Historical Information (Source: CWGC)

The British Expeditionary Force was involved in the later stages of the defence of Belgium following the German invasion in May 1940, and suffered many casualties in covering the withdrawal to Dunkirk. Commonwealth forces did not return until September 1944, but in the intervening years, many airmen were shot down or crashed in raids on strategic objectives in Belgium, or while returning from missions over Germany.
 

Mechelen Communal Cemetery contains many Belgian war graves from World War II, mainly victims of Allied bombardments and V1-attacks. In total, 342 residents were killed by Allied bombardments. There are also a number of Belgian war graves from World War I. There are a total of 422 War Graves from the First and the Second World War.