Martinsart British Cemetery, Mesnil-Martinsart (Somme)

THE Commune of Mesnil-Martinsart, in the Departtnent of the Somme, includes the two villages of Mesnil and Martinsart. Mesnil is a little West of the Amiens-Lille main railway line and the River Ancre; and Martinsart, further South-West, is divided from the railway by Aveluy Wood. The nearest considerable railway station is Beaucourt-Hamel, but the light railway from Doullens to Albert has a station at Mesnil village. Both villages were close to the British front line until September, 1916, and again from March to August, 1918.

MARTINSART BRITISH CEMETERY is on the South side of Martinsart village, beside the road to Aveluy. It was begun at the end of June, 1916, when 14 men of the 13th Royal Irish Rifles, killed by a shell, were buried in what is now Plot I, Row A. It was used as a front-line cemetery until October, 1916, and again in September, 1918, when the V Corps buried in it a number of officers and men whose bodies were found on the battlefield; and it was enlarged after the Armistice by the concentration of 346 graves from the area North, East and South of the village. It now contains the graves of 377 soldiers from the United Kingdom, eight from New Zealand, one from Australia, and 96 whose unit in our forces could not be ascertained; and 16 German prisoners were buried in it. The unnamed graves number 156, and special memorials are erected to six soldiers from the United Kingdom believed to be buried among them.

The cemetery covers an area of 2,395 square yards. It is bounded on three sides by a hornbeam hedge, and on the North and East by a red brick wall. It stands on high ground among cultivated fields. The Cross, on the North side, is flanked by scarlet thorns.

Number of burials by Unit

Lancashire Fusiliers
68
  Royal Welsh Fusiliers
29
Welsh Regt.
20
  23rd Bn. London Regt.
19
Royal Irish Rifles
18
  Highland Light Infantry
14
Durham Light Infantry
12
  Northumberland Fusiliers
12
Cheshire Regt.
11
  Royal Scots - Lothian Regt.
11
Royal Garrison Artillery
9
  Machine Gun Corps - Infantry
8
New Zealand
8
  Royal Field Artillery
8
Royal Naval Division
8
  Sherwood Foresters - Notts. & Derbys. Regt.
8
Rifle Brigade
5
  Royal Engineers
5
Royal Fusiliers - City of London Regt.
5
  York & Lancaster Regt.
5
20th Bn. London Regt. - Blackheath & Woolwich
4
  Leicestershire Regt.
4
Queen's - Royal West Surrey Regt.
4
  Royal Berkshire Regt.
4
West Yorkshire Regt.
4
  15th Bn. London Regt. - PWO, Civil Service Rifles
2
22nd Bn. London Regt. - The Queen's
2
  Buffs - East Kent Regt.
2
King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
2
  Lincolnshire Regt.
2
Norfolk Regt.
2
  12th Bn. London Regt. - The Rangers
1
16th Bn. London Regt.-Queen's Westminster Rifles
1
  24th Bn. London Regt. - The Queen's
1
7th Bn. London Regt.
1
  Bedfordshire Regt.
1
Dorsetshire Regt.
1
  Duke of Wellington's - West Riding Regt.
1
East Yorkshire Regt.
1
  Gordon Highlanders
1
Honourable Artillery Company
1
  King's Own Royal Lancaster Regt.
1
King's Royal Rifle Corps
1
  North Staffordshire Regt.
1
Ox. & Bucks. Light Infantry
1
  Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force
1
Royal Irish Fusiliers
1
  Royal Warwickshire Regt.
1
Identified burials
332
     
Unidentified UK burials:
59
     
Unidentified Australian burials:
1
     
Wholly unknown
90
     
Total Unidentified burials
150
     
Total burials
482
     

Plan of this Cemetery

Those having awards in this cemetery

Pte. Charles Frederick Bullock M.M., 15th Bn. London Regt. (P.W.O. Civil Service Rifles). Died 1st April 1918, aged 34. Assistant, Free Library,Cardiff for 16 years. 1.F.57

Sgt. C. Greenwood, Croix de Guerre (Belgium). "C" Bty. 48th Brig. Royal Field Artillery. Died 28th March 1918, aged 29. 1.G.38

Lt. Cmdr. F. S. Kelly, D.S.C., R.N.V.R. "Hood" Bn. Royal Naval Division. Died 13th Nov. 1916. He was one of the pall bearers at Rupert Brookes funeral. 1.H.25

Sgt. R. R. Lowery M.M., 19th Bn. Durham Light Infantry. Died 23rd April 1918, aged 21. 1.G.13

Pte. Eben Morris M.M., 1/4th Bn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Killed in action 6th April 1918, aged 22. 1.F.8

Ftr. James Frederick Morris M.S.M., "C" Bty. 48th Brig. Royal Field Artillery. Killed in action 28th March 1918, aged 28. 1.G.34

Pte. C. E. Omer D.C.M., "C" Coy. 1/23rd Bn. London Regt. Died 5th April 1918, aged 20. 1.G.8

L/Cpl. W. E. Pearce M.M., 13th Bn. The Rifle Brigade, died 14th Nov. 1916. 1.H.28

Pte. E. H. Thorne M.M
., 9th Bn. Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt.) Killed in action 27th March 1918, aged 30. 2.C.3

Pte. G. Walton M.M., 1/23rd Bn. London Regt. Died 5th April 1918. 1.F.31

Others buried in this cemetery

Pte. John Smith Davidson Baigrie, 18th Bn. Highland Light Infantry. Died 20th May 1918, aged 18. Deputy Assistant Scout Master of the 8th Midlothian Troop Boy Scouts. Native of Newbattle, Dalkeith. 1.F.62

Col. Herbert Clifford Bernard, Commanding 10th Bn. Royal Irish Rifles. Killed in action at Thiepval Wood, 1st July 1916, aged 50. Born at Cheltenham. Served in the Burmese War (1885-1891). Commanded the 45th (Rattray's) Sikhs from 1909 to 1914, after which he retired from the Indian Army. 1.A.16

Pte. Thomas John Brightwell, 18th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers, formerly Northants. Yeomanry. Killed in action 1st June 1918, aged 34. Born at Wellington, Nilgiri, India. Left his farm in Saskatchewan, Canada at the outbreak of War and came home to enlist. 1.B.14

Pte. John Fannon (served as Crane). 1st Bn. West Yorkshire Regt. Died 10th Oct. 1916, aged 29. 1.A.24

Pte. Ernest Hallett, 1/23rd Bn. London Regt. Killed in action 5th April 1918, aged 19. Enlisted Oct. 1915. 1.D.9

Pte. John Albert Sharp (served as G. E. Woolf).17th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers, died 1st June 1918, aged 35. 1.E.11

Pte. Ronald Everest Simpson, 18th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers. Killed in action 16th April 1918, aged 32. Formerly served with 2nd King Edward's Horse. Came from Canada to enlist. 1.D.46