Robert Brown Carmeon M.M.

[Guest fizzer]

HI Guys,

The above gent is my partners grand father, was part of the 1st canterbury reg.he was attached to the regiment on the 18 of August 1918 just before the attach on Bapaume having servied with the 2nd NZ light trench mortor brigade.

on the 24th august he was awarded the MM , something Paula is very proud of.

we will be traveling overseas next April and part of that trip will include a vist to a little village just above Bapaume called Biefvillers where im am now sure, is where or as close as im going to get to where he won his medal

Having read a book called Dark Jounery by Glyn Harper ( on the 3 main battles by the NZ divison in WW1)i have place the 1st Canterbury reg. there on the 24th, but would like just to make sure I've got it right.

so any help would be gr8

kind egards

steve

[laughton]

Would love to help you more and I could if Robert was Canadian ... but alas the records are not as good in the UK.

But if it helps in any way, he is on the data base at the UK National Archives here:

UK NA Medal Card - Robert Brown Cameron

The rest of the lads and lassies will jump in to help I am sure!

Best of luck with your mission.

Richard of Canada

(edited by laughton - had placed wrong link)

[Captain Dave]

Full NameRobert Brown Cameron

Forename(s)Robert Brown

SurnameCameron

WarWorld War I, 1914-1918

Serial No.6/3270

First Known RankPrivate

Next of KinMrs H. Cameron (mother), Timaru Road, Waimate, New Zealand

Marital StatusSingle

Enlistment AddressQueen Street, Waimate, New Zealand

Military DistrictCanterbury

Body on Embarkation8th Reinforcements

Embarkation UnitCanterbury Infantry Battalion

Embarkation Date13 November 1915

Place of EmbarkationWellington, New Zealand

TransportHMNZT 35

HMNZT 36

VesselWillochra or Tofua

DestinationSuez, Egypt

Page on Nominal Roll105

Sources UsedNominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume I. Wellington: Govt. Printer, 1914-1919

Check out the History of the Canterbury Regiment, NZEF 1914 - 19. Pages 248 - 251 give a fairly detailed account of the action as well as a generic sketch map of the area. You can compare the sketch map to Google Earth. Monument and Loupart Woods appear to be relativly intact, and the roads and rail are all in pretty much the same place.

In summary. The 1st Bde objective on the 24th was a line between the S end of Loupart Wood and Grevillers. They were to go firm, and the 2nd Bde was to pass through and capture Bapaume. The 1st Bde took most of it's objective early in the morning and the 1st Cant was commited into the batle from the Albert Arras Railway area, assembled for the attack near Grevillers and ended up capturing it's objectives and going firm on the Bapaume Arras Rd area near the rail track and cemetary.

I am asuming that your family member won his MM during this action. The advance was interesting in that 16 tanks were in direct support of the attack on the German positions.

Good luck with the visit.

Dave.