Bazentin-le-Petit Communal Cemetery Extension explained

Bazentin-le-Petit Communal Cemetery Extension
Established:July 1916
Type:Military
Graves:185 total, 132 identified
Location:Bazentin-le-Petit, Somme, France
Country:British and Commonwealth
Coordinates:50.0319°N 2.7675°W
Website:cwgc.org
Findagraveid:2189780

The Bazentin-le-Petit Communal Cemetery Extension is a cemetery located in the Somme region of France commemorating British and Commonwealth soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Somme in World War I. The cemetery contains mostly those who died from 14 July 1916 to December 1916 near Bazentin-le-Petit and those who died on battlefields near the villages of Bazentin and Contalmaison.[1]

Location

The cemetery is located on the east side of the village of Bazentin-le-Petit, a subvillage of Bazentin, which is located approximately 8 kilometers northeast of the town of Albert and 3 kilometers southeast of the village of Pozieres.

Fighting near Bazentin-le-Petit

See main article: Battle of the Somme. Bazentin was held by the Germans until 14 July 1916, when the British 3rd and 7th Divisions captured it and the British 21st Division captured Bazentin-le-Petit Wood. The village was temporarily lost in the German spring offensive of 1918, but was recaptured by the 38th Welsh Division on 25 August of the same year.

Establishment of the Cemetery

History

The cemetery extension was begun immediately after the capture of the village of Bazentin-le-Petit in July 1916 and was used until December 1916 by units operating in the area. After the end of World War I, 50 casualties from other battlefields around the villages of Bazentin and Contalmaison were reburied in the extension, including one British soldier who was previously buried in the Sailly-Laurette German Cemetery.[2]

One of the few distinguishable rows in the cemetery is Row B, which contains approximately 30 graves.[3]

Statistics

The extension now contains 185 burials, of which 53 are unidentified and 132 are identified. 59 graves were destroyed by shellfire, and have since been replaced with special memorials.

Identified Burials by Nationality[4] !Nationality!Number of Burials
United Kingdom130
Canada2
According to Mount Allison University, one Australian is also buried in the cemetery.
Northamptonshire Regiment
47East Yorkshire Regiment22
Northumberland Fusiliers14Highland Light Infantry11
Durham Light Infantry7Royal Field Artillery5
Black Watch3Cameronians - Scottish Rifles3
Machine Gun Corps3Canadian burials2
Gordon Highlanders2King's Royal Rifle Corps2
Royal Engineers2Cameron Highlanders1
Dorsetshire Regiment1Green Howards - Yorkshire Regiment1
London Regiment - 24th Bn. The Queen's1Loyal North Lancashire Regiment1
Manchester Regiment1Royal Army Medical Corps1
Royal Fusiliers - City of London Regiment1Seaforth Highlanders1

References

  1. Web site: Cemetery Details CWGC. 2021-02-24. www.cwgc.org. en.
  2. Web site: Cemetery Details CWGC. 2021-02-24. www.cwgc.org. en.
  3. Web site: French Cemeteries. 2021-02-24. www.mta.ca.
  4. Web site: Bazentin-le-Petit Communal Cemetery, Somme, France (CWGC). 2021-02-24. WW1 Cemeteries.com - A photographic guide to over 4000 military cemeteries and memorials. en.