The Aveluy Communal Cemetery Extension is a cemetery located in the Somme region of France commemorating French and British Commonwealth troops who fought in the Battle of the Somme in World War I. The cemetery honors mainly soldiers who died holding the line near the village of Aveluy from slightly before July 1915 to 26 March 1918.
Location The cemetery is located just off of the D20 road in the village of Aveluy, which is itself a short distance north of Albert, France.
Fighting near Aveluy The front near Aveluy was held by the French until August 1915, until it was transferred into Commonwealth control. The British held the line until 27 March 1918, when the Germans overran Aveluy in their final Offensive on the Somme. The village was retaken by the British in August 1918.
Establishment
History The cemetery was begun by the French and was transferred into Commonwealth jurisdiction along with the rest of the line. It was used by fighting units and field ambulances, most notably the 3rd and 9th Casualty Clearing Stations, who used the cemetery until November 1917. The cemetery extension was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.
Statistics The cemetery contains a total of 613 graves, with 589 of them identified and 26 unidentified. 3 memorials commemorate graves that could not be located from their original burial site. +Identifiable Burials by NationalityNationalityNumber of BurialsUnited Kingdom525Australia54Canada7India2South Africa1 +Number of Burials by UnitRoyal Engineers56Australian units55Royal Field Artillery40Highland Light Infantry26Northamptonshire Regiment24Royal Fusiliers - City of London Regiment22Lancashire Fusiliers21Royal Garrison Artillery18Rifle Brigade17Border Regiment15Loyal North Lancashire Regiment15West Yorkshire Regiment15King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry14Cameronians - Scottish Rifles13Devonshire Regiment13Royal Berkshire Regiment11Northumberland Fusiliers10Royal Sussex Regiment10Middlesex Regiment9Norfolk Regiment9Queen's - Royal West Surrey Regiment9Royal West Kent Regiment - Queen's Own8Seaforth Highlanders8Buffs - East Kent Regiment7Canadian units710th Hussars7Lincolnshire Regiment7King's Liverpool Regiment6Royal Irish Rifles6Essex Regiment5Gloucestershire Regiment5King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment5Royal Warwickshire Regiment5South Wales Borderers5Army Cyclist Corps4Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons4Royal Scots4York & Lancaster Regiment4Black Watch - Royal Highlanders3East Lancashire Regiment3Gordon Highlanders3King's Royal Rifle Corps3Machine Gun Corps - Infantry3Royal Army Medical Corps3Royal Army Service Corps3Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers3South Lancashire Regiment3South Staffordshire Regiment3Sherwood Foresters - Notts. & Derbys Regiment3Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders2Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry2Duke of Wellington - West Riding Regiment2East Surrey Regiment2East Yorkshire Regiment2Indian Labour Corps2Suffolk Regiment2Welch Regiment2Wiltshire Regiment2Worcestershire Regiment2Cheshire Regiment1Dorsetshire Regiment1General List1Glasgow Yeomanry1Green Howards - Yorkshire Regiment1King's Shropshire Light Infantry122nd Bn. London Regiment - The Queen's12nd Lothian - Border Horse1Manchester Regiment1Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry1Royal Naval Division1Royal Welsh Fusiliers1Second Life Guards1South African Labour Corps1
References