# List of Commonwealth War Graves Commission World War I memorials to the missing in Belgium and France

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) aims to commemorate the UK and Commonwealth dead of the World Wars, either by maintaining a war grave in a cemetery, or where there is no known grave, by listing the dead on a memorial to the missing. This is a listing of those memorials maintained solely or jointly by the CWGC that commemorate by name the British and Commonwealth dead from the Western Front during World War I whose bodies were not recovered, or whose remains could not be identified. In addition to those listed here, there are numerous CWGC memorials to the missing from other battlefields around the world during the war, which are not listed here, most notably the memorials at Gallipoli, and the memorials to those lost at sea and in the air. There are also memorials to the missing from other combatant nations on the Western Front, especially those of Germany and France, but only the CWGC-maintained memorials are listed here.
Although listing the names of dead soldiers on memorials had started with the Boer Wars, this practice was only systematically adopted after World War I, with the establishment of the Imperial War Graves Commission, which was later renamed the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Due to the rapid movement of forces in the early stages of the war, many of the casualties of the initial World War I battles had no known grave, and were instead commemorated after the war on 'memorials to the missing'. In later battles, the intensity of the fighting sometimes meant that bodies could not be recovered or identified until much later. The highest number of casualties occurred on the Western Front in France and Belgium. In total, over 20 separate CWGC or national memorials to the missing of the Western Front were designed and built. They were commissioned and unveiled over a period of around 15 years from the early 1920s to 1938, when the last of the planned memorials was unveiled. The numbers listed on the memorials reduces over time as remains are discovered, identified, and buried in a war grave, with the name removed from the memorial where it was listed, but over 300,000 war dead are still commemorated by these memorials to the missing.

