How To Find A War Grave In France
27 September 2021
How to Find and Visit War Graves in France
Did you lot know that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission commemorates over 575,000 men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died during World War 1 and Ii in France? In this handy guide Lucie Balin, from the CWGC, shows y'all how to notice and then visit State of war Graves in French republic.
Where are the War Graves in French republic?
Most of the world war casualties in France are commemorated across northern France and in Normandy, making it the highest concentration of CWGC war graves anywhere in the world. In France, over 20 separate CWGC or national French war memorials to the missing were designed and congenital and about 3,000 cemeteries are cared for by the commission.
Finding War Graves in France
Notice how to detect war graves in France using different features on the CWGC website.
Using CWGC's website to find War Graves in France
Then, permit's have a wait at how to discover some of the final resting places of the world state of war dead cared for past the CWGC. When planning your trip to the Western Front, your first step should be to visit the CWGC website and fix your itinerary. Using the dropdown 'Visit United states' menu, select 'Observe State of war Memorials and War Cemeteries'.
Then, select a country from the list, your locality of interest or, if you are already travelling around French republic, yous can also use your electric current location. You lot volition then go a list of all the war cemeteries and memorials about you.
Finding CWGC War Graves in France on the go
To make things fifty-fifty easier you could try downloading the CWGC's mobile App which is available on the APP Store and Google Play Store. It'southward a great travel companion when exploring the former battlefield sites of the Western Front and beyond French republic. You lot can quickly search for cemeteries past proper noun, location, or utilize your phone's location to find sites nearby.
Searching for CWGC State of war Graves by Name
Interested in the Battles of the Somme, Cambrai or Arras? Another way of exploring our website to notice a Democracy War Grave is to search past name. Albert, Pozières, Thiepval, Amiens, Vimy, Vis-en-Artois or Fromelles are non but names of towns and villages. They have also become associated with notions of tragedy and cede, forever engraved in our memory.
To make your search even easier an exact lucifer isn't required, as you'll be presented with a list of possible CWGC war cemeteries and memorials. In the Somme expanse alone, there are roughly 450 CWGC cemeteries and memorials to explore. A huge function of them reflects the magnitude and poignancy of the terrible losses endured during the battles fought in 1916.
Guards Cemetery, Lesboeufs
Bouzincourt Ridge Cemetery, Albert
Flatiron Copse Cemetery, Mametz
Ancre British Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel
From concentration cemeteries to front-line cemeteries, this is a place similar no other to discover the extent and diversity of the piece of work of the CWGC. And if you lot have a gustation for adventure, allow yourself to become where the road leads yous and get defenseless up in the beauty and history of the surroundings.
Using the state of war graves France map feature
If yous like to see possible state of war graves to visit in France on a map, you tin can exercise so past hitting the 'View as Map' button. And so y'all can rapidly see where everything is and find out more about CWGC's state of war graves past selecting the cemetery.
Using the map characteristic too provides a adept practical overview of the cemeteries in the location you programme to visit. In and effectually Beaumont-Hamel for example, there are but a few hundred meters from one cemetery to the other. Redan Ridge Cemeteries N°i, 2 and 3 lie to the Northward of the village and were named after The Redan, a group of British front-line trenches from 1916.
Redan Ridge Cemetery No.i
Redan Ridge Cemetery No.2
Redan Ridge Cemetery No.3
Researching the War Dead before you lot visit
Before you brand the journey out to France you might desire to do a little bit of research well-nigh a prey buried at a particular CWGC cemetery. You lot tin do this from the cemetery folio. First, become to records and find war expressionless and so you'll exist able to observe out more than about the casualties commemorated on site. The layout of the cemetery is also available to download and will help you locate any war graves yous'd like to visit at the site.
Visiting War Graves in France
Trips to war graves in France tin can involve rich historical learnings and insight on those who lost their lives in WW1 and WW2. Find location information, visiting information and discover the history behind some of the key CWGC sites in France.
World War Ane State of war Graves to Visit in France
Over 530,000 Democracy servicemen and women died in France during World War 1. With the get-go Battle of the Marne (1914), the Battle of the Somme (1916), The Bound Offensive and the Hundred Days Offensive (1918, amongst others, French republic was the scene of some of the bloodiest battles of the state of war.
Among the 1,200 cemeteries designed past the CWGC to commemorate them, is Etaples Military Cemetery. With 10,771 Commonwealth War Graves from Globe War I and 120 from Globe State of war Ii, in Pas-de-Calais, it is the largest cemetery maintained by the CWGC in France and the second largest in the earth after Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium.
Located near Boulogne, on the due north-west coast, Etaples was home to the largest British armed forces base of operations and army hospital complex. It's 20,000 beds received up to xl,000 wounded and diseased each month. Almost 2,500 women served there, and 20 of them, including nurses, army auxiliaries and civilian volunteers of the YMCA and Scottish Church Huts organisations, are commemorated at that place.
One of the must-meet sites when you lot visit the Western Front end is Thiepval Memorial. It is the largest CWGC Memorial to the Missing in the globe. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and unveiled in 1932, it bears the names of over 72,000 officers and men of the Uk and South African forces who died on the Somme during Earth War One and have no known grave.
But most of all, it stands as one of the most dramatic symbols of the bloodiest boxing the Commonwealth forces ever faced: The Battle of the Somme of 1916.
Currently closed while a renovation takes place until May 2022, you can still visit the Thiepval Anglo-French Cemetery and explore the history of this iconic site cheers to a costless-to-use digital exhibition called 'In The Shadow of Thiepval'. The exhibition can be accessed while on site using a smart phone or tablet. To access the exhibition, come to the CWGC trailer at the entrance of the memorial site and follow the instructions.
