The best cycling routes around Saint-Martin-Sur-Cojeul

This small farming village has a rich history and is known for its two Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries from the First World War. The village has a church, a castle, and a range of amenities including bars, a supermarket, a chemist and a post office. Many residents commute to nearby towns such as Arras and Bapaume for work.

The 21st Division captured Héninel on 12 April 1917 and advanced eastwards on the two following days. The 33rd Division then took over the attack. These two divisions are largely represented in the cemetery. In April 1918 this ground was lost, and the eleven German graves in Plot I, Rows D and E, were made when the cemetery was in German hands. After the Armistice, graves were brought in from a wide area round Héninel. The cemetery now contains 307 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 104 of them unidentified. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Wancourt was captured on 12 April 1917 after very heavy fighting and the advance was continued on the following days. The cemetery, called at first Cojeul Valley Cemetery, or River Road Cemetery, was opened about ten days later; it was used until October 1918, but was in German hands from March 1918 until 26 August, when the Canadian Corps recaptured Wancourt. At the Armistice, the cemetery contained 410 graves, but was very greatly increased in the following years when graves were brought in from a number of small cemeteries and isolated positions on the battlefields south-east of Arras. The cemetery now contains 1936 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 829 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 76 casualties known or believed to be buried among them, and to 20 who were buried in Signal Trench Cemetery whose graves were destroyed in later battles.

Hibers Trench Cemetery, situated just north-west of Wancourt near Arras, was begun in April 1917 by the 50th (Northumbrian) Division shortly after the area was captured by British forces at the Battle of Arras. The cemetery contains 136 graves, six of which are unidentified, and also includes three Canadian graves added later in 1918. The simple design is by G.H. Goldsmith and reflects the understated dignity of this memorial. Its position on the Wancourt-Arras road makes it a silent witness to the fierce fighting that took place here, and the presence of personal inscriptions on some of the headstones emphasises the human story behind the numbers. A place of peace, remembrance and reflection.

Tigris Lane Cemetery is located in Wancourt, near Arras, and was named after a nearby trench. The cemetery was established in May 1917 by the 14th (Light) Division, shortly after the village was captured on 12 April 1917, and reused during its recapture by the Canadian Corps in August 1918. It contains the graves of 119 First World War soldiers, nine of whom are unidentified. Most of the graves belong to British (86) and Canadian (33) soldiers, underlining the international commitment to the region. The sober design is by G.H. Goldsmith and its location close to the TGV railway line emphasises the contrasts between past and present in this quiet place of remembrance.

The Tilloy British Cemetery, located in Tilloy-lès-Mofflaines near Arras, is a military cemetery from the First World War with the burials of 1,644 soldiers, mainly from the British Commonwealth. The cemetery was created in April 1917, shortly after the capture of the village by Allied troops during the Battle of Arras, and was used again in August 1918 during the final liberation of the area. The site is characterized by a pentagonal shape and a brick perimeter wall. In addition to British soldiers, soldiers from Australia, Canada, South Africa and even two German soldiers are buried there, underlining the international dimension of the conflict.

Passage on the front line of the Australians and British of the First World War