Somme American Cemetery and Memorial

Bony, France

The 14.3-acre (58,000 m2) Somme American Cemetery and Memorial is a war cemetery 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.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

Bony, France
See all sites in Bony

Details

Founded: 1918
Category: Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in France

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

SHUANG QIU (2 years ago)
Too bad the nicest and most professional guard, Guillaume, is not there anymore
eric huffman (3 years ago)
Superbly maintained and somber reminder of the cost of war
John Daly (3 years ago)
Corporal Samuel Young Jr a son of the Bronx, NY is buried there. Our local American Legion Post is named in his honor. When we commemorated the 100 year anniversary of his sacrifice we received a beautiful picture of his grave for the ceremony.
HBO (4 years ago)
Immaculate American WWI-cemetery.
Walhalla Dome (5 years ago)
Very impressive place. Maintained with an absolute care!
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.