LONGUENESSE (ST. OMER) SOUVENIR CEMETERY
St. Omer
Pas de Calais
France
General Directions: St. Omer is a large town 45 kilometres south-east of Calais. Longuenesse is a commune on the southern outskirts of St. Omer. The Cemetery is approximately 3 kilometres from St Omer, beside the Wizernes (Abbeville) road (the D928), at its junction with the Rue des Bruyeres. There is a large car park to the rear of the cemetery.
St. Omer was the General Headquarters of the British Expeditionary
Force from October 1914 to March 1916. Lord Roberts died there in November
1914. The town was a considerable hospital centre with 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 all stationed there at some
time during the war. St. Omer suffered air raids in November 1917 and May
1918, with serious loss of life.
The cemetery takes its names from the triangular cemetery of the St. Omer
garrison, properly called the Souvenir Cemetery (Cimetiere du Souvenir
Francais) which is located next to the War Cemetery.
The Commonwealth section of the cemetery contains 2,874 Commonwealth burials
of the First World War (6 unidentified), with special memorials
commemorating 23 men of the Chinese Labour Corps whose graves could not be
exactly located. Second World War burials number 403, (93 unidentified).
Within the Commonwealth section there are also 34 non-war burials and 239
war graves of other nationalities.
The cemetery was designed by
Sir Herbert Baker
Victoria Cross: 3697 Lance Corporal Cecil Reginald Noble, VC. "C" Company, 2nd Bn. Rifle Brigade, died of wounds 13/03/1915. Plot I. A. 57.
Citation: An extract from the Supplement to the London Gazette of 27th April, 1915 (No. 29146) records the award of the V.C. to this N.C.O. and to C.S.M. H. Daniels "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."
Shot at Dawn: 7552 Lance Sergeant W. Walton, 2nd Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps, executed for desertion 23/03/1915. Plot 1. A. 68.
Shot at Dawn: 8752 Private I. Reid, 2nd Bn. Scots Guards, executed for desertion 09/04/1915. Plot 3. B. 26.
Shot at Dawn: 9/28719 Private J. Cuthbert, 9th Bn. Cheshire Regiment, executed for disobedience 06/05/1916. Plot 5. F. 71.
Shot at Dawn: 404436 Private E. J. Reynolds, 3rd Bn. Canadian Infantry, executed for desertion 23/08/1916. Plot 4. A. 39.
Shot at Dawn: 32559 Private C. B. Nicholson, 8th Bn. Yorks and Lancs Regiment, executed for desertion 27/10/1917. Plot 4. E. 66.
The mass pardon of 306 British Empire soldiers executed for certain offences during the Great War was enacted in section 359 of the Armed Forces Act 2006, which came into effect on royal assent on 8 November 2006.
Casualty Details: UK 2486, Canada 150, Australia 155, New Zealand 53, South Africa 24, India 6, Germany 187, France 10, Total Burials: 3096
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Gunner 26365 Robert Johnston 1st Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery Died of wounds 19/05/1915 Plot I. A. 25
Image courtesy of Joe O'Raw and William Kilgour
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33875 Private George Eastick 1st/7th Bn. Duke of Wellington's Regiment. 30/06/1918, aged 17. (Age officially given as 19) Born Great Yarmouth. Son of James Alfred and Alice Maud Eastick, of 20, Norfolk Place, Boston. Plot V. C. 22
Picture courtesy of Glynis Eastick
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3/9906 Private George Sibley 2nd Bn. Northamptonshire Regiment 06/10/1915, aged 20. Son of Alfred W. and Avis A. Sibley, of New Lodge, Warkton, Kettering. Native of Stamford Hill, Kettering. Plot II. A. 48.
Picture courtesy of Mrs Sandy Hall, niece of this soldier
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Lieutenant Edward Leslie Graham Rowell MC 25th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F. 15/11/1917, aged 25. Son of Robert and Helena M. Rowell, of Victoria St., Warwick, Queensland. Native of Northumberland, England Plot IV. F. 3
Edward Leslie Graham Rowell was born at Walbottle House, Northumberland, England. He enlisted in March 1915 and left for the Front as a member of the 25th Battalion A. I. F. He played his honoured part as an ANZAC, having spent four months in the winter campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula. He then served with the first Australian divisions in France fighting on the Western Front where he won his commission in the field. AWARDED THE MILITARY CROSS At Westhoek Ridge on the 20th of September 1917 for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty, when during the advance an enemy Pill-box from which the enemy were emerging, seemed likely to hold up the advance, this Officer rushed it single handed. Although his revolver was shot out of his hand, he engaged them with bombs, killing four and taking 20 prisoners. Later, when his Company Commander was wounded, he took charge of the Company, eventually carrying out a relief under heavy shell fire. Throughout his courage and coolness were a fine example to all ranks.
Picture courtesy of David Backhouse, great nephew of this officer |
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14107 Private William Stanley Argyle Gammon 4th Bn. Coldstream Guards 15/09/1915, aged 21. Son of William and Eva L. Gammon, of 90, Divinity Rd., Oxford. Plot II. A. 29.
Picture courtesy of Wendy Purslow
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681649 Driver Ralph Toone "B" Battery, 286th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery 28/11/1917, aged 22. Son of James and Alice Ann Toone, of 2, Hoyle Mill Rd., Stairfoot, Barnsley. Native of Hoyland, Barnsley. Plot IV. F. 12.
Picture courtesy of Jennie Nuttall, his niece.
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13129 Corporal Hugh Gibson 7th Bn. Royal Scots Fusiliers 09/09/1915, aged 34. Son of Thomas and Jean Gibson, of Blantyre, Glasgow; husband of Jessie Stoddart Gibson, of 38, Broompark Rd., High Blantyre, Glasgow. Plot II. A. 26.
Picture courtesy of great, great niece Mandy Larkins |
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20447 Private Frederick Snelus 2nd Bn. Worcestershire Regiment 30/09/1915 Plot II. A. 39.
Picture courtesy of granddaughter, Brenda Nicolaou
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17386 Private Isaac Charles 1st/5th Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment 25/03/1918 Plot IV. F. 78.
The above photo is a copy which was sent to his sister who had emigrated to Canada in 1904. She was my grandmother. Isaac lived at Pelsall, Staffordshire and had 12 brothers and sisters. I was lucky enough to visit the town and the South Staffs Regimental Museum in 2010 where there is a copy of the war diaries from March 1918. Isaac was mentioned in the diary by name. Picture courtesy of great niece, Shirley Runte |
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202306 Private James Lindsay 6th Bn. King's Own Scottish Borderers 01/11/1918, aged 32. Son of James Lindsay, of Stewarton, Ayrshire; husband of Ellen Rafferty Lindsay, of Gateside, Beith, Ayrshire. Plot V. E. 37.
"Remembered with honour"
Picture courtesy of grandson, Lindsay Smith
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