During World War I, a former chalk quarry at La Targette, about 8 km north of Arras, was converted by the French into a medical dressing station. A sloped entrance was built to replace earlier shafts and parts of the quarry were shored up to improve stability. Many relics from this period still survive - from barbed wire and bayonets to cooking pots and boots.
The site is adjacent to the Neuville-Saint-Vaast World War I German War Cemetery - the largest in France with almost 45,000 burials. This is adjacent to the French La Targette World War I cemetery which holds around 11,500 burials including a Muslim section for North Africans. There is also a smaller British War Cemetery which holds 641 burials, 599 of which are identified and three are from World War II.