The Somme district is a part of Picardie, in Northern France. It is a beautiful area of green, gently rolling hills and little stands of woods. The American Somme Cemetery is there not because of the area’s beauty, but because it was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting in World War I.
The cemetery’s chapel boasts a massive bronze door surmounted by an American eagle. Its outer walls are carved with military equipment. Inside a cross-shaped crystal window illuminates walls which bear the names of 333 men missing in action.
Outside, rows of crosses and stars of David mark the graves of 1,844 American men and women who fell trying to break the Hindenburg line, which bisected the area, in a push known as the The Hundred Days Offensive.
Outside, rows of crosses and stars of David mark the graves of 1,844 American men and women who fell trying to break the Hindenburg line, which bisected the area, in a push known as the The Hundred Days Offensive.
Most buried there served in American units attached to the British Fourth Army under the overall command of General Sir Henry Rawlinson. Others buried there died in operations near Cantigny.
The largest one-day American regimental loss of the entire war occurred here on September 29, 1918 when the 107th Infantry Regiment suffered nearly 1,000 casualties during the first day’s attack in the Battle of St Quentin Canal.
Three Medal of Honor recipients are buried here. The Gold Star Mothers became organized because of two brothers, James and Harmon Vedder, who are buried side by side.
The largest one-day American regimental loss of the entire war occurred here on September 29, 1918 when the 107th Infantry Regiment suffered nearly 1,000 casualties during the first day’s attack in the Battle of St Quentin Canal.
Three Medal of Honor recipients are buried here. The Gold Star Mothers became organized because of two brothers, James and Harmon Vedder, who are buried side by side.
Not all buried here were fighters. Nurse Helen Fairchild was serving in a casualty clearing station in Dozinghem during July and August, while the Third Battle of Ypres-Passchendaele was happening nearby. The station was repeatedly exposed to mustard gas and heavy shelling, and she reportedly loaned her gas mask to a wounded soldier during one such attack. After being evacuated in August, she developed gastric ulcers, for which she underwent surgery on January 13, 1918. She lapsed into a coma and died five days later. It remains unsure whether Helen Fairchild died of complications from chloroform used during surgery or from effects of mustard gasses, which mimic the effects chloroform has on the stomach. | Jennifer Bohnhoff toured this cemetery in June 2019 as part of a tour of World War I battlefields. A Blaze of Poppies, her novel based on her experiences will come out in October and is now available for preorder. For more information on Mrs. Bohnhoff and her writing, visit her website. |
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