Courcelette Memorial, War memorial in Courcelette, France.
Courcelette Memorial is a grey granite block with a slightly tapered shape, set on a two-stepped rectangular stone base on a low circular flagstone terrace. It stands in a small square park of hedges and maple trees, with a Y-shaped path leading from the entrance to stone seats around the edge. The site lies beside the D929 road just south of Courcelette village.
The Canadian Battlefield Monument Commission chose Courcelette as one of seven French and Belgian sites for identical granite blocks, alongside a national memorial at Vimy Ridge. The location marks the ground the Canadians reached by the end of the first day of the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, nearly two kilometres from their start outside Pozières. Canadian divisions suffered over 24,000 casualties on the Somme.
The memorial's name comes from the village of Courcelette, beside which the Canadians began their attack on 15 September 1916. The site is a small square park planted with hedges and several kinds of maple, chosen for their restrained colour so that attention stays on the Canadian losses of over 24,000 on the Somme.
The site sits beside the D929 road south of Courcelette village and is easily accessible by car. The location is roughly 30 kilometers from Amiens and features developed pathways for visitors to explore the grounds.
The memorial is one of seven identical granite blocks the Canadian Battlefield Monument Commission placed at separate battle sites in France and Belgium, each inscribed in English and French. The Courcelette block stands where the Canadians reached the limit of their first day's advance at Flers-Courcelette, nearly two kilometres from their start outside Pozières.
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