Cimetière militaire britannique

The second-largest British cemetery in Calvados in terms of the number of graves. 2,564 soldiers are buried here, mainly from the United Kingdom but also from seven other nations, including Germany, with a section containing 322 German soldiers. The presence of soldiers who fell during the assault on the Merville battery, and those who died at Amfreville and in the surrounding area, serves as a reminder of the heavy toll paid during the fighting that lasted for more than two months. Many British paratroopers killed from 6 June onwards and throughout the summer of 1944 in this sector are buried here.

Designed by the British architect and landscape architect Philip Hepworth, the site is laid out in accordance with guidelines which themselves comply with a Royal Charter of 1917. One key principle is upheld: that of individual commemoration. Each soldier is honoured by a rectangular white stone stele bearing the emblem of his regiment, his number, his service number, his rank, his name (or the words ‘known unto God’) and his unit. At the very bottom is an inscription chosen by the soldier’s loved ones. A large white cross, the Cross of Sacrifice, stands in the cemetery.