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The Villette national cemetery

La nécropole nationale de Villette. © ECPAD

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The Villette national cemetery brings together the remains of 74 soldiers (52 of whom lie in two ossuaries) killed on 22 and 23 August 1914 during the Battle of the Frontiers, in particular in the sector of Longuyon and Villette. Created in 1917 by the German army, this cemetery was developed after the war in order to bring together bodies exhumed from temporary military cemeteries in the Villette area. Moreover, 36 Germans including 9 unknown soldiers lie here.

The Villette cemetery, which holds the mortal remains of French soldiers, is a typical example of military cemeteries of the start of the First World War, and of the treatment of the bodies of the dead soldiers. Indeed, at this time, officers were generally buried in individual graves, whilst the troops were buried in communal graves. This principle lasted until 1915, when individual graves for all soldiers became widespread. The law of 29 December 1915 grants soldiers who died for France the right to be buried in individual tombs.

La nécropole nationale de Villette. © ECPAD

Soldat allemand, septembre 1914. © Collections BDIC/Maurice Mahut

Groupe d’artilleurs camouflant une pièce de 155 mm long à Bernécourt, novembre 1915. © Collections BDIC

Entrainement à la manipulation des grenades à fusil Viven-Bessières, Toul, juin 1916. © Collections BDIC

Le camp d’aviation de Saint-Clément. Les pilotes et les observateurs de l’escadrille M.F 41 posent devant un de leurs appareils, août 1916. © Collections BDIC

Dans une tranchée devant Seicheprey. Un guetteur devant son abri bétonné. À l’intérieur, on peut entrevoir le klaxon pour l’alerte aux gaz, février 1917. © Collections BDIC