Arras Road Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France

ARRAS ROAD CEMETERY

Roclincourt

Pas De Calais

France

GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 50.3415, Longitude: 2.78214

Location Information

Roclincourt is a village a little east of the road from Arras to Lens and Lille.

Arras Road Cemetery is on the west side of the main N17 road from Arras to Lens, about 6 Kms north of Arras, and north of the village of Ecuries.

Historical Information

Roclincourt was just within the British lines before the Battles of Arras, 1917; the 51st (Highland) and 34th Divisions advanced from the village on the 9th April, 1917, and the 1st Canadian Division attacked on their left, across the Lens road.

Arras Road Cemetery was begun by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade soon after the 9th April, 1917, and until the Armistice it contained only the graves (now at the back of the cemetery) of 71 officers and men of the 7th Canadian Infantry Battalion (British Columbia Regiment) who fell in April, May and June, 1917; but in 1926-29, it was enlarged by the addition of 993 graves from a wide area, mainly North and East of Arras. Amongst these were graves from the following burial grounds:-

BAISIEUX CHURCHYARD (Nord): six, October, 1918.
BELLAING CHURCHYARD (Nord): two Canadian, October, 1918.
BOURLON COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Pas-de-Calais): one, September, 1916, and one Canadian, September, 1918.
COMINES COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Nord): five (including one Canadian), 1914-1917. The permanent GERMAN EXTENSION on the West side contains 2,257 identified and 1,903 unidentified German graves.
ECAILLON CHURCHYARD (Nord): one, January, 1919.
GIVENCHY-LES-LA BASSEE CHURCHYARD (Pas-de-Calais). Givenchy is associated with (among other episodes) the stand made by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division in April, 1918.
MAIRIEUX CHURCHYARD (Nord): one, November, 1918.
MOUCHIN CHURCHYARD (Nord): two, October, 1918.
PENIN CHURCHYARD (Pas-de-Calais): one, November, 1916.
PERONNE-EN-MELANTOIS CHURCHYARD (Nord): four, October, 1918.
RUMEGIES CHURCHYARD (Nord): ten, October and November, 1918.
SAINGHIN-EN-MELANTOIS CHURCHYARD (Nord): three, March, 1917 - October, 1918.
SIN CHURCHYARD, BAISIEUX (Nord): three, April - November, 1918.
TINCQUES CHURCHYARD (Pas-de-Calais): one, May, 1916.
VENDIN-LE-VIEIL COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Pas-de-Calais): one, September, 1915.
WANNEHAIN CHURCHYARD (Nord): two, October and November, 1918.

There are 1,062, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site.

The cemetery covers an area of 4,084 square metres. It is enclosed on three sides by a stone rubble wall, and against the road by a retaining wall. Old dug-outs exist under the North-East corner and on the South-West boundary.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield and William Harrison Cowlishaw

Total Burials: 1,062.

Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 171, Canada 86, Australia 7. Total 264.

Unidentified Casualties: 798.

July 1950 - ©CWGC

Images in this gallery © Werner Van Caneghem

Captain Arthur Forbes Gordon Kilby, V. C., M. C., Twice Mentioned in Despatches.
"C" Company, 2nd Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment
25th September 1915, aged 30.
Plot III. N. 27

Only son of Sandford and Alice F. Kilby. Born at East Hayes, Cheltenham. Plot III. N. 27.

His headstone bears the inscription "Thou Hast Given Him His Heart's Desire"

Citation:

An extract from the London Gazette, dated 30th March, 1916, records the following (and it is known that a memorial of the event was erected by the enemy on the spot):- "For most conspicuous bravery. Captain Kilby was specially selected at his own request, and on account of the gallantry which he had previously displayed on many occasions, to attack with his Company a strong enemy redoubt. The Company charged along the narrow towpath, headed by Captain Kilby, who, though wounded at the outset, continued to lead his men right up to the enemy wire under a devastating machine gun fire and a shower of bombs. Here he was shot down, but, although his foot had been blown off, he continued to cheer on his men and to use a rifle. Captain Kilby has been missing since the date of the performance of this great act of valour, and his death has now to be presumed."

Captain Kilby's heroism was acknowledged by the German defenders who erected a memorial cross at the location of his death. His body was eventually found on 19 February 1929 and interred at Arras Road Cemetery, Roclincourt.