## List of memorials

Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) World War I memorials in Belgium and France :
| Article and reference | Country | Location | Co-ordinates | Number listed | Description of those listed | Dates covered | Major battles | Date unveiled | Memorial designer | Memorial unveiled by |
| Thiepval Memorial CWGC | France | Thiepval | 50°03′03.58″N 02°41′07.51″E﻿ / ﻿50.0509944°N 2.6854194°E﻿ / 50.0509944; 2.6854194﻿ (Thiepval Memorial) | 72,194 | United Kingdom and South Africa | July 1916 to March 1918 | Somme Offensive | 1 August 1932 | Edwin Lutyens | Edward, Prince of Wales |
| Menin Gate Memorial CWGC | Belgium | Ypres | 50°51′07.27″N 02°53′27.80″E﻿ / ﻿50.8520194°N 2.8910556°E﻿ / 50.8520194; 2.8910556﻿ (Menin Gate Memorial) | 54,382 | Commonwealth nations, except New Zealand | October 1914 to 16 August 1917 | Ypres Salient | 24 July 1927 | Reginald Blomfield | Lord Plumer |
| Tyne Cot Memorial CWGC | Belgium | Ypres | 50°53′14.23″N 02°59′59.28″E﻿ / ﻿50.8872861°N 2.9998000°E﻿ / 50.8872861; 2.9998000﻿ (Tyne Cot Memorial) | 34,916 | Commonwealth nations | 16 August 1917 to September 1918 | Ypres Salient | 20 June 1927 | Herbert Baker | Sir Gilbert Dyett |
| Arras Memorial CWGC | France | Arras | 50°17′14.58″N 02°45′35.32″E﻿ / ﻿50.2873833°N 2.7598111°E﻿ / 50.2873833; 2.7598111﻿ (Arras Memorial) | 34,785 | United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand | Spring of 1916 to 7 August 1918 | Battle of Arras | 31 July 1932 | Edwin Lutyens | Lord Trenchard |
| Loos Memorial CWGC | France | Loos-en-Gohelle | 50°27′37.98″N 02°46′17.05″E﻿ / ﻿50.4605500°N 2.7714028°E﻿ / 50.4605500; 2.7714028﻿ (Loos Memorial) | 20,610 | Commonwealth nations except India and Canada | 25 September 1915 to 11 November 1918 | casualties in the area during and after the Battle of Loos | 4 August 1930 | Herbert Baker | Sir Nevil Macready |
| Pozières Memorial CWGC | France | Pozières | 50°02′02.61″N 02°42′54.65″E﻿ / ﻿50.0340583°N 2.7151806°E﻿ / 50.0340583; 2.7151806﻿ (Pozières Memorial) | 14,692 | United Kingdom and South Africa | 21 March 1918 to 7 August 1918 | German spring offensive | 4 August 1930 | William Harrison Cowlishaw | Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien |
| Le Touret Memorial CWGC | France | Richebourg-l'Avoué | 50°33′36.16″N 02°43′22.01″E﻿ / ﻿50.5600444°N 2.7227806°E﻿ / 50.5600444; 2.7227806﻿ (Le Touret Memorial) | 13,389 | Commonwealth nations except India and Canada | 1914 to 25 September 1915 | casualties in the area prior to the Battle of Loos | 22 March 1930 | John Reginald Truelove | Lord Tyrrell |
| Ploegsteert Memorial CWGC | Belgium | Messines | 50°44′16.41″N 02°52′56.35″E﻿ / ﻿50.7378917°N 2.8823194°E﻿ / 50.7378917; 2.8823194﻿ (Ploegsteert Memorial) | 11,389 | United Kingdom and South Africa | October 1914 to September 1918 | casualties in and around the Ypres Salient, not major offensives | 7 June 1931 | Harold Chalton Bradshaw | Leopold, Prince of Belgium |
| Vimy Memorial CWGC | France | Vimy | 50°22′47.15″N 02°46′27.55″E﻿ / ﻿50.3797639°N 2.7743194°E﻿ / 50.3797639; 2.7743194﻿ (Vimy Memorial) | 11,169 | Canada | entire war, especially April 1917 | several battles, especially the Battle of Vimy Ridge | 26 July 1936 | Walter Seymour Allward | Edward VIII |
| Villers-Bretonneux Memorial CWGC | France | Villers-Bretonneux | 49°53′12.76″N 02°30′45.97″E﻿ / ﻿49.8868778°N 2.5127694°E﻿ / 49.8868778; 2.5127694﻿ (Villers-Bretonneux Memorial) | 10,773 | Australia | entire war, especially April 1918 | several battles, especially the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux | 22 July 1938 | Edwin Lutyens | King George VI |
| Vis-en-Artois Memorial CWGC | France | Vis-en-Artois | 50°14′46.56″N 02°57′00.47″E﻿ / ﻿50.2462667°N 2.9501306°E﻿ / 50.2462667; 2.9501306﻿ (Vis-en-Artois Memorial) | 9,843 | United Kingdom and South Africa | 8 August 1918 to 11 November 1918 | Advance to Victory | 4 August 1930 | John Reginald Truelove | Rt. Hon. Thomas Shaw |
| Cambrai Memorial CWGC | France | Cambrai | 50°08′13.12″N 03°00′55.04″E﻿ / ﻿50.1369778°N 3.0152889°E﻿ / 50.1369778; 3.0152889﻿ (Cambrai Memorial) | 7,056 | United Kingdom and South Africa | November and December 1917 | Battle of Cambrai | 4 August 1930 | Harold Chalton Bradshaw | Lieutenant-General Sir Louis Vaughan |
| Neuve-Chapelle Memorial CWGC | France | Neuve-Chapelle | 50°34′31.31″N 02°46′29.21″E﻿ / ﻿50.5753639°N 2.7747806°E﻿ / 50.5753639; 2.7747806﻿ (Neuve-Chapelle Memorial) | 4,742 | India | entire war | several battles | 7 October 1927 | Herbert Baker | Earl of Birkenhead |
| Soissons Memorial CWGC | France | Soissons | 49°22′52.32″N 03°19′44.18″E﻿ / ﻿49.3812000°N 3.3289389°E﻿ / 49.3812000; 3.3289389﻿ (Soissons Memorial) | 3,887 | United Kingdom | May 1918 to August 1918 | Third Battle of the Aisne and Second Battle of the Marne | 22 July 1928 | Gordon H. Holt and Verner Owen Rees | Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon |
| La Ferté-sous-Jouarre memorial CWGC | France | La Ferté-sous-Jouarre | 48°56′37.43″N 03°07′26.72″E﻿ / ﻿48.9437306°N 3.1240889°E﻿ / 48.9437306; 3.1240889﻿ (La Ferté-sous-Jouarre memorial) | 3,743 | United Kingdom | August 1914 to October 1914 | Battle of Mons, First Battle of the Marne and the aftermaths | 4 November 1928 | George Hartley Goldsmith | Sir William Pulteney Pulteney |
