Arques-La-Bataille British Cemetery
- Country France
- Total identified casualties 378 Find these casualties
- Region Seine-Maritime
- Identified casualties from First World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 49.88846, Longitude: 1.14143
Please note
Visitors should be aware that access to this cemetery can be difficult during bad weather. We advise to leave vehicles at the bottom of the pathway leading up to the cemetery and walk the remaining distance of 600m. Visitors with mobility problems should take extra care when going up the path which is partly uphill on undulating ground.
Location information
Arques-la-Bataille (it owes the latter part of its name to the victory of Henri IV of France over the Duc de Mayenne in 1589) is a small town 6 Kms south-east of Dieppe on the Dieppe-Neufchatel-en-Bray Road. Arques-la-Bataille British Cemetery is in the Archelles district of the town. It can be reached from the main square by initially taking the D56 heading towards St. Nicolas-d-Aliermont. At the junction with the D1 (Martin-Eglise to St. Aubin-le-Cauf road), take the third exist, a farm track, which should be signposted to the cemetery.
Visiting information
Visitors should be aware that access to this cemetery can be difficult during bad weather. We advise visitors to leave vehicles at the bottom of the pathway leading up to the cemetery and walk the remaining distance of 600m. Visitors with mobility problems should take extra care when going up the path which is partly uphill on undulating ground and may find it impossible after heavy rain.
History information
The South African Native Labour Corps came to France early in 1917 and No.1 General Labour Hospital was established at its camp at Arques-la-Bataille. Most of the burials in the cemetery are of men of the Corps, many of whom died at the hospital. The cemetery also contains a memorial to all men of the Corps who died in France. This is in the middle of the cemetery and is a Great War Stone of a grey colour, on the face of which is a concave bronze medallion with the head of a springbok in high relief; and inscribed on the stone, in English, Sesuto and Isixosa, are the words:.
"To the memory of those Natives of the South African Labour Corps who crossed the seas in response to the call of their great Chief, King George V, and laid down their lives in France, for the British Empire, during the Great War 1914-1918, this Memorial is erected by their comrades.".
In addition, 116 graves were added in 1953 from Division 5 of Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre.
There are now 381 burials of the First World War in the cemetery.
The cemetery was designed by J.R. Truelove. The memorial was designed by Arthur J.S. Hutton.