Belle-Motte French Cemetery

History Information (Wikipedia)

Built at the crossroads of the municipalities of Sambreville, Fosses-la-Ville and Aiseau-Presles, the Belle Motte necropolis is located close to the spot where the bloody conflicts took place on 22 August 1914. Owing to its importance, this place, which holds the graves of 4,057 soldiers (from Bordeaux, Brittany, Normandy and North Africa) is one of the largest French First World War cemetries to be found on Belgian soil.

 

Aiseau, along with whole region, suffered much from the conflict which has always marked the region. The Battle of Charleroi, from 21 to 23 August 1914, was one of the most painful episodes. During the night of August 21 to 22, against the French counter-attacked and suffered very heavy losses at Roselies. At the height of the "Ferme de la Belle-Motte", during the fighting, there was a rare violence in the woods and surrounding fields. The farm burned and the French had to withdraw on Le Roux and then to Devant-les-Bois.

 

As in the neighboring villages, in addition to the damage caused by the fighting, German soldiers set fire to dozens of home and shot many villagers. After the war, at a place called Belle-Motte, a Franco-German cemetery was built, called logically "Cemetery Belle-Motte." The soldiers buried around the village and the region, were gathered in the upper part of the village. A few years later, German soldiers were transported to Vladslo Cemetery, near Ypres. 4,057 French soldiers are buried in the cemetery of Belle-Motte. 1182 buried in tombs and 2875 in two ossuaries.