ST DESIR War Cemetery
| British - 569 Canadian - 16 Australian - 6 South African - 5 New Zealand - 1 United States - 1 WW1 - 4 |
HISTORICAL INFORMATION:
The Allied offensive in north-western Europe began with the Normandy landings of
6 June 1944. St Desir War Cemetery is the most easterly of the the Normandy
cemeteries. For the most part, those buried here died in the final stages of the
campaign, in pursuit of the German forces towards the Seine. Some men who died
of wounds in German hands are also buried here.
The cemetery contains 597 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. 78 of
these graves were brought in from Chartres (St Cheron) Communal Cemetery after
the war (large RAF in Plots 7 and 8), together with four First World War
burials.
LOCATION:
St Desir is a village on the N13 to Caen, 4 kilometres west of Lisieux. The war cemetery is about one kilometre west of the village and lies on a secondary road, the D159. It is well signposted on the junction, and there is some parking in front. The Lisieux German War Cemetery is also close by.
PERSONALITIES:
 | Major Sir J.E.Backhouse Bart. MC 179th Field Regiment Royal Artillery |
- Killed 29th August 1944, age 35.
- 3rd Bart. Son of Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Roger Roland Charles Backhouse, G.C.B., G.C.V.O., C.M.G., and of Lady Backhouse (nee Findlay); husband of Lady (Jean Marie Frances) Backhouse, of Withypool, Somerset.
| Lieutenant Colonel H.A.C.Blair-Imrie DSO MC 5/7th Gordon Highlanders |
- Killed 18th August 1944, age 29.
ŠPaul Reed 2002-2006
