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Origin and history

The French-German cemetery of Le Sourd, located in Lemé, Aisne, France, is a military necropolis linked to the First World War. Created in 1916 by the German army as a cemetery for its soldiers, it was enlarged between 1934 and 1936 by the French state to collect the remains of the fighters who had fallen in the battles of Guise and the Hindenburg line, initially scattered in the communal cemeteries of Aisne.

The necropolis extends over 0.766 hectares and houses 1,386 bodies, including 1,383 soldiers of the Great War (862 in individual burials, 571 in ossuary) and 3 of the Second World War. There are also 25 Russian soldiers, 2 Italian, 1 Romanian and 2 French civilian victims. The site, classified as a Historic Monument in 2016, symbolizes the shared memory of the fighting that marked this border region.

Close to the village of the Deaf (1.7 km), the cemetery is accessible via the D773, between Colonfay and the D26 between Sains-Richaumont and Marly-Gomont. Its layout reflects the post-conflict memorial issues, with a desire to group together scattered burials to facilitate recollection. Today, it is a major memorial to the department of Aisne, testifying to the loss of life on both sides during the Great War.

The adjacent German cemetery, although distinct, shares a common history with the French necropolis, illustrating the proximity of the fighting and the complexity of the collection operations after 1918. Official sources, such as the Chemins de Mémoire portal or the Mérimée base, document its protected status and its role in preserving collective memory.

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