The Ypres Salient was an area of particular intense fighting during the Great War. Every one who visits the cemeteries and memorials to the men who died defending Ypres will be affected in some way, and many of today’s pilgrims (like myself) return to the battlefields of Flanders again and again. A quick look around the parked cars in the Grote Markt, will reveal many British visitors, these visitors are not always people of mature years, but a surprising number of young adults. For the visitor of the Ypres Salient there are many good guides.
One guide to the Salient (The Ypres Salient, A Guide To The Cemeteries And Memorials Of The Salient), maps out an area which encompasses 171 Commonwealth War Grave Commission cemeteries. These are listed below and include total number of First World War dead (including German), any VC holders and Shoot at Dawn.
| Cemetery Name |
No. of VC's |
No. of Shot at Dawn | No. Unnamed Graves | Total Number of Dead |
| Abeele Aerodrome | - | - | 0 | 104 |
| Aeroplane | - | 3 | 637 | 1096 |
| Artillery Wood | - | - | 506 | 1286 |
| Bailleul Communal | 1 | - | 10 | 622 |
| Bailleul Extension | - | - | 181 | 4502 |
| Bard Cottage | - | - | 0 | 1639 |
| Bedford House | 1 | - | 2511 | 5067 |
| Belgium Corner | - | - | 0 | 579 |
| Berks Cemetery Extension | 4 | - | 0 | 394 |
| Bertenacre | - | - | 0 | 110 |
| Bethleem Farm East | - | - | 8 | 43 |
| Bethleem Farm West | - | - | 2 | 164 |
| Birr Crossroads | 1 | - | 336 | 806 |
| Blauweport Farm | - | - | 0 | 90 |
| Bluet Farm | - | 3 | 0 | 443 |
| Boezinge Churchyard | - | - | 0 | 1 |
| Brandhoek Military | - | - | 0 | 672 |
| Brandhoek New Military | 1 | - | 0 | 559 |
| Brandhoek New Military No. 3 | - | - | 0 | 966 |
| Bridge House | - | - | 4 | 45 |
| Buffs Road | - | - | 86 | 289 |
| Bus House | - | - | 12 | 204 |
| Butts New Military | - | - | 1673 | 2128 |
| Cabin Hill | - | - | 0 | 67 |
| Calvaire | - | - | 0 | 218 |
| Canada Farm | 1 | - | 0 | 907 |
| Cemet House | - | - | 2336 | 3524 |
| Chester Farm | - | - | 0 | 418 |
| Colne Valley | - | - | 0 | 47 |
| Croonaert Chapel | - | - | 7 | 75 |
| Derry House No. 2 | - | - | 0 | 163 |
| Dickebusch Extension | - | - | 0 | 548 |
| Dickebusch New | - | - | 0 | 623 |
| Dickebusch Old | - | - | 0 | 45 |
| Divisional | - | - | 0 | 281 |
| Divisional Collecting Post and Extension | - | - | 512 | 763 |
| Dochy Farm New British | - | - | 958 | 1437 |
| Dozingham Military | - | - | 0 | 3239 |
| Dragoon Camp | - | - | 6 | 66 |
| Dranoutre Church | - | - | 2 | 79 |
| Dranoutre Military | - | 1 | 0 | 462 |
| Duhallow ADS | - | 1 | 0 | 1563 |
| Elzenwalle Brasserie | - | - | 5 | 149 |
| Essex Farm | 1 | - | 19 | 1185 |
| Ferme Oliver | - | 2 | 0 | 410 |
| First DCLI (The Bluff) | - | - | 15 | 99 |
| Godwaersvelde | - | - | 0 | 1081 |
| Godezone Farm | - | - | 0 | 79 |
| Grootebeek | - | - | 1 | 107 |
| Gunners' Farm | - | - | 0 | 179 |
| Gwalia | - | - | 0 | 473 |
| Hagle Dump | - | 2 | 142 | 439 |
| Haringhe (Bandaghem) Military | - | - | 0 | 810 |
| Hedge Row Trench | - | - | 0 | 98 |
| Hooge Crater | 1 | - | 3580 | 5923 |
| Hop Store | - | - | 0 | 248 |
| Hospital Farm | - | - | 4 | 116 |
| Huts | - | 2 | 0 | 1100 |
| Hyde Park Corner (Royal Berks) | - | 1 | 0 | 87 |
| Irish House | - | - | 40 | 120 |
| Kandahar Farm | - | - | 0 | 446 |
| Kemmel Chateau Military | - | 2 | 0 | 1135 |
| Kemmel Churchyard | - | - | 3 | 23 |
| Kemmel No. 1 French | - | - | 259 | 549 |
| Klien Vierstraat | - | - | 0 | 803 |
| La Belle Alliance | - | - | 10 | 60 |
| La Brique Military No. 1 | - | - | 4 | 90 |
| La Brique Military No. 2 | 1 | - | 387 | 847 |
| La Clytte | - | 1 | 190 | 892 |
| La Creche | - | - | 0 | 3 |
| La Laterie | - | - | 0 | 751 |
| La Plus Douve | - | - | 0 | 254 |
| Lancaster Cottage | - | - | 5 | 254 |
| Larch Wood | - | - | 321 | 769 |
| Le Touquet Railway | - | - | 21 | 71 |
| Ledgem | - | - | 14 | 65 |
| Lijssenthoek Military | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10802 |
| Lindenhoek Chalet Military | - | - | 67 | 317 |
| Locre Churchyard | - | 3 | 2 | 215 |
| Locre Hospice | - | 2 | 12 | 245 |
| Locre No. 10 | - | - | 14 | 205 |
| London Rifle Brigade | - | - | 1 | 353 |
