Faubourg-d'Amiens already had a military cemetery when the British Army relieved the French at Arras in ; however it was later removed and today only the Commonwealth one remains. In all, 2, Commonwealth soldiers and several German prisoners were laid to rest there. At the entrance to the cemetery stands the Arras Memorial which bears the names of the 34, British, New Zealand and South African soldiers who fell in the area and whose bodies were never found.
The names of Canadian and Australian soldiers are not included because they are inscribed on memorials in Vimy and Villers-Bretonneux in the Somme respectively. Most of the dead fell in the Battle of Arras which opened on 9 April to divert attention away from the French assault on the Chemin-des-Dames Ridge. In preparation for the assault, the New Zealand tunnellers turned the old chalk quarries under Arras, known locally as boves, into a veritable underground communication network so that the 24, soldiers of the initial wave could approach the German lines unobserved.
Today part of this network, Wellington Quarry, is open to the public. The Commonwealth Forces suffered , casualties in the battle, of which nearly 37, where killed or reported lost in action.
Prior to the battle the RFC carried out reconnaissance missions and raids on various German positions. They were pitted against a well-organized German flying corps equipped with powerful Albatros aeroplanes. In one single month the RFC lost pilots out of a total of Tourist offices, accommodation and restaurants nearby. Enlarge the map. The 7. To view the informations you must update to version 7. More informations.
Go to top. Know more about the site. On 9 April the British Army launched a huge surprise attack on the German lines before Arras to divert attention away from the main French offensive which was to take place on Chemin des Dames Road in Aisne. That morning saw 24, soldiers flood out from the network of old chalk-quarry tunnels to attack the German defences. Today the tunnels of Wellington Quarry are open to the public and invite the visitor to discover the gripping story of the Battle of Arras.
