RATION FARM (LA PLUS DOUVE) ANNEX CEMETERY
- Admin
- Jul 18
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 9
In the valley of the river Douve, north of Ploegsteert Wood, were two farms. 'La Petite Douve' was the object of a successful raid by the 7th Canadian Infantry Battalion in November 1915 and 'La Plus Douve', which was generally within the Allied lines, was used at times as a Battalion Headquarters. It was also known as Ration Farm because Battalion transport could approach it at night with rations. Ration Farm (La Plus Douve) Annexe CWGC Cemetery was begun in January 1915 and used until January 1918. The CWGC cemetery was started by the 2nd Manchester Regiment, the first burial was Private H Bates, grave I.A.8, on 11 January 1915. Most of the graves are from the 1915 to 1916 period, a few from 1917, and the last burial was that of an Australian of the 12th Battalion AIF, Private V.T. Stone MM, grave III.B.19. He is recorded as having drowned on 16 January 1918. There is a large plot of men from the 24th Division, 9th Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment. They died on 17 June 1916 during a German gas attack on their trenches. The Battalion War Diary recording:
Other graves from the 24th Division include men from the 2nd Leinster Regiment who died in the spring of 1916. Two of them are drummers Privates M Morrissey, grave II.C.17, killed on 5 April 1916, and Private A Murphy, grave II.C.13, killed on 17 April 1916. The War Diary recording in period 1 to 6 June that:
The War Diary recording the Battalion casualties as:
There are also a number of men from the 36th (Ulster) Division buried here from their time in the trenches from August to September 1916 when they were transferred to recuperate following their heavy losses on the Somme.
Glasgow Highlanders
On the 6 October 1917, the 9th Battalion (Glasgow Highlanders), Highland Light Infantry, were in the Messines sector billeted at Neuve-Eglise, now Nieuwkerke, in a relatively quiet area, although they were subjected to sporadic shelling. They trained and provided working parties as well as a detachment for duty at an army prison. On the 14 October the Battalion moved into the ruins of Messines village. On the 16 October the War Diary recorded that: ‘Battalion HQ heavily and consistently shelled with guns of all calibres up to 5.9s.’ On the 17 October: ‘Ridge round Bn HQ consistently shelled by 4-inch Howitzers by day. Intermittent by night.’ On the 18 October they were in the line at Gapaard, on the old German Oosttaverne Line, east of Messines village. The trenches here were on low lying ground and continually flooded up to the fire step and it was described as ‘a poisonous place where the enemy’s shelling was incessant.’ There are two fine examples of a German artillery bunker and a control bunker remaining today at Gapaard. In the week that the Battalion spent in the line here they had twelve men killed one was Second Lieutenant Walter Frank Banfield Steel. He joined the battalion on the 13 October and was killed by a trench mortar shell on 20 October. He graduated from Glasgow University as a chartered accountant and enrolled in November 1914, aged 20, as a Private number 3389 in the Glasgow Highlanders. Also killed on the 20 October was Private 332912 James Steele of Bridge Street, Lockerbie. They are both buried virtually side by side at graves III.A.25 and III.A.28.
Read more Son of an MP Buried Here
Ration Farm and La Plus Douve Farm could be reached from the camps behind Hill 63 via the communication trench known as Plum Duff Street. This is now the dirt road leading from the rebuilt La Plus Douve Farm of today up the hill to the road on what was Hill 63. It used to be tree lined however; the trees were cut down in 2022. The house at the top of the hill on the right before joining the road was shown on the trench maps as the ‘Control Post’. Turn left when joining the road and on your right was the position of Fort Eberle. From their positions at Ration Farm the British could look down the River Douve valley and watch over their front-line trenches and the destroyed farms with names such as Donnington Hall, Stinking Farm, Irish Farm, and in the German lines La Petite Douve Farm.
The cemetery was designed by G H Goldsmith.
Cemetery Location
Ration Farm (La Plus Douve) Annex is located 10.5 Kms south of Ieper town centre, on a road leading from the Rijselseweg N365, which connects Ieper to Wijtschate and on to Armentieres. From Ieper town centre the Rijselsestraat runs from the market square, through the Lille Gate (Rijselpoort) and directly over the crossroads with the Ieper ring road. The road name then changes to the Rijselseweg. The first right hand turning in the village of Messines leads onto the Mesenstraat. 2 Kms along the Mesenstraat on the left-hand side lies the street Plus Douve. The cemetery is located 500 metres along the Plus Douve on the right-hand side of the track.
Burials
It contains 202 Commonwealth burials of the First World War.
UK – 177
Australian – 12
New Zealand – 4
German – 1
KUG - 9
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