Faubourg d' Amiens Cemetery, Arras, Pas de Calais, France

FAUBOURG D'AMIENS CEMETERY.

the

ARRAS MEMORIAL

and the

FLYING SERVICES MEMORIAL

Arras, Pas de Calais

France

GPS: 2.76002,50.28693

General Directions: Faubourg-d'Amiens Cemetery is in the western part of the town of Arras in the Boulevard du General de Gaulle, near the Citadel, approximately 2 kilometres due west of the railway station.

The French handed over Arras to Commonwealth forces in the spring of 1916 and the system of tunnels upon which the town is built were used and developed in preparation for the major offensive planned for April 1917. The Commonwealth section of the Faubourg d'Amiens Cemetery was begun in March 1916, behind the French military cemetery established earlier. It continued to be used by field ambulances and fighting units until November 1918. The cemetery was enlarged after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields and from two smaller cemeteries in the vicinity. The cemetery contains 2,650 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. There are 10 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. In addition, there are 30 war graves of other nationalities, most of them German. The graves in the French military cemetery were removed after the war to other burial grounds and the land they had occupied was used for the construction of the Arras Memorial and Arras Flying Services Memorial. The Arras Memorial commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918, the eve of the Advance to Victory, and have no known grave. The most conspicuous events of this period were the Arras offensive of April-May 1917, and the German attack in the spring of 1918. Canadian and Australian servicemen killed in these operations are commemorated by memorials at Vimy and Villers-Bretonneux. A separate memorial remembers those killed in the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. The Arras Flying Services Memorial commemorates more than 1,000 airmen of the Royal Naval Air Service, the Royal Flying Corps, and the Royal Air Force, either by attachment from other arms of the forces of the Commonwealth or by original enlistment, who were killed on the whole Western Front and who have no known grave.

Shot at Dawn: Private R G Pattison of the 7th Queen's Regiment was executed on 4/7/1917 for desertion and Private J E Barnes of the 7th Royal Sussex Regiment, also shot for desertion on the 4/7/1917, these two soldiers are buried in plot 4 J 16/17 respectively.

Casualty Details: UK 2402, Canada 153, New Zealand 26, South Africa 60, India 9, France 1, Germany 28

Total Burials:2679

More views of this cemetery: 1 Flying Services Memorial

2430 Private

Joseph Williams

1st/9th Bn. King's (Liverpool) Regiment

28/06/1916, aged 22

Bay 3, Arras Memorial

49592 Private

William Frederick Finch

21st Bn. Manchester Regiment

Killed in action 13/05/1917.

Aged 30

Son of Thomas and Margaret Finch, of 5, Little Lane, Longridge, Preston.

Bay 7, Arras Memorial

Picture courtesy of John Garlington

Lance Corporal

Edward John Beadle

2nd Bn. South Wales Borderers

23/04/1917, aged 32.

Son of Edward and Laura Beadle, of 104, Waddon New Rd., Croydon; husband of Lily Beadle, of 65, Clarendon Rd., Croydon, Surrey.

Bay 6, Arras Memorial

Lieutenant

Edmund Llewellyn Lewis

24th Squadron, Royal Flying Corps and 1st/7th Bn. Essex Regiment.

26/12/1916, aged 21.

Son of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Lewis, of St. David's, Noctorum, Birkenhead.

Arras Flying Services Memorial

Lieutenant

Frank Arthur Matthews

9th Squadron, Royal Flying Corps and The Royal Sussex Regiment.

24/04/1917.

Arras Flying Services Memorial

Second Lieutenant

Kenneth Lionel Nevill McCulloch

6th Bn. Attd. 16th Bn. Middlesex Regiment.

01/06/1916, aged 21.

Son of Bertha McCulloch, of 340, London Rd., Thornton Heath, Surrey, and the late William Lionel Breashin McCulloch.

Bay 7, Arras Memorial

146648 Bombardier

Harold David Mitchell

"D" Battery, 315th Brigade Royal Field Artillery

21/03/1918, aged 20.

Son of Emily Mitchell, of 35, Aurelia Gardens, Thornton Rd., West Croydon, Surrey, and the late George Alfred Mitchell.

Bay 1, Arras Memorial

G/40753 Private

William Thomas Wainwright

12th Bn. Middlesex Regiment

Killed in action 03/05/1917, near Cherisy.

Aged 19

Son of George and Annie Wainwright, of 63A, Portland Rd., South Norwood, London.

Bay 7, Arras Memorial

60997 Private

Edgar Tourle

7th Bn. Royal Fusiliers

Killed in action 23/04/17 at Arras, aged 29.

Son of Mr. and Mrs. James Tourle, of 94, Fairholme Rd., West Croydon, Surrey.

