Mazargues War Cemetery, Marseilles

• Country France
• Total identified casualties 1742 Find these casualties
• Region Bouches-du-Rhone
• Identified casualties from First & Second World War
• GPS Coordinates Latitude: 43.2491, Longitude: 5.40531

Location information

Marseilles is the chief town in the Department of the Bouches-du-Rhone. Mazargues is a southern suburb (the 9th Arrondissement), some 6 kilometres from the centre of Marseilles. The cemetery is located 200 metres south of the 'Rond-Point de Mazargues' on the main road (the D559) to Toulon via Cassis. The address of the cemetery is No.24 Avenue General de Lattre de Tassigny.

Visiting information

PLEASE NOTE: It is regretted that due to vandalism in the area, it is necessary to keep the main cemetery gate locked outside working hours and at weekends. Access is, however always possible via the communal cemetery from 0730hrs to 1730hrs. The entrance to the communal cemetery can be found on Rue Ernest Rouvière.

The location or design of this site makes wheelchair access difficult. For further information regarding wheelchair access, please contact our Enquiries Section on 01628 507200.

History information

Marseilles was the Base of the Indian troops in France during the 1914-18 war and throughout the War the Royal Navy, the Merchant Navy, British troops and Labour units worked in the port or passed through it.

Four of the town cemeteries were used, in the main, for the burial of officers and men of the Commonwealth forces who died at Marseilles. At ST. PIERRE CEMETERY, on the East side of the town, the bodies of Hindu soldiers and labourers were cremated in 1914-16. LE CANET OLD CEMETERY and LE CANET NEW CEMETERY, on the North side, were in 1917-19, the places of burial for Indian soldiers and Indian, Egyptian and Chinese labourers.

MAZARGUES CEMETERY, on the South-East side, was used less in the War, but before the Armistice an Extension was made, to which were removed, a little later, the bodies or ashes from the four Town cemeteries and from PORT ST. LOUIS-DU-RHONE COMMUNAL CEMETERY.

There are now 1,487, 1914-18 and 267, 1939-45 war casualties commemorated in this site. 205 of the Indian casualties, who were cremated, are commemorated on a memorial at the rear of the cemetery. The Mazargues Indian Memorial was unveiled by Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood in July 1925. In addition, 8 members of the Egyptian Labour Corps, who were buried in Le Canet New Communal Cemetery at the time, but whose graves were later lost, are commemorated on a stone tablet on the left hand wall of the war cemetery.

The cemetery covers an of 9,021 square metres.