Devonshire Cemetery, Mametz
The Devonshire Cemetery occupies a raised former trench where two battalions were buried after 1 July 1916, its two simple rows of graves facing the Cross of Sacrifice within three walled, climber‑covered sides and a hedge, with any Lutyens role recorded but likely minimal.
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Description
The casualties from the two battalions of the Devonshire Regiment were buried in this cemetery in the trench from where they began the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916. The IWGC did not attribute the design of the cemetery to Lutyens, although he is recorded on the approval form as being the architect responsible. How- ever, Lutyens’ involvement is probably negligible.
The cemetery lies on a higher piece of ground and is accessible via an ascending path. The Cross of Sacrifice has been situated so that it is directly visible from the path. The cemetery consists of two rows of graves that are oriented toward the side where the Cross stands. The cemetery is surrounded on three sides by a wall with climbing plants. At the Cross of Sacrifice, the wall turns outward and a plant bed has been incorporated here. The fourth side is bounded by a hedge. (Geurst, 2010, p.271)
Bibliography
Geurst, J. (2010) Cemeteries of the Great War by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers.
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