A long, ongoing pligrimage

[Snapper]

This grave has a very unusual inscription..I haven't seen another in all the years I've been on "the trail". Whoever the poor soul is, they are buried at Etaples.

[Snapper]

This is the only grave of an Army Physical Training Corps man I have seen. J A Campbell is buried at Le Paradis. One assumes he fell victim of the chaos in the retreat and the many stands made on the road to the channel ports.

[Snapper]

My brother in law tells me that on the Kodak war memorial in the offices at Hemel Hempstead there is a man named A Killer. I can go close with Private G Killer of the Sherwood Foresters. He is buried at Dud Corner. Kodak used to have their UK HQ in Holborn in central London and the old war memorial stood there for many years - although they moved about a bit.

[Snapper]

Three views of the 49th (West Riding) Division memorial at Essex Farm.

[Snapper]

Today Grimmer John and I drove to the Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey. It is just down the road from Pirbright. We drove through an entertaining snow storm to get there, but on arrival we found that the snow had passed over sunny Bagshot and Pirbright.

 

The cemetery is an amazing place. We found some fascinating graves and some of it was pretty emotional for us, reading the inscriptions and seeing graves of young people so far from home. It's not a new experience, but things always have a habit of being different each time. I hope JB will be on to post some snaps and thoughts of his own. He has been making some pretty special trips lately.

 

Here is the grave of a great hero of Market Garden - Lt Colonel JOE Vandeleur. It is so simple. JOEV 1903-1988. Once An Irish Guardsman.

 

John Ormsby Evelyn Vandeleur is perhaps best recalled when played by Michael Caine in A Bridge Too Far. I've always liked the line from the book when Horrocks described Vandeleur's Irish Guards group as "killers". He wasn't kidding. I've never been to Joe's Bridge. Any chance of a snap from your archive Joris? See: September 10th 1944 Joes Bridge captured - THANKS FOR ADDING THIS JORIS!!!

Edited January 6, 2009 by Snapper
additions

[Snapper]

We were stunned to find the grave of Karel Jan Staller, the man who designed the Bren gun. I found a memoir of a Czech resister on the tinterweb which described him as a brilliant man of extreme moods and tempers. He did everything in his power to resist the Germans while having to work for them and eventually came to the UK, where he lived out the rest of his life.

[Snapper]

I like Google - you can find people. Pilot Officer Emil Fechtner DFC is mentioned in Martin Sugarman's interesting website devoted to Jewish pilots and aircrew from the Battle of Britain. What's not to like?

 

He tells us that Fechtner was born in 1916 and escaped from the Czech Air Force on 15.03.1939 whereupon he joined the French Foreign Legion. Having escaped France he joined the newly formed Czech 310 Squadron (Hurricanes) at Duxford on 12.07.1940. He crashed in an accident on Aug 1st and again on the 15th after a collision. Between Aug 26 and Sept 18th he shot down two Bf110s and two Do215s and damaged another 110. He was awarded the DFC in 16th October, one of the first two Czechs to receive the medal, but was killed following a collision with Pilot Officer Jaroslav M Maly which occured at 1510 when they were formating during 'wing patrol' on October 29th. Fechtner's machine was no P3998 while Maly was flying P3707 which was damaged but repairable. Fechtner was first buried at Royston, but was later transferred to the Czech plot at Brookwood. In 1991 he was promoted to Colonel in memoriam. I've taken additional info from Battle of Britain Then & Now (first edition) which carries a similar snap of Fechtner's grave and from a translated Czech site.

 

To contradict the time of death, another Czech site tells us:

 

 

On 29th October 1940 during took off to patrol over Maidstone was his Hurricane I P3889 (NN-S) late. At the height of 600 metres he wanted to marschal into formation and he begin to climb. He didn't know that his plane was too close to other Hurricane piloted by F/Lt Jaroslav Maly. At 13.55 the propeller of F/Lt Maly's Hurricane cut off rudder of his plane which immediately turned on his back and crashed near Whittlesford. (F/Lt Maly made crash landing on field near base with damaged propeller and he was wounded on his head and on one arm.)

 

Had we known that Jaroslav Maly is buried close by having died in 1941, we would have found him to photograph his grave. So we have a reason to go back.

Edited January 6, 2009 by Snapper
update

[Snapper]

Ken Farnes was one of England's best fast bowlers of the immediate pre-war period and took sixty wickets in the 15 Tests he played. He died on a night flying exercise. He was 6 feet five tall and must have had quite a presence. He came from Gidea Park in Essex.

[Snapper]

Sergeant Roy Henry Mark Crook came from Leigh-On-Sea and is buried in the churchyard of St Laurence And All Saints, which stands at the end of the runway of Southend Airport. The church was built in the eleventh century and a few years ago airport planners wanted to physically move it a few hundred yards or so to extend the runway. The local authority wasn't having it. Now the airport has been sold to Stobarts. As Rochford aerodrome it had been a fighter base during the war.

