The Kemmel Monument, located about 6 miles south of Ieper, Belgium, commemorates the service and sacrifice of American troops who fought in this area in late summer 1918 while attached to the British Army.  

As part of the American Battle Monuments Commission’s World War I commemorative program, the monument marks a specific phase of American operations on the Western Front and forms part of a broader landscape of remembrance across Europe. 

American National Guard divisions served under British command in Flanders 

The Kemmel Monument is associated with the service of the 27th and 30th Divisions, both National Guard units. The 27th Division was composed of men from New York, while the 30th Division included men from South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. 

Both divisions arrived in West Flanders in July 1918 and were positioned behind the front lines for training under the British Army. Their integration into British command reflected the Allied coordination that characterized American operations in this sector. 

They served with British forces during the Ypres-Lys offensive, beginning Aug. 19, 1918, until they were relieved between Sept. 3 and 4, 1918. 

Their operations in Flanders were followed by service in the Somme region 

The inscription on the Kemmel Monument commemorates American troops who fought in this vicinity between Aug. 18 and Sept. 4, 1918. After their service in Flanders, the 27th and 30th Divisions were reassigned to the Somme region of France, where they continued operations later in 1918.  

Some of the soldiers who served in 27th and 30th Divisions are buried at Somme American Cemetery, while others are buried or memorialized at Flanders Field American Cemetery. 

The Kemmel Monument is therefore connected to the broader service of these divisions across multiple areas of the Western Front. 

The monument is linked to individual stories such as that of Theodore Todd 

First Sgt. Theodore Todd of the 27th Division, was born in Bedford Park, New York, Feb. 5, 1889. He joined the New York National Guard Dec. 21, 1915, and got married May 30, 1917. 

In a letter dated Aug. 9, 1918, he wrote: “What you say about the unity of nations is no more clearly shown than the spirit exhibited among the soldiers I have met from all parts of the world. It is very gratifying to know that our people and nation in general are giving us their support as we are the human breakwater which harbors the peace of our homes.” 

On Aug. 22, 1918, Todd was killed in action while defending his post against an enemy raid in the vicinity of the Kemmel Monument. He is buried at Flanders Field American Cemetery in Plot B, Row1, Grave 21. 

The American Battle Monuments Commission sites are a constant reminder of Gen. John J. Pershing’s promise that, “time will not dim the glory of their deeds.”