Lillers Communal Cemetery and Extension

Description

During the war, several headquarters were situated in Lillers and it was the hospital centre. The casualties were buried on the right-hand side of the central path of the communal cemetery. Most casualties fell, however, during the German spring offensive and were buried in the extension of the cemetery.

The gently sloping ground lies between the central path of the communal cemetery and the small River Nave. The graves are oriented toward the east between the path and the river. Due to considerations of visibility, the War Stone stands on a high, but small plateau wedged between the Indian and the German graves, whereas Lutyens had proposed that the War Stone should be placed on the east side, in the river, which could have produced a spectacular design. The Cross of Sacrifice stands on a second plateau on the north side. On the west side, the field with graves is bounded by a wall and pollarded lime trees. An exceptional feature is the Indian graves that partly consist of a mass grave and several graves in a narrow row that have been turned 90°. (Geurst, 2010, p.355)

Bibliography

Geurst, J. (2010) Cemeteries of the Great War by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers.

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Listing Reference

Client

Imperial War Graves Commission