Becourt Military Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt (Somme)

Details

Becordel-Becourt is a commune in the Department of the Somme, on the East side of Albert. It contains the village of Bécordel-Bécourt and the hamlet of Bécourt, which are separated by Bécourt Wood. The Military Cemetery is on the West side of Bécourt Wood, on the South side of the road to Albert.

The Military Cemetery was begun in August, 1915, by the 51st (Highland) Division, and carried on by the 18th and other Divisions in the line until the Battles of the Somme, 1916. It continued in use, chiefly by Field Ambulances, until April, 1917; and Plot II was made by the 18th Division at the end of August, 1918.

The cemetery now contains the graves of 606 soldiers from the United Kingdom, 72 from Australia, 31 (nearly all Artillerymen) from Canada and three from South Africa. The unnamed graves are eight in number, and a special memorial is erected to a soldier from the United Kingdom buried in one of them. Three German graves were removed.

Number of burials by Unit.

Australian burials
72
   Northumberland Fusiliers
65
Royal Field Artillery
38
   Royal Berkshire Regiment
32
Canadian burials
31
   Royal West Kent Regiment
30
Queen's - Royal West Surrey Regiment
27
   Royal Engineers
27
Essex Regiment
25
   Highland Light Infantry
20
Royal Garrison Artillery
19
   Royay Scots - Lothian Regiment
19
Durham Light Infantry
18
   Green Howards - Yorkshire Regiment
17
Suffolk Regiment
17
   Buffs - East Kent Regiment
16
Black Watch
15
   King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
15
Royal Irish Rifles
12
   Cameron Highlanders
11
Royal Warwickshire Regiment
11
   Seaforth Highlanders
11
Gordon Highlanders
9
   Machine Gun Corps
9
Lincolnshire Regiment
8
   Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
7
East Lancashire Regiment
7
   Border Regiment
6
Duke of Wellington's - West Riding Regiment
6
   Gloucestershire Regiment
6
Royal Fusiliers - City of London Regiment
6
   Royal Sussex Regiment
6
Royal Welsh Fusiliers
6
   West Yorkshire Regiment
6
Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
5
   Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment
5
Rifle Brigade
5
   Royal Army Medical Corps
5
Cameronians - Scottish Rifles
4
   King's Liverpool Regiment
4
Royal Army Service Corps
4
   Bedfordshire Regiment
3
King's Royal Rifle Corps
3
   London Regiment - 22nd Bn. The Queen's
3
South African burials
3
   York & Lancaster Regiment
3
East Yorkshire Regiment
2
   London Regiment - 7th Bn.
2
London Regiment - 18th Bn. London Irish Rifles
2
   Northamptonshire Regiment
2
Royal Scots Fusiliers
2
   South Wales Borderers
2
Welsh Regiment
2
   Cheshire Regiment
1
Connaught Rangers
1
   Devonshire Regiment
1
East Surrey Regiment
1
   Leinster Regiment
1
London Regiment - 8th Bn. Post Office Rifles
1
   London Regiment - 15th Bn. Civil Service Rifles
1
London Regiment - 17th Bn. Poplar & Stepney Rifles
1
   London Regiment - 19th Bn. St. Pancras
1
London Regiment - 23rd Bn.
1
   Norfolk Regiment
1
Somerset Light Infantry
1
   South Staffordshire Regiment
1
Worcestershire Regiment
1
      
Identified burials
705
      
Unidentified UK Soldiers
8
      
Total burials
713
      

Men with awards buried in this cemetery

Gnr. Erin Dunby Berry M.M., 22nd Howitzer Bty. 6th Brig. Canadian Field Artillery. K.I.A. 8th Oct. 1916 aged 22. I. X. 26.

Capt. Alan John Bowles, Mentioned in Despatches. "A" Coy. 2nd Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment. Died 10th April 1916 aged 20. I. H. 8.

L/Cpl. G. Brenchley M.M., 7th Bn. The Buffs, died 27th Aug. 1918 aged 36. B.16

Lt. J. B. N. Carvick M.C., 24th Bn. Australian Inf., died 7th Aug. 1916. I. V. 4.

Pte. John Dempster M.M., 58th Bn. Machine Gun Corps (Inf.). Died 8th July 1916 aged 28. I. S. 1.

2nd Lt. Thomas Green D.C.M., 10th Siege Bty. Royal Garrison Artillery. Died of wounds 28th Oct. 1916 aged 29. I. Y. 28.

Lt. Col. John Plunkett Verney Hawksley D.S.O., Three times Mentioned in Despatches. Order of the Osmanic (4th Class) 110th Brig. Royal Field Artillery, K.I.A. on the Somme 8th Aug. 1916 aged 38. I. V. 28.

Pte. W. Hennessy M.M., 5th Bn. Northumberland Fusiliers, died 16th Nov. 1916. I. Z. 11.

L/Sgt. Sidney H. Jelley M.M., 7th Bn.The Queen's. K.I.A. 23rd Aug. 1918 aged 26. II. D. 11.

Lt. Clarence Espeut Lyon Hall M.C., 5th Bn. South Wales Borderers. Died 7th July 1916 aged 20. I. R. 15.

2nd Lt. John Milloy McCrone M.C., Mentioned in Despatches. 11th Bn. Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. K.I.A. 28th Aug. 1916 aged 22. I. M. 14.

L/Cpl. J. A. McGowan M.M., 7th Bn. Cameron Highlanders, died 9th Oct. 1916 aged 22. I. X. 24.

Lt. Edward Harry Maddox, Mentioned in Despatches. 18th Div. Signal Coy. Royal Engineers. K.I.A. 27th Aug. 1918 aged 26. II. A. 22.

Lt. Stanley Mallett, Mentioned in Despatches. 3rd Regiment, South African Infantry. K.I.A. near Warlencourt 17th Oct. 1916 aged 26. I. Y. 4.

Maj. Charles Edye Manning, Mentioned in Despatches. 24th Bn. Australian Infantry. K.I.A. 7th Aug. 1916 aged 36. I. V. 2.

Lt. Norman Martin D.S.O., 3rd, attd. 1st Cameron Highlanders. Died 23th July 1916 aged 19. I. S. 13.

Lt. Col. Jasper Fitzgerald Radcliffe D.S.O., (S. Afr.) Devonshire Regiment, attd. Essex Regiment, K.I.A. 31st Jan. 1916 aged 48. I. H. 1.

Capt. Thomas Sowerby Rowlandson M.C., 4th Bn. Green Howards, Yorkshire Regiment. Died 15th Sept. 1916 aged 36. I. G. 7.

L/Cpl. Alfred William White D.C.M., 7th Bn. The Queen's, died 23rd Aug. 1918 aged 31. II. A. 7.

Capt. Hugh Russell Wilson M.C., "C" Coy. 5th Bn. Durham Light Infantry. Died 11th Sept. 1916 aged 38. I. W. 8.

Those buried in this Cemetery

Pte James McGuire Strachan, 14662. 16th Btn Highland Light Infantry. Killed in action 27th March, 1916. Age 22. Son of Alexander and Elizabeth Strachan, of 355, Garscube Road, Glasgow. Born in Ayrshire. The youngest of three brothers who all served in France. I. K. 13.