SUCRERIE CEMETERY
Épinoy
Pas De Calais
France
Location Information
Épinoy is a small village on the N43 road between Cambrai and Douai, some 8 kilometres north-west of Cambrai itself.
Sucrerie Cemetery is located 1 kilometre further north along the N43 from Épinoy.
Historical Information
Épinoy was captured by the 11th (Northern) Division on 27 September 1918 and the cemetery was made by fighting units after the battle.
The cemetery contains 100 burials and commemorations of the First World War (mainly 6th York and Lancasters, 5th Dorsets and 11th Manchesters). Five of the burials are unidentified but there is a special memorial to one soldier believed to be buried in one of them.
Total Burials: 100.
Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 94, Canada 1. Total 95.
The cemetery was designed by W C Von Berg.
Épinoy is a small village on the N43 road between Cambrai and Douai, some 8 kilometres north-west of Cambrai itself.
Sucrerie Cemetery is located 1 kilometre further north along the N43 from Épinoy.
Historical Information
Épinoy was captured by the 11th (Northern) Division on 27 September 1918 and the cemetery was made by fighting units after the battle.
The cemetery contains 100 burials and commemorations of the First World War (mainly 6th York and Lancasters, 5th Dorsets and 11th Manchesters). Five of the burials are unidentified but there is a special memorial to one soldier believed to be buried in one of them.
Total Burials: 100.
Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 94, Canada 1. Total 95.
The cemetery was designed by W C Von Berg.
Images in this gallery © Johan Pauwels
Decoding the Epitaphs of the Great War
Images and text by Lucy Betteridge-Dyson
@LMBD1418
ohwhataladylikewar.com

The stars shine down
upon this grave
on one I loved
but could not save
References to the stars in personal inscriptions are not unusual. Humans have been fascinated by the stars for millennia, bestowing upon them many different spiritual and metaphysical meanings. A light in the dark has become intrinsically linked with hope and guidance, particularly when dealing with difficult emotions, such as grief. Perhaps one might read this epitaph with a religious point of view, especially when considering the idea of ‘being saved’, but to me it speaks of a more basic connection. A beautifully spiritual aspect of astronomy is provided to us by the sheer scale of the cosmos. Private Stokes’ epitaph appears to have been chosen by his wife, Mrs J Stokes. ‘The stars shine down upon this grave’ infers that they shine down elsewhere too, Mrs Stokes’ home back in Sheffield for example, providing a link between the two and even now linking us with events that took place over 100 years ago.
41716 Private, A. Stokes, 6th Bn. York and Lancaster Regt. 1st October 1918.
upon this grave
on one I loved
but could not save
References to the stars in personal inscriptions are not unusual. Humans have been fascinated by the stars for millennia, bestowing upon them many different spiritual and metaphysical meanings. A light in the dark has become intrinsically linked with hope and guidance, particularly when dealing with difficult emotions, such as grief. Perhaps one might read this epitaph with a religious point of view, especially when considering the idea of ‘being saved’, but to me it speaks of a more basic connection. A beautifully spiritual aspect of astronomy is provided to us by the sheer scale of the cosmos. Private Stokes’ epitaph appears to have been chosen by his wife, Mrs J Stokes. ‘The stars shine down upon this grave’ infers that they shine down elsewhere too, Mrs Stokes’ home back in Sheffield for example, providing a link between the two and even now linking us with events that took place over 100 years ago.
41716 Private, A. Stokes, 6th Bn. York and Lancaster Regt. 1st October 1918.