Den Nachtegael Wine Estate is located on the border of Zonnebeke and Langemark. Although the vineyard looks peaceful today, the military cemetery across the street recalls a darker past.
Dochy Farm New British Cemetery is named after a farm that stood on the site where the vineyard now lies. The farm was located at a crossroads of connecting roads and offered a wide view of the surrounding area. During World War I, German troops converted the strategic farmstead into a concrete stronghold. On 31 July 1917, the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele, Dochy Farm is one of the British army’s targets. Yet it takes until 26 September for troops of the 2/5th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment to take the bunker.
After the war, Dochy Farm transforms into a gathering place for isolated field graves. Eventually, the cemetery grows into the final resting place for 1,439 young soldiers. The identities of two-thirds are unknown.
