Can anyone tell me which are the 10 CWGC cemeteries on the Western Front, containing the highest numbers of unknown headstones please?

I am trying to find this information for an ongoing research project, and any information would be most gratefully received.

Do you mean the highest amount (numeric) of unknowns, or the highest percentage ratio of unknowns to knowns?

Dave.

Sorry, first post was not as clear as it could have been.

The highest numerically, as opposed to proportion of known to unknown.

Cheers.

Tyne Cot must be a major contender - nearly three quarters of the burials there are unknown. There are 8, 365 unknown burials.

Tom

Sorry Matt - another question rather than an answer!

Do you just mean CWGC cemeteries, or all cemeteries in general?

I've quite a bit of info on German and French cemeteries, if you mean in general.

dave.

Dave and Tom,

Thanks for your replies, I have edited and amended my original post, which I hope may make the question a little clearer. More down to my poor asking of the question than anything else!

Matt

The latest figures from CWGC are....

Those cemeteries with over 2000 Unknown WW1 Commonwealth burials

BELGIUM

Bedford House Cemetery - 3011
Cement House Cemetery - 2416
Hooge Crater Cemetery - 3578
New Irish Farm Cemetery - 3267
Poelcapelle British Cemetery - 6231
Tyne Cot Cemetery - 8366

FRANCE

A.I.F. Burial Ground - 2265
Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery - 4473
Canadian Cemetery No.2 - 2145
Caterpillar Valley Cemetery - 3795
Delville Wood Cemetery - 3593
Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner - 2197
London Cemetery & Extension, High Wood - 3115
Orchard Dump Cemetery - 2287
Ovillers Military Cemetery - 2479
Serre Road Cemetery No.2 - 4956

You're a top man Terry, thanks very much.

Terry.

Where exactly does the CWGC get it's figures of unknowns from? Are they 100% accurate or are they estimates for the cemeteries?

I'm not disputing any of the figures, but I know that certain graves exist where there is an unknown number of unknowns (or parts of) interred in them. One example that jumps out is at Hooge Crater where there is a headstone to "Several" Soldiers of the Great War Known unto God". Is there a CWGC policy that states how many unknowns "several" represents?

Just curious.

Dave.

Dave

CWGC's figures are taken from the burial records and surveys of actual burials on the ground and therefore are largely 100% accurate (obviously excluding any clerical error in the records).

However, there are a few occasions, as you state, where the number of burials is actually unknown. In these cases CWGC makes an estimate given whatever information is available from the records - purely for statistical purposes (the contribution towards the cost of maintenance by each member country of CWGC is calculated according to number of graves from each country maintained and so a calculation has to be made).

The number of times this has to be done, in reality, is few.

An example is Hooge Crater Cemetery, Plot II, Row G, where the estimated number is taken as 23. This, in itself, is quite a precise number and so must be supported by some documentary evidence. Such examples of these 'Unknown Unknowns' are usually documented in the now defunct CWGC registers.

Thanks Terry.

Dave.

Taking things a step further, how many Commonwealth Unknown Graves are there on the Western Front? What percentage is this of the missing of the Commonwealth on the Western Front?

Jon

There are 116,734 WW1 Unknown Commonwealth burials in France and Belgium and there are 313,822 names on memorials to the missing.

This gives 37.2% of the missing who are actually in marked graves.

Equally it means that 197,088 men are still out there or who ceased to exist!

Completing the list of the Ypres Salient Cemeteries.


Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood 1673
Passchendaele New British Cemetery 1597
Perth Cemetery (China Wall) 1367
Zantvoorde British Cemetery 1134
Dochy Farm New British Cemetery 958


No thanks,

Thank you Terry, these are numbers I've wanted to know for quite a while!

Jon

There will be a small number of adjustments to be made to these figures but nothing that would change the percentage significantly (ie some of the 'missing' are not on memorials to the missing but have Special Memorial headstones in cemeteries)..