Cayeux village, which had been in the hands of Commonwealth forces for some time, was lost on 27 March 1918 during the great German advance, but recaptured by the Canadian Corps on the following 8 August. The cemetery was begun by French troops. It was used in March, April and May 1917 by the 36th Casualty Clearing Station, and again for a few burials in March and August 1918. It was enlarged after the Armistice when graves were brought in, mainly from the battlefields to the north and from the Marcelcave French Military Cemetery which had one British grave.  The cemetery now contains 216 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. The cemetery was designed by W H Cowlishaw.