Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing: A Testament to WWI Sacrifice

The Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) memorial in Belgium, honoring soldiers of the British Empire who fought on the northern Western Front during World War I, outside the Ypres Salient. It commemorates over 11,000 servicemen of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in this sector and have no known grave. The memorial serves the area from Caestre-Dranoutre-Warneton in the north to Haverskerque-Estaires-Fournes in the south, encompassing towns like Hazebrouck, Merville, Bailleul, and Armentières.The memorial stands in the Berks Cemetery Extension, which was begun in June 1916 and used continuously until September 1917. The cemetery and memorial were designed by Harold Chalton Bradshaw, with sculpture by Gilbert Ledward, and unveiled on June 7, 1931. The names of the missing are inscribed on panels that line the interior of the memorial. Two large stone lions flank the structure, symbolizing the Allied effort and sacrifice.Most of those commemorated at Ploegsteert did not die in major offensives but rather in the course of daily trench warfare. The location was a relatively quiet sector of the Western Front, where Allied units were sent to recuperate and retrain. The sounding of the Last Post takes place at the memorial on the first Friday of every month at 7 p.m., drawing visitors who wish to pay their respects.