Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing

After Ploegsteert Wood (referred to colloquially as "Plug Street") had been the site of fierce fighting at the start of the war, it became a relatively quiet sector where no major action took place. Allied units were sent here to recuperate and retrain after fighting elsewhere and before returning to active operations. Berks Cemetery Extension was founded by Commonwealth troops in June 1916 as an extension to Hyde Park Corner (Royal Berks) Cemetery which lies across the road. The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium in recognition of the sacrifices made by the British Empire in the defence and liberation of Belgium during the war. == Memorial to the Missing ==

The Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing is one of several CWGC Memorials to the Missing along the Western Front: those lost within the Ypres Salient are commemorated at the Menin Gate and Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, while the missing of New Zealand and Newfoundland are honoured on separate memorials. The Ploegsteert Memorial was designed by H Chalton Bradshaw, who also designed the Cambrai Memorial in France, apart from two large lions which were commissioned from the sculptor Gilbert Ledward. The Ploegsteert Memorial is in diameter and tall and was unveiled on 7 June 1931 by the then-Duke of Brabant, later King Leopold III of Belgium. The Ploegsteert Memorial lists over 11,000 missing Commonwealth soldiers from the following battles, which were fought outside the Ypres Salient in the area around Ploegsteert: • Sapper William Hackett VC • Private James MacKenzie VC • Captain Thomas Pryce VC =="The Last Post"==

Since 7 June 1999, the Comité du Memorial de Ploegsteert has arranged for the Last Post to be played at the memorial on the first Friday of each month. ==Gallery==

0 Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing - Hyde Park Corner - (9).jpg|The memorial in the Berks Cemetery Extension Ploegsteert-PM 50483.jpg|Colonnade of the memorial Laika ac Ploegsteert Memorial (6439742039).jpg|Colonnade of the memorial File:Ploegsteert Memorial DSC 0068.jpg|Names of the fallen Ploegsteert-PM 50488.jpg|View through the centre of the memorial Ploegsteert-PM 50492.jpg|View of the memorial from the Hyde Park Corner (Royal Berks) Cemetery across the road File:Ploegsteert Lion 1 3.7.2014.JPG|One of Gilbert Ledward's lions ==See also==