world war commonwealth war graves commission burial ground belgium contains graves german commonwealth soldiers principally killed cemetery established german_army land donated initially designed woodland cemetery redesigned imperial war graves commission took maintenance cemetery war cemetery include traditionally believed commonwealth soldiers killed action world war posthumous recipient german include recipient world war history battle took place advancing german armies clashed advancing allied armies franco belgian franco german borders british position french flank meant stood path british reached august time located right british heavily engaged german 2nd 3rd armies battle british agreed hold line hours prevent advancing german 1st army threatening french left flank british spent day digging canal dawn august german artillery bombardment began british lines day germans concentrated british formed loop canal german infantry assault began germans attempting force way bridges crossed canal initial german attack repulsed heavy losses germans switched open formation advance progress quickly formation difficult british inflict casualties rapidly afternoon british position british began retreating new defensive line establishment british german dead initially buried church local surrounding villages purpose built military cemetery subsequently german_army decided inter dead single location determined care maintenance isolated graves long term spring german officer captain searching appropriate piece cemetery land south east search approached renowned biologist local landowner offered quarry land family estate lands districts possibly ensure land associated flint mines employed instead initially proposed land compensation provided local authorities refused accept payment land agreed condition donated instead cemetery dead sides treated equal respect isolated sites interred new cemetery bodies north north east battlefield especially near british stopped imperial german units crossing canal german british dead graves markers containing message enemies life united death german common german practice world war cemetery inaugurated september ceremony attended prominent german figures including bavaria duke grand duke cemetery contained german british graves end war number increased post war period british german remains numerous isolated burial locations concentrated cemetery reached current number german soldiers commonwealth soldiers identified german dead cemetery died units originated north germany towns like kiel hamburg bremen post war end war november maintenance commonwealth graves passed commonwealth war graves commission june belgian war graves commission appointed supervisor maintain german graves germans account terms treaty versailles belgium germany reached agreement gradual transfer maintenance responsibility belgium german representative embassy germany brussels germans officially referred cemetery number recognized cemetery located close proximity town technically located administrative areas concurrently incorporating number assigned cemetery belgian ordered list german october representatives belgium belgian war graves commission imperial war graves commission met brussels discuss status mixed british german belgium particular met discuss status established germans war majority buried cemetery german meeting brought imperial war graves commission begun altering layout containing high percentage concentration german dead began replacing existing commonwealth graves standardized consulting belgium german delegation hoped retain established design character ultimately unsuccessful control cemetery immediately passed imperial war graves commission german contribution limited providing number graves lacking markers imperial war graves commission control cemetery immediately set assigning task assistant architect chief belgium wrote berlin request imperial war graves commission approached control split british german new communal cemetery military cemetery imperial war graves commission maintaining german graves cost germany believed favorable transfer management imperial war graves commission assume maintenance costs modern august ceremony held cemetery mark 100th anniversary british belgian declaration war following german invasion belgium attended important dignitaries including king representatives queen elizabeth_ii united_kingdom head commonwealth president germany president prime minister belgium prime minister united kingdom design original design captain designed cemetery assisted militia private developed site plan based concept cemetery reform german popular germany time cemetery design particular attention paid ensuring simplicity plot environment consistent woodland cemetery german style thirteen plots marked young trees later extra conifers planted plots ensure visual physical separation cemetery land artificial created differences elevation site dumping location surplus soil associated mining area cemetery plants donated city german graves grouped according military unit grave grouping receiving similar necessarily number organizations germany particularly opposed mass produced identical consequence cemetery contains number differently styled german carved locally stone principally belgian german officers offered larger illustrate higher military rank cemetery contains number german regimental memorials cemetery paid provided city town regiment based germans treated british dead similar manner british buried individual plots like germans grouped unit far possible deceased british officers buried plot separate troops known graves marked provided standardized germans erected simple regimental memorials identified unit regiment number british included mistakenly referred royal middlesex regiment time classical metres high memorial placed near entrance highest point cemetery monumental inscription written german dedicated german british soldiers died memory german english soldiers fell actions near 23rd 24th august german der august den und near cemetery entrance tablet latin set explain land gifted purpose cemetery redesign controlled cemetery transferred imperial war graves commission set cemetery main change conversion woodland cemetery open english garden style cemetery present trees predominantly british south eastern grass area cemetery feel open changes location graves effectively leaving plot layout choosing instead remove vegetation provided visual plot predominantly german north eastern half left woodland cemetery style trees ensure open view created plots original german retained german added transferred graves sites principal change create raised hill erected german general monument way modified likely created hill ensure german monument special memorials erected soldiers believed buried unnamed graves special memorials record names british soldiers buried germans graves found approximately commonwealth soldiers buried unidentified interned quote soldier great war known unto god notable graves notable german include infantry regiment recipient war having come crossing canal closed swing bridge swam canal returned canal small boat canal team opened bridge allowing germans troops cross greater numbers killed shortly opening bridge cemetery include private middlesex regiment canadian 28th northwest battalion believed respective commonwealth soldiers killed action world war british soldier killed action buried cemetery posthumous recipient victoria_cross war awarded victoria_cross defending maintained firing machine gun hit fifth final time
St Symphorien Military Cemetery