Bethune
Town Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. For much of the First World War, Bethune
was comparatively free from bombardment and remained an important railway and
hospital centre, as well as a corps and divisional headquarters. The 33rd Casualty
Clearing Station was in the town until December 1917. Early in 1918, Bethune began
to suffer from constant shell fire and in April 1918, German forces reached Locon,
five kilometres to the north. The bombardment of 21 May did great damage to the
town. Bethune Town Cemetery contains 3,004 Commonwealth burials of the First World
War. Second World War burials number 19. There are also 122 French and 87 German
war graves. One
man of the North Irish Horse, Corporal W. J. Leinster,
is buried here.The location of his grave is shown on the CWGC cemetery plan below. Image
kindly provided by Kevin McFarlane via Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/balmypalmy.
Information and cemetery
plan sourced from Commonwealth War Graves Commission www.cwgc.org. |