A German cemetery next to this site, created at the same time as the French military cemetery, contains 5,333 bodies, 3,802 of them in individual graves.

Ten French soldiers who died during the Battle of France in June 1940 and one Russian were also laid to rest at Cuts National Military Cemetery.

At the entrance to the village, the La Pommeraye calvary monument commemorates the fighting in 1914 and the destruction in 1917. Nearby there is a monument paying tribute to the Somalis who died for France at Douaumont in 1916, Chemin des Dames in 1917, La Malmaison in 1917, Mont de Choisy in 1918, Longpont in 1918 and Pointe de Grave in 1945.

Occupied by the Germans on 30th August, Noyon, one hundred kilometres from Paris, was the scene of fierce fighting from 15th to 18th September 1914 but remained in the hands of the enemy, who imposed strict living conditions on the civilians. Following the German withdrawal on 18th March 1917, the French retook the ruined town but it was occupied again on 25th March. Intense shelling finally destroyed Noyon, whose cathedral still bears the scars. The allies resisted and decisively turned the course of the war in July 1918, eventually liberating Noyon, four-fifths destroyed, on 30th August 1918. A strategic and symbolic town, Noyon received the Legion of Honour for enduring this harsh occupation.

At Bois du Loges there now stands a stele marking the execution site of Lieutenant Chapelant. He was the first officer to be executed as an example. Found injured, not far from French positions, he was brought before a military tribunal and found guilty of cowardice. As his leg injury prevented him from standing up, he was shot, tied to his stretcher, on 11th October.

From 31st August to 13th September 1914, Montdidier was briefly occupied. After the Battle of the Marne, this town remained under fire from German artillery. Due to the numerous bombardments, it suffered major destruction. In the spring of 1917, the front retreated forty kilometres. After the German withdrawal at the Hindenburg line, Montdidier seemed to be finally free. But in spring 1918, Montdidier was occupied once again until 10th August, the date when the town in ruins was finally liberated.

A plaque commemorates the singular destiny of Montdidier during the First World War after which it received the Legion of Honour.

From the Second World War, there are 24 airmen from the Commonwealth buried here (13 British, 10 Canadian and one Australian), who died in April 1942 and in May 1944. On the outskirts of the city, a monument was erected in memory of the 212 French airmen who died in the skies over Picardy in May-June 1940.

An area marked by the fighting of the Great War

From the first weeks of the war, the department of the Somme was the scene of violent clashes. From the fighting of autumn 1914 to that of 1918, the area remained fiercely disputed, being referred to many times in official communications. In August 1914, Amiens was occupied for a few days. In September 1914, each army made a last-ditch attempt to outflank their adversary to the north. This frantic dash saw clashes at Roye, Villiers-Bretonneux, Péronne and Albert. The war dragged on. In 1915, a small number of actions of limited impact were carried out. In 1916, the front line was shaken by one of the most iconic offensives of the war: the Battle of the Somme.

In late 1915, the Allies were planning to carry out a major offensive. But the fighting in Verdun thwarted their expectations. The operation, which mainly involved Commonwealth forces, went ahead nonetheless, to relieve the pressure from the enemy on the French forces. The situation behind the lines gradually transformed. Roads and railways were built. Men and munitions were transported to the many billets and depots.

On 1 July 1916, the first waves of British troops advanced. They were soon stopped by sustained German machine-gun fire. The enemy held firmly onto the ridge lines dominating the Ancre and Somme valleys. In a few hours, nearly 30 000 men were put out of action. Further south, the French took the Flaucourt plateau. But their offensive momentum deteriorated into useless, bloody attempts to wear down the enemy. The enemy positions were systematically bombarded, but no decisive breakthrough was achieved. On 18 November 1916, this offensive was called off. After four months, 650 000 Germans, 420 000 British and 195 000 French had been killed or wounded.

In the spring of 1918, the Germans took the initiative once again in this sector. Following violent actions against the British forces, the front was breached. In April, the enemy took Moisel, Ham, Péronne and Montdidier. Thanks to the resistance of Australian troops at Villiers-Bretonneux, Amiens remained in the hands of the British. In July, the German army was halted once more outside Paris. The Allies fought back, freeing up the entire front. On 8 August, the Canadians, Australians and French attacked between Albert and Roye, jostling the enemy. Persevering with their objective, by late August the Allies had entirely liberated the department of the Somme, which had been severely damaged.

Montdidier, a town with a unique fate in the First World War

From 31 August to 13 September 1914, Montdidier was briefly occupied. After the Battle of the Marne, the town remained under fire from German artillery. Given the extent of the shelling, the destruction was considerable. In spring 1917, the front was pushed back 25 miles. Following the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, Montdidier appeared to be free once and for all. But in spring 1918, the town was occupied again, until 10 August, when it was finally liberated, in ruins.

These civilian victims include, notably, the remains of women and children, some of them very young, such as Madeleine Beaujeux aged 4 years (grave 157) and Louise Questroy aged 12 years (grave 89). Two sisters from Origny-en-Thiérache, Yvonne (aged 24) (grave 79) and Noëlla (aged 20) (grave 77) who died on 25 May and 7 June 1917 respectively, are buried there along with a father and his son from Colligies, Eugène Grenier (aged 21) and Ernest Grenier (aged 49) who died on 12 and 17 October respectively (graves 162 and 163).

This war cemetery contains 1,333 French soldiers including 571 in an ossuary, 727 Germans, 25 Russians, two Italians and a Romanian who all fell between 1914 and 1918.

There are the bodies of three French servicemen and two civilians buried here from the Second World War.

Among the soldiers buried here, are the remains of a lieutenant of the 71st Infantry Regiment, Pierre de Raguenel de Montmorel, who died on 29th August 1914. Three of his brothers, also officers, also lost their lives during the conflict.

On the German side, also buried in this cemetery is Friedrich von Bismarck, Oberstleutnant, grandson of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who died on 5th November 1916.

The cemetery has several monuments in memory of both German and French regiments.

Also, 428 French soldiers and one Soviet soldier who lost their lives in the Second World War are buried here. The site lies next to a German cemetery containing the bodies of 2,332 soldiers, 911 of whom are buried in a collective grave.

A commemorative monument in the form of an obelisk stands in the French section, bearing the inscription Dulce Et Decorum Est, Pro Patria Mori (It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country).

At the beginning of 1916, there were riots in towns in the north caused by shortages in supplies. In April, the German authorities responded by sending workers to neighbouring areas. Faced with international criticism, this deportation was soon stopped. Some of the workers, including Arthur Jaspart, lost their lives. He was a worker from Valenciennes who died, aged 21, on 9 July 1918 in the isolation ward at the German military railways workshop in Guise. He is buried in Guise cemetery (Grave No.1236).