DRIFTER Posted 6 October , 2009 Share Posted 6 October , 2009 I'm looking for any information regarding a burial site NW of Ypres alongside the canal at 28.I.7a.0.53 or in lat /long 50.51.10.14N 02.52.24.46E that seems to be under what is now the supermarkets just off Maarschalk Haiglaan. According to the CWGC a number of men were removed from this place on 23rd August 1920 and re-buried at New Irish Farm. It also seems as if men KIA around 5th July 1917 whose unit (1/17th London) was at that time serving in The Ravine / Hill 60 / Battle Wood area were among those moved. Also known to have been moved were one RE Sapper KIA 4/7/17 and one L/Cpl from the Rifle Brigade KIA 5.7.17 Any ideas or thoughts will be most welcome. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted 6 October , 2009 Share Posted 6 October , 2009 John, I have just put the Lat/Long coordinates into Memory Map and it comes out SE of Armentieres, in the middle of a field. I cut and pasted, so shouldn't have done anything wrong Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIFTER Posted 6 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2009 Steve, I took them off the Google Earth location that someone else had up on their computer, as a navigator I should know better than to trust other's locations, I once heard a ship broadcast being aground and giving a Lat/Long position 12 miles north of Paris, I'll double check this and come back. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted 6 October , 2009 Share Posted 6 October , 2009 John, I have just put the Lat/Long coordinates into Memory Map and it comes out SE of Armentieres, in the middle of a field. I cut and pasted, so shouldn't have done anything wrong Steve Found it now , had a bit of a play with the units Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIFTER Posted 6 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2009 Just run this off on my computer and come up with 50.853182,2.873783. Perhaps that's why ships run agound! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted 6 October , 2009 Share Posted 6 October , 2009 John, Have you read the historical info' on New Irish Farm on CWGC - I don't know if that helps at all. I can't say any of those descriptions match your area Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIFTER Posted 6 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2009 Steve, yes, I agree but I'm working from the CWGC e-mail to me today Having looked through our records, I am able to provide a transcript of the Graves Registration Report for New Irish Farm Cemetery which states that the bodies of Rifleman Fuller, Barton, Roff, Lorke, Cpl Kemp and Rfn Bagley were found at map reference 28. I. 7a. 5. 3.. Fuller, Barton & Lorke were all 1/17th London KIA 5th or 6th/July/17 when 1/17th were in the Hill 60 area. Roff I have found was Rifle Brigade as was L/cpl Kemp. I have grave details in section XXVII for Fuller D11; Barton D12; Roff D13; Lorke D14 & 157781 Sapper (not Rfn) Bagley of the 177 Tunnelling Co RE KIA 4/7/17 at D16. The Graves Registration Report dates the move as 23rd August 1920. I'm puzzled by this, if the War Diary is correct then the 1/17th London men were a long way from 28. I. 7a. 5. 3 and much closer to other cemetery sites but why a tunneller with riflemen? There is always the possibility of an aid post but I have no firm information on which to base this. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted 6 October , 2009 Share Posted 6 October , 2009 John, You have a real mystery here - I wouldn't even like to guess where to hedge my bets here - but I am gonna watch this thread with interest Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIFTER Posted 6 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2009 A bit more research on the forum and it appears that 177th Tunnelling were at Railway Wood to the East of Ypres at the beginning of July 1917. There also seems to have been orders for those KIA to be removed to a place of burial (see Colin R’s topic on 12th may 2009) so it is possible that the site to the West of Ypres now under a supermarket car park was a semi-official but temporary burial area. Without back-tracking from known graves in other cemeteries I doubt if it’s possible to find out how many bodies were located at the ‘car park’ site, possibly someone with a Body Density Map may be able to help. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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