Julie, one of our Senior Carers, recently made the journey to Bouzincourt cemetery, near Albert, France. This is where her great-grandfather Thomas Hazlehurst is buried. Thomas was killed at the Battle of the Somme on 3rd July 1916, he was 30 years old and left behind his family including his 3 children who were all under the age of 6 at the time of his death. 

Julie remembers the kindness of a local Frenchman who accompanied them to the cemetery and when there he paid his respects by bowing in front of the graves. He told her that the French were very grateful to the war dead. On the train journey there she saw many cemeteries, all pristine and cared for. Julie recalls the rows of graves with no names, just engraved with “soldier of the great war”. 

This was an emotional trip for Julie and a poignant reminder of the scale of the casualties and that many families have never known where their loved ones were laid to rest. 

History of Bouzincourt 

Bouzincourt was used as a field ambulance station from early in 1916 to February 1917, when the Allied line went forward from the Ancre. It was in German hands for a few days in the spring of 1918. BOUZINCOURT COMMUNAL CEMETERY was used for burials from March to July 1916 and again from April to June 1918; it contains 33 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. 

A Bit About Julie

She joined our care team in 2014, in fact she was our first recruit! Julie has recently been promoted to our senior care team and at the end of last year completed her senior induction training with our Care Manager, Caroline. 

Julie has years of experience as a professional carer and has achieved her Level 3 Health & Social Care qualification. Julie has been an asset to the team over the years and we look forward to her continued contribution to the company in a senior capacity.