Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery

directed from The War Cemeteries

RUE-PETILLON MILITARY CEMETERY, Pas de Calais, France

Location:

Fleurbaix is a village 5 kilometres south-west of Armentieres at the junction of the road from Armentieres and the road to Bethune. Petillon is a village to the south of Fleurbaix and Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery is 3 kilometres south of Fleurbaix on the south side of the road from Petillon to La Boutillerie.

History:

The cemetery was begun in December 1914, and used by fighting units until March 1918. In April 1918, it fell into enemy hands, although one further burial was added in September 1918, after the German retreat. It consisted at the Armistice of twelve Battalion burial grounds, made by units which had occupied the Headquarters and Dressing Station at "Eaton Hall", adjoining the cemetery. It was enlarged later by the concentration of graves from the battlefields around Fleurbaix and the following smaller cemeteries:

BERSEE CHURCHYARD, in which three soldiers from the United Kingdom were buried in October 1918.

CUTHBERT FARM CEMETERY, RICHEBOURG-L'AVOUE, on the road from Neuve-Chapelle to Pont-Logy, which contained the graves of 44 soldiers from the United Kingdom and two from India who fell in 1914-15.

DON GERMAN CEMETERY, ALLENNES-LES-MARAIS, at the Chateau-du-Bois, which contained the graves of nine soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from India who fell in 1914-18.

EIGHTH CANADIANS CEMETERY, LENS, 2.4 Kms North of the centre of Lens, which contained the graves of 15 soldiers of the 8th Canadian Infantry Battalion, who fell in August 1917.

GONDECOURT COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION, in which were buried about 650 German soldiers and ten soldiers and one airman from the United Kingdom.

HALPEGARBE GERMAN CEMETERY, ILLIES, in the hamlet of Halpegarbe (there was another on the South side of the hamlet), which contained the graves of eight soldiers from the United Kingdom.

HANTAY COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION, which contained the graves of one soldier from the United Kingdom and one from India.

HERRIN CHURCHYARD AND GERMAN EXTENSION - the Germans buried five soldiers from the United Kingdom in the Churchyard in 1915 and two in the Extension in 1918.

ILLIES CHURCHYARD, where the Germans buried one soldier from the United Kingdom in 1914.

LA BASSEE COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION, used by the Germans for the burial of seven soldiers from the United Kingdom and by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division in October 1918, for the burial of 29 of their men.

LAMBERSART COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION, which contained the graves of 1,016 German soldiers, 32 soldiers and airmen from the United Kingdom and two soldiers from Australia.

LE PETIT MORTIER GERMAN CEMETERY, STEENWERCK, which contained the graves of 86 German soldiers and two from the United Kingdom.

MERRIS CONVENT GERMAN CEMETERY, in which one Australian soldier was buried in May 1918.

RUE MASSELOT (2nd LINCOLNS) CEMETERY, LAVENTIE, 800 metres North of Fauquissart, where 54 soldiers from the United Kingdom, including 37 of the 2nd Lincolns, were buried in 1915 and 1918 in an orchard. In May-August 1918, the Germans made two considerable cemeteries (now removed), almost surrounding it.

SALOME CHURCHYARD GERMAN EXTENSION, which contained the grave of an officer of the H.L.I. The German graves were taken to SALOME COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION, from which twelve British graves were removed to Rue-Petillon.

VERLINGHEM CHURCHYARD GERMAN EXTENSION, contained the graves of three British soldiers.

WERVICQ-SUD GERMAN CEMETERY, on the road to Le Blaton, where 23 soldiers from the United Kingdom were buried in November 1914, and April 1918; five graves were removed to Rue-Petillon and 18 to Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

There are now just over 1,500, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, nearly half are unidentified and a special memorial is erected to one soldier from the United Kingdom, believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of two Indian soldiers; and a third group commemorates 15 Canadian soldiers, five from the United Kingdom one from Australia, buried in other cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire.

Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery is irregularly arranged, because of the conditions under which it was made and the groups of concentrated burials, are among the original groups of graves. It covers area is 5,983 square metres and is enclosed by a low red brick wall.

Alexander Hunter Edgar Turner—8th Canadian Regiment—Lens Mem. 5