The "Polygone de Zonnebeke", or Polygoneveld, is a large wood 1.6 kilometres South of the village, belonging to the State; it was completely devastated in the First World War. The wood was cleared by British troops at the end of October, 1914, given up on the 3rd May, 1915, taken at the end of September, 1917 by Australian troops, evacuated in the Battles of the Lys, and finally retaken by the 9th (Scottish) Division on the 28th September, 1918. On the Butte itself is the Battle Memorial of the 5th Australian Division, who captured it on the 26th September, 1917.
There are now over 100, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, nearly 20 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to three New Zealand soldiers known to be buried here. The cemetery covers an area of 1,780 square metres and is enclosed by a rubble wall.
Burials (Commonwealth War Graves Commission):
- United Kingdom: 32
- New Zealand: 60
- Entirely Unidentified: 11
- Total Commonwealth: 103
- Other Nationalities: 1