Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery (Souchez)

France / Nord-Pas-de-Calais / Souchez / D937
 cemetery, First World War 1914-1918
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The cemetery was started in March 1916. At that time, there were dugouts used as battalion headquarters located on the opposite side of the road. The Cemetery was used at intervals up until September 1918, and Plots 1 to 5 comprise the original burials. The others (from 6 to 31) were concentrated here after the Armistice. According to the CWGC website, there are 7655 burials from the Great War, nearly 4,500 of which are of unidentified soldiers.

Also of note is that the body of the Canadian unknown soldier was disinterred from a grave in Plot 8 here in May 2000, and later interred at Ottawa. The Canadians requested that the Unknown Soldier be selected from a grave in the vicinity of Vimy, and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission chose the soldier who lay in this grave at Cabaret Rouge. On May the 25th 2000, there was a ceremony at Vimy Ridge when the remains were handed over to a delegation from Canada. On May the 28th the body was taken in a horse-drawn gun carriage and laid to rest in front of the Memorial in Ottawa.
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Coordinates:   50°22'48"N   2°44'24"E

Comments

  • Canada's Unknown Soldier came from Plot 8, Row E, Grave 7
This article was last modified 8 years ago