CONTAY BRITISH CEMETERY
On 4th September 2014 Stephen and I drove to Contay British Cemetery, which is located on the outskirts of the village of Contay on the road to Franvillers. Contay is about 19.6 km north east of Amiens in the Somme (Picardie region), France.
According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website http://www.cwgc.org/, Contay British Cemetery was used for burials from the 49th Casualty Clearing Station from August 1916, and later from the 9th Casualty Clearing Station, until March 1917. It was then used again for burials from the 38th and other Divisions from April to August 1918. There are 1,133 First World War burials in this cemetery.
James Crawford, a Scottish born farmer per his service record, who joined the Coo-ees at Gilgandra, is the only Coo-ee buried in this cemetery. On the 31st August 1916 during the Battle of the Somme Private Crawford received a gunshot wound to his back. He was evacuated to the 49th Casualty Clearing Station, where he died of his wounds on the 3rd September 1916.
The photograph below shows Contay British Cemetery. James Crawford’s grave is the first one visible on the left, which is in the first row.
Contay British Cemetery, France (Photograph: H. Thompson 4/9/2014)
A photograph of the headstone on James Crawford’s grave from our 2014 visit will be placed on his individual blog entry, and form part of a Roll of Honour for the fallen Coo-ees on this blog.
1915 Coo-ee March 