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Location
Achiet-le-Grand is a village 19 km south of Arras. Take the main road from Arras to Bapaume (N17). At Ervillers turn right onto the D9 towards Achiet. At the first junction in the village, a CWGC signpost indicates the way towards the right.
History
Achiet-le-Grand was occupied by the 7th Bedfords on 17 March 1917, lost on 25 March 1918 after a defence by the 1st/6th Manchesters, and recaptured on 23 August 1918. From April 1917 to March 1918, the village was occupied by the 45th and 49th Casualty Clearing Stations. Achiet station was an allied railhead. The communal cemetery and extension were used by Commonwealth medical units from April 1917 to March 1918. The extension was also used by the Germans to a small extent in March and April 1918, and again by Commonwealth troops in August 1918. After the Armistice Plot III and most of Plot IV were made when 645 graves, mainly of 1916 and March and August 1918, were brought in from the battlefields around Achiet and from the following small burial grounds:-
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ACHIET-LE-GRAND GERMAN CEMETERY, on the road to Bihucourt, in which one soldier from the United Kingdom was buried by the Germans and five by their comrades in August 1918.
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ACHIET-LE-PETIT COMMUNAL CEMETERY and the GERMAN EXTENSION on the East of it. The former contained the graves of three soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from New Zealand, buried by the Germans. The latter was begun by the Germans, carried on by the 1st Bedfords and other units in August 1918, and completed after the Armistice by the concentration to it of 360 German Graves; it contained, in all, the graves of 50 soldiers from the United Kingdom, 39 from New Zealand and 1,147 German.
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BEAUMETZ-LES-CAMBRAI COMMUNAL CEMETERY, containing the graves of six soldiers from the United Kingdom, three from Australia and one from Canada, all buried by the Germans, and 201 German soldiers; and the GERMAN EXTENSION, containing the graves of one soldier from the United Kingdom and 298 German soldiers.
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BEHAGNIES CHURCHYARD, used by the Germans in 1916, and containing the graves of 86 German soldiers and one from the United Kingdom. BEHAGNIES GERMAN CEMETERY, on the main road through the village, was used in 1918 and contains the graves of 100 German soldiers, four French and one from the United Kingdom.
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BEUGNATRE COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION, containing 200 German graves and those of two soldiers from the United Kingdom, (one of whom is now buried in Bancourt British Cemetery). BEUGNY CHURCHYARD and GERMAN EXTENSION, containing the graves of 46 soldiers from the United Kingdom and six from Australia (who fell, for the most part, in 1917, and of whom 34 belonged to the R.G.A.), and 19 French and 183 German soldiers.
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BEUGNY GERMAN CEMETERY called the Heldenfriedhof, and one of many in BEUGNY. It was in the North-West quarter of the village, and it contained the graves of five soldiers from Australia, four from the United Kingdom and 831 Germans.
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BOURSIES COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION, containing the graves of 173 German soldiers, one R.A.F. officer, and one Canadian soldier.
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DOIGNIES GERMAN CEMETERY, on the South side of the village, contains the graves of 15 soldiers from the United Kingdom, one from Australia, and 150 Germans.
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HERMIES COMMUNAL CEMETERY, in which six soldiers and airmen from the United Kingdom and two Australian soldiers were buried by the Germans.
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LOUVERVAL GERMAN CEMETERY, DOIGNIES, outside the Eastern angle of Louverval Chateau grounds, containing the graves of seven unidentified Highlanders and 138 German soldiers.
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QUEANT COMMUNAL CEMETERY, containing the graves of 180 German soldiers and of three from the United Kingdom who fell in March 1918; and the GERMAN EXTENSION, in which ten soldiers and airmen from the United Kingdom and 140 German and four Russian soldiers were buried by the Germans, and 420 German soldiers by the British.
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VELU GERMAN CEMETERY, on the East side of the village, contains the graves of 850 German soldiers, five from the United Kingdom, two from Newfoundland, one Australian, one Indian and one French.
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VILLERS-AU-FLOS GERMAN CEMETERY, on the North side of the village; contained the graves of three soldiers from the United Kingdom and three from Australia who fell in 1916.
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VRAUCOURT CHURCHYARD, VAULX-VRAUCOURT, contained the graves of two Australian soldiers who fell in 1917.
The COMMUNAL CEMETERY contains four Commonwealth burials of the First World War. The EXTENSION contains 1,424 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 200 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to eight casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of ten casualties buried in other cemeteries whose graves could not be found. There are also 42 German war graves in the extension. The extension was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.
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