1815 souls rest here. At St Mary’s A.D.S Cemetery Haisnes. This quiet corner of French farmland holds a poignant story. A story of the Great War. A story etched in the headstones. In the earth itself.
St Mary’s A.D.S Cemetery Haisnes isn’t just a graveyard. It’s a memorial. It’s a testament to the sacrifices made during the Battle of Loos. This battle raged in 1915. The 9th and 7th Divisions fought desperately. Parts of Haisnes bore the brunt of the fighting. The Hohenzollern Redoubt saw particularly fierce conflict. The fighting lasted until October 1918. That’s when the enemy finally retreated.
St Mary’s A.D.S Cemetery Haisnes came into being after the Armistice. Graves were gathered from the Loos battlefield. The majority are from September and October 1915. Many soldiers remain unidentified. Over two-thirds of the almost 2000 casualties are unknown. Special memorials remember those from the United Kingdom. Their identities known or believed. Six other memorials honour men from the United Kingdom. Their graves in Loos Communal Cemetery were destroyed. They were destroyed by shelling.
Imagine the quiet dignity of this place. Imagine the stories held within each grave. The stories of Private Henry Harrison. He was 33 years old. A father of seven. Killed on the first day of the Battle of Loos. His death was only officially confirmed months later. Imagine the grief of his widow Jane. It was later discovered that he was the grandfather of George Harrison. This was discovered by chance in 2015. The centenary year of his death.
Consider Lieutenant John Kipling. The only son of Rudyard Kipling. He was killed at the Battle of Loos. He was only eighteen years old. There was much controversy over whether his remains were correctly identified. There is even a possible second grave for Kipling. His name is still inscribed at the Loos Memorial. The mystery remains.
St Mary’s A.D.S Cemetery Haisnes covers 6097 square meters. It is enclosed by a low rubble wall. A French cemetery once stood nearby. It contained 800 graves. These graves were moved in 1922. They were moved to Notre Dame de Lorette.
As you stand here today remember. Remember the young men who fell. Remember the sacrifices made. Remember St Mary’s A.D.S Cemetery Haisnes. Remember the enduring legacy of the Great War. This is not just a cemetery. It is a testament to courage. To sacrifice. To loss. And to remembrance.