Longuenesse Cemetery

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Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Location

St. Omer is a large town 45 kilometres south-east of Calais. Longuenesse is a commune on the southern outskirts of St. Omer. Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery is approximately 3 kilometres from St Omer to the left of the D928 Abbeville road. As you leave St Omer towards Longuenesse drive up the hill for about 600 metres and the cemetery is on your left. There is a large car park to the rear of the cemetery.

Historical Information

St. Omer became on the 13th October, 1914, and remained until the end of March, 1916, the General Headquarters of the British Expeditionary Force.

Lord Roberts died there in November, 1914. It was a considerable hospital centre, more especially in 1918; the 4th, 10th, 7th Canadian, 9th Canadian and New Zealand Stationary Hospitals, the 7th, 58th (Scottish) and 59th (Northern) General Hospitals, and the 17th, 18th and 1st and 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Stations were all, at some time during the war, quartered in St. Omer.

It was raided by aeroplanes in November, 1917, and May, 1918, with serious loss of life. At Elnes, 11 kilometres to the South-West, the 8th Casualty Clearing Station made a small cemetery in the summer of 1918; and the four graves from Elnes, with three others, were brought into the Souvenir Cemetery after the Armistice.

There are now over 3,000, 1914-18 and nearly 450, 1939-45 war casualties commemorated in this site. Special Memorial headstones are erected to 23 men of the Chinese Labour Corps whose graves could not be exactly located and an airman of the Royal Air Force, buried at the time in Merckeghem churchyard, whose grave is now lost.

The British portion of the Cemetery covers an area of about 5,541 square metres.

 
Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery The French Cemetery The German Cemetery Belgian Graves Chinese Graves
Click on the thumbnails for a larger picture The Memorial to the French Garrison
 

Cecil Reginald Noble VC

Cecil Reginald Noble VC

Lance Corporal 3697, C Company, 2Bn Rifle Brigade

Died: 13 March 1915, aged 23

Son of Hannah Noble, of 172, Capstone Rd, Bournemouth, and the late Frederick Noble.

Grave: I A 57

London Gazette No. 29146, dated 27th April 1915

For most conspicuous bravery on 12th March, 1915, at Neuve Chapelle, when their battalion was impeded in the advance to attack by wire entanglements, and subjected to a very severe machine-gun fire, these two men voluntarily rushed in front and succeeded in cutting the wires

Award made to Lance Corporal Noble and C.S.M. H. Daniels

Airmen and St Omer

A few minutes drive from the cemetery towards Abbeville/Wizernes/La Coupole is Longuenesse Aerodrome (Turn right at the Prison following the signs).

The aerodrome was a very important centre for the Royal Flying Corps throughout the First World War. Because of this long held connection the Monument to the British Flying Services was unveiled here in September 2004.

Air Services Memorial Air Services Memorial

Two Pilots from New Zealand, First and Second World Wars

Captain Johnstone RFC

Melville Johnstone

Captain, 27 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps

Died: 16 July 1916, aged 28

Son of Robert and Anastasia Johnstone, of Motuotaraia, Waipukurau, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

Grave: IV C 58

Sgt McHugh RNZAF

Martin Kean McHugh

Sergeant (Pilot) 401281 611 (RAF) Squadron, Royal NZAF

Died: 03 July 1941, aged 23

Son of David and Sarah McHugh, of Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand.

Grave: IX B 17