Anzac Cemetery, Sailly-sur-la-Lys

Cemetery Details

Location Sailly-sur-la-Lys., Pas de Calais, France
Co‑ordinates N50.65271, E2.76311
Description

Location Information
The Cemetery is on the north-west side of the road between Armentieres and Bethune, the D945, just north of the village Sailly-sur-la-Lys.

History Information
Sailly Church was burnt during the open fighting of October 1914, when French cavalry and British and German infantry fought on the Lys, but from the winter of 1914-1915 to the spring of 1918 the village was comparatively untouched. It was captured by the Germans on 9 April 1918, and it remained in their hands until the beginning of September.

Anzac Cemetery was begun by Australian units in July 1916, immediately before the Attack at Fromelles, and it contains the graves of many Australian soldiers who died in that engagement. It continued in use as a front-line cemetery until April 1918 and was used by German troops for the burial of Commonwealth soldiers during the following summer.

Anzac Cemetery contains 320 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. 62 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to seven casualtes known or believed to be buried among them, and to three soldiers buried by the Germans in Sailly Churchyard whose graves could not be located. It also contains five Second World War burials and six German graves.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

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Names

Showing 8 people of interest from cemetery

PURCELL, John William

Service number 2162
Private
31st Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 3 Dec 1898

FLYNN, Eugene Joseph

Service number 639
Sergeant
58th Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 1894

KENNING, John

Service number 4824
Gunner
Medium Trench Mortar Batteries
AIF WW1
Born 1877

GRIFFITHS, Edwin Beynon

Service number 1584
Private
31st Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 18 Jun 1897

KIPPIE, John Murray

Service number 34
Private
31st Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 21 Dec 1871

HEGARTY, Albert

Service number 2857
Corporal
58th Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 1890

BAGGE, Robert Nelson

Service number 3475
Private
55th Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 1894

GREENSHIELDS, Charles

Service number 1536
Private
31st Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 1893

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