Étaples Military Cemetery, Military cemetery in Étaples, France.
Étaples Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery on the edge of the Canche bay, along the CD 940 road. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it is the largest CWGC cemetery in France, holding 10,792 Commonwealth burials, of which 73 are unidentified, and 658 German graves. Six gardeners maintain the grounds year-round.
The site was established in May 1915 as a burial ground for soldiers who died in the 16 military hospitals located in Étaples during World War I. It became the primary burial location for those who passed away in these medical facilities.
The cemetery is tended year-round by six gardeners, and its land is considered British territory. Among the graves are men of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Germany and Belgium, as well as a few other nationalities. Notable burials include Nursing Sister Katherine Maud MacDonald, the first Canadian woman killed by enemy action, and footballers Hugh Kerr and Dick Wynn.
The cemetery lies on the CD 940 road along the edge of the Canche bay, near Boulogne-sur-Mer. The grounds are kept year-round by six gardeners, and the site receives more than 25,000 visitors annually. It is listed as a monument historique since 2017 and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2023 among 139 memorial sites of the First World War.
Among the graves is Katherine Maud MacDonald, a Canadian nurse who became the first female nursing staff member to lose her life through enemy action. Her burial here marks the sacrifice of medical personnel who gave their lives while caring for the wounded.
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