Directions

From Ieper, take the Zonnebeke road until you reach the Broodseinde-Passendale crossroads. Turn left and the cemetery is signposted after one kilometre.

About the cemetery

Tyne Cot Cemetery is an Australian battlefield in its own right. The area now enclosed by the cemetery was dubbed Tyne Cot by British troops who thought the German concrete pillboxes on the skyline resembled Tyneside cottages. This formidable defensive position was the objective for the Australian 3rd Division during the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge on October 4th 1917. In the half-light of morning the Australians advanced towards Tyne Cot, overcoming several German strongpoints along the way. As they neared what is now the cemetery, machine guns from five concrete pillboxes rained fire on them and casualties were heavy. The two foremost pillboxes were so solidly constructed that they had been dubbed 'Irksome' and 'The Barnacle', but they were overcome by small parties of Australians who rushed them. The three other pillboxes in the immediate area remained in German hands for several days.

Following its capture, one of the pillboxes at Tyne Cot was used by British troops as an advanced dressing station and men who were killed nearby were buried alongside it. These scattered burials formed the basis for the cemetery which contained 343 graves at the end of the war. After the Armistice, thousands of graves were concentrated here so that, by 1922, Tyne Cot Cemetery had reached its present size of 11,953 graves. It is the largest Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in the world. At the suggestion of King George V, the cross of sacrifice was built over the top of one of the captured German pillboxes. Irksome and The Barnacle still stand as brooding sentinels near the entrance to the cemetery.

Total burials: 11,953

Australian burials: 1368 (majority unidentified)

Notable Australians buried in this cemetery

• Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries VC, 34th Battalion, died October 12th 1917, age 22. During the Battle of Passchendaele, Captain Jeffries led his men with distinction, overcoming a German machine gun post and capturing four machine guns and 35 prisoners. He then led his men under very heavy fire to the objective. Later, the advance was again held up by a machine gun post and Jeffries led a small party to attack it. As his party rushed the position the gun was swung around and killed him, but his men were able to capture the post and the advance continued. Grave XL. E. 1.

• Sergeant Lewis McGee VC, 40th Battalion, died October 12th, 1917, age 29. Sergeant McGee led the men of his platoon with great skill during the Battle of Passchendaele. At one point the advance was held up by fire from a pillbox and McGee rushed the position single-handedly, armed only with a revolver. He shot some of the crew and forced the rest to surrender. He then kept his men cool under heavy fire as they advanced to the objective and consolidated the position. Later in the day he was killed by machine gun fire. Grave XX. D. 1.

• Private John Crowley, 34th Battalion, died October 12th 1917, age 52. Before the war, John Crowley was the editor of the Wyalong Star newspaper in West Wyalong, NSW. During an emotional speech before his enlistment he told a crowd of local people he would rather "sleep the eternal sleep in the cold earth of France" than shirk his responsibilities. He lied about his age and joined up, following his brother Matthew and his sons Ossie and John who had already enlisted. A short time later his youngest son, Reg, who was 16, lied about his age and also joined up. All five Crowley men saw fierce action during the war. Matthew died of wounds at Gallipoli in 1915. John (Snr) was killed at Passchendaele in 1917. Reg was killed at Villers-Bretonneux in 1918. Ossie and John (Jnr) survived the war. Grave XIX. D. 1.

Grave of Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries, VC

Grave of Sergeant Lewis McGee, VC