| Lone Tree | - | - | 0 | 88 |
| Maple Copse | - | - | 52 | 256 |
| Maple Leaf | - | 1 | 0 | 176 |
| Mendinghem | - | 3 | 0 | 2448 |
| Memin Road South | 1 | - | 121 | 1580 |
| Messines Ridge British | - | - | 954 | 1491 |
| Meteren | - | - | 181 | 826 |
| Minty Farm | - | - | 4 | 189 |
| Mont Noir | - | - | 15 | 231 |
| Motor Car Corner | - | - | 0 | 132 |
| Mud Corner | - | - | 0 | 85 |
| New Irish Farm | - | - | 3267 | 4638 |
| Nieppe Communial | - | - | 0 | 62 |
| Niewkerke Church | - | - | 1 | 97 |
| NIne Elms | - | 2 | 0 | 1593 |
| No Mans Cot | - | - | 0 | 79 |
| Oak Dump | - | - | 5 | 111 |
| Oosttaverne Wood | - | - | 783 | 1144 |
| Oxford Street | 1 | - | 254 | 596 |
| Packhorse Farm Shrine | - | - | 0 | 59 |
| Passchendaele New British | - | - | 1602 | 2091 |
| Perth (China Wall) | 1 | 8 | 1368 | 2655 |
| Ploegstreet Church | - | - | 0 | 9 |
| Ploegstreet Wood Military | - | - | 0 | 165 |
| Poelcapelle British | - | - | 6231 | 7443 |
| Polygon Wood | - | - | 17 | 101 |
| Pond Farm | - | - | 4 | 298 |
| Pont d'Achelles | - | 1 | 0 | 336 |
| Pont de Nieppe | - | - | 11 | 135 |
| Poperinge Communal | - | - | 1 | 28 |
| Poperinge New | - | 17 | 24 | 953 |
| Poperigne Old | - | - | 0 | 446 |
| Potijze Burial Ground | - | - | 21 | 586 |
| Potijze Grounds | - | - | 111 | 466 |
| Potijze Lawn | - | - | 29 | 229 |
| Potijze Wood | - | - | 6 | 151 |
| Prowse Point | - | - | 0 | 227 |
| RE Farm | - | - | 11 | 179 |
| RE Grave Railway Wood | - | - | 0 | 12 |
| Railway Chateau | - | - | 6 | 105 |
| Railway Dugouts Burial Ground | 1 | - | 430 | 2390 |
| Ramparts (Lille Gate) | - | - | 5 | 188 |
| Ration Farm (La Plus Douve) Annexe | - | - | 1 | 202 |
| Red Farm Military | - | - | 17 | 49 |
| Renningelst Church | - | - | 0 | 58 |
| Renningelst Military | - | 3 | 0 | 800 |
| Ridge Wood Military | - | - | 5 | 621 |
| Rifle House | - | - | 0 | 230 |
| Ruisseau Farm | - | - | 6 | 82 |
| Sanctuary Wood | - | - | 1353 | 1989 |
| Seaforth | - | - | 21 | 148 |
| Solferino Farm | - | - | 0 | 299 |
| Somer Farm | - | - | 0 | 84 |
| Spanbroaekmolen British | - | - | 0 | 58 |
| Spoilbank | - | - | 125 | 509 |
| St. Julien Dresssing Station | - | - | 180 | 418 |
| St. Quentin Caberet | - | - | 0 | 465 |
| Strand Military | - | - | 356 | 1134 |
| Suffolf | - | - | 8 | 47 |
| Talana Farm | - | - | 14 | 529 |
| Tancrez Farm | - | - | 6 | 334 |
| Toronto Farm | - | - | 0 | 78 |
| Torreken Farm | - | - | 0 | 104 |
| Track 'X' | - | - | 12 | 131 |
| Trois Arbres | - | 4 | 435 | 1694 |
| Tuileries Britsih | - | - | 16 | 37 |
| Tyne Cot | 6 | 8366 | 11976 | |
| Underhill Farm | - | - | 0 | 189 |
| Vlamertinghe Military | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1178 |
| Vlamertinghe New Military | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1820 |
| Voormezelle Enclosures No. 3 | - | - | 612 | 1593 |
| Voormezelle Enclosures No. 1 and No. 2 | - | - | 43 | 579 |
| Watou Churchyard | - | - | 0 | 12 |
| Welsh (Caesar's Nose) | - | - | 6 | 68 |
| Westhof Farm | - | - | 0 | 130 |
| Westoutre Church | - | - | 52 | 168 |
| Westoutre Military | 1 | - | 1 | 99 |
| White House | 1 | 4 | 325 | 1119 |
| Wieltje Farm | - | - | 10 | 116 |
| Woods | 1 | 1 | 0 | 358 |
| Wulverghem - Lindenhoek Road Military | - | - | 353 | 1002 |
| Wulverghem Church | - | - | 1 | 38 |
| Wytschaete Military | - | - | 673 | 978 |
| Ypres Extension | - | - | 137 | 494 |
| Ypres Reservoir | 1 | 3 | 1035 | 2602 |
| Ypres Town | - | - | 0 | 192 |
| Zantvoorde British | 2 | - | 1135 | 1550 |
| Zillebeke | - | - | 0 | 32 |
War Graves and Memorials in the CWGC in Belgium.
| Commonwealth war burials | Other nationalities |
Burial grounds |
Commonwealth war dead on memorials |
Total commonwealth war dead |
|
| Identified | Un-identified | ||||
| 102,381 | 47,563 | 2,546 | 623 | 102,429 | 204,810 |
What the above table also shows to us, is that of the 102,429 men commemorated on memorials to the missing in Belgium, only 47,563 have graves. Therefore 54,866 bodies simply vanished into the mud of Belgium.
A few CWGC cemeteries are still open to receive new burials of remains found today - therefore these number is not accurate.