Overview
The World War I Somme American Cemetery and Memorial in France is sited on a gentle slope typical of the open, rolling Picardie countryside. The 14.3-acre cemetery contains the graves of 1,844 of our military dead. Most lost their lives while serving in American units attached to British armies, or in operations near Cantigny. The headstones, set in regular rows, are separated into four plots by paths that intersect at the flagpole near the top of the slope. The longer axis leads to the chapel at the eastern end of the cemetery.
A massive bronze door surmounted by an American eagle leads into the chapel, whose outer walls contain sculptured pieces of military equipment. Once inside, light from a cross-shaped crystal window above the marble altar bathes the subdued interior with light. The walls bear the names of 333 of the missing. A rosette marks the name of the soldier listed on the Walls of the Missing that has since been recovered and identified.
Image
Photos
Cemetery Information
Visiting Hours
The cemetery is open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except December 25 and January 1. It is open on host country holidays. When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is on duty in the visitor building to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and memorial sites.
Contact Us
Somme American Cemetery
American Cemetery
02420
Bony
France
Directions
GPS Coordinates:
49°
59'
6"
N
,
3°
12'
48"
E
Somme American Cemetery is situated a half mile southwest of the village of Bony (Aisne), France, which is one and half miles west of highway D1044, 13 miles north of St. Quentin and 14 miles southwest of Cambrai.
Travel via Car
The road leading to Bony leaves highway D1044 10 miles north of St. Quentin, a short distance north of the American monument near Bellicourt. The cemetery, 98 miles northeast of Paris, can also be reached by automobile via the Paris-Lille toll autoroute (A-1) to exit 13, "Vallée de la Somme," then to Vermand and Bellenglise, or Lille-Reims toll autoroute (A-26) exit 9, via highway N-44 south for seven and a half miles to Bony.
Travel via Train
Trains from Paris (Gare du Nord) travel to Cambrai.
Travel via Airplane
Paris is approximately 98 miles southwest of the cemetery.
Lodging
Hotels are available in Peronne, St. Quentin, and Cambrai.
Publications
News & Events
Download this infographic to see where ABMC sites are located throughout the world.
Experience the history of World War I, “The Great War,” through an interactive timeline and map.
Plan a visit to an ABMC site on Veterans Day to honor the fallen. Ceremonies are planned in France, England, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Philippines, and the Netherlands.
During Veterans Day weekend ABMC sites paid tribute and honored those men and women that are buried and memorialized overseas.