Bancourt British Cemetery is a

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

burial ground for the dead of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

located in the

Pas de Calais The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait (french: Pas de Calais - ''Strait of Calais''), is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and the North Sea, separating Great Britain from continent ...

region of France, on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

History

The village of

Bancourt Bancourt () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. Geography A small farming village located 10 miles (16 km) south of Arras at the junction of the D7 and D7E1 roads. Population Sig ...

is to the east of

Bapaume Bapaume (original Dutch name Batpalmen) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The inhabitants of this commune are known as ''Bapalmois'' or ''Bapalmoises''. Geography Bapaume is a farmi ...

, the scene of fighting in April 1918, during the German spring offensive, which saw it captured by the Germans. It was retaken by soldiers of the

New Zealand Division The New Zealand Division was an infantry division of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force raised for service in the First World War. It was formed in Egypt in early 1916 when the New Zealand and Australian Division was renamed after the detachmen ...

in late August 1918 during the

Second Battle of Bapaume The Second Battle of Bapaume was a battle of the First World War that took place at Bapaume in France, from 21 August 1918 to 3 September 1918. It was a continuation of the Battle of Albert and is also referred to as the second phase of that ba ...

Foundation

The cemetery was established in September 1918 by the New Zealand Division and initially covered the area that is now defined as Plot I, rows A and B. It was expanded after the war as it received the remains from other cemeteries in the area as they were consolidated here. These consolidated cemeteries included Bapaume Reservoir German Cemetery, Bapaume Road Cemetery, three cemeteries from along the Beaulencourt Road and Cloudy Trench Cemetery. Most of the interments were for soldiers killed during the fighting in the area in April 1918 when the Germans launched their Spring Offensive, and then August–September 1918, during the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...

. However, it also contains numerous graves of men killed in the winter of 1916–1917.

Cemetery

, the Bancourt British Cemetery is located off the D7 road, to the east of Bancourt. The entrance is along the south wall. A

Cross of Sacrifice The Cross of Sacrifice is a Commonwealth war memorial designed in 1918 by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). It is present in Commonwealth war cemeteries containing 40 or ...

is positioned at the northern end of the cemetery while a

Stone of Remembrance The Stone of Remembrance is a standardised design for war memorials that was designed in 1917 by the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens for the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC). It was designed to commemorate the dead of World War I, to b ...

is located close to the entry. Bancourt's communal cemetery is on the opposite side of the road. The cemetery contains the remains of 2,480 soldiers, 1,462 of them unidentified. The majority of the identified burials are those from the United Kingdom but 171 soldiers of the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

are also buried at Bancourt alongside 161 soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force. Eleven Canadian soldiers are identified as being interred at the cemetery. There is also a special memorial to 43 soldiers believed to be among the unidentified burials as well as to a soldier's grave in a German military cemetery which was unable to be located during the consolidation phase. These can be found along the northern wall, behind the Cross of Sacrifice. A notable burial at Bancourt is Sergeant David Jones, a Victoria Cross recipient who was killed in action on 7 October 1916.

Notes

References

* * {{refend Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in France World War I cemeteries in France World War I in the Pas-de-Calais Cemeteries in Pas-de-Calais Works of Edwin Lutyens in France