Contalmaison was defended by a well-wired trench system between the German first and second lines.  At the time of the Battle of the Somme it commanded the rising ground to the west of Mametz Wood. 

The plan had originally been to capture the village on July 1, 1916.  In fact it was not taken until ten days later. 

The 2nd Canadian Cemetery contains the graves of 44 soldiers of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalions who died in September and October 1916.  It covers an area of 383 square metres and a low red brick wall encloses it. 

The Sunken Road from which this cemeteries is named is part of the Contalmaison to Pozières road.  The site was formerly wooded.  Sunken Road Cemetery is in the Bois Défrichés.  The cemetery was made during July to October 1916.

Contalmaison Château Cemetery contains the graves of 264 soldiers from the United Kingdom, 21 from Australia, four from Canada.  There are 45 unnamed graves.  A special memorial is erected to a soldier from Australia known to buried among them.

One of the graves in Contalmaison Château Cemetery is Private William Henry Short V.C., ‘C’ Company, 8th Battalion, Yorkshire Regiments, the Green Howards who died of wounds August 7, 1916 aged 31. 

Peake Wood was the name given by the Army to a copse on the south east side of the road to Contalmaison.  Peake Wood fell into British hands on 5 July, 1916. 

At ‘Bell’s Redoubt’ is the memorial to 2nd Lt. D S Bell, VC – the first English professional footballer to enlist in 1914, and the only one awarded a VC.