Details

ST. SYMPHORIEN is a village and commune in the Province of Hainaut, 5 kilometres South East of Mons on the main road to Charleroi. The Military Cemetery is 1 kilometre South of the village, in the neighbouring commune of Spiennes, in the South West corner of the intersection of two sunken roads.

The cemetery was made by the Germans after the Battle of Mons. The site was an existing but artificial mound, on the highest point of which a grey granite obelisk, 7 metres high, was erected, with a German inscription "In memory of the German and English soldiers who fell in the actions near Mons on the 23rd and 24th August, 1914". They originally buried here 245 German and 188 British soldiers; and twenty seven British graves were brought in after the Armistice. Subsequently additional British, Canadian and German graves were moved here from other burial grounds.

The cemetery now contains the graves of 229 soldiers from the United Kingdom, of whom 65 are unidentified. The majority belonged to the 3rd Division. Special Memorials are erected to five soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment, believed to be buried in unnamed graves; and other special memorials record the names of four British soldiers, buried by the enemy in Obourg Churchyard, whose graves could not be found. Forty four graves, identified collectively but not individually, are marked by headstones superscribed "Buried near this spot".

This cemetery is said to contain the graves of the first (Pte. J. Parr, Middlesex Regt., 21 st August, 1914) and the last soldier (Pte. G. L. Price, Canadian Infantry, 11th November, 1918) to be killed during the 1914 18 War. Such statements cannot, however, be confirmed.

A tablet in the cemetery sets out the gift of the land by Jean Houzeau de Lehaie,

The Register records particulars of 164 War Graves, existing or commemorated in the cemetery.

The other burial grounds now represented in this cemetery are GEMBLOUX COMMUNAL CEMETERY (where 22 British soldiers were buried in 1918 1919), HAVRE OLD COMMUNAL CEMETERY, NOIRCHAIN CHURCHYARD, OBOURG CHURCHYARD, SPIENNES COMMUNAL CEMETERY, ST. SYMPHORIEN CHURCHYARD, ST SYMPHORIEN COMMUNAL CEMETERY, WASMES EN BORINAGE COMMUNAL CEMETERY.

Number of burials by Unit

Middlesex Regt	85		Royal Irish Regt	29
Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt)	10		Gordon Highlanders	5
Royal Engineers	4		West Yorkshire Regt	3
Canadian Units	2		Coldstream Guards	2
Lancashire Fusiliers	2		Lincolnshire Regt	2
Manchester Regt	2		Royal Field Artillery	2
Royal Scots (Lothian Regt)	2		Royal West Kent Regt	2
Worcestershire Regt	2		5th (Royal Irish) Lancers	1
Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)	1		Essex Regt	1
Leicestershire Regt	1		Queens (Royal West Surrey Regt)	1
Royal Irish Rifles	1		Royal Marine Light Inf	1
Royal Warwickshire Regt	1		South Staffordshire Regt	1
Wiltshire Regt	1
Identified Burials	164
Unidentified Burials	65

Awards buried in this cemetery

BRENNAN, Pte. J., 3565, M.M. 2nd Bn. Royal Irish Regt . 6th Nov., 1918. I. B. 20

DEASE, Lt. Maurice James, V.C. 4th Bn. Royal Fusiliers. 23rd Aug., 1914. Age 24. Son of Edmund F. and Katherine M. Dease, of Levington, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. An extract from " The London Gazette," dated 16th Nov., 1914. records the following. " Though two or three times badly wounded he continued to control the fire of his machine guns at Mons on 23rd Aug., until all his men were shot. He died of his wounds. V. B. 2.

ROY, Capt. Kenneth James. 4th Bn. Middlesex Regt. Mentioned in Despatches. Killed in action at Obourg Canal 23rd Aug., 1914. Age 37. Son of James and Mary Roy, of Appleton Vicarage, Yorks. V. A. 1.

SMITH, Capt. G. H., M.C. 1st Bn. Coldstream Guards. 22nd Oct., 1918. Age 21. Son of Francis Hubert and Ethel Rose Smith, of Bank of England, Plymouth. Born at Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. 1. B. 3.

Also buried in this cemetery


ELLISON, Pte George Edwin, L/12643, 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers. 11th November, 1918. Husband of Hannah Maria Ellison of 49 Edmund Street, Bank, Leeds. Believed to be the last battle casualty of the war. I. B. 23.


















PARR, Pte John. L/14196. 4th Bn Middlesex Regt. Died 21st August, 1914. Age 20. Son of Edward Thomas and Alice Rosina Parr of 52 Lodge Lane, North Finchley. Believed to be the first British battle casualty of the war. I. A. 10.

PRICE, Pte George Lawrence, 256265, 28th Bn., Canadian Infantry (Saskatchewan Regt.), 11 November 1918 . Age 25 .Son of James E. and Annie R Price of Port Williams, Kings Co., Nova Scotia. Believed to be the last Canadian battle casualty of the war (originally buried in Havre Old Communal Cemetery).V. C. 4.