The most tangible connection with the slaughter of the Western Front is the hundreds of cemeteries which dot the landscape. In nearly every village and town along the former front line, military cemeteries are signposted. Cemeteries are divided by country - British, French, German, American, Belgian and others. The principle interest for Australians will be those British cemeteries where Australians are buried, but other national cemeteries also make for compelling visits.

More than 61,000 Australians were killed during the First World War, the vast majority in France and Belgium. Today there are 510 cemeteries in France and Belgium in which Australian First World War casualties are buried.

Military cemeteries are moving places, and visiting them should be a priority for anyone touring the former battlefields. British cemeteries are administered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), which maintains the cemeteries to an exceptional standard. Each cemetery contains some common elements: With few exceptions, all headstones are identical in size and design. This decision was made by the CWGC (then the Imperial War Graves Commission) so that all men killed in the war were deemed to have made an equal sacrifice, regardless of rank or social position. The cemeteries all have beautiful gardens, which are maintained by CWGC-appointed gardeners, and flowerbeds are located at the foot of each grave. Each cemetery, regardless of size, features a Cross of Sacrifice, made from white marble and fitted with a bronze sword. The size of the cross is proportional to the size of the cemetery. Many cemeteries, particularly the large ones, also have a large marble Stone of Remembrance, inscribed with the phrase “Their Name Liveth for Evermore”.

All but the smallest cemeteries contain a Cemetery Register which lists details about each burial, and gives a location for each grave in the cemetery. This should be your first port of call when visiting a new cemetery, especially if you are seeking a particular grave. A Visitors Book is also housed with the register, for visitors to sign and record their thoughts.

There are a number of different types of cemeteries. In the front line area there are many cemeteries that lie squarely in the middle of former battlefields. These are often small, with colourful wartime names. These were formed after a major attack had taken place. If the attack was successful and the front line advanced, survivors could safely return to the old No-Man’s Land and bury their comrades where they fell. These cemeteries usually contain burials from only a few units and a majority of the graves will be identified. If the attack was unsuccessful, the bodies of those men killed may not have been safely accessible until months, or even years, after the attack. In this case identification of the bodies may have been impossible, and the cemetery will reflect this with a high proportion of unknown burials.

Further towards the rear area will be cemeteries made up of men who were killed during routine service in the trenches, or who died of wounds or sickness on their way to hospital after leaving the trenches. These cemeteries tend to be larger than the battlefield cemeteries and contain burials from a wider range of units. A majority of the graves will generally be identified.

In the rear areas are cemeteries which were constructed beside Regimental Aid Posts and hospitals. These are made up predominantly of men who died of wounds in the rear areas, having received some medical assistance. The larger the hospital, the larger the cemetery and, because these men lived long enough to reach the rear area, nearly all the graves will be identified.

At the time of the Armistice there were thousands of small cemeteries scattered across the battlefields. In the 1920s, in the interests of lowering maintenance costs and making cemeteries more accessible for visitors, the CWGC closed many burial sites and relocated the graves to other cemeteries. Some graves were brought to existing cemeteries, which consequently grew much larger than they had been during the war. In some cases this growth was dramatic – some cemeteries contained as few as 20 or 30 burials during the war and now contain thousands. To maintain a link with the wartime cemetery, the original burials were generally designated as “Plot 1” in the cemetery and the original wartime name was retained. In other instances the CWGC built new cemeteries and collected graves from surrounding smaller cemeteries which were then closed. These new cemeteries are always located on a main road (for ease of access) and are named after the town nearest to their location.

Military graves can sometimes be found in civilian cemeteries in French and Belgian villages. These "communal" cemeteries were usually begun early in the war, when the most logical place to bury fallen soldiers was in the local civilian cemetery. Often, as the need for burial space grew, extra plots were added beside the civilian cemetery and designated as an "extension" to that communal cemetery. Many soldiers still lie in communal cemeteries and communal cemetery extensions throughout France and Belgium. The neatly manicured military plots often contrast starkly with the haphazard grave markers in the civilian plots.

When permanent headstones replaced temporary wooden grave markers in the 1920s, the CWGC decided on a standard design. Each gravestone displays the soldier’s unit badge (or country badge in the case of “colonial” graves, Australian included), regimental number (except for officers), rank, name, unit, date of death and age (unless withheld by the family). A standard Christian cross was included, unless requested otherwise by the family. The only other religious symbol allowed was the Star of David for Jewish burials. If the soldier had received a major decoration, such as a Victoria Cross, a depiction of that award replaced the cross. Beneath the cross, the family was allowed to add a personal inscription. These inscriptions make poignant reading for today’s visitors and are a personal link with each buried soldier. Some families chose not to include an inscription (or could not afford it – the CWGC charged three-and-a-half pence per letter) and New Zealand did not allow personal inscriptions at all!

The CWGC also decreed that every British man killed in the war should be commemorated by name, either on a grave or on a memorial. All unidentified bodies would be buried in graves with the inscription “An Unknown Soldier of the Great War”. These “unknown” graves also carry a Christian cross and the moving phrase suggested by Rudyard Kipling: “Known Unto God”. If an unknown soldier’s country, unit, rank or other information could be determined, this was also included on the headstone. Therefore, some unknown graves are marked “An Australian Soldier of the Great War” or “An Unknown Corporal of the Great War”.

Occasionally graves will carry more than one name, or two co-joined unit badges. This usually indicates that the soldiers’ remains were so badly mangled by a shell that they could not be separated.

Often during the war a soldier would be buried in a known grave which was later lost due to shelling or further battles. Many cemeteries therefore carry special memorial headstones to soldiers “Known to be Buried” or “Believed to be Buried” in that cemetery. These are usually located along the cemetery wall with a nearby monument explaining the reason for the missing graves. There are no bodies buried beneath these headstones – they are monuments only. These headstones carry another poignant Kipling line: “Their Glory Shall Not be Blotted Out”.

Take time when visiting a cemetery. Wander the rows and scan the headstones for interesting unit badges or inscriptions. Military cemeteries are sacred places and never fail to move visitors.