Where might this wartime cemetery have been?

[Tom Morgan]

Tom

In his service record in the Australian Archives on Page 36 (I think) it is written on his casualty form.

Peter

Thanks, Peter, that's great. The map reference (allowing for the error) does point to a medical establishment nearby as mentioned in the witness statements. I think that Ginchy AP is the likely burial place. It's a fair assumption that there would have been some burials there. Would Pals agree?

Tom

[Peter Woodger]

Tom

The problem is that his burial seems to have been registered, if it was in a registered cemetery then when it could not be found he should have a memorial stone in whichever cemetery the burials from his original cemetery were concentrated to. If his registered burial, not in a registered cemetery, could not be found then he would be commemorated on Villers memorial. IWGC were pretty good at this so I would lean towards an isolated burial.

Do you know if there were other Gunners from the same battery killed at about the same time because their records may also show 60th FA as their place of death and may lead somewhere.

Peter

[Phil Evans]

There is a mention of Robert Barr Windlow on this thread

I haven't looked at his service record but the supporting documents in post #6 show that he was buried at Ginchy Aid Post and Dunner at FA Cemetery at the elusive Ginchy Wood.

Phil

Edit: I've looked through Windlow's record and there is nothing other than he died in the care of 60th Field Ambulance. No place of burial given.

Edited 28 June , 2014 by Phil Evans

[Peter Woodger]

The red spot in square T21 a on the body density map is named in White Cross Atlas as Bouleaux Wood cemetery and appears to be the only wood near to Ginchy. This may help to confuse the situation a bit more.

Peter

[Tom Morgan]

Pete, I was about to refer to R. B. Windlow, but Phil beat me to it. The reference to Bouleaux Wood cemetery has indeed confused matters!

Tom

[Peter Woodger]

Tom and Phil

Windlow's service record shows that he died of wounds, Shell wound to the head, at the 60th FA. The records are silent as to his place of burial.

Peter

[Ken Lees]

Tom

The problem is that his burial seems to have been registered, if it was in a registered cemetery then when it could not be found he should have a memorial stone in whichever cemetery the burials from his original cemetery were concentrated to. If his registered burial, not in a registered cemetery, could not be found then he would be commemorated on Villers memorial. IWGC were pretty good at this so I would lean towards an isolated burial.

I have come across similar circumstances where a man is recorded as having been buried in a formal cemetery but now appears on a memorial to the missing. In my case it was a man whose service record shows that he was buried in the Menin Road South Cemetery, Ypres. He is now commemorated on the Menin Gate and not on a 'known to be buried in this cemetery' headstone in Menin Road South as I would have expected.

[Peter Woodger]

Ken

I believe that it is the exceptions to the general rules that make this sort of work stimulating. It was the anticipation of such examples as yours that made me "lean" towards the isolated burial. Your exception did come a little quicker than I thought.

Did you find any mitigating circumstances for the omission or did you feel that it was a slip under the enormous work load at GR&E. I ask because I came across one man whose burial was reported by a Chaplin but the grave could not be found when the GRU team went to register it. His body was never identified and his name was added to a memorial.

Peter