Historical Information
Tournai was captured by the German II Corps on 23 August 1914, in spite of resistance from a French Territorial Brigade, and the town remained in German hands until it was entered by the 47th (London) and 74th (Yeomanry) Divisions on 8 November 1918. The 51st (Highland) Casualty Clearing Station arrived on 14 November and remained until 20 July 1919. During the occupation, the German sick and wounded were nursed in the "Asile", whilst the Commonwealth and Allied were cared for in the Hopital Notre-Dame.
The (Southern) Communal Cemetery, in the Faubourg-St.Martin, was used and extended by the Germans, although the graves were later regrouped by nationality and some were brought in from other cemeteries in a wide area around Tournai. For instance (the numbers following the names indicate the numbers of British graves involved, and refer to United Kingdom soldiers unless it is noted otherwise; the dates are the dates of death):-
ANDERLUES COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (one, Oct. 1918).
ATH GERMAN CEMETERY (Hainaut), at Trieu-Perilleux, on the South-East side of the town (six buried by Germans, 1917-18., 23 buried by British (mainly by 2nd Australian C.C.S.), Dec. 1918-Jan. 1919).
AULNOIS CHURCHYARD (Hainaut) (one, Nov. 1918).
AUTREPPE CHURCHYARD (Hainaut) (five, Nov. 1918).
AUWEGEM CHURCHYARD (East Flanders) (one R.A.F., Oct. 1918).
AYWAILLE CHURCHYARD (Liege) (one, Feb. 1919).
BAISIEUX COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (ten unidentified 1914; one, Nov. 1918).
BALATRE COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Namur) (one, Nov. 1918).
BELLEGHEM CHURCHYARD (West Flanders) (two, Oct. and Nov. 1918).
BLANDAIN CHURCHYARD (Hainaut) (12 Oct. and Nov. 1918).
BONSECOURS COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (48 U.K., one R.M.L.I., one R.A.F. and 12 unidentified soldiers buried by Germans, 1914-18).
BRAY COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (one, Dec. 1918).
BRUYELLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (four, Nov. 1918).
CHATELET COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (one A.I.F., Feb. 1919).
ELLEMELLE CHURCHYARD (Liege) (one, Dec. 1918).
ELLIGNIES-STE. ANNE COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (two, buried by Germans Oct. 1918).
ETTERBEEK COMMUNAL CEMETERY, WOLUWE-ST. LAMBERT (Brabant) (four, Nov. 1918).
FAMILLEUREUX COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (one, buried by Germans Sept. 1918).
FAYT-LE-FRANC CHURCHYARD (Hainaut) (one, Feb. 1919).
FLEURUS COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (four, died as prisoners in the Ecole Moyenne, Oct. 1918).
FOREST-LES-BRUXELLES COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Brabant) (two U.K. and one Indian, Feb.-May 1919).
FORVILLE CHURCHYARD (Namur) (one, buried by Germans Oct., 1918).
GENAPPE COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Brabant) (one, buried by Germans Nov. 1918).
GRAMMONT COMMUNAL CEMETERY, in the neighbouring commune of GOEFFERDINGEN (East Flanders) (12 U.K. and five South African, buried by Germans 1917-18; one, March 1919).
HAINE-ST. PAUL (BOULY) COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (one, buried by Germans Nov. 1918).
HANNUT NEW COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Liege) (one, Nov. 1918).
HANRET COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Namur) (one, Nov. 1918).
HARMIGNIES CHURCHYARD (Hainaut) (two, Aug. 1914; two, Nov. 1918).
HASSELT COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Limbourg) (one, buried by Germans with Germans, Portuguese and Russians, Nov. 1918).
HERINNES-LES-ENGHIEN CHURCHYARD (Brabant) (one, buried by Germans Oct. 1918).
JEMELLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Namur) (two, buried by Germans Nov. 1918).
LABLIAU COMMUNAL CEMETERY, MARCQ (Hainaut) (two R.F.C., Aug. 1914).
LA FLAMENGRIE CHURCHYARD (Nord) (two, Nov. 1918).
LANDENNE-LES-COUTHUIN CHURCHYARD (Liege) (one Canadian, Nov. 1918).
LAROCHE COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Luxembourg) (one, Dec. 1918).
LASNE COMMUNAL CEMETERY, LASNE-CHAPELLE ST. LAMBERT (Brabant) (one Canadian, April 1919).
LEERS-NORD COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (five, Nov. 1918).
LONGUEVILLE CHURCHYARD (Brabant) (one Canadian, Feb. 1919).
MAILLEN COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Namur) (one, Jan. 1919).
MARLOIE CHURCHYARD, WAHA (Luxembourg) (one, Nov. 1918).
MARQUAIN CHURCHYARD (Hainaut) (three, Oct. 1918).
MORLANWELZ COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (four buried by Germans 1918; six buried by British Oct. 1918-Feb. 1919).
MOUSTIER-LES-FRASNES GERMAN CEMETERY (Hainaut) (one, buried by Germans Oct. 1918).
ODRIMONT CHURCHYARD, LIERNEUX (Liege) (one, Dec. 1918).
OLLIGNIES COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (one, Dec. 1918).
PEISSANT COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (one, buried by Germans Oct. 1918).
PIETREBAIS CHURCHYARD (Brabant) (one, Nov. 1918).
QUEVAUCAMPS COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (two, Nov. 1918 and Jan. 1919).
RAMEGNIES CHURCHYARD, RAMEGNIES-CHIN (Hainaut) (12 U.K. and two R.A.F., April 1917-Oct. 1918, originally buried in FROYENNES GERMAN CEMETERY, on the road from Tournai to Pont-A-Chin; 17 buried by British Oct. and Nov. 1918).
RANSART COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (one, Dec. 1918).
REBECQ-ROGNON COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Brabant) (one, Feb. 1919).
RENDEUX-BAS CHURCHYARD, RENDEUX (Luxembourg) (one, Dec. 1918).
RONGY CATHOLIC CHURCHYARD (Hainaut) (two, Oct. and Nov. 1918).
RONGY PROTESTANT CHURCHYARD (Hainaut) (eleven, Oct. and Nov. 1918).
ST. VITH COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Liege, formerly Rhine Province) (one, buried by Germans Oct. 1918).
SARLARDINGE CHURCHYARD (East Flanders) (one, Dec. 1918).
SENY COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Liege) (one, Dec. 1918).
SPIENNES CHURCHYARD (Hainaut) (one U.K., two R.N.D., one Canadian, Nov. 1918).
THIELT COMMUNAL CEMETERY (West Flanders) (one, Oct. 1918).
THIMOUGIES CHURCHYARD (Hainaut) (one, buried by Germans Oct. 1918).
TIRLEMONT COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Brabant) (two, buried by Germans Oct. 1918).
VILLE-SUR-HAINE CHURCHYARD (Hainaut) (one, Nov. 1918) buried originally near Ecluse No.2).
WAYAUX COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Hainaut) (one Indian, Feb. 1919).
The Allied extension now contains 689 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 34 of them unidentified. There are also 117 Russian burials, all of men who died as prisoners of war, and two Belgian war graves.
Almost all of the 52 Second World War burials in the extension date from May 1940 and the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force ahead of the German advance.
