Dantzig Alley
Location
Mametz is a village about 8 kilometres east of the town of Albert. The Cemetery is a little east of the village on the north side of the road, D64, to Montauban.
Note that whilst Metz itself is pronounced with the -z- other town names in France that finish in -metz are pronounced -may.
Historical Information
For some reason the trench system: Danzig Alley was often referred to as Dantzig Alley and this is the name by which the Cemetery is known.
Dantzig Alley British Cemetery was named from a German trench. Mametz was carried by the 7th Division on the 1st July 1916, after very hard fighting at Dantzig Alley and other points. The cemetery was begun later in the same month; it was used by Field Ambulances and fighting units until the following November. The ground was lost in March 1918, and regained in August, and a few graves were added in August and September 1918.
Royal Welch Fusiliers
The cemetery consisted, at the Armistice, of 183 graves, now in Plot I; but it was then very greatly increased by the concentration of graves (almost all of 1916) from certain smaller burial grounds and from the battlefields North and East of Mametz.
There are now 2,053 Commonwealth burials of the 1914-18 war commemorated in this site. Of these, 518 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 17 soldiers from the United Kingdom, known or believed to be buried among them.
Other special memorials record the names of 70 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from New Zealand, buried in other cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire. Five French and seven German graves have been removed to other cemeteries.
The cemetery covers an area of 5,722 square metres and is enclosed by a brick wall.
On the right hand wall you will find a plaque dedicated to the Royal Welch Fusiliers
On the back wall is a seat dedicated to the 14th Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers who were part of the 38th (Welsh) Division.
From the back wall you can look out over the Queens Nullah and towards the right down to Mametz Wood.
To the right on the skyline is the Pozières Radio mast
In the right of the picture, on the skyline, you can see Mansell Copse the start line for the ill fated Devons.
Private Thomas Jones MM 21235
14th Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers
Died on 10th July 1916 aged 20
Son of Margaret Jones of 4 Rising Sun, Bagillt, Chester, and the late John Jones
Grave: V T 1
Lance Corporal Henry Humphreys 20016
9th Bn Devonshire Regiment
Died on 1st July 1916
Born and enlisted in Axmouth Devon
Grave: V J 1
Mametz Village: 1 July 1916
Mametz Wood: July 1916