Devonshire Cemetery, Mametz

As a Devonshire boy, I wanted to pay my respects to these brave gallant fellows. It is beautifully kept, with a visitors book and a book with a paragraph of who is buried here, which was surprising but delightful. Most of these boys were killed on the 1st day of the Battle of the Somme 01.07.1916. As the inscription on the handmade cross stated at the time...............The Devonshires held this trench, The Devonshires hold it still.... Rest easy boys.

One of the smaller commonwealth cemeteries , but size isn't everything. Historically, it's far more interesting than most of it's bigger counterparts. In the days following the big push of 1st July 1916, the survivors of the 8th & 9th Devonshires buried their fallen comrades in a mass grave in a section of the same trench from which their attack was launched on that fateful day. Today that section of trench is Devonshire Cemetery and the Devonshires hold it still. The cemetery does have it's own parking area but access to the cemetery itself is via a flight of stairs built into the hillside. This adds to the allure and mystery of the place but makes it awkward for those with mobility problems.