As in every war, during the operations to liberate the southern Netherlands there was soon need for somewhere to bury the dead. Mierlo seemed a good place as a few field graves had been found near a piece of undeveloped land on the Geldropseweg.

Later it would become apparent that the site was the property of the Philips family from Eindhoven. As the advance of the Allies progressed and more and more graves were needed, the area grew into a war cemetery. After the war, the land was donated by Philips to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the body that manages these cemeteries worldwide.

The cemetery is the last resting place of 665 soldiers from the United Kingdom, 5 from Australia, 4 from Canada and one Dutchman of the Royal Dutch Brigade Princess Irene. The identity of seven soldiers is unknown. In 1982 the English veteran Lewis Tombs was buried there, too. He had been the cemetery’s custodian for many years.