MAUBEUGE-CENTRE CEMETERY
Maubeuge
Nord
France
General Directions: Maubeuge is a large town in the department of the Nord. Maubeuge-Centre Cemetery stands inside the Communal Cemetery of Maubeuge on the route de Mons (N2).
Maubeuge possessed a French military aerodrome, and it was the headquarters of the Royal Flying Corps from the 16th to the 23rd August, 1914. It was captured by the Germans on the 7th September, 1914, and it remained in their hands until it was entered by the 3rd Grenadier Guards in the early morning of the 9th November, 1918. The 5th, 47th Casualty Clearing Stations were posted in the town for different periods between the end of November, 1918, and the middle of May, 1919. The "Cimetiere Communal du Centre" one of the town cemeteries, was used by the Germans; it contained at Armistice the graves of German soldiers and British, French, American, Russian, Italian and Rumanian prisoners. These have been to a great extent regrouped, removed, or increased in number by concentrations from other burial grounds; and the British and other war graves are now mainly in the South part. One hundred and five were brought after the Armistice from Petit-Bavay British Cemetery or from the battlefields West of Maubeuge. Petit-Bavay British Cemetery, Pont-sur-Sambre, was a little East of the Forest of Mormal. It contained the graves of 29 soldiers from the United Kingdom, all belonging to the 1st/5th East Lancashire's or the 1st/10th Manchester's, who fell on the 6th and 7th November, 1918.
Further Information: Access to this cemetery is subject to local Cemetery opening times, these are 0700-1900 1st April-September 30th and 0800-1700 1st October-31st March.
Casualty Details: UK 157, Canada 5, Australia 17, New Zealand 6, Total Burials: 185
55063 Private
Alfred Sydney Woodward
1st Bn. North Staffordshire Regiment
10/11/1918, aged 19.
Born in Louth Lincs, enlisted in Lincoln with The Sherwood Foresters. Trained as a signaller then transferred to the North Staffords. He was the youngest of three brothers and the son of Alf and Emma Woodward of 40 Maiden Row, Louth, Lincs. His other two brothers Clement Stones Woodward, my grandfather served with the Royal Field Artillery and the Royal Garrison Artillery and Arthur Woodward served with the Royal Engineers, both survived the war.
Picture courtesy of Simon Woodward, great nephew of this soldier
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
Site Map | Miscellaneous articles