A couple of updated older posts for you, as promised, both little-visited cemeteries, because both are somewhat off the beaten track.
The first is Maple Leaf Cemetery (previous picture), a couple of miles south west of Ploegsteert Wood and right on the border – should you ever visit, your car will most probably be parked in France, while you’re in Belgium as you wander the cemetery. The second (above) is the one Ploegsteert cemetery that can often be missed out on tours of the wood, because it is a thousand yards down a side road, and you need to make the effort to visit it. Click here to take a look at Maple Leaf, and here for Underhill Farm Cemetery.
Many thanks for the update MF, read with interest ! We did what I thought was a pretty comprehensive walk around all the Ploegsteert cemeteries last summer (and right around the Wood itself) but managed to miss these two ! Particularly galling in the case of Underhill as we must have walked over half the distance from Hyde Park Corner to Red Lodge before we veered off up to the crest of Hill 68 and then back towards Prowse Point and our awaiting car.
In my defence it was the end of a very long, hot (but fascinating) day but a shame nonetheless. Two locations to put on our “next visit” list which we will hopefully manage one day.
Excellent. Glad they were appreciated. And you can’t always fit everything in – I mean, one of the very very few Flanders cemeteries I have yet to visit is easy walking distance from Ieper, but I still have never yet found the time. And have you ever visited the cemeteries – there are six – between the south of Ploegsteert Wood and the French border, not much more than a mile further south?
No not visited those six, nor around Mount Kemmel, nor a few others closer to Ypres as well. Had planned to visit the Fromelles/Aubers Ridge area last year too but ran out of time yet again.
Have now visited quite a lot of the Somme Cemeteries and locations but by no means all and have scratched the surface a little at Arras (the amazing tunnels) and Vimy but still much more to visit at both. Never managed to visit Loos at all so far unfortunately.
I would probably go back every year given the chance but Mrs T would object I fear ! (she is interested in it all just not to my levels of fascination !)
I suspect you have visited many more Somme cemeteries than me – other than that, I know Arras quite well now – you’ll have seen the tunnel post, I presume – but have only driven past Vimy, same as you with Loos, but really it is Flanders, both Belgian & French, where I know my way around the best (better than Baldrick, who lives there).