“Bandaghem” is a British-invented name. It was one of several given the locations in the area of Poperinghe and Proven in West Flanders, Belgium, and is in the style of local village names which often end “..inghem” (today they would be spelled at “…ingem”). They are humorous, for they applied to locations of military hospitals and included not only “Bandaghem”, but “Mendinghem” and “Dosinghem”.
During 1916, the construction of an additional railway line to support operations in the Ypres salient was commenced, and “Bandaghem” would be a development of this work. The railway would link the Channel ports through Bergues to Proven and then off via “Dozinghem” and “International Corner” to Elverdinghe and Boesinghe.
63rd Casualty Clearing Station also arrived by rail on 22 June 1917 and began to set up and construct its site. It began to admit sick patients on 7 July. 63rd CCS continued to work at Bandaghem until early April 1918 when it relocated to Arneke.
62nd Casualty Clearing Station also arrived by rail on 22 June 1917 and began to set up and construct its site alongside that to be occupied by 63rd CCS. It opened for admission of sick troops on 6 July. By 23 July it was admitting large numbers of “NYDN” [“Not yet diagnosed nervous”] cases. 62nd CCS continued to work at Bandaghem until late April 1918 when it relocated to Watten.
The CWGC says of Haringe (Bandaghem) Military Cemetery, “The cemetery site was chosen in July 1917 for the 62nd and 63rd Casualty Clearing Stations and burials from these and other hospitals (notably the 36th Casualty Clearing Station in 1918) continued until October 1918. The cemetery contains 772 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. There is a separate plot of 39 German war graves, but four plots (X, XI, XII and XIII) of French graves were removed to other burial grounds after the war. There are also five Second World War burials in the cemetery, three of which are unidentified.The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.”
The earliest British death recorded at the cemetery is that of Private 9788 Christopher Bowes of the 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers. His records show that he had been with the battalion when it landed at Cape Helles at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. The cause of his death on 30 July 1917 was an accident, when he was run over by a motor lorry. His battalion was on the march from Winnezele to Watou to Poperinge and ultimately on to Ypres, where the major offensive the Third Battle of Ypres was about to begin, at the time. Christopher lies in Plot I, row A, grave 1.