St Sever Cemetery, Rouen

St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen, is situated about 3 kilometres south of Rouen Cathedral and a short distance west of the road from Rouen to Elbeuf. Coming from Elbeuf/Caen on the N.138 follow Avenue Des Canadiens right down to the roundabout. Take the fourth exit into Boulevard Stanislas Girardin, and the cemetery lies 150 metres on the left. If coming from station Rive Gauche, Gare St Sever, follow Quai D’Elbeuf, Quai Jean Moulin, Quai Cavelier De La Salle into Avenue Jan Rondeaux, Av. De La Liberation, Bd. Du 11 Novembre to the roundabout. Take the first exit into Boulevard Stanislas Girardin, and the cemetery lies 150 metres on the left. St. Sever is part of Le Petit Quevilly. The first CWGC signpost is just when you get to the entrance of the cemetery.

During the First World War, Commonwealth camps and hospitals were stationed on the southern outskirts of Rouen. A base supply depot and the 3rd Echelon of General Headquarters were also established in the city. Almost all of the hospitals at Rouen remained there for practically the whole of the war. They included eight general, five stationary, one British Red Cross, one labour hospital, and No. 2 Convalescent Depot. A number of the dead from these hospitals were buried in other cemeteries, but the great majority were taken to the city cemetery of St. Sever. In September 1916, it was found necessary to begin an extension. St. Sever Cemetery contains 3,083 Commonwealth burials of the First World War.

The Commonwealth plots were designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

Number of burials by Unit

Canadian Forces 131   Royal Field Artillery 128
Australian Forces 112   Northumberland Fusiliers 79
Indian Forces 76   Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt.) 76
King’s Royal Rifle Corps 70   Manchester Regt. 67
Army Service Corps 65   King’s Liverpool Regt. 65
Royal Engineers 61   Middlesex Regt. 58
King’s Own Yorkshire Light Inf. 55   Durham Light Inf. 53
New Zealand Forces 51   Gordon Highlanders 48
West Yorkshire Regt. 47   Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) 46
Rifle Brigade 46   Leicestershire Regt. 45
Royal Warwickshire Regt. 42   Welsh Regiment 40
Gloucestershire Regt. 38   Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 37
Cheshire Regt. 37   Royal Scots (Lothian Regt.) 37
Bedfordshire Regt. 34   Border Regt. 33
Highland Light Inf. 33   Seaforth Highlanders 32
Northamptonshire Regt. 31   Devonshire Regt. 30
East Surrey Regt. 30   East Yorkshire Regt. 30
Royal Garrison Artillery 30   Suffolk Regt. 30
King’s Own Scottish Borderers 29   Royal Berkshire Regt. 29
Royal Welsh Fusiliers 29   Lincolnshire Regt. 27
Royal Army Medical Corps 27   Machine Gun Corps (Inf.) 26
Royal West Kent (Queen’s Own) 26   South Lancashire Regt. 26
Cameron Highlanders 25   Grenadier Guards 25
Lancashire Fusiliers 25   Worcestershire Regt. 25
Yorkshire Regt. (The Green Howards) 25   Buffs (East Kent Regt.) 24
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) 24   Loyal North Lancashire Regt. 24
Norfolk Regt. 24   Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regt.) 23
Essex Regt. 23   Ox. & Bucks. Light Inf. 23
Sherwood Foresters (Notts. & Derbys. Regt.) 23   Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regt.) 22
Royal Irish Rifles 22   Somerset Light Inf. 21
South Staffordshire Regt. 21   Coldstream Guards 19
King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regt. 19   South African Forces 19
King’s Shropshire Light Inf. 18   Duke of Cornwall’s Light Inf. 17
Royal Irish Fusiliers 17   Royal Sussex Regt. 17
Royal Dublin Fusiliers 16   York & Lancaster Regt. 15
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 14   Royal Scots Fusiliers 14
East Lancashire Regt. 13   South Wales Borderers 13
19th Bn. London Regt. (St. Pancras) 12   Hampshire Regt. 12
Royal Munster Fusiliers 11   Irish Guards 11
Leinster Regt. 11   Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force 10
Royal Irish Regiment 10   14th Bn. London Regt. (London Scottish) 9
17th Bn. London Regt. (Poplar & Stepney Rifles) 9   23rd Bn. London Regt. 9
Connaught Rangers 9   Royal Horse Artillery 8
Scots Guards 8   12th Bn. London Regt. (The Rangers) 7
9th Bn. London Regt. (Queen Victoria’s Rifles) 7   Dorsetshire Regt. 7
North Staffordshire Regt. 7   Wiltshire Regt. 7
15th Bn. London Regt. (PWO Civil Service Rifles) 6   16th Bn. London Regt. (Queen’s Westminster Rifles) 6
21st Bn. London Regt. (First Surrey Rifles) 6   6th Bn. London Regt. (City of London Rifles) 6
7th Bn. London Regt. 6   8th Bn. London Regt. (Post Office Rifles) 6
20th Bn. London Regt. (Blackheath & Woolwich) 5   24th Bn. London Regt. (The Queen’s) 5
2nd Bn. London Regt. (Royal Fusiliers) 5   5th Bn. London Regt. (London Rifle Brigade) 5
Army Veterinary Corps 5   Monmouthshire Regt. 5
Royal Army Ordnance Corps 5   Royal Newfoundland Regt. 5
28th Bn. London Regt. (Artists’ Rifles) 4   Hertfordshire Regt. 4
13th Bn. London Regt. (Kensington) 3   18th Bn. London Regt. (London Irish Rifles) 3
2/10th Bn. London Regt. (Hackney) 3   4th Bn. London Regt. (Royal Fusiliers) 3
Labour Corps 3   Royal Naval Division 3
Welsh Guards 3   15th (The King’s) Hussars 2
1st Bn. London Regt. (Royal Fusiliers) 2   1st Life Guards 2
2nd (Queen’s Bays) Dragoon Guards 2   3rd (Prince of Wales’) Dragoon Guards 2
6th (Carabiniers) Dragoon Guards 2   Cambridgeshire Regt. 2
Chaplain to the Forces 2   North Somerset Yeom. 2
Royal Marine Light Inf. (Royal Naval Division) 2   Royal Wiltshire Yeom. 2
Voluntary Aid Detachment 2   10th (POW Royal) Hussars 1
11th (Prince Albert’s Own) Hussars 1   16th (The Queen’s) Lancers 1
17th (Duke of Cambridge’s Own) Lancers 1   19th (Queen Alexandra’s Own Royal) Hussars 1
1st (Royal) Dragoons 1   2/21st Bn. London Regt. (First Surrey Rifles) 1
2/4th Bn. London Regt. (Royal Fusiliers) 1   22nd Bn. London Regt. (The Queen’s) 1
2nd Life Guards 1   3rd (King’s Own) Hussars 1
3rd Bn. London Regt. (Royal Fusiliers) 1   4th (Queen’s Own) Hussars 1
4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards 1   5th (Royal Irish) Lancers 1
8th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars 1   Army Cyclist Corps 1
Army Pay Dept. 1   British Red Cross Society 1
Church Army 1   Civilian 1
French Army 1   Herefordshire Regt. 1
Household Bn. 1   Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Canada) 1
Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) 1   Mercantile Marine 1
Military Police Corps 1   Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars 1
Royal Army Service Corps 1   Royal Horse Guards 1
South Irish Horse 1   Special List 1
Sussex Yeom. 1   Tank Corps 1
West Kent Yeom. (Queen’s Own) 1   YMCA 1
Identified Burials 3083      
Unidentified Burials 2      
Total Burials 3085      

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