| Fromelles Memorial CWGC | France | Fromelles | 50°37′10.50″N 02°50′01.32″E﻿ / ﻿50.6195833°N 2.8337000°E﻿ / 50.6195833; 2.8337000﻿ (Fromelles Memorial) | 1,296 | Australia | July 1916 | Battle of Fromelles | not specified | Herbert Baker | not specified |
| Longueval Memorial CWGC | France | Longueval | 50°01′32.44″N 02°47′29.98″E﻿ / ﻿50.0256778°N 2.7916611°E﻿ / 50.0256778; 2.7916611﻿ (Longueval Memorial) | 1,205 | New Zealand | July 1916 to November 1916 | Battle of the Somme | not specified | Herbert Baker | not specified |
| Arras Flying Services Memorial CWGC | France | Arras | 50°17′14.58″N 02°45′35.32″E﻿ / ﻿50.2873833°N 2.7598111°E﻿ / 50.2873833; 2.7598111﻿ (Arras Flying Services Memorial) | 991 | Airmen of the RNAS, the RFC, and the RAF | entire war | aerial missions | 31 July 1932 | Edwin Lutyens | Lord Trenchard |
| Messines Ridge Memorial CWGC | Belgium | Messines | 50°45′54.31″N 02°53′26.59″E﻿ / ﻿50.7650861°N 2.8907194°E﻿ / 50.7650861; 2.8907194﻿ (Messines Ridge Memorial) | 827 | New Zealand | 1917 and 1918 | Battle of Messines | not specified | Charles Holden | not specified |
| Beaumont-Hamel Memorial CWGC | France | Beaumont-Hamel | 50°04′26.00″N 02°38′53.75″E﻿ / ﻿50.0738889°N 2.6482639°E﻿ / 50.0738889; 2.6482639﻿ (Beaumont-Hamel Memorial) | 814 | Dominion of Newfoundland | entire war, especially 1 July 1916 | entire war, especially Battle of the Somme | 7 June 1925 | Basil Gotto | Earl Haig |
| Nieuport Memorial CWGC | Belgium | Nieuport | 51°08′13.64″N 02°45′20.20″E﻿ / ﻿51.1371222°N 2.7556111°E﻿ / 51.1371222; 2.7556111﻿ (Nieuport Memorial) | 547 | United Kingdom | 1914 and July 1917 | Siege of Antwerp and gas attacks at Nieuport | 1 July 1928 | William Bryce Binnie | Sir George Macdonogh |
| Grevillers Memorial CWGC | France | Grévillers | 50°06′32.75″N 02°49′10.69″E﻿ / ﻿50.1090972°N 2.8196361°E﻿ / 50.1090972; 2.8196361﻿ (Grevillers Memorial) | 446 | New Zealand | 21 March 1918 to 11 November 1918 | German spring offensive and the Advance to Victory | not specified | Edwin Lutyens | not specified |
| Polygon Wood Memorial CWGC | Belgium | Zonnebeke | 50°51′20.16″N 02°59′29.07″E﻿ / ﻿50.8556000°N 2.9914083°E﻿ / 50.8556000; 2.9914083﻿ (Polygon Wood Memorial) | 378 | New Zealand | September 1917 to May 1918 | trench deaths in the Ypres Salient and the Battle of Polygon Wood | not specified | Charles Holden | not specified |
| Cite Bonjean Memorial CWGC | France | Armentières | 50°41′09.71″N 02°51′48.46″E﻿ / ﻿50.6860306°N 2.8634611°E﻿ / 50.6860306; 2.8634611﻿ (Cite Bonjean Memorial) | 47 | New Zealand | mostly 1918 | battles around Armentières, including the German spring offensive | not specified | Herbert Baker | not specified |
| Noyelles-sur-Mer Memorial CWGC | France | Noyelles-sur-Mer | 50°11′11.04″N 01°43′21.51″E﻿ / ﻿50.1864000°N 1.7226417°E﻿ / 50.1864000; 1.7226417﻿ (Noyelles-sur-Mer Memorial) | 41 | Chinese Labour Corps | 1917 and 1918 | Labour support behind the frontline | not specified | Edwin Lutyens | not specified |
| Marfaux Memorial CWGC | France | Marfaux | 49°09′52.70″N 03°54′13.00″E﻿ / ﻿49.1646389°N 3.9036111°E﻿ / 49.1646389; 3.9036111﻿ (Marfaux Memorial) | 10 | New Zealand Cyclist Battalion | July 1918 | town lost and retaken during the German spring offensive | not specified | N/A | not specified |
| Zeebrugge Memorial CWGC | Belgium | Zeebrugge | 51°19′56.09″N 03°12′26.57″E﻿ / ﻿51.3322472°N 3.2073806°E﻿ / 51.3322472; 3.2073806﻿ (Zeebrugge Memorial) | 4 | three officers and one mechanic of the Royal Navy | 23 April 1918 | Zeebrugge Raid | not specified | N/A | not specified |
| Delville Wood Memorial CWGC | France | Longueval | 50°01′30.50″N 02°48′45.36″E﻿ / ﻿50.0251389°N 2.8126000°E﻿ / 50.0251389; 2.8126000﻿ (Delville Wood Memorial) | none | South Africa | entire war | Battle of Delville Wood | 10 October 1926 | Herbert Baker | widow of Louis Botha |
The total number of names inscribed on the memorials listed here, according to the CWGC figures given above, is 314,176.

## National memorials

Some memorials were organised by nation, rather than by battlefield. United Kingdom and South African forces are named on the memorials designated for the areas where they fell. The South African national memorial at Delville Wood has no names inscribed on it, as the names are listed on the battlefield memorials instead. The other Commonwealth nations have national memorials dedicated to their missing who fell on the Western Front: the Neuve-Chapelle Memorial to the forces of India; the Vimy Memorial to the forces of Canada and the Beaumont-Hamel Memorial to the forces of Newfoundland; the Villers-Brettonneux Memorial to the forces of Australia; and the Messines Ridge Memorial to the forces of New Zealand (the latter is one of seven memorials on the Western Front dedicated to New Zealanders). The missing war dead of Ireland, at the time of the war still part of the United Kingdom, are numbered among the UK forces (as were English, Scottish and Welsh troops) and listed with them on the memorials. The main memorials to the Irish war dead, one in France and one in Belgium, are the Ulster Tower and the Island of Ireland Peace Park, unveiled in 1921 and 1998 respectively.
* Delville Wood Memorial (South Africa)
* Vimy Memorial (Canada)
* Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australia)
* Neuve-Chapelle Memorial (India)
* Beaumont-Hamel Memorial (Newfoundland)
* Messines Ridge Memorial (New Zealand)