History
The liberation offensive is launched on 28 September 1918 and by mid-October the Belgian army has vacated the Yser flatlands. Courtrai is liberated. The Germans withdraw and civilians fear that their houses will be destroyed during this retreat in the last months of war.
On 19 October, the 1st Guides Regiment charges and the Belgians score some points, but on 23 October the German army manages to stop the allied advance at the Lys and its derivation canal. The troops are by then exhausted and a short break is required.
On 31 October a new attack on the German lines is launched, but with its 23-meter width the canal is a tough nut to crack and many Belgian soldiers are killed. A few days later the armistice is a fact and the war over, but this comes too late for the 52 dead buried in Maldegem.
In May 1940 the region is the victim of war a second time over, but now in the opposite direction; the canal is yet again the scene of heavy fighting. Maldegem lies in the line of fire; the Belgian army is severely beaten.
The fallen soldiers of 1940 are buried next to their brothers-in-arms of 1918. They remain eternal witnesses of the fighting in Maldegem.
Casualties
52 First World War (1 unidentified) – 14 Second World War
Description
The cemetery dates back to 1873 and has been extended several times. The honours court is situated in a rectangular plot with a central flagpole. The outer rows face inwards and the inner rows outwards. The graves of both wars are of the typical Belgian model and are maintained by the municipality of Maldegem.