Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun, Pas de Calais, France

DUISANS BRITISH CEMETERY

Etrun

Pas de Calais

France

General Directions: Duisans and Etrun are villages in the Department of the Pas-de-Calais, about 9 kilometres west of Arras. The Cemetery lies in Etrun but takes its name from the nearer village of Duisans. It is one kilometre north of Duisans on the D339 road off the Route nationale N39 (Arras-St Pol), in the angle of the Arras Habarcq road and a track leading to Haute-Avesnes.

The area around Duisans was occupied by Commonwealth forces from March 1916, but it was not until February 1917 that the site of this cemetery was selected for the 8th Casualty Clearing Station. The first burials took place in March and from the beginning of April the cemetery grew very quickly, with burials being made from the 8th Casualty Clearing Station (until April 1918), the 19th (until March 1918), and the 41st (until July 1917). Most of the graves relate to the Battles of Arras in 1917, and the trench warfare that followed. From May to August 1918, the cemetery was used by divisions and smaller fighting units for burials from the front line. In the Autumn of 1918 the 23rd, 1st Canadian and 4th Canadian Clearing Stations remained at Duisans for two months, and the 7th was there from November 1918 to November 1920.

Shot at Dawn: 5. G. 46, Corporal J. Reid, 6th Bn. Cameronians was executed for desertion on 11/5/1918.

Casualty Details: UK 2865, Canada 320, Australia 7, New Zealand 7, South Africa 5, India 3, Germany 83, Total Burials: 3207