A look in our photo library: French Cemeteries & Memorials

Welcome back to another look inside our archive collection of photographs, some historic, some modern, from our photo library. This time our focus turns to our French cemeteries and memorials.

Commonwealth War Graves sites in France

France in the World Wars

Image: Monotony. The Somme Country - William Harold Sandys (© IWM Art.IWM ART 1474)

When we think of the World Wars we can’t help but picture France.

The nation’s history is intertwined with both the First and Second World Wars. Its beautiful countryside, particularly in the north, was fought over ferociously in some of the most terrible but iconic battles of the 20th century.

In terms of the Great War, many of France’s towns and villages have become synonymous with titanic battles, decided by artillery barrages, charges across No Man’s Land, and machine-gun fire. They are of course linked to the massive loss of life.

The Commonwealth forces of Great Britain, United India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa took huge casualties during the First World War, many on French soil.

In total, Commonwealth War Graves commemorates nearly 539,000 soldiers in cemeteries and on memorials across France across over 1,665 locations.

The Second World War brought the thunder of war to France some 20 or so years after the guns fell silent on the Western Front. 

The earliest strategic earthquakes of the war were fought on the green country lanes and open farmlands of Northern France with Commonwealth troops and the French trying and failing to stem the German blitzkrieg.

However, liberation would come in the form of the D-Day Landings, as well as operations like Operation Dragoon in the south, precipitating the end of Nazi Germany’s occupation of France.

Today, over 46,250 World War Two Commonwealth casualties are commemorated by Commonwealth War Graves in France in more than 1,500 locations across the country.

French cemeteries & memorials

Etaples Military Cemetery

Etaples lies on the coast of Northern France, a short distance from Calais. During the Great War, the town was a bustling hub of hospitals, clearing stations, troop depots, and ammunition and supply yards.

Its remote location made Etaples the ideal place to hold these important sites. It was easily accessible by railway too, so many troops moved to and from Etaples across the Great War.

In 1917, 100,000 troops camped on the sandy ground in and around Etaples. They were surrounded by hospitals, including eleven general and one stationary hospital, four Red Cross hospitals, and a convalescent depot. 

Together, these medical facilities treat 22,000 sick and wounded military personnel. Even after the war had ended, Etaples was still a prime location for the treatment of soldiers. In 1919, some ten months after Armistice, three hospitals and the convalescence depot remained.

Over 10,750 First World War burials sit in Etaples Military Cemetery. The earliest of these is from 1915.

Etaples also holds 119 Second World War burials. The Cemetery was initially used for burials right from the earliest stages of the Battle of France, but these ceased after the May 1940 evacuation.

After the closing of Second World War hostilities, several burials were moved to Etaples. 

It is not just Commonwealth burials at Etaples. 662 non-commonwealth burials, mostly German soldiers, are buried at Etaples. A further 5 non-World War service burials are located here too.

Etaples is the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in France. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the architect behind some of the CWGC’s most iconic sites.

Etaples was also a stop on the King’s Pilgrimage: a journey to the former battlefields of the Western Front undertaken by King George V in May 1922.

The King’s mission was to undertake a tour of these sites, which included several CWGC cemeteries, to better understand the mission of the nascent War Graves Commission. He also went to pay his respects to those who fell.

Representatives from the Dominions were requested to meet with the King at Etaples Military Cemetery on the morning of 13 May 1922.

The High Commissioners of Canada, Newfoundland, and New Zealand joined His Majesty at Etaples in shared remembrance, alongside representatives from Australia and South Africa.

A particularly touching moment took place at Etaples when the King placed a posy of forget-me-nots on the grave of Royal Army Service Corps Sergeant Matthew after Queen Mary was sent the bouquet by Matthew’s mother.

Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme

What can be written about the Battle of the Somme that hasn’t already been written before?

The battle has become infamous, symbolic of the entire British and Commonwealth war effort on the Western Front.
 
On 1st July 1916, thirteen Commonwealth divisions launched an attack on German positions in the Somme region of northern France. 

Despite being supported by a French attack to the south, and a week-long artillery bombardment, German defences were barely scratched. Troops expecting light resistance instead ran, or sometimes walked, into prepared, well-defended strong points and trench networks.

Over 60,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers were killed, captured, or wounded on the first day. It remains the bloodiest day in British military history. Only minimal successes were made with a small advance. Otherwise, the initial attack was a total failure.