[Snapper]

Hong Kong surrendered to the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941 after intense fighting. The British had set up a hospital at St Stephens College and there were a great many casualties and staff there. The Japs over-ran the hospital and in a frenzy of violence, murdered the patients and male medical staff and brutalised and then murdered the nurses. It was a bloodbath. I think I'm correct in saying an exact figure for the deaths is not known. In the following days the Japs had prisoners collect and burn the bodies of the people they had murdered. This memorial in Stanley Cemetery marks the grave of some of the victims.

 

Those named are:

 

Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Duncan Ralph Black OBE. Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps. Husband of A. L. Black.

SD Begg is: Nurse Eileen M Begg, Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps. Daughter of Frank and Alice Cumming; wife of Stewart D. Begg, of Westminster, London.

HT Buxton is: Nurse Alberta Buxton. Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps –the wife of Lieut Henry Buxton, 38, of 2 Bty HKDC. He died on 18/12/1941.

 

WJ Smith is:Nurse Marjorie Mary Moore Smith. Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps. Daughter of John R. M. Brinnicombe and E. E. Brinnicombe; wife of Brigadier W. J. L. Smith, of Downderry, Cornwall.

Capt TN Whitney is: Captain Peter Norman Witney. 28. Royal Army Medical Corps B.A. (Cantab.), L.R.C.P. (Lond.), M.R.C.S. (Eng.).. Son of Dr. Ernest William Witney, J.P., and Lottie May Witney, of Whitstable, Kent.

[chevpol]

inspired by snappers photos, I went to a couple of cemetrys near me today,

[LeeEnfield]

THANK YOU,.......all contributors to this thread.

 

Respects to you all, and esp those who you feature.

 

Their Names Liveth On.

 

 

Andy

[david052]

inspired by snappers photos, I went to a couple of cemetrys near me today,

 

 

Why would two named personnel be buried in the same grave?

[chevpol]

Why would two named personnel be buried in the same grave?

 

thats why I posted this one, hopefully somebody will come upwith answers.

 

Incidently, when I first saw the ones surrounded by a hedge, I thought that where were only those, but in that cemetry alone there must be about 20 dotted around the cemetry. Will post more if interested?

 

mark

[Joris]

I have seen a lot of aircrew buried together in multiple graves but usually not soldiers.

 

This is an example from the Airborne cemetery in Oosterbeek. You can see the flightcrew of a resupply aircraft shot down on the 21st of September. Buried together are not only the aircrew but also the Air Dispatchers who flew along to push out the supplies. Click on the picture twice (second time after the big preview as loaded) for a super size version so you can read names on the graves.

 

These were usually pressed into this dangerous job or worse, voluteered to come with a friend to witness the events. They were usually bare feet for better grip on the aircraft floor. They could be secured to the airplane and had a parachute but they never used them because it hampered movement thus slowed the dropping of supplies. More then one dispatcher was sucked out of the airplane while doing his job.

 

The most sobering thought is that they most probably died in vain because most supplies (>80%) fell in the wrong place and only aided the Germans.

 

The second picture is the Air Dispatch monument located close to the cemetery, Behind the monument is the end of the original supply dropzone (DZ-V) which was used for 2 days but never in the hands of the 1st Airborne.

[Mark]

Snapper, after doing all this research have you ever been tempted to try and find relatives still living and get their story or is that too morbid.

[Snapper]

thats why I posted this one, hopefully somebody will come upwith answers.

 

Incidently, when I first saw the ones surrounded by a hedge, I thought that where were only those, but in that cemetry alone there must be about 20 dotted around the cemetry. Will post more if interested?

 

mark

 

YES PLEASE FRIENDS - PLEASE POST UP MORE.

 

Combined graves happen for all sorts of reasons, sometimes for space - but more often because the two corpses cannot be identified separately. My Great Uncle Les was in a grave with two others, but when the cemetery in Belgium was tidied up the Army Graves Unit were able to separate the three of them. Sometimes these combined graves only contain partial remains - often the case with aircrew.

 

Many graves end up in official plots because they are usually men who are not local. Some find their way into the general local cemetery and these may be local men or who have a connection. The CWGC always offered to supply a headstone which they would then maintain. Some families opted for their own memorials and this is why you see people, often aircrew killed in the UK, buried with normal headstones. It's a mix and match affair.

 

The CWGC do help maintain graves taken beyond the dates 1914-1947 but these stones differ by having clipped corners of some sort. Designs differ. You will also see that armed forces personnel also have similar stones in private settings supplied by their families. It's not difficult for monumental masons to get them done.

