Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke

Polygon Wood(Dutch:Polygoonbos,French:Bois du Polygone) is a forest located betweenYpresandZonnebeke,West Flanders,Belgium.It was the scene for several battles during the First World War and there are at least two cemeteries of theCommonwealth War Graves Commissionin the immediate vicinity of the wood.

Polygon Wood Dutch:Polygoonbos
Location in Belgium
Geography
Location	West Flanders,Belgium
Coordinates	50°51′6″N2°59′11″E

History

Polygon Wood, near the village ofZonnebeke,was the location of a number of battles during the First World War, beginning in late 1914. It took its name from its shape on maps of the area.The wood had been held by the Germans since April 1915 but was captured by theAustralian 5th Divisionin theBattle of Polygon Wood,which took place in the period from September to October 1917.Abandoned during theGerman spring offensivein March–April 1918, the area was the scene of further fighting in September 1918 when it was seized by the9th (Scottish) Division.

TheCommonwealth War Graves Commissionmaintains two cemeteries in or next to Polygon Wood. The first is thePolygon Wood Cemetery,located on Lange Streve,which runs along the north-east side of Polygon Wood, while the second isButtes New British Cemetery,which is in the wood itself along with a memorial to theAustralian 5th Division,located on top of an old butte.

Gallery

• 
  A map of Polygon Wood showing the shape that gave the wood its name
• 
  Entrance to Polygon Wood Cemetery
• 
  Cross of Sacrifice in the Polygon Wood Cemetery
• 
  The battlefield at Polygon Wood, painted byGeorge Edmund Butlerin 1918

References

• McGibbon, Ian(2001).New Zealand Battlefields and Memorials of the Western Front.Auckland, New Zealand: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-558444-9.
• Scott, Michael (2002).The Ypres Salient: A Guide to the Cemeteries and Memorials of the Salient.Uckfield, United Kingdom: Naval & Military Press.ISBN1-84342-346-4.

External links

• Polygon Wood
• YouTube video of Polygon Wood