ETRETAT CHURCHYARD AND EXTENSION

 Etretat

Seine-Maritime

France

 

 

General Directions: Etretat is a small seaside town about 26 kilometres north of Le Havre. The churchyard is on the D.940 from Fecamp.

In December 1914, No.1 General Hospital was established in Etretat and it remained there until December 1918. In July 1917, it was taken over by No.2 (Presbyterian USA) Base Hospital Unit, but it continued to operate as a British hospital.

The first seven burials took place among the French civil graves but in February 1915, two plots were set aside for Commonwealth burials in the churchyard. These were filled by December 1916 and from then until December 1918, the extension was used.

ETRETAT CHURCHYARD contains 264 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and one German grave.

ETRETAT CHURCHYARD EXTENSION contains 282 First World War burials and four from the Second World War. There are also 12 German graves in the extension.

The extension was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield

Victoria Cross: 72132 Sergeant Leo Clarke, VC, 2nd Bn, Canadian Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment). 19/10/1916, aged 24. Plot II. C. 3A. (Churchyard) Son of Henry Trevelyan Clarke and Rossetta Caroline Nona Clarke, of 785, Pine St., Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Citation: An extract from "The London Gazette," No. 29802, dated 24th Oct., 1916, records the following:-"For most conspicuous bravery. He was detailed with his section of bombers to clear the continuation of a newly-captured trench and cover the construction of a "block." After most of his party had become casualties, he was building a block when about twenty of the enemy with two officers counter-attacked. He boldly advanced against them, emptied his revolver into them and afterwards two enemy rifles which he picked up in the trench. One of the officers then attacked him with the bayonet, wounding him in the leg, but he shot him dead. The enemy then ran away, pursued by Acting Corporal Clarke, who shot four more and captured a fifth."

Casualty Details: UK 241, Canada 16, Australia 4, New Zealand 3, Total Burials: 264 (Churchyard).

Casualty Details: UK 244, Australia 37, South Africa 1, Total Burials: 282 (Extension)

 

Extension

 

9/14973 Lance Corporal

George Bernard Fitzgerald

1st Bn. East Yorkshire Regiment

10/05/1917, aged 27.

Son of John and Ann Fitzgerald, of Sunderland.

Plot I. E. 3. Extension

 

Picture courtesy of Norman Kirby

 

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