Foncquevillers is a village and commune in the Department of the Pas-de-Calais, in the fertile, undulating country between the Arras-Doullens and Arras-Amiens road. The Military Cemetery is on the Western outskirts of the village.

In 1915 and 1916 the Allied front line ran between Foncquevillers and Gommecourt. The cemetery was made by French troops, and taken over by the British in the summer of 1915; the first British burial were this of the 10th Royal Fusiliers in September. It remained in use by units and Field Ambulances until March, 1917, the burials in July, 1916 (particularly in Plot I, Row L) being especailly numerous. It was used again from March to August, 1918, when the German offensive brought the front line back to nearly the old position. Seventy-four graves were brought in after the Armistice from battlefields of 1916 and 1918 to the East of the village; and the 325 French graves were removed to La Targette French National Cemetery, near Arras.

The cemetery covers an area of 4,120 square yards. It contains the graves of 625 soldiers (and sailors and Marines of the Royal Naval Division) from the United Kingdom, twelve from New Zealand and six from Australia; two men of the Chinese Labour Corps; one French civilian; and four German prisoners. The unnamed graves number 53, and special memorials are erected to two soldiers from the United Kingdom known to be buried among them.

The cemetery is bounded by a brick wall and a hornbeam hedge, and planted with catalpa and other trees. It stands in farming country among the woods.

This cemetery contains the graves of many officers and men of the Sherwood Foresters, and village of Foncquevillers has been "adopted" by the town of Derby.

Number of burials by Unit

Those having awards in the cemetery

Pte. James Trevor Allen M.M., 1/5th Bn. Leicestershire Regt. Killed in action 15th March 1917, aged 20. 3.E.3

Sgt. Alexander Barclay M.S.M., 179th Tunnelling Coy. Royal Engineers. Died 25th April 1918, aged 28. 2.B.4

Sgt. H. Casson M.M., 1st Bn. Essex Regt. Died 31st July 1918. 3.B.10

Sgt. Robert Cochrane M.M., 1st Bn. 3rd N.Z. (Rifle) Brig. Died of wounds 3rd Aug. 1918, aged 33. Native of Peeblesshire, Scotland. 2.E.5

Sgt. Francis George Cohen, Mentioned in Despatches. Killed in action 3rd Apr. 1916, aged 22. 1.K.9

Pte. Tom Cubberley M.M., 2nd Bn. Worcestershire Regt. Died 21st Sept. 1916, aged 28. 1.F.1

Capt. Terence Algernon Kilbee Cubitt M.C., 1st Bn. Norfolk Regt. Killed in action 22nd Aug. 1918, aged 22. 3.B.6

C.S.M. William Goddard M.M., 6th Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts. & Derbys. Regt.) Killed in action 1st July 1916, aged 33. 1.L.14

Capt. John Leslie Green V.C. Royal Army Medical Corps, attd. 5th Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts. & Derbys. Regt.). Killed in action at Gommecourt 1st July 1916, aged 26. Born at Buckden, Hunts. Son of John George and Florence May Green, of St. Mark's Lodge, Cambridge. Educated at Felsted School and Downing College, Cambridge, and Bartholomew's Hospital. An extract from the London Gazette, No. 29695, dated 4th August 1916, records the following, "For most conspicuous devotion to duty. Although himself wounded, he went to the assistance of an officer who had been wounded and was hung up on the enemy's wire entanglements, and succeeded in dragging him to a shell hole, where he dressed his wounds, notwithstanding that bombs and rifle grenades were thrown at him the whole time. Capt. Green then endeavoured to bring the wounded officer into safe cover, and had nearly succeeded in doing so when he himself was killed" 3.D.15

Lt. Col. Cecil Frederick George Humphries D.S.O., M.C. and Bar, D.C.M., 1st Bn. Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, attd. 1st Bn. Norfolk Regt. Killed in action 22nd Aug. 1918, aged 31. 3.B.8

Sgt. Joseph Woodward Hurt M.M., "C" Coy. 1/7th Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts. & Derbys. Regt.). Killed in action 1st July 1916, aged 21. One of five sons who served in France. His brother William, 1st Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps, also fell. 1.L.28

Sgt. A. A. Johns D.C.M., 4th Bn. Leicestershire Regt. Died 30th June 1916. 1.L.47

Lt. Leslie Tiel Jordan M.C., Mentioned in Despatches. 2/1st (North Midland) Field Coy. Royal Engineers, Killed in action 6th June 1916, aged 22. Educated at Newcastle under Lyme High School and Birmingham University. Born at Gloucester. 1.B.16

Sgt. G. King M.M., 1st Bn. Essex Regt, died 23rd Aug. 1918. 2.A.3

Cpl. J.McPhilemy M.M., 1st Bn. Cheshire Regt. Died 22nd Aug. 1918. 2.B.17

Sgt. Arthur James Munson M.M., "Z" Coy. 1st Bn. Essex Regt. Killed in action 23rd Aug. 1918, aged 33. 2.A.3

Sgt. R. Nelson D.C.M., M.M., 1st Bn. Essex Regt. Died 23rd Aug. 1918, aged 27. 2.A.3

Sgt. Bernard James O'Brien M.M., 15th Bn. Australian Inf. Died of wounds 29th March 1918, aged 27. 3.E.20

Sgt. Henry Poxon M.M., 1/5th Bn. York & Lancaster Regt. Died of accidental injuries 7th Oct. 1916, aged 34. 1.J.9

2nd Lt. F. W. Robson M.M., 5th Bn. Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). Died 22nd Aug. 1918. 3.B.3

L/Cpl. Frank Salsbury M.M., 5th Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts. & Derbys. Regt.). Died 1st July 1916, aged 20. 1.L.38

L/Cpl. Arthur Heaton Scott M.M., "D" Coy. 1/6th Bn. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regt.) Died 20th Nov. 1916, aged 21. 1.H.13

Others buried in this cemetery

2nd Lt. Albert William Ernest Christie. 2nd Bn. Worcestershire Regt. Died 27th Sept. 1916, aged 34. Previously wounded in Sept. 1914. Served in the South African Campaign. 1.J.4

Pte. W. McGrath, 2nd Bn. Royal Irish Regt. Killed in action 23rd April 1916, aged 44. Served in the South African Campaign. 1.B.13

Pte. George Thomas Palmer, "B" Coy. 1/4th Leicestershire Regt. Killed in action 28th Feb. 1917, aged 21. Son of James and Harriett Palmer who had the following inscription engraved on their son's headstone, "Will some kind hand in a foreign land place a flower on my son's grave"