Historical Information (Source: CWGC)

The Rue-du-Bacquerot runs South-East of Laventie, towards Fleurbaix; and the position of the road behind the British front line, during the greater part of the war, made it the natural line of a number of small British cemeteries. One of these was begun in November 1914, and used, at first, particularly by the 1st Royal Irish Rifles. The Royal Irish Rifles Graveyard, was carried on by fighting units until July 1916; and these original burials are now in Plots I and II. It was increased after the Armistice by the concentration of graves (chiefly of 1914-15 and 1918) from the battlefields East of Estaires and Bethune and from certain smaller cemeteries.

There are now over 800, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, nearly 350 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to three soldiers from the United Kingdom known to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of two soldiers from the United Kingdom, buried in Laventie South German Cemetery, whose graves could not be found. The Graveyard covers an area of 2,872 square metres.

Citation

An extract from the "London Gazette," No. 29740, dated 8th Sept., 1916, records the following:-"For most conspicuous bravery. During an attack he was in command of the fourth wave of the assault. Under intense shell and machine gun fire he penetrated, with a few men, into the enemy's second line and inflicted heavy casualties with bombs. When forced to retire to the enemy's first line, he captured a machine gun and shot the gunner with his revolver. Finally, after carrying several wounded men into safety, he was himself mortally wounded and died in a few minutes. His conduct throughout the day was magnificent."

Grave Reference: VI. C. 17.

(Source: Wikipedia)