Ryes War Cemetery Explained

Ryes War Cemetery
Body:Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Use Dates:1944
Established:1944
Designer:Philip D. Hepworth
Coordinates:49.3002°N -0.6008°W
Nearest Town:Bazenville, Calvados, France
Total:979
Unknowns:67
By Country:United Kingdom: 630
Canada: 21
Australia: 1
Poland: 1
Germany: 335
By War:World War II
Source:CWGC

Ryes War Cemetery is a Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers located close to the commune of Bazenville, 8km (05miles) east of Bayeux, Normandy, France. The graveyard contains 653 Commonwealth war graves, one Polish and 335 German war graves. The cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.[1]

History

The cemetery lies close to the town of Arromanches and the first interments in the cemetery were made two days after the initial D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. Some of the soldiers buried here are from the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division that landed on Gold Beach. The cemetery also contains a large number of Royal Navy and merchant navy sailors.

Two brothers, Private Joseph Casson (Durham Light Infantry) and Marine Robert Casson (45 Commando) are buried beside each other in the graveyard.[2] Professional footballer Les Milner is also buried in the cemetery.[3]

Location

The cemetery is 8km (05miles) east of Bayeux, close to Bazenville on the D.87.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ryes War Cemetery, Bazenville . www.cwgc.org.
  2. Web site: Joseph and Robert Casson, two Whitehaven brothers in the Battle of Normandy. BBC.
  3. Web site: Casualty Details: Leonard Milner . 22 July 2020 . Commonwealth War Graves Commission.