This cemetery is one of the two French military cemeteries in the Westhoek. It is also the largest French military cemetery in Flanders. The cemetery was not inaugurated until after the First World War. Most of the war dead buried here died during the significant French presence between October 1914 and April 1915.
It was inaugurated on 20 October 1922. It is estimated that 4,171 French soldiers are buried here:
Burials:
- 3.547 dead with a headstone
- 609 dead in an 'Ossuaire'
- 15 recent graves
The site has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in September 2023.