an observation post. Resistance was heavy, but Australian soldiers took the Butte and had successfully secured the wood by the end of the day – but not without significant casualties. After the war the 5th Australian Division built its divisional memorial on the Butte in Polygon Wood. The towering obelisk overlooks CWGC Buttes New British Cemetery where more than 650 Australian soldiers are commemorated. Each year on Anzac Day (25 April) a special Dawn Service is held at Polygon Wood commemorating the efforts of the Anzacs.
Essex Farm Cemetery – this Commonwealth cemetery is the location where Lietenant-Colonel John McCrae of the Canadian Army Medical Corps wrote his famous poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ in May 1915, following the death of one of his friends to express his anguish and loss.
The Crypt Yser Tower – Located in the Belgian town of Diksmuide, the Yser Tower is the tallest peace monument in Europe. It houses a WWI museum in the panoramic room of the tower and a chapel, which are open to visit.
View the 27 WWI memorial UNESCO sites in Flanders HERE.
IMAGE: Tyne Cot Cemetery – Passchendaele/Mat McLachlan Tours
