Zuydcoote Military Cemetery
Zuydcoote
Nord, France
68306
Most graves in the small Zuydcoote cemetery, bordered on two sides by a French military burial ground, are from nearby Casualty Clearing Stations, and are approached from the road via stepped planted plateaux culminating in a Cross of Sacrifice terrace framed by retaining walls and trees.
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Description
Most graves are of officers and soldiers who died in the Casualty Clearing Stations that were stationed in Zuydcoote from autumn 1917 onward. The small cemetery lies longitudinally along the road and is bordered by a French military cemetery on two other sides.
A plateau with the Cross of Sacrifice has been realized on the short side. The plateau lies halfway up the difference in height with the road, and forms a huge intermediate landing between the entrance and the cemetery. The entrance lies a little lower than the road. In front of the entrance there is a plateau between plant beds, lying two steps lower than the road. The edge of the plateau forms the first step. Two sections have been left open in the plateau for the greenery. The entrance itself consists of two cemented blocks of stone with four low posts between them. Between these blocks, a stairway consisting of a few steps extends downward to the plateau. The last step coincides with the frame around the plateau. In front of the Cross of Sacrifice, a second stairway is simultaneously the first step to the field with the graves. The wall around the plateau behind the Cross of Sacrifice recurs as a retaining wall in front of the Cross, and continues onward in the entrance block. The approval form mentions various sorts of trees: mountain ash, thorns, and a chestnut. (Geurst, 2010, p.445)
Bibliography
Geurst, J. (2010) Cemeteries of the Great War by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers.
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