MOEUVRES COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION
Nord
France
GPS Coordinates - Latitude: 50.16618, Longitude: 3.06279
Location Information
Moeuvres is a village 10 kilometres west of Cambrai and 2 kilometres north of the main Cambrai to Bapaume road (N30).
The Communal Cemetery can be found just outside the village on the D34A road towards Inchy en Artois, and the Extension lies alongside it.
Visiting Information
Wheelchair access to this site is possible with some difficulty.
Historical Information
Moeuvres remained in German hands during the Battle of Cambrai, 1917, in spite of three days of desperate attack by the 36th (Ulster) Division. It was partly taken by the 57th (West Lancashire) Division on 11 September 1918 and cleared by the 52nd (Lowland) Division on the 19th.
The communal cemetery was extended to the west by the Germans between November 1917 and March 1918. The British Extension, was made between September and October 1918 and was enlarged after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields on the Cambrai-Bapaume road.
The extension now contains 565 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 263 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials are erected to 31 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials commemorate three casualties buried in BOURSIES COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION, whose graves could not be found. The cemetery also contains 93 war graves of other nationalities, most of them German.
Total Burials: 668.
Commonwealth Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 273, Canada 21, Australia 8. Total 302.
Commonwealth Unidentified Casualties: United Kingdom 262, Canada 1. Total 263.
Identified Other Nationalities: 50.
Unidentified Other Nationalities: 43.
The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and George Hartley Goldsmith
Dedications
29708 Private Samuel Edward Bradbury, 3rd Bn. Grenadier Guards, 7th September 1918.
Remembered by Nephew Charles P. Bradbury.
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Lieutenant Charles Pope V. C.
11th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
15th April 1917, aged 34.
Plot V. D. 22.
Citation
An extract from "The London Gazette," dated 8th June, 1917, records the following:-"For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty when in command of a very important picquet post in the sector held by his battalion, his orders being to hold this post at all costs. After the picquet post had been heavily attacked, the enemy, in greatly superior numbers, surrounded the post. Lt. Pope, finding that he was running short of ammunition, sent back for further supplies. But the situation culminated before it could arrive, and in the hope of saving the position, this very gallant officer was seen to charge with his picquet into a superior force, by which it was overpowered. By his sacrifice Lt. Pope not only inflicted heavy loss on the enemy, but obeyed his order to hold the position to the last. His body, together with those of most of his men, was found in close proximity to eighty enemy dead, a sure proof of the gallant resistance which had been made."
Picture © Johan Pauwels
878129 Private
Dan Findlay Beaton
47th Bn. Canadian Infantry
27th September 1918, aged 20.
Plot I. C. 9.
Son of Stephen D. and Catherine Beaton, of Strathlorne, Inverness Co., Nova Scotia.
His headstone bears the inscription; "Thy Mercy On The Soul Of Our Dear Soldier Boy Oh Lord."
Dan Findlay Beaton
47th Bn. Canadian Infantry
27th September 1918, aged 20.
Plot I. C. 9.
Son of Stephen D. and Catherine Beaton, of Strathlorne, Inverness Co., Nova Scotia.
His headstone bears the inscription; "Thy Mercy On The Soul Of Our Dear Soldier Boy Oh Lord."
4437 Private
Leslie Stephen Boardman
2nd Coy. Australian Machine Gun Corps
26th April 1917, aged 19.
Plot V. B. 10.
Son of Thomas and Mary Ellen Boardman, of Jeeralang, Victoria, Australia.
His headstone bears the inscription; "My Sacrifice Is What I Have Lost. His Was In What He Gave His Mother."
He was killed by a shell as he was carrying his gun back out of the line and buried in the hole that the exploding shell had made.
Click on image to enlarge
Leslie Stephen Boardman
2nd Coy. Australian Machine Gun Corps
26th April 1917, aged 19.
Plot V. B. 10.
Son of Thomas and Mary Ellen Boardman, of Jeeralang, Victoria, Australia.
His headstone bears the inscription; "My Sacrifice Is What I Have Lost. His Was In What He Gave His Mother."
He was killed by a shell as he was carrying his gun back out of the line and buried in the hole that the exploding shell had made.
Click on image to enlarge
3470B Private
Rutherford Barker Clare
10th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
8th April 1917, aged 19.
Plot V. B. 12.
Son of William Rutherford Clare and Emma Catherine Clare, of 15, Park St., Unley, South Australia.
