British Cemeteries of the First World War

An overview of a medium-sized cemetery in the town of Ypres. Notice the cross in the middle, as well as the upright headstones (compare with Langemarck), and the flowers. The basic British model for their cemeteries was the English country garden. What does this choice indicate about their views of nature?

Most British cemeteries had a similar structure in them, the so-called "Stone of Remembrance," designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and inscribed with a passage from the book of Ecclesiasticus selected by Rudyard Kipling: "Their name liveth for ever more." Compare this with the boulders which were placed in the German Heldenhaine (heroes' groves - no pictures, unfortunately): they seem to have many of the same connotations of national solidity and weight, but in very different (artificial vs. natural) shapes.

This is the so-called "Cross of Sacrifice," placed in all British cemeteries. It was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, who also designed the Menin Gate. It combines religious symbolism (the cross) with medieval chivalric symbolism (the sword). Why were these two vocabularies so important?

Blomfield wrote about the Cross:

'What I wanted to do in designing this Cross was to make it as abstract and impersonal as I could, to free it from any association with any particular style, and, above all, to keep clear of any of the sentimentalities of Gothic. This was a man's war far too terrible for any fripperies, and I hope to get within range of the infinite in this symbol of the ideals of those who had gone out to die. The bronze sword is there to identify it with war--and also there kept ringing in my head that text, "I came not to bring peace but a sword."'

Gravestones. They were uniform (a very controversial decision), except for a small inscription chosen by the next of kin. Repatriations of corpses were not allowed (another controversial decision); those soldiers who fell in Belgium remained there, their body belonging to the state even after death.

Again, observe the flowers. How do flowers (British) contrast with trees (German)?