St. Martin Calvaire British Cemetery
The St. Martin Calvaire British Cemetery, named after a destroyed roadside calvary, occupies an ascending plot beside the communal cemetery, entered by a cut‑in U‑shaped stair with seating, and sets slightly divergent grave rows before a rear Cross of Sacrifice framed in a U of tall birch trees that leaves the frontage open to the road.
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Description
The battlefield cemetery takes its name from a calvary that was destroyed during the war. The cemetery lies on an elevated, ascending piece of ground next to the municipal cemetery. The cemetery is separated from the road by a wall, which, from the cemetery, has the same effect as a ha-ha, a wall embedded in the ground. The field with graves is accessible via a stairway that has been cut out of the field, as it were, with steps that are partly U-shaped so that sitting opportunities arise at the sides, a theme favoured by Gold- smith which he also applied at the Hangard Communal Cemetery Extension for example.
The field with graves has been set up with rows of graves that do not quite run parallel. The Cross of Sacrifice is situated to the rear and is surrounded by large birch trees that stand in a U-shape around the cemetery, so that the area opens itself clearly to the road. (Geurst, 2010, p.401)
Bibliography
Geurst, J. (2010) Cemeteries of the Great War by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers.
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