Bay 3, Arras Memorial

201709 Corporal

William Lucas

5th Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment

Killed in action 27/04/1917,

aged 25.

Son of Henry and Jessie Lucas, of 48, Swansea Rd., Reading; husband of Elizabeth Mary Lucas, of 7, Selwood Place, Chalvey Grove, Slough, Bucks. William born in 1891 had a twin brother Sydney Lucas and was one of eleven children.

Plot V. C. 23. Faubourg D' Amiens Cemetery.

Picture courtesy of Peter Thompson

G/160 Private

Edward Luck

"A" Coy. 6th Bn. The Buffs

(East Kent Regiment)

14/09/1917, aged 20.

Son of George Thomas Luck and Alice Louise Luck, of 64, Alexandra Rd., Erith, Kent.

Plot V. J. 29

Photo courtesy of Carol Druce, great-niece of this soldier

Second Lieutenant

John Curtis Lister

92nd Battery, 17th Brigade,

Royal Field Artillery

20/05/1917, aged 23.

Son of George and Harriett Lister, of Pampisford House, South Croydon, Surrey.

Bay 1, Arras Memorial

Captain

Nelson Gordon Johnstone MC

9th Bn. Black Watch

(Royal Highlanders) attd. 24th Trench Mortar Battery

30/12/1917, aged 30.

Son of William and Margaret Johnstone, of Birks Hill, Raughton Head, Carlisle.

Plot VII. A. 20.

He died on 30th Dec 1917 as a result of a premature firing of a Stokes Mortar. Two other soldiers of his regiment died in the same incident. They are Lt. Grahame and Cpl. Stone MM. He is buried alongside these two soldiers.

In the photograph he is pictured in the uniform of the Sherwood Foresters holding the rank of Lance Corporal. He was commissioned in 1915 and served with the Black Watch until his death.

Picture courtesy of great niece Helen Johnstone

15/420 Lance Corporal

Austin Geoffrey Leigh

"B" Coy. 15th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment

04/06/1916, aged 21.

Son of George Leonard Leigh and Emily Hart Leigh, of Church Lane, Yardley, Birmingham.

Plot I. D. 29.

Picture courtesy of Alan Westwood

Second Lieutenant

Walter Daniel John Tull

17th attd. 23rd Bn. Middlesex Regiment

25/03/1918, aged 29.

Son of the late Daniel Tull; brother of Edward Tull-Warnock, of 419, St. Vincent St., Glasgow. Former professional footballer with Tottenham Hotspurs and Northampton Town. He played more than a hundred first team games for Northampton Town before the First World War intervened.

Bay 7.

Picture courtesy of John Barker

26668 Private

Thomas Smith

12th Bn. Royal Scots

12/04/1917, aged 22.

Son of James Smith, of 132, St. Stephen's Rd., Preston; husband of Margaret Elizabeth Breingan (formerly Smith), of 3, Adelphi St., Bowerham, Lancaster.

Bay 1 and 2.

Picture courtesy of Stephen Singleton

14362 Serjeant

Alexander McDonald MM

"D" Coy. 13th Bn. Royal Scots

23/04/1917, aged 21.

Son of Mrs. Margaret McDonald, of 424, Westmuir St., Parkhead, Glasgow.

Bay 1 and 2.

Killed during the 2^nd Battle of the Scarpe - Lost south of Monchy le Preux near La Berge’re crossroads

Picture courtesy of Keith Holland

30837 Private

John (Jack) Charles Hale

6th Bn. Dorsetshire Regiment

24/03/1918, aged 18.

Son of Richard Hale, of 22, Upper Mill St., Evesham, Worcs.

Bay 6. Arras Memorial

His brother William Hale is buried at

Valenciennes (St. Roch) Communal Cemetery

Picture courtesy of Barbara Turner, this soldier is her husband's great uncle.

11038 Serjeant

Leslie Alexander Beaton

2nd Bn. Highland Light Infantry

28/04/1917

Bay 8, Arras Memorial

Leslie Alexander BEATON was born at Monkshill, Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, on 20 October 1890, and grew up in Musselburgh where he later attested for the 2nd Battalion/Highland Light Infantry. Leslie arrived with his regiment at Boulogne on 14 August 1914 (WO 372/2) and remained with the 2/HLI (First Army, Second Division, 5th Infantry Brigade), until his death. On leave in June 1915 following 2nd Ypres, Leslie married Mary Keppie MCNEILL at Musselburgh. His rank at the time of his marriage was Quartermaster Serjeant, and his widow's pension papers (PIN 82/10) relate that Leslie was a company Serjeant Major in "A" Company when he was killed at the age of 26 in the Battle of Arleux. Losses for the 2/HLI on 28 April 1917 totalled 42 officers and men killed, 187 wounded and 43 missing.

Picture courtesy of Ann Beaton