Maple Copse
Located 5km South East of Ieper town, near the village of Zillebeke, the cemetery
contains 308 commemorations and burials.
12 headstones are specific to men of the 4th CMR, between the dates of March 23rd and May 12th,
1916.
In the Battle for Mount Sorrel on 2nd June,
1916, Maple Copse was held by the 5th CMR as a reserve line. At the height of the action on
June 2nd, Maple Copse became a ravaged front line, as remnants of the 4th & 1st CMRs fell back.
Regrouping with the 5th CMR they stemmed the tide of attacking Wüttemberg troops and stalled the
advance. Over the following 13 days, Canadian and British forces pushed the German troops back
to more or less their start point of June 2nd.
Today, Maple Copse is a peaceful, little visited cemetery, but strategically placed as it was
in the midst of the action through much of the War, it is well worth a visit.
This image was taken by Ian Forsdike, November 11th, 2004