2/5th Duke of Wellington's (West Riding)

[doogal]

Hi,

I've been working through lists of 2/5th & 5th Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) casualties from the actions fought between 21st March 1918 and 31st March 1918 in the Bucquoy/Rossignol Wood area. In line with what is indicated in the divisional quartemaster's war diary, many are buried in the Bienvillers cemetery, but the dates are not quite as I expected - most of them are about two weeks out, many noted as KIA on and around 9th-14th April 1918, with none (that I have found) kia between 21st and 31st March. Other units from the 62nd West Riding Regiment from this action are at this cemetery and their dates fall between 21st and 31st March.

This leaves me with a few questions that I hope someone may be able to help with:

1. Did the 2/5th Dukes become involved in further actions in mid-April, so accounting for the casualties I have found? Or are these more than likely either the mortally wounded and/or recovered men from the battlefield being interred, but with the "wrong" dates for those who were recovered from the battlefield.

2. Are there other cemeteries close by where members of the 2/5th Dukes would have been buried - so accounting for their abscence from the Bienvillers cemetery, where most of their division's casualties from this period are buried?

3. In general, the final question: The 2/5th suffered 30 casualties during this time, yet I have not found one man from the 2/5th or 5th Dukes listed as a casualty between 21st and 31st March 1918 in the Bienvillers Cemetery (yet). Of course, there are 400 and more unidentified burials here, but can the whole battalion's KIA have been put down as unidentified? Where are they??

with thanks

doogal

[doogal]

Hi,

Some answers to the above questions follow.

First of all, I contacted the CWGC and they have kindly sent me a list of all members of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment listed as killed or missing between 25th March 1918 and 1st April 1918 (inclusive). If anyone wants me to have a look through them for any names from the Dukes, I can do this. It gives the memorial and/or the graveyard plus the details normally associated. These will be available on the CWGC site if you know the names to start with, but it may shorten a search if you are looking for Dukes who may have served alongside on another, and you don't have their names.

Answer to question one:

Don't really know the answer to this yet, but considering the amount of wounded listed between 25th march and 1st April, the names I looked at were most likely died of wounds.

answer to question two:

From the list sent to me by CWGC, yes there are other cemeteries that casualties from this action were buried in, and it does account for their abscence, from the appointed Bienvillers Cemetery:

DOULLENS COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION No.1 - Somme

FONCQUEVILLERS MILITARY CEMETERY - Pas de Calais (1 Dukes buried here for the stated period of time)

GEZAINCOURT COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION - Somme

GOMMECOURT BRITISH CEMETERY No.2, HEBUTERNE - Pas de Calais

HUMBERCAMPS COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION - Pas de Calais

ST. HILAIRE CEMETERY, FREVENT - Pas de Calais

ST. SEVER CEMETERY EXTENSION, ROUEN - Seine-Maritime

answer to question three:

Apart from those listed as missing, the above cemeteries hold the rest of the 2/5th, 5th and 1/5th Dukes KIA during this time. However, there are quite a few listed as having no known grave on the Arras Memorial

Well, that's where I've got to. As my Gt grandfather is firmly listed as KIA (rather than missing), and his platoon commander states he was buried (I am for the moment choosing to believe his letter for no better reason that it is the nearest mention we have of his fate from a contemporary), this is where I will start a new thread - looking for details/sources of information on the vast quantity of unkown burials listed across these cemeteries. A long and most likely fruitless job, but somehow worth a punt throughout the approaching winter. If anyone reading this thread has any information or pointers, all help will be gratefully recieved.

regards

doogal