Canadian Cemetery No. 2
Encyclopedia
Canadian Cemetery No. 2 is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
burial ground for the dead of World War I
situated on the grounds of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial Park
near the French
town of Neuville-Saint-Vaast
.
The cemetery was originally named CD 5 and established as a battlefield cemetery of the Canadian 4th Division for Canadian troops killed in the Battle of Vimy Ridge
. Battlefield clearances of the surrounding area in 1919 significantly increased the size of the cemetery. The cemetery was again reopened for burials in 1931, receiving its last Canadian burial in 1947. Despite the cemetery's name, the large majority of the dead are British.
The cemetery
now contains the graves of 2,965 Commonwealth
soldiers, a large portion of which are unidentified. The cemetery covers an area of 10,869 square metres and is enclosed by low walls of coursed stone.
, but whose graves are now lost are commemorated by special memorial headstones, inscribed to this effect.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
burial ground for the dead of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
situated on the grounds of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial Park
Canadian National Vimy Memorial
The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is a memorial site in France dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War. It also serves as the place of commemoration for First World War Canadian soldiers killed or presumed dead in France who have no known...
near the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
town of Neuville-Saint-Vaast
Neuville-Saint-Vaast
Neuville-Saint-Vaast is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Neuville-Saint-Vaast is situated north of Arras, at the junction of the D49 and D55 roads...
.
The cemetery was originally named CD 5 and established as a battlefield cemetery of the Canadian 4th Division for Canadian troops killed in the Battle of Vimy Ridge
Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army...
. Battlefield clearances of the surrounding area in 1919 significantly increased the size of the cemetery. The cemetery was again reopened for burials in 1931, receiving its last Canadian burial in 1947. Despite the cemetery's name, the large majority of the dead are British.
The cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
now contains the graves of 2,965 Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
soldiers, a large portion of which are unidentified. The cemetery covers an area of 10,869 square metres and is enclosed by low walls of coursed stone.
Commemoration
29 Canadian soldiers buried in 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade Cemetery & near Gunner's Crater, both in Givenchy-en-GohelleGivenchy-en-Gohelle
Givenchy-en-Gohelle is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Givenchy-en-Gohelle is a large farming village situated north of Arras, at the junction of the D51 and the D55 roads...
, but whose graves are now lost are commemorated by special memorial headstones, inscribed to this effect.