Headstone

Picture © Geerhard Joos

16419 Corporal
Clifford Thomas Dodge
7th Bn. Canadian Infantry
Died between 8th April 1917 and 19th April 1917, aged 23.
Plot I. A. 25.

Son of Thomas and Annie Dodge, of 1678, Broadway West, Vancouver.

His headstone bears the inscription "Into Thy Hands O Lord"

442068 Private
Thomas James Fleming
7th Bn. Canadian Infantry
8th April 1917, aged 23.
Plot I. B. 46.

Captain
Claude Llewellyn Harris
7th Bn. Canadian Infantry
9th April 1917, aged 24.
Plot I. B. 1.

Son of Thomas Middleton Harris and Annie Harris, of 14, Rishworth St., Wakefield, England.

His headstone bears the inscription "Son Of Chief Constable Harris, Wakefield, Yorkshire"

August 1951 - ©CWGC

183051 Private
Joseph Kerby
7th Bn. Canadian Infantry
8th April 1917, aged 24.
Plot I. B. 29.

Son of William and Elizabeth Kerby, of Burin, Newfoundland.

7060 Private
Arthur Watt Knox
2nd Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
4th May 1917, aged 25.
Plot III. N. 33.

Son of James and Mary Lucy Knox, of "Loloma," Kelso St., Enfield, New South Wales. Born at Lidcombe, New South Wales.

His headstone bears the inscription "In Memory Of The Dearly Loved Son Of J. & M. Knox Of Sydney, N. S. W."

Lieutenant
Malcolm Eyton Lawrence
6th Bn. attached to 2nd Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps
10th January 1915, aged 25.
Plot II. L. 33.

Son of the late Hon. Henry Arnold Lawrence.

Second Lieutenant
Ernest Smith Learoyd
20th Bn. Middlesex Regiment
23rd November 1917, aged 27.
Plot III. N. 7.

Son of Alfred and Martha Learoyd; husband of Lynn Amelia Learoyd, of "Hillcrest," Eastwood Rise, Eastwood, Rayleigh, Essex.

His headstone bears the inscription "Loved In Life Honoured In Death Cherished In Memory"

3/6948 Private
Murdo MacInnes
1st Bn. Seaforth Highlanders
9th May 1915, aged 28.
Plot III. M. 20.

Son of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Macinnes, of 5, Crossbost, Lochs, Stornoway.

183994 Private
Samuel John Peden
7th Bn. Canadian Infantry
8th April 1917, aged 30.
Plot I. B. 32.

Son of William Peden, of Clintagh, Macosquin, Coleraine, Ireland.

Second Lieutenant
Harry Cullis Steele Walker
1st Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)
12th March 1915, aged 21.
Plot II. J. 1.

Son of Major W. Eaton Walker and Mrs. Eaton Walker, of Scarrington House, Scarrington, Notts.

645237 Private
Harry Winser
7th Bn. Canadian Infantry
Killed in action on 8th April 1917.
Plot I. B. 17.

The photo of Harry was taken with his Father, Alfred. Harry came from Devon (as does the rest of the family) and signed up to fight for the Empire after his arrival in Canada.

Harry’s rank is depicted as a Private, but we are not sure why the picture shows a stripe on his uniform which would indicate a Lance Corporal ??

My research indicates that the 7th. Canadian Battalion attacked the German trenches across the Lens road, to the north of Roclincourt towards the German 2 Wischen Stelling, and I believe not too far away from where he is buried.

Picture and above information courtesy of Anthony Babington (Great Nephew)

Shot at Dawn

9970 Private
Alfred Leonard Jefferies
6th Bn. Somerset Light Infantry
Executed for desertion on 1st November 1916.
Plot III. O. 1.

Son of Leonard and Georgina Jefferies, of 33, Edward Street, St. Philip's, Bristol. His brother, Arthur Thomas, also fell on 16th September 1916, aged 33 and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

He was wounded in the month following his arrival in France in May 1915, & returned to active service in due course. But in November he was evacuated to hospital following a nervous breakdown, returning a second time to his battalion early in 1916. Prior to the attack on Delville Wood in August 1916, he went missing, unable to stand the strain. (Putkowski, pp. 127-128)