| Somme American Cemetery and Memorial | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
 Somme American Cemetery | |
| For United States military dead from World War I | |
| Location | 49°59′06″N 3°12′48″E / 49.98500°N 3.21333°E |
| Designed by | George Howe[1] Marcel Loyau |
The Somme American Cemetery and Memorial in Picardie, France, is an American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery, situated ½ mile southwest of the commune of Bony, Aisne in northern France. It is located on a gentle slope typical of the open, rolling Picardy countryside.[2]
YouTube Encyclopedic
-
1/3Views:1 7024 13595 090
-
Somme American Cemetery
-
Bony France - Somme American War Cemetery - 1918
-
Visiting the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery I THE GREAT WAR Special
Transcription
The beautiful Somme district in northern France was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting in World War I. Somme American Cemetery sits in the place where the 107th Infantry Regiment suffered nearly 1,000 casualties during the first day's attack, the largest one-day American regimental loss of the entire war. The land was once part of the German Hindenberg Line. Among the more than 1,800 Americans buried here are three Medal of Honor recipients. Two brothers, James and Harmon Vedder, are buried side by side. Their deaths inspired the creation of the Gold Star Mothers. Nurse Helen Fairchild died as a result of lending her gas mask to a wounded soldier. Four bronze World War I trench helmets capping bronze wreaths are mounted on the base of the cemetery flagpole. At one end of the cemetery is a small memorial Chapel. Above the altar a crystal glass cross captures the light and illuminates walls carved with the names of the missing. An inscription above the chapel honors those who died for their country.
Cemetery
The 14.3-acre (58,000 m2) war cemetery was established in October 1918 on ground which saw heavy fighting just before and during the Battle of St Quentin Canal. It contains the graves of 1,844 of the United States' military dead from World War I. Most lost their lives in the assault on the Hindenburg Line while serving in American II Corps attached to the British Fourth Army. Others were killed in operations near Cantigny. The headstones, set in regular rows, are separated into four plots by paths that intersect at the flagpole near the top of the slope. The longer axis leads to the chapel at the eastern end of the cemetery.
A massive bronze door surmounted by an American eagle leads into the chapel, whose outer walls contain sculptured pieces of military equipment. Once inside, light from a cross-shaped crystal window above the marble altar bathes the subdued interior with light. The walls bear the names of 333 of the missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.
Notable burials
Medal of Honor recipients
- Robert Lester Blackwell (1895–1918 †), for action near St. Souplet, France
- Thomas E. O'Shea (1895–1918 †), for action at Le Catelet, France
- William Bradford Turner (1892–1918 †), for action at Ronssoy, France
See also
References
- ^ "American Armies and Battlefields in Europe: A History, Guide and Reference Book" (PDF). p. 528.
- ^ "Somme American Cemetery | American Battle Monuments Commission". www.abmc.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
Further reading
- Sledge, Michael (2005). Soldier Dead: How We Recover, Identify, Bury, and Honor Our Military Fallen. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0231509374. OCLC 60527603.
External links
- American Battle Monuments Commission – Somme American Cemetery and Memorial
- Somme American Cemetery and Memorial at Find a Grave
- Association Les Parrains de la Mémoire – France Remembrance Association (in French)
This article incorporates public domain material from Somme American Cemetery and Memorial. American Battle Monuments Commission.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
This page was last edited on 13 February 2024, at 14:10