His headstone bears the inscription "For Ever with The Lord Ever Remembered"
Rutherford Barker Clare
10th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
8th April 1917, aged 19.
Plot V. B. 12.
Son of William Rutherford Clare and Emma Catherine Clare, of 15, Park St., Unley, South Australia.
His headstone bears the inscription "For Ever with The Lord Ever Remembered"
Captain
William Francis Maxwell Donald, M. C.
9th (Glasgow Hds.) Bn. Highland Light Infantry
19th September 1918, aged 37.
Plot I C. 1.
Son of Colin Dunlop Donald and Ellen Mary Brown Donald; husband of Mary Elizabeth Lamberton Donald, of Blairtum Mock, Easterhouse, Lanarkshire.
William Francis Maxwell Donald, M. C.
9th (Glasgow Hds.) Bn. Highland Light Infantry
19th September 1918, aged 37.
Plot I C. 1.
Son of Colin Dunlop Donald and Ellen Mary Brown Donald; husband of Mary Elizabeth Lamberton Donald, of Blairtum Mock, Easterhouse, Lanarkshire.
Captain
Allen Grant Douglas, M. C.
14th Bn. London Regiment (London Scottish)
30th November 1917.
Plot III. C. 3.
Allen Grant Douglas, M. C.
14th Bn. London Regiment (London Scottish)
30th November 1917.
Plot III. C. 3.
Undated image of the cemetery - likely to be 1930's. ©CWGC
PO/2085 (S). Private
Robert Charles Miles
1st R.M. Bn. R.N. Div. Royal Marine Light Infantry
27th September 1918.
Plot V. C. 25.
Robert Charles Miles
1st R.M. Bn. R.N. Div. Royal Marine Light Infantry
27th September 1918.
Plot V. C. 25.
628567 Lance Corporal
James McKinley Nixon, M. M.
47th Bn. Canadian Infantry, (Western Ontario Regiment)
26th September 1918, aged 20.
Plot I. A. 14.
Son of James and Jane Nixon, of Star City, Michigan, U.S.A.
Picture courtesy of Tracie Nixon, grand-niece of this soldier
Click on image to enlarge
James McKinley Nixon, M. M.
47th Bn. Canadian Infantry, (Western Ontario Regiment)
26th September 1918, aged 20.
Plot I. A. 14.
Son of James and Jane Nixon, of Star City, Michigan, U.S.A.
Picture courtesy of Tracie Nixon, grand-niece of this soldier
Click on image to enlarge
754732 Lance Corporal
John Henry Parker
44th Bn. Canadian Infantry
27th September 1918, aged 31.
Plot I. C. 10.
Husband of Harriet E. Parker, of Hiltonbeach, Ontario.
John Henry Parker
44th Bn. Canadian Infantry
27th September 1918, aged 31.
Plot I. C. 10.
Husband of Harriet E. Parker, of Hiltonbeach, Ontario.
16425 Lance Corporal
David Fair Shepherd
2nd Bn. Scots Guards
4th September 1918.
Special Memorial B. 3.
Son of George Shepherd. His brother, Peter George Shepherd, also fell and is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.
His headstone bears the inscription "Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out"
David Fair Shepherd
2nd Bn. Scots Guards
4th September 1918.
Special Memorial B. 3.
Son of George Shepherd. His brother, Peter George Shepherd, also fell and is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.
His headstone bears the inscription "Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out"
Second Lieutenant
Edward John Stewart
140th Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)
30th November 1917, aged 24.
Row V. D. 24.
Son of Edward Stewart, of Beech Cote, Alton, Hants.
His headstone bears the inscription "Formerly Of Admiralty Company. Civil Service Rifles"
Edward John Stewart
140th Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)
30th November 1917, aged 24.
Row V. D. 24.
Son of Edward Stewart, of Beech Cote, Alton, Hants.
His headstone bears the inscription "Formerly Of Admiralty Company. Civil Service Rifles"
Images in gallery below © Johan Pauwels
Aerial image of The Canal Du Nord at Moeuvres, near Cambrai. Dated 3rd september 1918. Moeuvres is bottom centre of the image. © IWM (Q 58513)
Battle of the Canal du Nord. Artillery signallers with a Lucas Signalling Lamp on the bank of the Canal near Moeuvres, 27th September 1918. © IWM (Q 9336)
Battle of the Canal du Nord. German prisoners, carring a wounded man, follow a British tank through a cutting made in the bank of the Canal du Nord near Moeuvres, 27th September 1918. © IWM (Q 9345)
