Brunssum was liberated in September 1944 by U.S. forces; they were shortly afterwards followed by the British 43rd (Wessex) Division, who made their headquarters in the town, and in turn were succeeded by the 52nd (Lowland) Division. The first burials in the cemetery were made by an Advanced Dressing Station and a Casualty Clearing Station which were situated at Merkelbeek in November 1944 when the 43rd Division were engaged in clearing a triangle between the Rivers Roer and Maas. Later, other casualties were all brought back and buried in the same place; they included fifty men who were killed while clearing mines on the German border at the beginning of January 1945. Operations in the Geilenkirchen sector accounted for a great part of the casualties buried here. There are over 300 1939-1945 burials in this cemetery, they are made up entirely of soldiers of the British Army, of whom 1 remains unidentified.