Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval

Some of the 5,523 graves in Delville Wood Cemetery on the Somme battlefield.

The cemetery was built after the Armistice when graves from small burial sites and individual battlefield burial plots were brought here to this site. There are 5,523 First World War British and Commonwealth casualties buried here. Of these 3,593 are unidentified. Most of the burials in the cemetery were casualties who died in the months of July, August and September during the heavy fighting of the 1916 Battle of the Somme.

Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval.
Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval.

Delville Wood Cemetery is the third largest British & Commonwealth cemetery on the Somme battlefield.

There are special memorials to 27 soldiers who are believed to be buried among the casualties here, but the identity of their graves was lost prior to them being brought to this cemetery. Three soldiers are commemorated on special memorials in the cemetery as their original graves in Courcelette Communal Cemetery German Extension were destroyed by artillery shellfire.

Graves from the following cemeteries and battlefield burial sites in the area were brought to this cemetery:

Design

Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval.
Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

South African Brigade Burials

There are 160 South Africans buried in the cemetery, of whom 65 are not identified. A list of the named South African soldiers and their burial location in this cemetery is provided by the Delville Wood Commemorative Museum Trust on their website at:

Website: www.delvillewood.com

Renovation Work

Reseeding of the grass.
Reseeding of the grass at Delville Wood Cemetery.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for the care and maintenance of this and many other hundreds of British and Commonwealth cemeteries around the world. Visitors to the cemeteries on weekdays will often see the CWGC staff working in the cemeteries.

At times major work has to be carried out to reseed grass or renew headstones due to deterioration from weather conditions and climate change. Grassed areas in Delville Wood Cemetery were reseeded during 2010.

Location of Delville Wood Cemetery

Latitude N 50° 1' 26" ; Longitude E 2° 48' 46"

The cemetery is located on the south side of the road opposite Delville Wood (Bois Delville) and the Memorial Museum to the South African Forces. It is signposted from the centre of the village of Longueval.

Parking

Visitors can park next to the cemetery or in the nearby large, free car park for the South African Forces memorial museum.

Related Topics

Railway Hollow Cemetery and Sheffield Memorial Park near Serre on the Somme battlefield.
Railway Hollow Cemetery near Serre on the Somme battlefield.

The South Africa (Delville Wood) National Memorial, Longueval

The South Africa (Delville Wood) National Memorial, Longueval

Cemeteries & Memorials on the Somme Battlefield

Cemeteries on the Somme Battlefields

Monuments on the Somme Battlefields

Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC)

For information about the Commission and how to trace a soldier on the Debt of Honour online register see our page at:

Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC)

Acknowledgements

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Delville Wood Commemorative Museum Trust: www.delvillewood.com