Guillemont

Guillemont
Guillemont
Location within Hauts-de-France region  Guillemont
Coordinates: 50°00′52″N 2°49′33″E / 50.0144°N 2.8258°E / 50.0144; 2.8258Coordinates: 50°00′52″N 2°49′33″E / 50.0144°N 2.8258°E / 50.0144; 2.8258
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Somme
Arrondissement	Péronne
Canton	Péronne
Intercommunality	Haute Somme
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Didier Samain
Area1	3.27 km2 (1.26 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	124
• Density	38/km2 (98/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	80401 /80360
Elevation	94–156 m (308–512 ft) (avg. 138 m or 453 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Guillemont is a commune roughly 13 km (8.1 mi) east of Albert in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

It, like much of the surrounding area, is primarily an agricultural community, but is known for its large cemetery, which has become a tourist attraction. The cemetery began as a field graveyard after the Battle of Guillemont, but was quickly expanded after the Armistice when graves from surrounding areas were centralized here.

In World War I, Guillemont was one of several important strategic areas controlled by Germans that effectively divided allied forces. It was exchanged several times during the war, before being finally taken and held by the British 20th (Light) Division and the 47th Brigade of the 16th (Irish) Division.