Cemeteries -- Belgium; Cemeteries -- France; George V, King of Great Britain, 1865-1936; World War, 1914-1918 -- Cemeteries
WARLENCOURT.--This cemetery is 500 yards north of the Butte de
Warlencourt, across the Albert-Bapaume road. It is entirely a
concentration cemetery, begun towards the end of 1919. It includes the
graves brought from the original cemeteries at Hexham Road, Le Sars, and
Seven Elms, Flers, as well as over 3,000 British graves due to the
fighting which took place around the Butte de Warlencourt from the autumn
of 1916 to the spring of 1917, and again in the German advance and retreat
of 1918.
WARLOY-BAILLON.--There are two cemeteries at the village of that name. The
Communal Cemetery is on the east of the village and the Extension is in
an apple orchard on the eastern side of the cemetery. The apple trees
around the graves, in blossom on this spring day, made the burial ground
very beautiful. All the cemeteries of France and Belgium have in common a
noble simplicity of design, but each one has some particular feature. One
is beautiful with orchard trees; another is graced with rose trees; of
another sentinel poplars are a feature; of another the shroud-like
cypresses. In every case the planning of a cemetery, its alignment, the
site of the Cross of Sacrifice, and the Stone of Remembrance, its
plantations and walls, are designed by the architects to harmonize with
the natural features of the country. Not often on the French and Belgian
sites has it been possible to attain the supreme loveliness of some of the
Italian cemeteries, but all are beautiful. The first British burial took
place in the Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery in October, 1915, and the
last on July 1st, 1916. By that date field ambulances had come to the
village in readiness for the attack on the German line, five miles away,
and the Extension was begun. There are buried in the Extension 857
soldiers from the Home Country, 318 from Australia, 152 from Canada, and 3
unknown. The Communal Cemetery records 46 British burials.
FORCEVILLE.--This cemetery is to the west of the village of Forceville,
about twelve miles from Doullens and six miles from Albert. In 1915
British troops of the Third Army took over the area from the French. In
February, 1916, a field ambulance was established in the village, and it
was followed by others until the end of July, 1916. Early in August, 1915,
additional land to the south of the Communal Cemetery was enclosed to
provide space for military graves. This land is enclosed by a low wall and
a hedge. Some of the old poplar trees have been preserved and fragrant
lime trees planted (the lime-tree avenues of Amiens will be recalled by
the troops on whom they showered their perfume as they went forward for
the first Battle of the Somme).
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