Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery was built by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on the outskirts of Fromelles in northern France, near the Belgian border. Constructed between 2009 and 2010, it was the first new Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery for more than 50 years, the last such cemeteries having been built after the Second World War. The cemetery contains the graves of 250 Australian soldiers who died on 19 July 1916 in the Battle of Fromelles.

Before construction could begin, the area had to be checked by the French authorities for ordnance and other material left from the war. This was done in April 2009, and though no unexploded munitions were found, other wartime debris was cleared from the area, including barbed wire and shell cases. Construction proper began in May 2009, with the site being levelled in preparation for the laying of the foundations, while temporary hoardings were put up to enclose the site.

Source: (Courtesy of Wikipaedia

  1. "WWI war dead reburied in special service", BBC News, 30 January 2010
  2. ^ Jackson, Peter (29 January 2010), "Putting names to the lost soldiers of Fromelles", BBC News
  3. War time debris – Fromelles, 24 April 2009, David Richardson (CWGC, Fromelles Project Manager)
  4. Ground Works begin at the new cemetery, 21 May 2009, David Richardson (CWGC, Fromelles Project Manager)