Canadian Military Cemetery - Great War - Eastern Plot
Commonwealth War Graves Commission This Cemetery was originally commissioned in 1917 for Canadian Expeditionary Forces fighting in the Great War and then held 311 burials. It was extended to hold a further 100 Canadian casualties of World War 2. Over 2000 Canadians who died in the Second World War are buried in the seperate dedicted cemetery to the west.
By September 1914 the Candian Expeditionary Force had organised its divisional structure when 33,000 men embarked for Plymouth, England arriving in October. The first Canadian unit was in France by December that year with a full Division installed in France by Februry 1915. That year the Division countered the first use by Germany of poison gas. The Canadian Corps of 4 divisions formed a distinct fighting force. French Canadians, a third of the population, were less enthusiastic about joining the war. Canadian government responses eventually led to brutal clashes with French Canadians. Around 35,000 French Canadians enlisted of whom about 6,000 served with the French speaking 22nd. All © WyrdLight McCallum Photography 2009 Contact Antony |