Gommecourt Wood New Cemetery, Foncquevillers

Foncquevillers was in British hands in 1915 and 1916. On the 1st July, 1916, Gommecourt Wood was attacked by the 46th (North Midland) Division, and the Southern part of the village by the 56th (London) Division. The attack met with temporary success, but could not be sustained; and Gommecourt remained a salient in the German line until the 27th February, 1917, when it was evacuated. It was never retaken by the Germans; at the end of their offensive of March, 1918, it was just within the British lines. It was later "adopted" by the County Borough of Wolverhampton. Gommecourt Wood New Cemetery was made, after the Armistice, by the concentration of graves from certain smaller burial grounds and from the battlefields of July, 1916, March, 1917, and March, April and August, 1918. There are now nearly 750, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, nearly two-thirds are unidentified and special memorials are erected to ten soldiers from the United Kingdom, known or believed to be buried among them. The cemetery covers an area of 2,690 square metres and is enclosed by a rubble wall. The following were among the burial grounds from which British graves were brought to this cemetery:- BASTION CEMETERY, FONCQUEVILLERS, in the old German line North of the Wood, where 55 men (nearly all unidentified) of the 46th Division were buried. BRETENCOURT FRENCH MILITARY CEMETERY, on the West side of the bridge between Bretencourt and Blamont Mill, in the commune of RIVIERE. Here were buried 233 French soldiers and 38 from the United Kingdom; three men of the Indian Labour Corps; and one German prisoner. GOMMECOURT CHATEAU CEMETERY, at the North-East corner of the Chateau park, begun by the Germans. Here were buried 55 soldiers from New Zealand, who fell in July and August, 1918, and 14 from the United Kingdom. GOMMECOURT WOOD CEMETERY No. 1, or THE SAP CEMETERY, FONCQUEVILLERS, between the old front lines, in which were buried 111 men of the 46th Division, almost all unidentified. GOMMECOURT WOOD CEMETERY No. 4, or LITTLE Z CEMETERY (from a strong point on the old German front line), FONCQUEVILLERS, which contained the graves of 22 men of the 46th Division and one other. GOMMECOURT WOOD CEMETERY No. 5, on the North-West side of the Wood, containing the graves of 27 men of the 46th Division. GOMMECOURT WOOD CEMETERY No. 6, close to No. 5, containing the graves of 40 men, almost all of the 46th Division. GOMMECOURT WOOD CEMETERY No. 8, FONCQUEVILLERS, between the old front lines, containing the graves of 46 men of the 46th Division. POINT 75 BRITISH CEMETERY, FONCQUEVILLERS, on the old German front line, containing the graves of 35 men of the 46th Division.