SAINT-ETIENNE-AU-MONT MUNICIPAL CEMETERY

This civilian cemetery includes a square where 160 Chinese workers recruited by the British army during the First World War are buried. These workers from the Chinese Labour Corps worked on logistical tasks in British ports and Depots at the rear of the front. Most died from the Spanish flu. The graves organize around a memorial, a monument reminiscent of a little pagoda. This cemetery is maintained by the British, so it looks like English cemetery with its completely engazonnées aisles. The graves include the registration number of the persons who were buried as well as the names in Chinese characters, engraved by their compatriots. The memorial bears the following inscription: " In memory of the Chinese workers buried in this cemetery, who died in service in France during the Great War. This monument was erected by their colleagues in December 1919. " This cemetery also contains some tombs of South African workers, other Commonwealth countries. Another Chinese cemetery, the largest in France, is located in Noyelle-sur-Mer in the Somme.