V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial
| V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial | |
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| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
View of the cemetery with the memorial in the background
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| For Australian soldiers who were killed during the Battle of Fromelles and whose graves are not known | |
| Location |
50°37′11″N 02°50′2″E / 50.61972°N 2.83389°ECoordinates: 50°37′11″N 02°50′2″E / 50.61972°N 2.83389°E near Fromelles, France |
| Designed by | Sir Herbert Baker (architect) |
| Total burials | 410 |
| Unknown burials | 410 |
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Total commemorated
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1,299 |
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In honour of 410 unknown Australian soldiers here buried who were among the 1299 officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the Australian Imperial Forces killed in the attack at Fromelles July 19th/20th 1916
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| Statistics source: Cemetery Details. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. | |
The V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission World War I cemetery and memorial. The site is located in the commune of Fromelles, in the Nord departement of France, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of the village of Fromelles on the D22C road (rue Delval).
The Battle of Fromelles in July 1916 is significant as the first occasion on which the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) saw action on the Western Front.
The battle is widely regarded as a disaster for the Allies, and has been described as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history." It resulted from a plan to divert German attention from the Battle of the Somme, but historians estimate that 5,500 Australians and 2,000 British troops were killed or wounded. The Australian losses were equivalent to the combined total Australian losses in the Boer War, Korean War and Vietnam War: although later World War I actions would be more deadly for the AIF, Fromelles was the only one to achieve no success.
Adolf Hitler is believed to have served as a messenger on the German side with the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division.
The site was constructed in 1920 and 1921: The name VC Corner has no obvious relation to actions in the region of Fromelles. It might just refer to a nickname soldiers gave the area during the war referring either to the bravery of the Australian troops or the danger of the place that demanded bravery to be held.
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Wikipedia