Arras Road - Cemetery, Roclincourt


Roclincourt was just within the British lines before the Battles of Arras, 1917; the 51st (Highland) and 34th Divisions advanced from the village on the 9th April, 1917, and the 1st Canadian Division attacked on their left, across the Lens road. Arras Road Cemetery was begun by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade soon after the 9th April, 1917, and until the Armistice it contained only the graves (now at the back of the cemetery) of 71 officers and men of the 7th Canadian Infantry Battalion (British Columbia Regiment) who fell in April, May and June, 1917; but in 1926-29, it was enlarged by the addition of 993 graves from a wide area, mainly North and East of Arras. Amongst these were graves from the following burial grounds:- BAISIEUX CHURCHYARD (Nord): six, October, 1918. BELLAING CHURCHYARD (Nord): two Canadian, October, 1918. BOURLON COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Pas-de-Calais): one, September, 1916, and one Canadian, September, 1918. COMINES COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Nord): five (including one Canadian), 1914-1917. The permanent GERMAN EXTENSION on the West side contains 2,257 identified and 1,903 unidentified German graves. ECAILLON CHURCHYARD (Nord): one, January, 1919. GIVENCHY-LES-LA BASSEE CHURCHYARD (Pas-de-Calais). Givenchy is associated with (among other episodes) the stand made by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division in April, 1918. MAIRIEUX CHURCHYARD (Nord): one, November, 1918. MOUCHIN CHURCHYARD (Nord): two, October, 1918. PENIN CHURCHYARD (Pas-de-Calais): one, November, 1916. PERONNE-EN-MELANTOIS CHURCHYARD (Nord): four, October, 1918. RUMEGIES CHURCHYARD (Nord): ten, October and November, 1918. SAINGHIN-EN-MELANTOIS CHURCHYARD (Nord): three, March, 1917 - October, 1918. SIN CHURCHYARD, BAISIEUX (Nord): three, April - November, 1918. TINCQUES CHURCHYARD (Pas-de-Calais): one, May, 1916. VENDIN-LE-VIEIL COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Pas-de-Calais): one, September, 1915. WANNEHAIN CHURCHYARD (Nord): two, October and November, 1918. There are now over 1,000, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. The cemetery covers an area of 4,084 square metres. It is enclosed on three sides by a stone rubble wall, and against the road by a retaining wall. Old dug-outs exist under the North-East corner and on the South-West boundary. Source - CWGC.org


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