Guillemont
Guillemont is a small village and
commune roughly 8 miles east of
Albert in the
Somme département of 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
18th (Eastern) and
38th (Welsh) divisions.