Masnieres British Cemetery
50°7′04.0″N 3°11′15.2″E / 50.117778°N 3.187556°E Masnieres British Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery is a small Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial site for British Empire (later Commonwealth) troops killed during the First World War Battle of Cambrai (1918) between September–October 1918. It also contains a number of German graves, although these are mostly unidentified.[1]
| Masnieres British Cemetery | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
.JPG) | |
| Used for those deceased September–October 1918 | |
| Established | 1918 |
| Location | near |
| Total burials | 225 |
Unknowns | 56 |
| Burials by nation | |
Allied Powers
| |
| Burials by war | |
World War I: 225 | |
| Statistics source: CWGC WWI Cemeteries | |
The cemetery is located 1 kilometre southeast of the village of Marcoing, 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of Cambrai. Opened by the III Corps Burial Officer in October 1918, the cemetery covers an area of 995 square metres (10,710 sq ft) and is enclosed by a stone rubble wall. Its grounds were assigned to the British Empire in perpetuity by the French state in recognition of the sacrifices made by the Allies in the defence of France during the war.[1]
The Masnières Newfoundland Memorial, which commemorates the Royal Newfoundland Regiment's losses in 1917 in the Battle of Cambrai[2] is located nearby, but is not a part of the cemetery.[1] The Royal Newfoundland Regiment are honoured by 5 overseas memorials: the Beaumont Hamel Memorial, the Gueudecourt Memorial, the Monchy-le-Preux Memorial and the Masnières Memorial.[3]
Notable graves
editThe cemetery contains the grave of Thomas Neely VC MM (1897–1918), who was killed in action just south of Cambrai on 1 October 1918, three days after his Victoria Cross action. A second Victoria Cross holder, Henry Tandey VC, DCM, MM, had his ashes interred in the cemetery at his request following his death in 1977.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Masineres British Cemetery, Marcoing". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ^ "Masnières Newfoundland Memorial". Veterans Affairs Canada. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ^ "Monuments, World Wars I and II - the Canadian Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2011-08-10. Retrieved 2014-09-15. Canadian Encyclopedia Monuments, World Wars I and II
- ^ "Henry Tandy". firstworldwar.com. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
External links
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