Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez
| Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country: | France |
| Location: | Pas de Calais |
| Coordinates: | |
| Type: | Public |
| Owned by: | Commonwealth War Graves Commission |
| Number of gravesites: | 3,185 |
| Website: | Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery |
The Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery is a cemetery in the Pas de Calais region of France containing the graves of Canadians killed during the Great War.
History
Caberet Rouge was a small, red-bricked, red-tiled café that stood close to this site in the early days of the First World War. The café was destroyed by shellfire in March 1915 but it gave its unusual name to this sector and to a communication trench that led troops up the front-line. Commonwealth soldiers began burying their fallen comrades here in March 1916. The cemetery was used mostly by the 47th (London) Division and the Canadian Corps until August 1917 and by different fighting units until September 1918. It was greatly enlarged in the years after the war when as many as 7,000 graves were concentrated here from over 100 other cemeteries in the area. For much of the twentieth century, Cabaret Rouge served as one of a small number of ‘open cemeteries’ at which the remains of fallen servicemen newly discovered in the region were buried. Today the cemetery contains over 7,650 burials of the First World War, over half of which remain unidentified.
Many different Commonwealth units served in this sector during the war and the cemetery contains the graves of British, Irish, Australian, New Zealand, Indian and South African soldiers. It is also the final resting place of over 70 officers of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force. Cabaret Rouge has a particularly close connection with the Canadian Infantry, however, as hundreds of Canadians who were killed at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917 were ultimately laid to rest here.
In May 2000 the remains of an unknown Canadian soldier were taken from this cemetery and buried in a special tomb at the foot of the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Canada. A focal point for remembrance, he represents more than 116,000 Canadians who lost their lives during the First World War. A headstone in plot 8, Row E, Grave 7 marks his original grave.
Location
Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery lies just south of the town of Souchez and 11.4 km. north of the centre of Arras.
From the centre of Arras take rue Meaulens, D264 and Route de Bethune through Sainte Catherine. At the roundabout, take the third exit onto the D937 to Souchez. The cemetery is located 6.6 km. further on the left.
"We Rest Here"
The following Signals related people are buried here.
| Headstone | Service Number | Rank and Name | Grave Location |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
98 | Spr E.M. Des Brisay | XV. M. 34. |
 |
228425 | Spr E.W. Nelson | II. E. 1. |