Cemeteries to visit Bourail

This cemetery pays tribute to New Zealand soldiers killed during military operations in New Caledonia during the Second World War. Numerous training camps were established in the Bourail region from 1942 onwards, and 18,000 men passed through here until 1944. Here lie 161 soldiers, 78 airmen and 7 sailors. At the entrance to the site, a plaque recalls the main events of the conflicts in the southwestern Pacific.

The origin of this site dates back to the end of the 19th century, when between 1864 and 1897, nearly 2,000 common law prisoners, notably rebels of Kabyle origin, were deported from Algeria to New Caledonia to be interned in the country's prisons. After their liberation, many of them settled in Nessadiou and Boghen; in 1897, a Muslim cemetery was created along the river. Along the RT1, it can be recognized by the red crescents and stars that decorate the gate. The graves are naturally turned towards Mecca.