Ryes War Cemetery

Ryes War Cemetery
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Entrance to the war cemetery
Used for those deceased 1944
Established1944
Location49°18′01″N 0°36′03″W / 49.3002°N 0.6008°W / 49.3002; -0.6008
near 
Bazenville, Calvados, France
Designed byPhilip D. Hepworth
Total burials979
Unknowns
67
Burials by nation
United Kingdom: 630

Canada: 21
Australia: 1
Poland: 1

Germany: 335
Burials by war
Statistics source: CWGC

Ryes War Cemetery is a Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers located close to the commune of Bazenville, 8 km (5.0 mi) east of Bayeux, Normandy, France. The graveyard contains 653 Commonwealth war graves, one Polish and 335 German war graves. The cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.[1]

History

The cemetery lies close to the town of Arromanches and the first interments in the cemetery were made two days after the initial D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. Some of the soldiers buried here are from the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division that landed on Gold Beach. The cemetery also contains a large number of Royal Navy and merchant navy sailors.

Two brothers, Private Joseph Casson (Durham Light Infantry) and Marine Robert Casson (45 Commando) are buried beside each other in the graveyard.[2] Professional footballer Les Milner is also buried in the cemetery.[3]

  • Sacrificial cross in the cemetery
    Sacrificial cross in the cemetery
  • Polish headstone
    Polish headstone
  • Graves and cross
    Graves and cross

Location

The cemetery is 8 km (5.0 mi) east of Bayeux, close to Bazenville on the D.87.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ryes War Cemetery, Bazenville". www.cwgc.org.
  2. ^ "Joseph and Robert Casson, two Whitehaven brothers in the Battle of Normandy". BBC.
  3. ^ "Casualty Details: Leonard Milner". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 22 July 2020.

Further reading

  • Shilleto, Carl, and Tolhurst, Mike (2008). A Traveler’s Guide to D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. Northampton, Mass.: Interlink. ISBN 1566565553