Luke Copse British Cemetery, Puisieux

• Country France
• Total identified casualties 44 Find these casualties
• Region Pas de Calais
• Identified casualties from First World War
• GPS Coordinates Latitude: 50.10774, Longitude: 2.6592

Location information

Using the D919 from Arras to Amiens you will drive through the villages of Bucquoy and Puisieux and then Serre-les-Puisieux (approximately 20 kilometres south of Arras). On leaving Serre-les-Puisieux, 600 metres further along the D919 there is a right hand turn onto a small lane which will take you directly to Luke Copse Cemetery. It must, however, be emphasised that this lane is not suitable for cars and buses. The register is available in the Mairie on Tuesday ; Thursday and Friday from 14.00 to 16.00 and Saturday from 10.00 to 12.00

Visiting information

ARRIVAL

The cemetery is signposted.

PARKING

There is no dedicated parking, but it is possible to park on the grass verge alongside the single lane dirt and gravel track. This lane is very narrow.

There is a layby opposite the nearby Queen’s Cemetery, Puiseux and the Sheffield Memorial Park / Railway Hollow Cemetery on the same track, approximately 300 metres from the access track to the cemetery.

From the track there is a 30-metre long grass path leading downwards to the cemetery entrance, with a hedge on either side.

There is a wooden bench sitting on a raised gravel bed on the left-hand side of the path at the beginning of the grass pathway down to the cemetery.

ACCESS LAYOUT AND MAIN ENTRANCE

The cemetery is long and narrow, and surrounded by a stone wall.

The main gate is a mid-level, thigh height, black metal gate, 90 centimetres wide. The latch is on the top left side of the gate, raised by turning a ring handle clockwise. The gate opens onto a paved platform inside the cemetery. The path leading to the gate is level with the paving at the entrance.

There is a stone bench to the left of the gate on the platform. To the right of the gate is paving between two hedges, which leads to two steps down into the burial area.

There is no Register Box in the cemetery.

The Cross of Sacrifice is at the bottom end of the cemetery, furthest from the main entrance, there is a semi-circular paving step level with the grass behind the Cross of Sacrifice.

ALTERNATIVE ACCESS

There is no alternative access into the cemetery.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The site is on a gentle slope.

The cemetery is permanently open.

History information

The village of Puisieux was taken by Commonwealth forces on the 28 February 1917, lost on the 26 March 1918 and recovered on the following 21 August.

In the spring of 1917, the battlefields of the Somme and Ancre were cleared by V Corps and a number of new cemeteries were made. Luke Copse British Cemetery (originally known as V Corps Cemetery No. 19) is on the old front line of July 1916. It is named from one of four small plantations that were on or close behind that line, between Serre and Hebuterne. The graves are of casualties of the 31st and 3rd Divisions, who died in attacks on 1 July and 13 November 1916.

There are now 72 First World War burials in the cemetery, 28 of them unidentified.

The cemetery was designed by N A Rew.