Tyne Cot

Tyne Cot Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) cemetery in the world, located near Passendale in Belgium. It commemorates the soldiers of the British Empire who died in the Ypres Salient during World War I. The name "Tyne Cot" is believed to have originated from Northumberland Fusiliers who thought the numerous German concrete pillboxes scattered around the area resembled Tyneside cottages.

The cemetery is situated on the site of a fortified German pillbox captured by the 3rd Australian Division in October 1917 during the Battle of Passchendaele. Following the capture, it was used as an Advanced Dressing Station. The cemetery gradually expanded after the battle, and after the Armistice, it was significantly enlarged to concentrate graves from the surrounding battlefields and smaller cemeteries.

Tyne Cot holds the remains of 11,961 servicemen, of whom 8,373 are unidentified. The names of 34,957 soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient after 16 August 1917 and have no known grave are inscribed on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, which forms the rear wall of the cemetery. This memorial is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders.

The site also includes the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, designed by Sir Herbert Baker, and a visitor centre. The cemetery and memorial serve as a poignant reminder of the immense loss of life during the First World War and are a site of pilgrimage for many.