COURCELETTE BRITISH CEMETERY

Courcelette

Somme

France

General Directions: Courcelette is a village some 10 kilometres north-east of the town of Albert, just off the D929 road to Bapaume. The Cemetery, signposted in the village, is approximately 1 kilometre west of the village on the south side of a track (suitable for cars) from the secondary road from Courcelette to Pozieres.

The commune and the village of Courcelette were the scene of very heavy fighting in September 1916. On the 15th, the village was included in the extreme left of the Allied attack and was taken by the 2nd Canadian Division supported by tanks, with the 4th and 6th Brigades storming the outer trenches and the sugar factory, and the 5th Brigade seizing the village. It was destroyed by German artillery after its capture and remained very close to the front line until the German retreat in the following spring. The cemetery was begun in November 1916 (as Mouquet Road or Sunken Road Cemetery), and used until March 1917. The original 74 burials are now parts of Plot I, Rows A to F. On 25 March 1918, Courcelette passed into German hands, but was retaken on 24 August. The cemetery was greatly enlarged after the Armistice when almost 2,000 graves were brought in, mostly those of men who died around Courcelette and Pozieres in 1916.

Casualty Details:  UK 673, Canada 783, Australia 513, New Zealand 1, Total Burials: 1970

Latest additions to the site  |  Belgian Cemetery Index  | French Cemetery Index 

Other Cemeteries and Memorials around the world  |  British Cemeteries and Memorials   |  1939-1945 Cemetery Index

Cemeteries with Victoria Cross burials  |  Cemeteries with "Shot at Dawn" burials  |  Regimental Badge Archive  |   Roll of Honour

Information on how to submit a photograph or image to the site  |  Book Reviews  |   About Us and our task  |  Links  

Contact Us  (We always reply)  |   Site Map   |   Miscellaneous articles