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LocationNeuville-St Vaast is a village 6.5 kilometres north of Arras, a little east of the road from Bethune to Arras. La Targette British Cemetery lies to the south-west of the village on the north-west side of the road to the village of Maroeuil (D55). Historical InformationLa Targette British Cemetery is in the Western angle of the cross roads at Aux-Rietz, and behind it is the big French National Cemetery of La Targette, formed largely by concentration from smaller burial grounds.
On the main road, a little further South, is the big German concentration cemetery of Maison-Blanche; and a little North of La Targette is a monument to the Czechoslovak volunteers who fell in the capture of the hamlet by the French forces on the 9th May, 1915. The British Cemetery formerly known as Aux-Rietz Military Cemetery, was begun at the end of April, 1917, and used by Field Ambulances and fighting units until September, 1918; and sixteen graves were brought in from the immediate neighbourhood after the Armistice. The cemetery contains 638 First World War burials, 41 of them unidentified. There are also three Second World War burials, two of which are unidentified.
Nearly a third of the graves have an artillery connection. In March-April 1917, the artillery of the 2nd Canadian and 5th Divisions, and certain heavy artillery units, had their headquarters in a deep cave at Aux-Rietz. The 21st Canadian Infantry Battalion erected a wooden memorial in the cemetery to their dead of April, 1917. The cemetery covers an area of 2,852 square metres and is enclosed by a stone curb on two sides, and on the other two by a low rubble wall. The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.
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