Great Great Uncle Charles

Just beyond Vimy in the town of Neuville St. Vaast we found La Targette cemetery where Great Great Uncle Charles Gray is buried. This is a "British" cemetery but there were almost as many Canadians buried here as there are British. By their headstones its pretty clear that most of these men died at Vimy in the spring and summer after the great push on Easter Monday 1917. Charles died in June of that year. He was buried very close to a number of other Canadians who all died on or around the same day. His plot is beautifully tended with a lovely garden in front of it. A rose, still pretty small, will be growing just in front of him in no time.

Beside La Targette was the first French cemetery that we have come across. The British and Commonwealth cemeteries all have real headstones with country or regimental markers engraved on the top and then the name, rank, company and date of death engraved below. For the most part, the stones are all laid in completely straight lines, all facing the same direction. In contrast, the French cemetery is all white crosses, no headstones, no flowers or anything that seems to mark or differentiate any cross from the next. The French have laid their crosses in interesting patterns that seem to radiate out from a centre point. They are beautifully designed.

Just beyond La Targette and the French cemetery was the largest (and only one we have seen) German cemetery which apparently holds the bodies of some 44,800 soldiers. Theirs are marked by black crosses which are very dramatic. This cemetery was huge - at least double the size of Tyne Cot. Each cross marks the place of 4 soldiers, not just one. There are, amongst the crosses the odd headstone which is engraved with a Star of David, for those Jews that fought and died for Germany the first time around.