Becourt Miltary Cemetery, Somme, France

Becourt and Albert villages were behind the lines for the Battle of the Somme in 1916, and were important areas during that time as well as before. Becordel-Becourt was the location of a large artillery depot, and many troops bivouacked here as they made their way up the lines. The village lies in a valley, and so was protected from the lines near Fricourt to the east by the contours of the land. Because of this, it was also an area used by the medical facilities of the Army; the 14th Field Ambulance were based here for the start of the Battle of the Somme with other Field Ambulance units being sited here later during the battles, and there were also Advanced Dressing Stations here as well. The Military Cemetery was begun in August, 1915, by the 51st (Highland) Division, and carried on by other Divisions in the line until the Battles of the Somme, 1916. It continued in use, chiefly by Field Ambulances, until April, 1917 another plot was made by the 18th Division at the end of August, 1918. There are over 700 casualties buried here.

See also:

Pte. William S. Mackay

Varennes, Somme, France

Varennes Military Cemetery, Somme, France
The cemetery was laid out by the 39th Casualty Clearing Station in August 1916, during the Battle of the Somme, but the first burials were made during August and September by more mobile divisional field ambulances. The 4th and 11th Casualty Clearing Stations then used the cemetery from October 1916, joined by the 47th from December 1916, but by May 1917 Varennes was deserted and remained so until the Germans launched their offensive in this quarter in April 1918. The cemetery was then extended by the 17th and 38th (Welsh) Divisions by the addition of plots II and III, and at the beginning of September 1918, the 3rd Canadian and 59th Casualty Clearing Stations arrived at Varennes.

See also:

Private George Morrison

Beaumont Hamel, The Somme, France

Beaumont Hamel British Cemetery on the Somme has brick entrance pillars by the gateway, but otherwise a low hedge surrounds the cemetery (although behind this on the field side at the back and the right of the Cemetery is a very low concrete wall, presumably for structural reasons). The Cemetery, standing in the old No Mans Land, was started after the village was taken on the 13th of November 1916, and was used until February 1917. As with many other cemeteries, more graves were moved here after the Armistice.

It now contains 97 identified and 82 unidentified burials from the Great War, in two long rows of graves. Many of the burials are 1st of July casualties. There are two special memorials to men known to be buried here, which are located directly behind the Cross of Sacrifice at the back of the cemetery.

Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Memorial

A grass track from this cemetery takes you to Hawthorn Cemetery where the Memorial to the 8th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders stands.  The front panel has an inscription in Gaelic - a small panel lists the 1915 51st (Highland) Division battle honours - on the rear of the memorial a large panel is that of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - a small panel on the front left, lists the 1917 51st (Highland) Division battle honours.

The Newfoundland Memorial

At Beaumont-Hamel there is also the Newfoundland Memorial, a memorial site dedicated to the commemoration of Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during World War I. The site is situated 9 kilometres north of Albert, France near the town of Beaumont-Hamel in an area containing numerous cemeteries and memorials related to the Battle of the Somme. The preserved battlefield park encompasses the grounds over which the Newfoundland Regiment made their unsuccessful attack on 1 July, 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. The Battle of the Somme was the regiment's first major engagement and during an assault that lasted approximately 30 minutes was all but wiped out. Purchased by the people of Newfoundland, the site is the largest battalion memorial on the Western Front and the largest area of the Somme battlefield that has been preserved. Along with preserved trench lines, there are a number of memorials and cemeteries contained within the site.

Please also note that at least one of 'our' soldiers who died at Beaumont Hamel is buried in Maily Wood Cemetery, France.

Three of above photographs taken by Morag Sutherland and Shirley Sutherland.

Bull Road Cemetery, France

Bull Road cemetery, located on the Somme is in the  village of Flers. Flers was captured in 1916 in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, when it was entered by the New Zealand and 41st Divisions behind tanks, the innovative new weapons that were used here for the first time. The village was lost during the German advance of March 1918 and retaken at the end of the following August. The cemetery was begun on 19 September 1916 and was used by fighting units (mainly Australian) until March 1917.

See also:

Donald Morrison