In the coming weeks and months, millions of men on both sides were poured into the Somme sector. 

The village of Thiepval had been a first-day objective. It wouldn’t be captured until September, emblematic of how the attackers and defenders would have to fight over every square inch to achieve victory.

The Battle of the Somme came to a close after nearly 6 months of combat and carnage in November 1916. The cost? Around 420,000 Commonwealth casualties with just over 96,600 killed.

The nature of Somme battlefields, especially as bad weather settled in towards the end of the year, meant tens of thousands of men went missing. Their remains have, so far, not been recovered.

The magnificent Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme commemorates over 72,300 missing British and South African soldiers of the Somme with no known grave.

Over 90% of Thiepval’s casualties died between July-November 1916, a testament to the slaughter on the Somme.

The memorial itself was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Thiepval is one of many iconic CWGC sites that sprang from Lutyens’ imagination, but Thiepval might be the most impressive of them all. 

Its architecture bears the hallmarks of Roman triumphal monuments, particularly the numerous arches, but lacks the grandstanding and ornamentation of such ancient works. 

Instead, the decoration is simple with the sheer size of Thiepval and the massive number of names upon its panels taking centre stage.

Thiepval was constructed between 1928 and 1932. The opening ceremony was conducted by Edward, Prince of Wales, soon to be King Edward VIII, with French President Albert Lebrun in attendance.

Vimy Memorial

Atop a ridge overlooking the Pas-de-Calais countryside’s old mining towns, industrial heritage, and open farmlands, twin blazing white stone pillars pierce the sky. These are the focal features of the beautiful but sombre Vimy Memorial.

But why is the memorial there? The Vimy Memorial marks the highest point of Vimy Ridge, an important piece of high ground captured by the Canadian Corps fighting together as a single unit for the first time in the Great War.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge took place between 9-12 April 1917 as part of the wider Battle of Arras. All four Canadian divisions were bought together to fight together under the command of General Arthur Currie.

Backed up by British artillery, the Canadians were able to dislodge their Imperial German opponents from Vimy Ridge and capture the strategically important high ground. 

The victory came at a cost. The Canadian Corp suffered around 10% casualties, roughly 10,600 men, with 3,600 losing their lives. 

Not only was Vimy Ridge significant militarily for Canada, but it also had wide-ranging implications for the nascent country’s national psyche. 

The nation was still a Dominion of the British Empire during the First World War. Vimy showed the country could stand on its own two feet and operate as a unique entity in its own right. The victory at Vimy sowed the seeds for Canadian Independence.

To mark the victory, the sacrifice of those who achieved it, and to provide a lasting memorial to all Canadian casualties of war, present and future, it was decided to build a memorial at Vimy Ridge. 

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, then the Imperial War Graves Commission, awarded Canada eight sites on or near significant former battlefields for which to build memorials post-war.

After a competition involving various designs and architects, the Canadian Battlefield Memorials Commission selected the final design by Toronto architect Walter Seymour Allard.

Allard’s design was complex, with the two soaring towers sat atop a wide, stepped platform. The memorial has various classical sculptures of both men and women in states of mourning, reflecting the enormous loss of Canadian personnel across World War One.

The Vimy Memorial also had several other design elements that made it unique. 

It is made of Seget Limestone, quarried in the village of Seget, Croatia. Allward was inspired to use this stone after a visit to Diocletian’s Palace in Split, Croatia. The Roman Emperor’s monumental abode was built from this same limestone and has aged gracefully, something Allward was keen to capture.

Construction began in the mid-1920s using a then-novel technique. 11,000 tonnes of steel-reinforced concrete was poured to form the base before 6,000 tonnes of limestone sculpture and architecture was placed on the top.

The Vimy Memorial was opened by King Edward VIII on 26 July 1936. Over 50,000 people, including 6,200 Canadian veterans, attended the opening ceremony, alongside French President Albert Lebrun and numerous other dignitaries.

The Vimy Memorial commemorates by name some 11,200 Canadian soldiers of the Great War who have no known grave.

It has since grown to stand as a monument to all Canadians lost in global conflicts.

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We hope you enjoyed this look inside the Commonwealth War Graves library. We will be sharing some more pictures of different cemeteries and memorials soon.

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