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Rancourt National Cemetery

Nécropole nationale de Rancourt. © ECPAD

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Rancourt National Cemetery holds the remains of soldiers who died for France during the Battle of the Somme. Established at the end of the war, this cemetery was developed from 1921 to 1988 to accommodate the bodies exhumed from the temporary cemeteries all along the former front lines, as well as from isolated graves, military communal graves and bodies found on the battlefields. More than 8,500 French soldiers are buried here, including 3,200 in four ossuaries. The cemetery also contains the graves of three civilian casualties and a French soldier killed during the Second World War.

To one side of the cemetery there is a votive chapel dedicated to the memory of servicemen killed in action in the area of Rancourt–Bouchavesnes and Sailly-Saillissel. This building, inaugurated in 1923, was founded by Madame Du Bos, mother of Jean Du Bos, a Lieutenant in the 94th Infantry Regiment, killed in action on 26 September 1916 during the attack on Rancourt. Now administrated by Souvenir Français, the chapel stands as a symbol of the sadness felt by so many parents who lost a beloved son.

Nearby there is a German military cemetery containing the graves of 10,422 German soldiers, including 7,492 in ossuaries, and a British cemetery containing 83 graves. Such proximity makes this a particularly symbolic memorial site for all three nationalities during commemoration ceremonies in remembrance of the Battle of the Somme.

Nécropole nationale de Rancourt. © Guillaume Pichard

Nécropole nationale de Rancourt. © ECPAD

Nécropole nationale de Rancourt. © Guillaume Pichard

Nécropole nationale de Rancourt. © ECPAD

Nécropole nationale de Rancourt. © Guillaume Pichard

Biplans d'observation BE 2C stationnant sur le terrain d'aviation de Cachy, près d'Amiens. Ce modèle d'avion est construit par la Royal Aircraft Factory. © ECPAD

Montée des troupes anglaises vers la ligne de front. © ECPAD

Soldats français se protégeant dans des abris individuels. © ECPAD

Ces niches servent d'abris contre les bombardements et se trouvent le long de l'axe Hardécourt-aux-Bois à Cléry-sur-Somme. Cette route est vitale pour le ravitaillement des premières lignes. Ainsi, l'artillerie allemande tente quotidiennement de rendre inutilisable celle-ci par des bombardements intensifs. Les soldats territoriaux doivent alors reboucher chaque trou d'obus qui entrave la circulation.