Guillemont (French pronunciation: [ɡijmɔ̃]) is a commune approximately 13 km (8 mi) east of Albert in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Guillemont | |
|---|---|
 The high street of Guillemont, in 1916 | |
Location of Guillemont  | |
  Guillemont  Guillemont | |
| Coordinates: 50°00′52″N 2°49′33″E / 50.0144°N 2.8258°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Somme |
| Arrondissement | Péronne |
| Canton | Péronne |
| Intercommunality | Haute Somme |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Didier Samain[1] |
Area 1 | 3.27 km2 (1.26 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 127 |
| • Density | 39/km2 (100/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 80401 /80360 |
| Elevation | 94–156 m (308–512 ft) (avg. 138 m or 453 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
It, like much of the surrounding area, is primarily an agricultural community, but is known for its large Commonwealth War Graves cemetery, which has many visitors. The cemetery began as a field graveyard after the Battle of Guillemont, but was quickly expanded after the Armistice when graves from surrounding areas were centralized here.[3]
In World War I, Guillemont was one of several important strategic areas controlled by Germans that effectively divided Allied forces. It was changed hands several times during the war, before being finally taken and held by the British 20th (Light) Division and the 47th Brigade of the 16th (Irish) Division
Notable burials
edit- Raymond Asquith (1916)[4]
- Edward Tennant (1916)[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Guillemont Road Cemetery". CWGC. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ Plot I, Row B, Grave 3, headstone inscribed 'Small time but in that small most greatly lived this star of England', see Raymond Asquith entry at CWGC (1916-09-15), accessed 23 October 2017.
- ^ Helen McPhail, Philip Guest, Sassoon & Graves: on the Trail of the Poets of the Great War (2001), p. 175.
