Serre Road Cemetery No.2

Serre Road Cemetery No.2
Name	Serre Road Cemetery No.2
Country	France
Location	Somme, Pas-de-Calais
Established	1916
Designer	Edwin Lutyens
Total	2,000+
Unknowns	1,000+
Managed by	Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Serre Road Cemetery No.2 Serre Road Cemetery No.2 is a First World War Commonwealth burial ground in northern France, established during the Battle of the Somme and associated operations. Located near the village of Serre and the town of Albert, it lies along routes used in the Somme offensive and later actions in 1917–1918. The cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and reflects commemorative practices developed after the First World War.

Location and Overview

The cemetery sits in the Somme department of Hauts-de-France, close to the D929 road and the rail corridor linking Amiens and Bapaume. It occupies land near the former Western Front lines and the Ancre River sector, within the landscape shaped by the Battle of the Somme and the German Spring Offensive (1918). Administratively the site relates to nearby communes such as Beaulencourt and Gommecourt and lies within the jurisdiction historically contested by forces of the British Expeditionary Force and the German Empire.

History and Establishment

The cemetery was created during the 1916 fighting around Serre when units of the British Army and formations from the Newfoundland Regiment and Royal Newfoundland Regiment were engaged in assaults linked to the Attack on Serre on 1 July 1916. After the Armistice of 11 November 1918, remains from smaller battlefield cemeteries and isolated graves in the area were concentrated into this site under the authority of the Imperial War Graves Commission, later renamed the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The consolidation process involved exhumation and reburial operations similar to those overseen at other cemeteries like Bazentin-le-Petit Military Cemetery and Thiepval Memorial.

Design and Layout

The cemetery’s plan follows principles adopted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and architects such as Sir Edwin Lutyens, Sir Reginald Blomfield, and Sir Herbert Baker; the site bears stylistic affinities with works by Lutyens and the use of standardized headstones and the Stone of Remembrance. Plots are arranged in orderly rows with grassed avenues and plantings of species common to commemorative schemes used at Tyne Cot Cemetery and Menin Gate Memorial sites. Structural features include a central cross motif reflecting the Cross of Sacrifice design by Sir Reginald Blomfield and perimeter walls consistent with Commission norms at cemeteries such as Le Treport Military Cemetery.

Interments and Notable Graves

The burial ground contains soldiers and officers from divisions that fought in the Somme campaign and later actions; many graves are those of men of the Lancashire Regiment, Yorkshire Regiment, Royal Scots, and Commonwealth contingents including troops from Australia, Canada, and Newfoundland. Several burials are of unnamed soldiers commemorated by the inscription style used across Commonwealth War Graves Commission sites. While there are few widely famous individuals interred here, the cemetery contains graves linked to engagements involving formations such as the 29th Division, 30th Division, 46th (North Midland) Division, and battalions engaged at La Boiselle and La Boisselle. Concentrated burials from nearby burial grounds mirror patterns found at Serre Road Cemetery No.1 and reflect deaths during the Battle of Arras (1917) and the Hundred Days Offensive.

Commemoration and Maintenance

Commemoration at the cemetery is part of broader remembrance practices conducted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, with annual observances aligning with Remembrance Day traditions and commemorative activities connected to regimental associations such as the Royal British Legion and veteran organizations from Australia and Canada. The site is maintained according to conservation policies developed in the interwar period and updated by the Commission, paralleling preservation at Tyne Cot and Menin Gate, including horticultural care, headstone cleaning, and structural repair overseen in partnership with local French municipal authorities and heritage bodies like the Monuments aux Morts administrations.

Visitor Information

Visitors approach the cemetery from Albert or Bapaume via regional roads and can combine a visit with nearby memorials such as Thiepval Memorial, La Boiselle Crater, and the Somme American Cemetery. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission provides on-site information panels and access is generally free; visitors are asked to observe commemorative etiquette consistent with sites managed by the Commission, and local tourist offices in Albert and Péronne can supply maps and opening details. The cemetery forms part of itineraries exploring the Western Front battlefields and is included in guides that cover the Somme battlefield heritage trail.

Category:Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in France Category:World War I cemeteries in the Somme