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VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL
​​​
​Somme

​France

GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 49.88707, Longitude: 2.51292

Roll of Honour
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A - D
E - J
K - R
S - Z
Villers-Bretonneux Memorial
Location Information

Villers-Bretonneux is a village 16 kilometres east of Amiens on the straight main road to St Quentin.

Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery is about 2 kilometres north of the village on the east side of the road to Fouilloy.

Visiting Information

This memorial stands within Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery.

Access to the tower at the memorial will be restricted during bad weather conditions.

The names are engraved on the memorial in order of battalion, then alphabetically under rank.


Historical Information

Villers-Bretonneux became famous in 1918, when the German advance on Amiens ended in the capture of the village by their tanks and infantry on 23 April. On the following day, the 4th and 5th Australian Divisions, with units of the 8th and 18th Divisions, recaptured the whole of the village and on 8 August 1918, the 2nd and 5th Australian Divisions advanced from its eastern outskirts in the Battle of Amiens. 

The memorial is the Australian National Memorial erected to commemorate all Australian soldiers who fought in France and Belgium during the First World War, to their dead, and especially to name those of the dead whose graves are not known. 

The Australian servicemen named in this register died in the battlefields of the Somme, Arras, the German advance of 1918 and the Advance to Victory. The memorial stands within Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, which was made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from other burial grounds in the area and from the battlefields. 

Both the cemetery and memorial were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and George Hartley Goldsmith

The memorial was unveiled by King George VI on 22 July 1938.

DISCOVERY OF REMAINS AND ADDITIONAL COMMEMORATIONS

Of the 10,982 names displayed at the unveiling of the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial the burial places of many have since been identified and this continues to this day; 6 of these being among the significant discovery of 250 burials which culminated in the first new Commission cemetery in 50 years being dedicated in July 2010 as Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Cemetery.

All these discoveries are now commemorated by individual headstones in the cemeteries where their remains lie and their details recorded in the relevant cemetery registers; their names will be removed from this memorial in due course.

Time has also revealed more names not previously notified which have now been added to this memorial and register. 

There are now 10,711 Australian servicemen officially commemorated by this memorial and named within the register.

Commemorated on Memorial: Australia 10,711, United Kingdom 99. Total 10,810. (Dated 12th April 2021 from CWGC)



Dedications

1045 Lance Serjeant William Johnston Turner, 12th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F. ,25/07/1916.

Remembered by Marlene Van Zetten, great niece

Images in gallery below © Geerhard Joos

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3055 Private Thomas Cooke, V. C.
8th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
28th July 1916, aged 35.
​Native of New Zealand.

Acting Corporal (A/Cpl) Thomas Cooke, 7th Reinforcements, 24th Battalion of Richmond Vic. Cooke served as an Acting Corporal with the 24th Battalion from November 1915 to February 1916, and reverted to the rank of Private upon joining the 8th Battalion in Egypt. Private Thomas Cooke was killed in action at Pozières on the night of 24/25 July 1916. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the award gazetted on 9 September 1916.
​

Citation: 

An extract from "The London Gazette," dated 8th Sept., 1916, records the following:- "For most conspicuous bravery. After a Lewis gun had been disabled, he was ordered to take his gun and gun-team to a dangerous part of the line. Here he did fine work, but came under very heavy fire, with the result that finally he was the only man left. He still stuck to his post, and continued to fire his gun. When assistance was sent he was found dead beside his gun. He set a splendid example of determination and devotion to duty."

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Picture © Geerhard Joos

Images in this gallery © Johan Pauwels

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The images below show both the cemetery and memorial after they had been badly damaged during the Second World War.

 The two images below show the trees in the cemetery before they were cut down to be replaced: from 2007.

​Pictures © Nicholas Philpot

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NEARBY CWGC CEMETERIES & MEMORIALS
​

villers-bretonneux military cemetery
fouilloy communal cemetery
villers-bretonneux communal cemetery

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​© COPYRIGHT TERENCE HEARD AND BRENT WHITTAM
​ 2005-2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
.​
Disclaimer 

The casualty numbers for each cemetery and G. P. S. Coordinates are taken from the C. W. G. C. site. We are aware that there can be discrepancies in the burial numbers quoted due to rededication burials.

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  • Belgium
    • Commonwealth Cemeteries in Belgium in Alphabetical Order
    • Commonwealth Cemeteries in Belgium >
      • HAINAUT
      • WEST-VLAANDEREN
      • OTHER BELGIAN DEPARTMENTS
    • BELGIAN MILITARY CEMETERIES
    • BELGIAN MEMORIALS
  • France
    • Commonwealth Cemeteries in France in Alphabetical Order
    • Commonwealth Cemeteries in France >
      • AISNE
      • MARNE
      • NORD
      • OISE
      • PAS DE CALAIS
      • SEINE-ET-MARNE
      • SEINE-MARITIME
      • SOMME
      • OTHER FRENCH DEPARTMENTS
    • FRENCH CEMETERIES WORLDWIDE
    • French Memorials
  • Gallipoli
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  • GERMAN CEMETERIES
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