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Yorkshire
Regiment War Graves, - Bazentin-le-Petit Communal Cemetery Extension (France, Somme) |
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Bazentin-le-Petit
Communal Cemetery Extension - 1
Photo : Richard Roberts (<richard.nsw@googlemail.com>)
Bazentin was in German hands until 14 July 1916 when the 3rd and 7th Divisions captured the two villages (and the communal cemetery) and held them against counter-attacks, and the 21st Division captured Bazentin-le-Petit Wood. The ground was lost in April 1918 during the great German advance but recaptured on the following 25 August by the 38th (Welsh) Division. The COMMUNAL CEMETERY contains two Commonwealth burials dating from August 1916. The COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION was begun immediately after the capture of the village and used until December 1916 as a front-line cemetery. It was enlarged after the Armistice when 50 graves were brought in from the battlefields of Bazentin and Contalmaison. It now contains 185 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 53 of the burials are unidentified and 59 (mainly of the 1st Northamptons) destroyed by shell fire are now represented by special memorials. One British soldier was reburied in this cemetery from Sailly-Laurette German Cemetery (near the West side of the road from Sailly-Laurette to Morlancourt), which contained 556 German burials.
Amongst the graves in this cemetery are those of 2 soldiers who served with the Yorkshire Regiment.
We are extremely grateful to Richard Roberts (<richard.nsw@googlemail.com>) and Chris Weekes (<weebex12@hotmail.com>) who have generously provided the photographs of the cemetery and the headstones on this page.
Click on the thumbnail image of a headstone for a larger version of the photo which opens in a new window.
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Private Wilfred Adcock, 23544. Machine Gun Corps. Formerly 1343 Yorkshire Regiment. Killed 3 November 1916. Born Malton (Yorks), Enlisted Pickering, Resided Malton. Photo : Richard Roberts (<richard.nsw@googlemail.com>) |
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Serjeant Lawrence Ovington.
5714. 4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of Ralph Stephenson Ovington and Mary Ann Ovington, of 42, Tavistock St., Middlesbrough. Died 16 November 1916. Born Middlesbrough, Enlisted Middlesbrough. Aged 25. "KNOWN TO BE BURIED IN THIS CEMETERY"
"THEIR GLORY SHALL NOT BE BLOTTED OUT" (Photo : Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com>) |
Bazentin-le-Petit
Communal Cemetery Extension - 2
Photo : Richard Roberts (<richard.nsw@googlemail.com>)
Bazentin-le-Petit
Communal Cemetery Extension - 3
Photo : Christopher Weekes, (<weebex12@hotmail.com>)