 

It all adds up to a ball of confusion. The one constant are the people commemorated. They matter more than any of the details.

Edited January 12, 2009 by Snapper

[Snapper]

Snapper, after doing all this research have you ever been tempted to try and find relatives still living and get their story or is that too morbid.

 

Not morbid. I think Grimmer John does a lot of it when he can. He is the Nobby's Nuts at all matters Geneaological.

 

I use the internet as far as I can take it - which usually ends with the CWGC site. The Czech pilot was a gift because there was so much on him, whereas Ken Farnes, who was a cricket star before WW2 did not have a great deal about him on the web. Although I will be honest and say I did not overdo the references for fear of people getting bored. Looks like I underestimated the interest. I will continue to post them because it matters to me. I do this at the expense of my MV pix and I have yet to spend any time scanning old material I know it would be nice to share...and there is the small matter of a certain book.

 

M

[Tony B]

Every grave story, never forget there is a person under there. Morbid is to me buying a helmet because the seller claims there are still human remains in it. Take the recent discussions over the Polish airmen in St Mary Cray Cemetery, that has spread out to the Royal Canadian Air Force, discussions of air traffic control of the period in addition to the information helping Polish Memorials researchers. So what's morbid about it. the Ancient Greeks belived while a man's name is spocken he does not die. the internet now gives unrivalled aces, so people are researching, they might know Great Uncle fred was killed on a certain day at a certain place, now the internet alows them to flesh out the Who What Where When How importantly WHY?

[Snapper]

Sheffield Memorial Park is a piece of woodland near Serre on the Somme. It is a pretty place in the summer and surrounded by three battlefield cemeteries. On the 1st July, 1916 some of the best known northern Pals battalions passed through the spot on their way to oblivion and the wood now recalls many of these units and their origins in Barnsley, Sheffield, Accrington and Chorley to name but a few.

 

A small metal plaque cut into a tree is a memorial to 'Y' Chorley company of the 11th Bn East Lancashire Regiment. The statistics for this battalion are do not make for happy reading.

 

The battalion had 'W' and 'X' Companies from the Accrington area, 'Y' from Chorley and 'Z' from Burnley, which was in reserve.

 

Of 720 all ranks who attacked at 0720 hrs on that terrible morning, 235 were killed within twenty minutes with 350 wounded. 17 of these died of wounds at later dates.

 

'Y' Company itself started with 175 ranks and lost 31 killed and 59 wounded of whom 3 died of wounds. 21 have no known grave.

 

Some men from the battalion made it as far as Serre. Their bodies were discovered in February 1917.

 

The town of Chorley has been in the process of raising funds for a war memorial to these men. It is stunning to think it did not have one.

 

(MB note to Tony B: I used figures to save time and space!).

Edited January 12, 2009 by Snapper
typo

[Tony B]

Figures or numbers Mark, it is unbeliavble to stand anywhere on the Somme battlefeild on a beutiful July morning, with butterflys, calfs suckilng, life drifting quietly along, and think back over the centuries to the conflict the area has seen.

[chevpol]

ok, here are some more

 

the last one is in a small cemetry near my house

 

Mark

Edited January 13, 2009 by chevpol

[Snapper]

Chevpol: The first snap you posted of the double grave of 22 year old James Mountford of the 10th Bn Royal Berkshire Regiment and 20 year old Norman Rogers of the 8th Bn Parachute Regiment is a good start. They were both local men. Rogers came from Cobridge and Mountford was from Burslem. The difference in dates is stark. Rogers died in 1943 while Mountford died in October 1945. I can't account for this but perhaps the graves people had difficulties identifying them when they sorted permanent markers.

[Snapper]

ok, here are some more

 

the last one is in a small cemetry near my hoise

 

Mark

 

Good stuff Mark.

 

Richard Lines was a flight engineer with 102 Squadron when he died on 12.12.1942. He came from Wolstanton.102 were based at Pocklington and flew MkII Halifaxes. They would have just about got used to them when he died.

 

Warrant Officer Edward Frank Edwards came from Cobridge. No squadron details were added to his record.

 

Robert Ashworth Dix of the North Staffs was from Burslem.

 

Alfred Barratt from the 9th King's Own Royal Regiment remains a mystery. This means his parents or NOK didn't fill in any details on the registration card they would have been sent.

 

William James Glynn came from Abbey Hutton. He served with the 10th Royal Scots.

 

Samuel George Ball came from Blurton and is buried in his local churchyard.

Edited January 12, 2009 by Snapper
added info

[chevpol]

Snapper, thank you for the info, I wil post a few more later, incidently, when I was photographing these graves, I missed a few because at the time there were relatives visiting graves nearby, so out of respect I didnt photograph them

.

 

Mark