#Cemetery
Cherbourg Communal Cemetery
The large communal cemetery at Cherbourg has a significant number of burials from several nations from both the First and Second World Wars. This includes a plot of 70 British and Commonwealth burials from the Second World War. This is cared for and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Some burials within the communal cemetery are linked to the fighting during the Battle of France in 1940. In January, a hospital was set up close to here. The location is also linked to the disembarkation or embarkation of soldiers coming to France or being evacuated. This is why a large number of the burials within the cemetery plot are from this period.
Many troops fell back to Cherbourg on 16-17 June 1940, and on 18 June, the last ship departed with the last of the forces aboard. The majority of the burials from 18 June are the men of the 5th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, who covered the withdrawal to the port.
The majority of burials from 1940-1944 are air crews from the Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Royal Australian Air Force. Most are from Bomber Command that had targeted the German forces and coastal defences on the French coastline.
One of the more senior officer burials within the cemetery is that of Wing Commander Arthur Brian Wheeler, No.88 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force. His aircraft was shot down whilst targeting construction works at Flottemville, 25km southeast of Cherbourg.
Within the same area is a large French burial plot which contains the graves of over 500 people who died during the First World War. The burials are marked mainly with white crosses. There are also 62 Belgians buried in this area; these are marked with grey headstones.