The Somme - Cemeteries and

Private Donald Brown Donald joined up in 1915, declaring his age to be 20, when he was in fact only 15 years old. Donald was killed when his unit attacked the German lines west of the village of Flers, less than a month after his 16th birthday. Buried at Caterpillar Valley British Cemetery © Auckland Museum The Unknown Warrior In 2004, an unidentified New Zealand soldier was exhumed from Caterpillar Valley British Cemetery, in a special ceremony, and was laid to rest at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at the National Memorial in Wellington. His former grave is marked by a special headstone. We honour and care for the 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died in the First and Second World Wars, ensuring they will never be forgotten. Funded by six Member Governments, our work began with building, and now maintaining, cemeteries at 23,000 locations all over the world. Download our App and find CWGC sites of remembrance near you. Find out more about our charitable foundation at : foundation.cwgc.org The CWGC Experience is a unique visitor attraction. Take a look behind the scenes at the work of the CWGC. THE SOMME CEMETERIES & MEMORIALS PERSONAL STORIES Lieutenant William Hodgson Known as “Smiler” to his friends, William volunteered in 1914 and served in the 9th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. William was killed on the first day of the Somme Offensive. He was a published poet, writing under the name Edward Melbourne. He is best remembered for his poem ‘Before Action,’ which was published two days before he died. Buried at Devonshire Cemetery © Australian War Memorial Private Gordon Brennan Gordon was born in Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. He enlisted in November 1915 aged just 18. Gordon was killed during an attack at the Butte de Warlencourt. Buried at Warlencourt British Cemetery The CWGC Experience, 5-7 rue Angèle Richard, 62217 Beaurains, France. Tel: +33(0)3 21 21 52 75 Email: cwgcexperience@cwgc.org www.cwgc.org DISCOVER LEARN REMEMBER © Garry photos