Tyne Cot Cemetery is a major commemorative site located in Belgium, and it was built in remembrance of the Commonwealth servicemen who lost their lives during World War I, particularly the Third Battle of Ypres or Passchendaele. The paper shall highlight how Tyne Cot Cemetery was named, how it got to name, and its importance to those who fought honourably in one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
The Historical Context of Tyne Cot Cemetery
The Third of Ypres
The battle took place on July 31, 1917, and it eventually ended on November 10, 1917. It was actually among the most dreadful battles of World War I where the number of casualties on each side was over a half a million. The battle was very infamous in terms of its wicked conditions, through which mud, rain, and incessant warfare prevailed. The Tyne Cot cemetery stood on top of a once bloody battle site, yet today it can be referred to as a serene place of rest where many died during battles almost 100 years ago.
The Significance of the Site
Almost 12,000 Commonwealth servicemen killed during the battle are buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery. Of these, 11,961 are either buried or commemorated at the cemetery, with 8373 of them remaining as permanently unidentified. And these unknown graves have as a touching epitaph, “A SOLDIER OF THE GREAT WAR KNOWN UNTO GOD.” The cemetery acts as the striking clock of the sacrifice being involved in the war and personal tragedies that various families of the soldiers went through.
Tyne Cot Name Origins The name Tyne Cot was given to commemorate one of the greatest contributors to the war effort and was mainly the work of two men- H.H. Nichol, Esquire, (Hull, Pudsey) and Donald Banks, Esquire (Easington, Chester Le Street). Tyne Cot was a very interesting man who, despite his affliction, led a very useful life and was the first to sign the Mark of the Trial during the Bristol trials. Shortly before leaving Nottingham, where he lived, and moved to Tyne c.
The Origin of the Name “Tyne Cot”
Connection to Northumberland
The Tyne Cot naming finds its roots in the fact that the German pillboxes, on which they used to take defensive positions in the battle, looked like the common cottages that could be located in Northumberland, England. It was an area where soldiers of the Northumberland Fusiliers fought, and they saw this resemblance, and the pillboxes got named Tyne Cots by these soldiers. This feeling of belonging to the land they have been raised in gives us the reason why the cemetery is called Tyne Cot Cemetery.
The Pillboxes
It brings to mind the image of the fierce battlefield that existed in the area, and indeed, still evident are the German pillboxes in the cemetery. The fact that the buildings are still standing adds much value in giving a historicity value to the area. The place is called Tyne Cot, which is a reference to the memory of home as well as the grimness of war.
Tyne Cot Memorial
Commemorating the Fallen
The northeastern border of the cemetery is a Tyne Cot Memorial which commemorates more than 35,000 servicemen of the United Kingdom and New Zealand who died in the Ypres Salient since the 6th day of August in 1917. This memorial demonstrates the sacrifices that the soldiers made and acts as a reflection point for the tourists who go there.
Personal Stories
On the memorial may be found the name of Lieutenant Colonel Harry Moorhouse and the name of his son, Captain Ronald Moorhouse, both of the 4th Battalion, the King ‘s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. Sadly, they were both killed an hour apart during the fight, as Harry tried to get medical assistance for his little son, who was fatally injured. Their bodies have never been found, and their names will be kept alive at Tyne Cot, the manifestation of the personal tragedies that happened during the war.
Tyne Cot Cemetery is one of the most dramatic symbols of the sacrifice World War I took place during, and the Battle of Ypres, in particular, the terrible Third Battle of Ypres. The name of the cemetery shows the compromise with the homeland of the soldiers and the influence of the historical heritage of this location. Since almost 12000 Commonwealth servicemen have been buried here, Tyne Cot is not only a cemetery but also a monument to the roles men have played in one of the bloodiest battles in the war. In Tyne Cot Cemetery, visitors are given the chance to appreciate those soldiers who died in the Great War and making it unforgettable and leading to its popularity.