You may also be interested in: The history of High german war graves in the Great britain
Etaples Military Cemetery
Thiepval Memorial
In The Shadow of Thiepval Digital Exhibition
World War 2 War Graves in French republic
More than 22,000 Commonwealth servicemen and women died in Normandy during World War Two. Most were killed during Performance Overlord, and the liberation of Normandy, which began on D-Day, vi June 1944. They prevarication at residue in cemeteries and churchyards across the Normandy region.
Among the 18 cemeteries designed and congenital by CWGC across Normandy, is Jerusalem War Cemetery which, with 49 graves, is one of the smallest. Its name comes from a tiny hamlet, named Jerusalem, located near the village of Chouain. The area was the scene of bitter fighting when a High german armored column sought to retake Bayeux shortly afterwards its liberation.
The largest Commonwealth cemetery of Globe War Two in France is Bayeux War Cemetery and contains burials brought in from the surrounding districts and nearby hospitals. There was little actual fighting in Bayeux, although it was the first French town of importance to be liberated. 4,144 Democracy servicemen are cached there, among which 338 are unidentified.
The Bayeux Memorial stands opposite the cemetery and bears the names of nearly two,000 men of the Republic land forces who died in this area and take no known grave.
Bayeux War Memorial
Bayeux State of war Cemetery
Jerusalem State of war Cemetery
Visiting Battlefields in French republic
Even after more than than a hundred years since the end of World War Ane, the landscape of Northern France still carries visible reminders of the battles. Mine and shell holes, remains of trenches, ruins, and iron harvests: the scars of the Swell State of war are still deeply inscribed in the countryside scenery.
It is very difficult, later paying your respect to a lost one, non to let yourself exist absorbed in these impactful and indelible legacies of the war. This short battlefield guide contains a few ideas of WW1 battlefields you can visit on your journey effectually France.
The Lochnagar Crater (Somme)
The Lochnagar Crater, located a few kilometres at the North-Eastward of Albert (Somme), highlights how mining was used as a military tactic during World State of war One. About a hundred meters wide and xx-one meters deep, this impressive crater is the result of the detonation by British Forces of 27 tons of explosives packed into a long tunnel in the ground on 1st July 1916, marking thus the beginning of the Battle of the Somme.
The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial (Somme) and The Vimy Memorial (Pas-de-Calais)
The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial (near Albert) and The Vimy Memorial (near Arras) stand as lasting tributes to the 820 Newfoundlanders and 11,285 Canadians who were killed in France during World War One and have no known grave. In these poignant symbols of remembrance, you will have the opportunity to also explore remarkably well-preserved trench systems, which will requite you a realistic idea of what the fighting must have been like.
The ruined towers of Mont-Saint-Éloi Abbey
Located only ten minutes to the North-Westward of Arras, is the eighteenth century Mont-Saint-Eloi Abbey. From its vantage betoken at the top of a hill, the towers of the Abbey were useful and strategic observations posts for the occupying forces, firstly the French Army from 1914 to 1915, and the Commonwealth forces from 1916 to 1918. Already damaged during the French Revolution and pillaged in the 19th century, it was besides severely pounded by German arms during World War Ane, which acquired the destruction of the upper level.
Visiting the Largest War Cemeteries in France
Explore some of the largest French state of war and military cemeteries we care for.
Etaples Military Cemetery
Removed from the Western Front, the expanse effectually Etaples was used mainly as an expanse for sick and wounded troops. A number of hospitals were positioned in the expanse, caring for around 22,000 patients.
As such, Etaples Military Cemetery is one of the largest CWGC cemeteries in French republic, with 10,771 Commonwealth burials from World War I, and 662 non-Commonwealth burials. The cemetery was also used for burials during the early stages of World State of war Ii until the evacuation in 1940, with further burials fabricated afterward the state of war. In full, there are 119 2d Globe War burials here.
St. Sever Cemetery Extension
During the First Earth War, the city of Rouen was used as a base of operations by the Centrolineal soldiers, using it as a supply base depot, General Headquarters and a number of hospitals.
The casualties from these hospitals were cached in cemeteries around the city, with a big number buried in St. Sever Cemetery and its extension, which was begun in 1916. There are just over 3000 burials in the cemetery, with a further 8685 burials in the extension.
Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery
Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery is named subsequently a pocket-size, ruby bricked, red tiled café which stood in the area and was destroyed during the opening years of the war. It lent its proper noun to the sector of the front line, and a communications trench used by troops to get to the forepart line trenches.
The cemetery was begun in 1916 when soldiers fighting in the expanse began burying their comrades and was further expanded after the state of war every bit soldiers buried in the surface area were brought together at the cemetery.
This was an area of the front line that saw heavy fighting, and so the cemetery is 1 of the largest in France, containing more than 7,650 World War Ane burials, more half of which remain unidentified.
Visit the CWGC Experience in French republic to detect how CWGC'due south War Graves are maintained
A journey to the Western Front is non complete without a visit to The CWGC Experience. If you've ever wondered how the CWGC commemorates the Republic casualties from World State of war One & Two, The CWGC Experience offers an opportunity to find more and see our staff in activeness.
Located in the heart of the battlefields of The Great State of war, The CWGC Feel is an easy drive away from some of the most iconic locations along the Old Front Line.
From the story of how we nevertheless recover and rebury the expressionless today, to the skilled artisan craftsmen at work maintaining the world's most impressive and recognisable war monuments and memorials. Free audio-guides and guided tours will tell you everything you need to know nigh our remarkable organisation and its role in France and effectually the world.
Blacksmith in CWGC Experience
The CWGC Experience
Exploring the CWGC Experience
Source: https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/blog/how-to-find-and-visit-war-graves-in-france/
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