Bully-les-Mines is a commune approximately 20 kilometres north of Arras in the Pas de Calais. From Arras, take the D937 towards Bethune. At Sains-en-Gohelle, turn right onto the D166E towards Bully. At the first (Casimir Beugret) roundabout, turn right into the Rue Ferdinand Marche. The communal cemetery is 200 metres down this road on the right. The Commonwealth war graves plot is reached via 'Allee 8'.

Bully-Grenay is the name of the railway station on the main Hazebrouck-Arras line serving both Bully and Grenay, but the double name was generally applied to the village and the Bully-les-Mines Communal Cemetery by the troops. The French Extension was made by French troops on the west side of the communal cemetery, and it was used by Commonwealth forces, who took their place in this part of the line in June 1915, until June 1916. The French Extension contains 91 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. The British Extension, on the south-west side of the communal cemetery, was begun at the end of April 1916, and was used until October. From April 1917 to March 1918 it was very largely an artillery burial ground. At the Armistice, the cemetery contained 595 graves. After the Armistice, graves were brought in from isolated positions and small burial grounds on the battlefields east of Grenay.

There are now 803 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War in the British Extension. 141 of the burials are unidentified and there are special memorials to two casualties known to have been buried at Sallaumines whose graves could not be found. The extension also contains one Second World War burial. The British extension was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.