St Souplet British Cemetery

St Souplet is a village about 6 kilometres south of Le Cateau. St Souplet British Cemetery lies to the south-west of the village after the village of St Benin.

St Souplet village was captured by the American 30th Division on 10 October 1918. The American troops made a cemetery of 371 American and seven British graves on the south-west side of the village, on the road to Vaux-Andigny; and a smaller British cemetery was made alongside. The American graves were removed after the Armistice, one being taken to the British cemetery with the seven British graves; and other British graves were brought in from other burial grounds and from the battlefields. There are now nearly 750 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site, including Leonard William Ormerod (Grave Ref. III. D. 5.), of the Royal Naval Air Service.

Whilst Royal Navy records relating to Leonard refer to him as Leonard Ormerod, the inscription on his gravestone records his name as L.W. OMEROD.

FLIGHT COMMANDER / L.W. OMEROD, DSC / ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE / 16TH MARCH 1918. AGE 24 / GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN / WHO GIVETH HIS LIFE / FOR HIS COUNTRY