Laventie Military Cemetery
Location
Laventie and La Gorgue are adjoining towns. Laventie Military Cemetery is on the north-east outskirts of Laventie.
From Laventie, head north out of the town on the D166. Approximately one kilometre along this road turn right at the first junction and follow the small road for 400 metres. The Cemetery is on the right hand side.
| GPS | N | E | OSM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decimal | 50.636220 | 2.774037 | Map |
Historical Information
The men of the 61st (2nd South Midland) Division of the British Army began burying their fallen comrades at this site in the latter half of June 1916. Over 80 members of the Division who were killed or mortally wounded during the Battle of Fromelles (19th July 1916) were laid to rest here, and the cemetery was used by British units holding this part of the line throughout 1916 and ’17.
From June 1917 until April of the following year, the cemetery was also used by the Portuguese Corps. After the Armistice, the remains of over 170 Portuguese soldiers were removed and re-interred at the Portuguese National Cemetery at Richebourg l’Avoué.
During the 1920s, the graves of British, Indian, and Chinese servicemen killed at different stages during the war were brought here from the surrounding battlefields.
- Englos Churchyard contained a United Kingdom grave of October 1918.
- Haubourdin Communal Cemetery contained 11 United Kingdom graves of 1914.
- Laventie (Rue Du Patronnage) German Cemetery contained the graves of a number of Portuguese soldiers buried by the enemy in 1918.
- Lestrem Communal Cemetery contained the graves of four British officers of the Indian Army and two United Kingdom soldiers.
- Roubaix Communal Cemetery (Place Chaptal) contained 13 United Kingdom graves and one Australian, nine of which were originally in Roubaix (Rue Joffroy) German Cemetery, between Roubaix and Lannoy.
- Tressin Churchyard contained one Australian Flying Corps grave of October 1918, and one United Kingdom grave of November 1918.
There are now almost 550 casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated at Laventie Military Cemetery.