Arras Road Cemetery, Roclincourt
- Country France
- Total identified casualties 264 Find these casualties
- Region Pas de Calais
- Identified casualties from First World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 50.3415, Longitude: 2.78214
Location information
Roclincourt is a village a little east of the road from Arras to Lens and Lille. Arras Road Cemetery is on the west side of the main N17 road from Arras to Lens, about 6 Kms north of Arras, and north of the village of Ecuries.
Visiting information
ARRIVAL
The cemetery is on the west side of the main N17 road from Arras to Lens, about six kilometres north of Arras. The single lane track from the N17 is uneven in places.
PARKING
There is a large car park next to the cemetery with spaces for several vehicles. There is no alternative parking. The car park surface is level and flat with no obstructions.
ACCESS, LAYOUT AND MAIN ENTRANCE
There is a footpath alongside the cemetery boundary wall which leads to the main entrance.
The main entrance has two access points that open onto stone steps.
There are two large stone shelters in the cemetery, each shelter is located to either the left or the right side of the Stone of Remembrance. Behind the two shelters are two stone benches, one on the left, one on the right side of the cemetery.
ALTERNATIVE ACCESS
Alternative access to the cemetery is via the service entrance. The service entrance is at the back of the car park and access is through two 900 mm metal gates that open into the cemetery. The surface is flat.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Arras Road Cemetery is permanently open.
History information
Roclincourt was just within the British lines before the Battles of Arras, 1917; the 51st (Highland) and 34th Divisions advanced from the village on the 9th April, 1917, and the 1st Canadian Division attacked on their left, across the Lens road.
Arras Road Cemetery was begun by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade soon after the 9th April, 1917, and until the Armistice it contained only the graves (now at the back of the cemetery) of 71 officers and men of the 7th Canadian Infantry Battalion (British Columbia Regiment) who fell in April, May and June, 1917; but in 1926-29, it was enlarged by the addition of 993 graves from a wide area, mainly North and East of Arras. Amongst these were graves from the following burial grounds:-
BAISIEUX CHURCHYARD (Nord): six, October, 1918.
BELLAING CHURCHYARD (Nord): two Canadian, October, 1918.
BOURLON COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Pas-de-Calais): one, September, 1916, and one Canadian, September, 1918.
COMINES COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Nord): five (including one Canadian), 1914-1917. The permanent GERMAN EXTENSION on the West side contains 2,257 identified and 1,903 unidentified German graves.
ECAILLON CHURCHYARD (Nord): one, January, 1919.
GIVENCHY-LES-LA BASSEE CHURCHYARD (Pas-de-Calais). Givenchy is associated with (among other episodes) the stand made by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division in April, 1918.
MAIRIEUX CHURCHYARD (Nord): one, November, 1918.
MOUCHIN CHURCHYARD (Nord): two, October, 1918.
PENIN CHURCHYARD (Pas-de-Calais): one, November, 1916.
PERONNE-EN-MELANTOIS CHURCHYARD (Nord): four, October, 1918.
RUMEGIES CHURCHYARD (Nord): ten, October and November, 1918.
SAINGHIN-EN-MELANTOIS CHURCHYARD (Nord): three, March, 1917 - October, 1918.
SIN CHURCHYARD, BAISIEUX (Nord): three, April - November, 1918.
TINCQUES CHURCHYARD (Pas-de-Calais): one, May, 1916.
VENDIN-LE-VIEIL COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Pas-de-Calais): one, September, 1915.
WANNEHAIN CHURCHYARD (Nord): two, October and November, 1918.
There are now over 1,000, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site.
The cemetery covers an area of 4,084 square metres. It is enclosed on three sides by a stone rubble wall, and against the road by a retaining wall. Old dug-outs exist under the North-East corner and on the South-West boundary.