- Attractions
- Monument
Pause for a moment of silence in one of the most beautiful military cemeteries in Belgium, 2 km from Mons, one of the most important sites in memorial tourism.
Set in a peaceful, quiet location, surrounded with fields and trees, the Saint-Symphorien cemetery is divided in 2 sections: German graves on one side, British ones on the other. This very moving place was given 2 stars in the Michelin guide. It is well kept and managed by the C.W.G.C. (Commonwealth War Graves Commission). It presents itself as a small hilly park where to take a gentle stroll.
Its history
Over 500 men, most killed during the battle of Mons (August 23-24, 1914) are buried here: 283 German soldiers and 229 British ones. Others died during the liberation of Mons in 1918. The cemetery also is know for its graves of the first and last British soldiers to have fallen during the first world war: John Parrr, killed at the age of 16 in August 1914 and George Edwin Ellison, shot on a reconnaissance mission an hours and a half before the Armistice.
The Saint-Symphorien cemetery is part of a memorial trail: ask the Tourist Office in Mons for a brochure or download it here.
Contact
Visites
Guide available/groups - EN - FR - NL
