Caix British Cemetery, Somme, France (CWGC)

CAIX BRITISH CEMETERY

Somme

France

GPS Coordinates - Latitude: 49.81098, Longitude: 2.65072

Location Information

The village of Caix is situated about 28 kilometres south-east of Amiens, midway between the N29, Amiens to St. Quentin road, and the D934, Amiens to Roye road. The Cemetery is south of the village.

From the centre of the village on the main road, D28, in the direction of Beaucourt en Santerre, turn left at the D41 in the direction of Le Quesnel. About 200 metres along this road is the local communal cemetery and the first CWGC signpost will be found. Turn left just before the local cemetery and follow the side road where the British Cemetery will be found on the right.

Visiting Information

Wheelchair access to this site possible - maybe by alternative entrance.

Historical Information

Caix was occupied by Commonwealth troops in March 1917, lost during the German advance in March 1918, and recaptured on 8 August 1918 by the Canadian Corps.

Caix British Cemetery (called at first Caix New British Cemetery) was made after the Armistice when graves (mainly of March and August 1918) were brought in from the battlefields and from the following smaller cemeteries:-

BEAUCOURT CHATEAU GERMAN CEMETERY, in the Chateau grounds at Beaucourt-en-Santerre, which contained the graves of three soldiers and one airman from the United Kingdom who fell in March and April, 1918.

BEAUFORT GERMAN CEMETERY, in an orchard near Beaufort Church, from which the graves of three soldiers from the United Kingdom, who fell in April, 1918, were removed (one other was reburied in Hangard Communal Cemetery Extension).

CAIX (Old) BRITISH CEMETERY, close to a farmhouse on the East side of the village. It was made by the Canadian Corps, and it contained the graves of 91 soldiers from Canada and 19 soldiers and airmen from the United Kingdom who fell in August, 1918.

CAYEUX CHATEAU GERMAN CEMETERY, at Cayeux-en-Santerre, containing the graves of 13 soldiers and one airman from the United Kingdom and one Canadian soldier. One soldier and one airman were buried by the enemy, twelve cavalrymen and one Canadian by the 3rd Cavalry Division in August, 1918.

DE LUCE BRITISH CEMETERY, CAIX, close to the North Bank of the river, which contained the graves of 17 soldiers and airmen from the United Kingdom, eight Canadian and five Australian soldiers, all of whom fell in August, 191 8.

LE QUESNEL GERMAN CEMETERY (a little East of Le Quesnel Church), in which four men of the Canadian Mounted Rifles were buried by their comrades in August, 1918.

RIDGE CEMETERY, HANGARD, West of Hangard village, looking down on the Luce, contained 20 Canadian soldiers who fell on the 8th August, 1918.

The cemetery now contains 373 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 71 of them unidentified.

Total Burials: 373.

Identified Casualties: Canada 203, United Kingdom 87, Australia 10. Total 300.

Unidentified Casualties: 73.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and William Harrison Cowlishaw

Lieutenant
William G. Amsden
4th Bn. Canadian Infantry
8th August 1918, aged 30.
Plot I. G. 3.

Son of Lionel G. and Emma L. Amsden, of 95, Howland Avenue, Toronto, Ontario.

458430 Private
Alex Stuart Barnston
87th Bn. Canadian Infantry
9th August 1918, aged 25.
Plot II. I. 17.

Son of the late A. S. and Tillie Hart Barnston, Born at Montreal.

21142 Private
Albert Chippendale
3rd Cav. Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
9th August 1918, aged 22.
Plot I. E. 16.

Second Lieutenant
John Wilson Everitt
"C" Coy. 12th Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps.
12th April 1918, aged 23.
Plot II. I. 9.

Son of John William and Matilda Everitt, of 17, Edridge Rd., East Croydon, Surrey. An Old Whitgiftian.

2020200 Private
Roscoe Cooke
47th Bn. Canadian Infantry
17th August 1918, aged 34.
Plot I. F. 16.

Son of William Cooke.

Second Lieutenant
Lawrence Edwin Dunnett
27th Sqdn. Royal Air Force
10th May 1918, aged 19.
Plot I. F. 14.

Son of Frederick C. and Agnes Dunnett, of the Bank House, Hartley Wintney, Basingstoke, Hants.

8040 Driver
Charles Leslie Feore
6th A. F. A. Bde. Australian Field Artillery
16th August 1918, aged 22.
Plot II. E. 12.

Son of Joseph Stephen Feore and Annie Feore, of Fraser St., Malvern, Victoria, Australia.

From Malvern, Vic. He was a butcher before enlisting on 27 September 1915. He embarked from Melbourne on HMAT Botanist on 24 November 1915, with the 6th Battery of the 6th Australian Field Artillery Brigade. He was killed by shell fire in France on 16 August 1918, at the age of 22 years and 10 months. His commanding officer wrote to his family that 'his wonderful love and devotion to his horses was a matter of pride and example in this Battery'.

7983 Gunner W. E. Craig later wrote:

"Another Driver, whose name was L. Rowe* was sleeping in the same bunk as him when both were killed instantly by a shell landing on top of them at the waggon lines. It happened on the outskirts of Caix about 11 at night and Feore was badly knocked about. Rowe came from Tasmania and was hit in the chest. I saw their graves at the place of casualty outside of Caix on the field and both graves were marked by a cross bearing full details."

*6737 Driver Leslie Arthur Rowe, 6th A. F. A. Bde. Australian Field Artillery, 16th August 1918, aged 26. Caix British Cemetery, Plot II. E. 11. Son of Edward George and Emma Rowe, of Meander, Tasmania. Born at Lilydale, Tasmania.

Captain
Charles Pooley, M. C.
5th Dragoon Guards (Princess Charlotte of Wales's)
9th August 1918, aged 45.
Plot I. E. 6.

Husband of Kate Pooley, of 30, Zinzan St., Oxford Rd., Reading, father of 5 boys and 1 girl.

2057A Gunner
John Ernest Ramsay
5th Div. Ammunition Column, Australian Field Artillery
15th August 1918, aged 22.
Plot II. D. 20.

Son of John and Helena Ramsay, of Hope Valley, South Australia.

Picture courtesy of his nephew and niece, Hans & Cheryl Nieuwenhoven