Bazentin-le-Petit Military Cemetery


The Bazentin-le-Petit Military Cemetery is a military cemetery located in the Somme region of France commemorating British and Commonwealth soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Somme in World War I. The cemetery is managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and honors those who died on the front line near Bazentin from late July 1916 to May 1917.

Location

The cemetery is located on the west side of the village of Bazentin-le-Petit, a subvillage of Bazentin, which is located approximately 8 kilometers northeast of the town of Albert and 3 kilometers southeast of the village of Pozieres.

Fighting near Bazentin-le-Petit

Bazentin was held by the Germans until 14 July 1916, when the British 3rd and 7th Divisions captured it and the British 21st Division captured Bazentin-le-Petit Wood. The village was temporarily lost in the German spring offensive of 1918, but was recaptured by the 38th Welsh Division on 25 August of the same year.

Establishment of the cemetery

The cemetery was established in late July 1916 and was used by units operating on the front line until May 1917. It was originally called the Singer Circus Cemetery.

Statistics

The cemetery contains 182 burials, of which 15 are unidentified. The 33 German graves in the cemetery were moved to another location in 1922. Overall, the Bazentin-le-Petit cemeteries cover an area of 1824 square yards.
NationalityNumber of Burials
United Kingdom104
Australia55
South Africa9

Unit#Unit#
Australian burials55Royal Field Artillery15
Durham Light Infantry11Royal Garrison Artillery10
Welsh Regiment9South African Infantry8
Cameron Highlanders6Cameronians – Scottish Rifles5
Northumberland Fusiliers5Machine Gun Corps4
Royal Army Medical Corps4Royal Army Service Corps4
Black Watch3East Yorkshire Regiment3
Gloucestershire Regiment3Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders2
Gordon Highlanders2Royal Engineers2
Royal Scots – Lothian Regiment2Duke of WellingtonWest Riding Regiment1
Green HowardsYorkshire Regiment1King's Own Scottish Borderers1
King's Royal Rifle Corps1Lancers 16th1
Leicestershire Regiment1Loyal North Lancashire Regiment1
Northamptonshire Regiment1Royal Horse Artillery1
Royal Warwickshire Regiment1Seaforth Highlanders1
South African Heavy Artillery1South Wales Borderers1