Grandcourt Road Cemetery, Grandcourt (Somme)

Details

Grandcourt is a village and commune in the Department of the Somme, on the left bank of the Ancre river, North of Thiepval. It lies between Beaucourt-Hamel and Miraumont.

The village was reached on the 1st July, 1916, by men of the 36th (Ulster) Division; but it was not taken until the night of the 5th/6th February, 1917, when patrols of the Royal Naval Division found it deserted. It was in German hands again from April to August, 1918.

Grandcourt Road Cemetery is about 1.6km South of the village, on "Stump Road" ("Grandcourt Road" was further East, leading to Courcelette). It was made in spring of 1917, when the Ancre battlefield was cleared. It contains the graves of 390 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from Canada. The unnamed graves number 108, and a special memorial is erected to one soldier from the United Kingdom, known to be buried among them.

Number of Burials by Unit

North Staffordshire Regiment
70
   South Lancashire Regiment
39
Royal Sussex Regiment
36
   Cheshire Regiment
15
Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
14
   East Lancashire Regiment
13
Gloucestershire Regiment
12
   Royal Warwickshire Regiment
11
Queen's - Royal West Surrey Regiment
10
   Green Howards - Yorkshire Regiment
10
Worcestershire Regiment
8
   Machine Gun Corps
5
Royal Irish Rifles
5
   West Yorkshire Regiment
5
King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
4
   Royal Berkshire Regiment
4
Manchester Regiment
3
   Northumberland Fusiliers
3
Wiltshire Regiment
3
   Border Regiment
2
Hampshire Regiment
2
   Lincolnshire Regiment
2
Royal West Kent
2
   Black Watch
1
Canandian burials
1
   Middlesex Regiment
1
Suffolk Regiment
1
   Welsh Regiment
1
Identified burials
283
      
Unidentified burials
108
      
Total burials
391
      

Awards

2nd Lt. Stanhope Francis London, D.C.M., 8th Bn. North Staffordshire Regiment, K.I.A. 18th Nov 1916 aged 37. Grave . 26