Ancre British Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel, Somme, France

ANCRE BRITISH CEMETERY

Beaumont-Hamel

Somme

France

GPS: 2.66683,50.06810

General Directions: Ancre British Cemetery is about 2 kilometres south of the village of Beaumont-Hamel, on the D50 between Albert and Achiet le Grand. Approaching down the hill from the direction of Thiepval, upon reaching the junction with the D50 just after the level crossing, you should turn right and the cemetery is on the left.

The village of Beaumont-Hamel was attacked on 1 July 1916 by the 29th Division, with the 4th on its left and the 36th (Ulster) on its right, but without success. On 3 September a further attack was delivered between Hamel and Beaumont-Hamel and on 13 and 14 November, the 51st (Highland), 63rd (Royal Naval), 39th and 19th (Western) Divisions finally succeeded in capturing Beaumont-Hamel, Beaucourt-sur-Ancre and St. Pierre-Divion. Following the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line in the spring of 1917, V Corps cleared this battlefield and created a number of cemeteries, of which Ancre British Cemetery (then called Ancre River No 1 British Cemetery, V Corps Cemetery No. 26) was one. The original burials were almost all of the 63rd and 36th Divisions, but after the Armistice the cemetery was greatly enlarged when many more graves from the same battlefields and from smaller burial grounds in the area were brought into it. The majority of those buried in the cemetery died on 1 July, 3 September or 13 November 1916.

Casualty Details: UK 2495, Canada 42, New Zealand 2, South Africa 1, Germany 1, Total Burials: 2541