Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery

• Country France
• Total identified casualties 2874 Find these casualties
• Region Calvados
• Identified casualties from Second World War
• GPS Coordinates Latitude: 49.06055, Longitude: -0.29188

Location information

This cemetery lies on the west side of the main road from Caen to Falaise (route N158) about 14 kilometres south of Caen and just north of the village of Cintheaux. The village of Bretteville lies 3 kilometres south-west of the cemetery.

Visiting information

ARRIVAL

The route to the cemetery is signposted.

PARKING

There is a large car park at the front of the cemetery with space for multiple vehicles.

The ground surface is tarmac, the ground flat and firm.

The distance from the parking area to the main entrance is approximately 60 metres, a tarmac and concrete path cuts across a grass area and the path leads to the main entrance. The ground is flat and firm.

ACCESS LAYOUT AND MAIN ENTRANCE

The cemetery is large and a rectangular shape.

The main entrance has a central, double sectioned, low level (thigh height), black metal gate. The opening sections of the gate are 1.8 meters wide, with each section 900 mm wide. The main gate has a latched opening.

The gate opens inwards into the cemetery area.

Behind the main gate is a large stone columned memorial arch, with a roof. There is a single stone step up to and down from the arch into the cemetery burial area. It is possible to bypass the entrance archway through openings in the hedges close to the domed shelters opposite the entrance feature.

All internal cemetery paths are grass, with the ground flat and firm.

On either side of the covered arch are shelter buildings, with access from under the arch and out into the cemetery. A single step down from the shelter buildings lead onto grass.

The register box is on the left side shelter building viewed from the entrance.

There are seating areas inside each of the shelters, as well as built into the entrance feature.

Two seating areas are also located opposite to the entrance archways on either side of the cemetery, built in to domed shelters.

Stone benches are also located throughout the cemetery.

The Stone of Remembrance is located in front of the entrance arch, in line with the Cross of Sacrifice located in the centre of the cemetery.

ALTERNATIVE ACCESS

There are no alternative entrances into the cemetery.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The cemetery is permanently open.

History information

The Allied offensive in north-western Europe began with the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944.

For the most part, those buried at Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery died during the later stages of the battle of Normandy, the capture of Caen and the thrust southwards - led initially by the 4th Canadian and 1st Polish Armoured Divisions - to close the Falaise Gap. Almost every unit of Canadian 2nd Corps is represented in the cemetery.

The cemetery contains 2,958 Second World War burials, the majority Canadian, and 87 of them unidentified.