Four sergeants, a corporal and a private.

[Michael Pegum]

On 25th October, 1917, north-west of Ypres, the British West Indies Regiment sustained an odd cluster of deaths: Serjeant C. Brown, Serjeant G. Browne, Serjeant W. Cunah and Serjeant H. Johnson, together with Corporal Adrian A. Davis and Private James Williams. They were buried in Canada Farm Cemetery (III. G. 22 - 27). Two privates of the same regiment had died three days previously, and one private died five days later, so it wasn't part of a pattern.

Does this suggest that the Sergeant's Mess was hit by a shell? Is there any other situation in which this pattern of ranks could have been involved?

If anyone has access to a war diary, the problem might be solved.

Michael

[ss002d6252]

Certainly some sort of meeting or group that caused the serjeants to be gathered together - does the war diary still exist ?

Craig

[Tom Tulloch-Marshall]

... - does the war diary still exist ?

Which battalion of the BWIR is being talked about ???

Tom

[Michael Pegum]

They were all in the 7th Battalion.

Michael

[IPT]

There's a reference in another forum to five 7th Battalion men winning the MM after putting out fires at Marengo ammunition dump near Boesinghe after it was hit by an incendiary bomb in the middle of the night. This was supposed to be November 1917.

May not be relevant, but I thought i'd mention it.

[Tom Tulloch-Marshall]

They were all in the 7th Battalion.

Michael

7th Bn BWIR war diaries 1/6/17 till 31/12/17 are at TNA under file ref WO95/409.

Tom