Caudry British Cemetery
- Country France
- Total identified casualties 652 Find these casualties
- Region Nord
- Identified casualties from First World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 50.12036, Longitude: 3.4229
Location information
Caudry is a town some 13 kilometres east of Cambrai on the south side of the main road (N43) to Le Cateau. Caudry British Cemetery is on the eastern outskirts of the town among the 'Nouveaux Cimetieres', which include the German Military Cemetery and the New Communal Cemetery. Visitors should not enter the town, but take the eastern by-pass road (a dual carriageway). At the first set of traffic lights on this road turn left: the British Cemetery is located down the second turning on the right.
Visiting information
Wheelchair access to this cemetery is possible via the main entrance. For further information regarding wheelchair access, please contact our Enquiries Section on 01628 507200.
History information
Caudry town was the scene of part of the Battle of Le Cateau on the 26th August 1914, and from that date it remained in German hands until the 10th October 1918, when it was captured by the 37th Division. It had been a German centre for medical units, and during October 1918 and the following five months the 21st, 3rd, 19th and 49th Casualty Clearing Stations passed through it. The British Cemetery (originally called the German Cemetery Extension) was begun in October 1918 by the New Zealand Division and carried on by the Casualty Clearing Stations. It was completed after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the German Cemetery and from the following cemetery:- AUDENCOURT BRITISH CEMETERY, which lay between the villages of Audencourt and Beaumont, in the middle of fields. It was made by the Germans after the Battle of Le Cateau, and Plot 1 contained the graves of 66 soldiers from the United Kingdom (mainly of the 2nd Royal Scots and the 1st Gordons) who fell in that battle. Plot II was made in the middle of October 1918 when the place was captured and contained the graves of 18 soldiers from the United Kingdom and four Germans. The bodies of two French soldiers and one Italian were removed to other burial grounds after the war. There are now over 700, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, over 50 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to four soldiers and one airman from the United Kingdom known to be buried among them. Another special memorial records the name of a soldier from the United Kingdom, buried in FONTAINE-AU-PIRE Communal Cemetery, whose grave could not be found. The cemetery covers an area of 2,770 square metres and is enclosed partly by a rubble wall.