Essex Farm Cemetery, Ieper (Ypres)

Small, but well worth the visit. Moving. It is easy to miss if you drive too quickly and aren't looking. This is where the famous poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae was written in May 1915. It is beautifully maintained. It is revealing to see the medical bunkers, and this really delivers a sense of the conditions. There are/were many more graves than are currently marked and the wooden crosses in the poem have been replaced with tombstones. Of the ~1,000 Canadians originally buried, only seven tombstones remain for example. The grave of McRae's friend that moved him to write the poem is not among the seven.

Came here as part of a private tour to learn about WWI, and to stand in the site where John McCrae wrote "In Flanders Fields" is awe inspiring. The most amazing part was in the field behind us wild poppies were growing, sitting beneath the memorial cross. Brings a tear to your eyes. HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend spending some time here to remember those who came before and fought.