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Yorkshire
Regiment War Graves, - Faubourg d'Amiens Cemetery, Arras (France, Pas de Calais) |
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Faubourg
d'Amiens Cemetery, Arras (1)
Photo : Chris Weekes (<weebex12@hotmail.com>)
The French handed over Arras to Commonwealth forces in the spring of 1916 and the system of tunnels upon which the town is built were used and developed in preparation for the major offensive planned for April 1917.
The Commonwealth section of the FAUBOURG D'AMIENS CEMETERY was begun in March 1916, behind the French military cemetery established earlier. It continued to be used by field ambulances and fighting units until November 1918. The cemetery was enlarged after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields and from two smaller cemeteries in the vicinity.
The cemetery contains over 2,650 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 10 of which are unidentified. The graves in the French military cemetery were removed after the war to other burial grounds and the land they had occupied was used for the construction of the Arras Memorial and Arras Flying Services Memorial.
The adjacent ARRAS MEMORIAL commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918, the eve of the Advance to Victory, and have no known grave. The most conspicuous events of this period were the Arras offensive of April-May 1917, and the German attack in the spring of 1918. Canadian and Australian servicemen killed in these operations are commemorated by memorials at Vimy and Villers-Bretonneux. A separate memorial remembers those killed in the Battle of Cambrai in 1917.
The adjacent ARRAS FLYING SERVICES MEMORIAL commemorates more than 1,000 airmen of the Royal Naval Air Service, the Royal Flying Corps, and the Royal Air Force, either by attachment from other arms of the forces of the Commonwealth or by original enlistment, who were killed on the whole Western Front and who have no known grave.
During the Second World War, Arras was occupied by United Kingdom forces headquarters until the town was evacuated on 23 May 1940. Arras then remained in German hands until retaken by Commonwealth and Free French forces on 1 September 1944. The 1939-1945 War burials number 8 and comprise 3 soldiers and 4 airmen from the United Kingdom and 1 entirely unidentified casualty. Located between the 2 special memorials of the 1914-1918 War is the special memorial commemorating an officer of the United States Army Air Force, who died during the 1939-1945 War. This special memorial, is inscribed with the words "Believed to be buried in this cemetery". In addition, there are 30 war graves of other nationalities, most of them German.
Amongst the graves are those for 14 soldiers who served with the Yorkshire Regiment.
We are very grateful to Chris Weekes (<weebex12@hotmail.com>) for photographs of the cemetery and headstones, as well as Richard Roberts (<richard.nsw@googlemail.com>) who has also photographed some of the headstones.
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 Thomas Belliman Baldry,
40142. 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. Formerly 28077 Yorkshire Regiment. Killed 19 March 1917. Born Pickering, Enlisted Pickering. Photo by Chris Weekes (<weebex12@hotmail.com>) |
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Private Dixon Berry. 43566. 17th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own), formerly 29082 Yorkshire Regiment. Son of John Henry Dixon Berry and Emma Berry, of Rastrick, Brighouse, Yorks. Killed 2 November 1916. Aged 41. Born Brighouse (Yorks), Enlisted Halifax (Yorks). Photo by Chris Weekes (<weebex12@hotmail.com>) |
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Private Horace Brace, 260049.
7th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Killed 23 April 1917. Enlisted Bedford, Resided Little Munden (Herts). Photo by Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com> |
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Private John George Brown. 203799.
4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Killed 23 April 1917. Born Richmond (Yorks), Enlisted Richmond. Photo by Richard Roberts, <richard.nsw@googlemail.com> 
The photo above shows the three adjoining graves of Privates Horton, Brown, and Smith. Click on the thumbnail image for a larger version of the photo. (Photo by Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com>) |
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Private Arthur Frederick Bruce.
43650. 12th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own), formerly 27483 the Yorkshire Regiment. Son of Arthur Frederick and Ellen Bruce, of 23, Ermystead St., Skipton. Killed 25 March 1917. Aged 23. Born Skipton (Yorks), Enlisted Skipton. Photo by Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com> (A photo and further details on Arthur Bruce can be found on http://www.cpgw.org.uk/viewDetail.cfm?sID=209-03&view=main) |
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Private Ralph William Fenwick.
40146. 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, formerly 28056 Yorkshire Regiment. Son of Ralph and Anna Fenwick, of Naman's Leases, Aldbrough, Darlington. Killed 10 February 1917. Aged 20. Born Aldborough (Yorks), Enlisted Richmond (Yorks). Photo by Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com> |
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Lance Corporal Joseph Greenwood.
31298. 8th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment, formerly 29044 the Yorkshire Regiment. Son of James and Miranda Greenwood, of 27, Colin St., Hanson Lane, Halifax. Killed 5 June 1917. Aged 35. Born Halifax, Enlisted Halifax. Photo by Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com> |
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Private John Heughe. 26632.
8th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Killed 30 August 1916. Born Toft Hill (Durham), Enlisted Richmond (Yorks). Photo by Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com> |
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Private Frederick William Horton.
200167. 4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of Mrs. Mary Horton, of 33, Bargate, Richmond, Yorks. Killed 23 April 1917. Aged 20. Born Richmond (Yorks), Enlisted Richmond Photo by Richard Roberts, <richard.nsw@googlemail.com>
The photo above shows the three adjoining graves of Privates Horton, Brown, and Smith. Click on the thumbnail image for a larger version of the photo. (Photo by Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com>) |
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Private Frederick Archer Llewellyn.
26625. 8th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Killed 30 August 1916. Born Stockton, Enlisted Stockton-on-Tees. Photo by Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com> |
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Private John Thomas Rose. 16048.
2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of Mrs. Amy Rose, of 2, Gaunless Terrace, Copley, Butterknowle, Co. Durham. Killed 13 March 1917. Born Barnard Castle, Enlisted Sunderland, Resided Copley. Photo by Richard Roberts, <richard.nsw@googlemail.com> |
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Private John Elliott Smith,
200318. 4th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment. Son of George and Jane Smith, of 78, Belmangate, Guisborough, Yorks. Killed 23 April 1917. Aged 29. Born Skipton-in-Cleveland, Enlisted Guisborough. Photo by Richard Roberts, <richard.nsw@googlemail.com>
The photo above shows the three adjoining graves of Privates Horton, Brown, and Smith. Click on the thumbnail image for a larger version of the photo. (Photo by Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com>) |
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Private Ernest Thompson, 19061.
6th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, formerly 19666 Yorkshire Light Infantry. Son of Mrs. S. A. Thompson, of 4, Pearl St., Sheffield. Killed 22 July 1916. Aged 27. Born Sheffield, Enlisted Wath-on-Dearne, Resided Sheffield. Photo by Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com> |
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Private John Robert Usher. 14947.
10th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Killed 10 August 1916. Born Hendon (Sunderland), Enlisted Sunderland. Photo by Christopher Weekes, <weebex12@hotmail.com> |
Faubourg
d'Amiens Cemetery, Arras (2)
Photo : Chris Weekes (<weebex12@hotmail.com>)
Faubourg
d'Amiens Cemetery, Arras (3)
Photo : Chris Weekes (<weebex12@hotmail.com>)