Wicres
Location
Wicres is a small village in the Départment du Nord, some 8 kilometres north-north-east of La-Bassée, on the Béthune-Lille road (N41).
From Arras, it is more convenient to take the N47 which joins the N 41 at Illies.
From the N41 turn right onto the D22 just after the Route de La Bassée Soldatenfriedhof which borders the main road on your right.
Take the next road to your left into Wicres village.
The church (where there are a few CWGC burials) is in the centre.
Wicres Village Soldatenfriedhof can be found just behind it.
| GPS | N | E | OSM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decimal | 50.570145 | 2.868065 | Map |
Historical Information
The German military cemetery at Wicres Village was created in September 1915 following the fighting in the area of Neuve Chapelle and La Bassée.
There is a monument within the cemetery honouring 210 soldiers who were killed in a mine explosion on the 25th September 1915.
A further 900 soldiers were buried here in the second half of 1915. Almost 1000 further graves were added in 1918 following the major German attack of May and the Allied counter-offensive in September and October.
Russian Prisoner of War: Ivan Belischow
Following the war the French authorities ordered that graves from the twelve surrounding communes be brought into the cemetery.
The old wooden crosses were replaced in 1979 with the current granite markers. Most of the markers carry the name of more than one soldier.
The cemetery now contains 2,824 casualties from the First World War. Each has an individual grave but 128 are unknown (Unbekannt). The graves of the eleven Jewish soldiers were given a stèle made of natural stone.
