Roclincourt Military Cemetery
Location
Roclincourt is a village a little to the east of the road from Arras to Lens. Take the N17 from Arras until the junction of this road and the D60 (first CWGC sign here). Travel along the D60 into Roclincourt village, for approximately one kilometre, to a right turn (direction St Nicholas). Take this road for approximately 175 metres to a lane on the right. The cemetery lies 100 metres away at the foot of this lane.
| GPS | N | E | OSM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decimal | 50.324779 | 2.785415 | Map |
Historical Information
The French troops who held this front before March 1916 made a military cemetery (now removed), on the south-west side of which the present Commonwealth cemetery was made. It was begun by the 51st (Highland) and 34th Divisions in April 1917, and contains many graves of 9th April, the first day of the Battles of Arras.
It continued in use, as a front-line cemetery, until October 1918 and after the Armistice graves, mostly from the battlefield north of Roclincourt, were brought into Plot IV, Row F.
Roclincourt Military Cemetery contains 916 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 32 of them unidentified. There are also four German war graves.
The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.
Originally, the cemetery contained a wooden memorial erected by the 22nd Royal Fusiliers to one officer and 27 N.C.O.‘s and men who fell in action at Oppy in April and May 1917.
Private William McCann 241605
1/6th Bn Gordon Highlanders
Died on 9th April 1917 aged 19
Son of Hugh and Jane McCann
of 12, North St, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire
Grave: I A 29
Private Robert Burness 292592
1/7th Bn The Black Watch
Royal Highlanders
Died on 9th April 1917 aged 26
Son of Mr and Mrs James Burness
of Pitcoag, Glencarse, Perthshire.
Native of Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Grave: III A 29
Private Joseph Bell S/21827
1/4th Bn Gordon Highlanders
Died on 25th May 1918
Grave: V D 19
Shot at dawn
Rifleman Harry Williams 393923
1/9th Bn Royal Fusiliers
Queen Victoria’s Rifles
Died on 28th December 1917
Son of Isabella Hitchcock
of 122, Colville Road, Acton, London
Grave: II F 4
Shot at Dawn for desertion
Harry Williams was a volunteer who had joined in 1915. In November 1917 he was under a 15 year suspended sentence for desertion when he refused to go into battle. He absented himself and then refused to rejoin his unit during a German attack. He was brought for trial and charged with Desertion. Found guilty and with a previous record he was condemned to death.