Armentières,Cité Bonjean

British war cemetery 1914/18 with German section of honour. This cemetery is under the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), British partner organization of the Volksbund. Historical information Armentieres was occupied by the 4th Division on 17 October 1914 and remained within the Allied lines until its evacuation before the German advance on 10 April 1918 after a prolonged and heavy bombardment with gas shells. It was occupied by the Germans the next day and was not recovered until October 3, 1918. The CITE BONJEAN MILITARY CEMETERY was begun in October 1914 (Plot IX) and used for civilian burials in the winter of 1914-15 (later removed). the municipal cemetery in Le Bizet is too exposed. The cemetery was used by field ambulances and fighting units (notably the 4th, 6th, 21st, New Zealand, 17th and 57th Divisions (West Lancashire) and the Australian Corps) until April 1918. Plots V, VI, VII and X were then used by the Germans. There are now 2,132 Commonwealth burials from the First World War in the cemetery. In 1925, 455 German graves were removed from plots V and VI, but more than 500 remain in the cemetery. There are also 33 World War II burials, mostly from the months of occupation by the British Expeditionary Force before the German invasion in May 1940. In the cemetery is the CITE BONJEAN (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL to the memory of 47 officers and men of the New Zealand Division who died near Armentieres and have no known grave. This is one of seven memorials in France and Belgium to New Zealand soldiers who died on the Western Front and whose graves are unknown. The memorials are all located in cemeteries chosen according to the battles in which the men died. The cemetery and memorial were designed by Sir Herbert Baker Source: CWGC Photo: M. Krebbers