Northumbrian Miner? Buried Hill 60

[seaforths]

Aurel I tried 'Bert' last night as a stab in the dark and lots of Berts appeared - all first names! Then I remembered there is an issue with CWGC since they do not separate the first and second names any more in the search facility. It is nigh on impossible to find someone who has a first name as a surname so names like Duncan, George etc if they are a surname...problems.

Now I have found the Colonel that was in two of the other photos of the album. He was 10th Liverpool Scottish of 9th Bde. 3rd Div. So it is possible that the person who took all these photographs was Liverpool Scottish because 17th February to 2nd April 1915 the 9th Brigade were transferred from 3rd Division to 28th Division. That would have given him an opportunity for taking a photograph of a Sapper's grave. Therefore, Bent/Bones/Bert would have only died a few days previously to their temporary transfer.

Phil, thanks for posting the photograph it surprises me that the cemetery looks like a battlefield in itself and not what I envisaged an 'organised' cemetery to look like. Especially seeing the cluster of crosses together in the background (behind the kneeling man). I have seen some images of others in trench type graves so the crosses are very close together but not as close as those.

Two tasks I have set myself this evening (on top of domestic engineering and dog walking) will be digging around in diaries and faffing with that image. It is a pity that what appears above the date of death is not clearer. The only thing I thought of is service number but Bones only has 4 digits and that looks longer but then again...could be wrong...could be 4 very blurry digits.

[RaySearching]

K.I.A at La Basse ?

cutting source North Eastern Evening Gazette 25/04/1915

Son of Thomas and Jane Bone (nee Brittain)

commemorated on Mbro war mem

regards Ray

[seaforths]

Thanks Phil for the diary link. I have downloaded it. Good news! All casualties named daily with service numbers too. Bad news! Handwriting is atrocious and I have to take out my 4 legged friend because reading that writing might take a little longer than anticipated. Initial quick read it looks like Bone on the 13th. Will post again when I've had the chance to read days either side properly.

Oh Ray just caught your post. Diary has him and cause of death will post more in a little while - must nip out with the dog who is now looking at me with paws crossed!

[seaforths]

Ok diary seems to be detailed in terms of casualties but difficult to locate them exactly as there are no map refs and locations are pretty vague. Arrived Havre 19th January 1915 and 8th February moved to Ypres via Vlamertinghe. Exact quote for 8th is:

'Moved to YPRES. Billetted in Rue de Lombard. No. 1132 Sapper JB Gibbon wounded.Spent whole of week 9/2/15-13/2/15 in trenches...'

Next entry is 11th:

Shell burst at door of billet and killed following: 987 Sapper T Graham, 970 Dvr. A Luke, 991 ??? J Wilson, 104 QMS JH Curtis (died 12/2/15). Wounded by same shell 767 Sapper GW Vardy, 1279 ?? JW Ferguson, 1241 ?? WT Scott.

Next entry also YPRES is for 13th:

Nr. 1086 Sapper GB Bone killed in the trenches while at work in the mine.

Next entry same location for 16th:

????? wounded in neck by our own shrapnel. Following also wounded 677 ??? H Thompson, 1261 Sapper JW Caudle(?), 1196 Sapper T Dodds(?), 887 Sapper N Harding, 1538 Sapper JF Taylor.

17th entry for same location reads:

Took Co. up to S Trench to dig. Wounded 529 L/C T Burn, 1363 Sapper FC Matheson, 1327 Sapper TW Milford, Sapper JR Henderson. Killed 1336 Sapper A Campbell.

18th Entry reads:

Took party to S Trench. 2Lt Stroud shot through legs. Injured 1316 Sapper W Speck, 1487 Sapper F Jordan.

Also an entry on 23rd that reads:

Advised that Driver Scott is dead (Died 23/2/15)

On the above I have put in question marks where I cannot read the word accurately if a name I've had a guess and put a question mark. I don't think there can be any doubt it is GB Bone's grave in the photograph. It is also clear that he was killed and not wounded.

There is also another photograph of graves in the album but I won't torture anyone with it as the names are quite unreadable and the caption is 'Somewhere in Flanders' quite mysterious but they seem to be in a better state than the ones in Ramparts after the Armistice.

I will have a look at some of the locations Aurel posted but it is a shame that they have been so meticulous in recording their casualties but not much to go on regarding locations. La Basse might be correct in the newspaper cutting as by then his family might have received a letter from his Commanding Officer with a little more detail.

[Phil Evans]

I have been through all the NRE casualties for 1915. My original list are all the 1 NRE casualties buried in Belgium. There are two 2 NRE casualties from May and June who were relocated in Sanctuary Wood post-Armistice. None in Hooge Crater or Perth (China Wall) or any of the other concentration cemeteries.

Interestingly, the only graves that are obviously out of date order in the Plot C section where all the 1 NRE are buried, are Bone and Campbell.

Have you got to the March casualties yet Marjorie?

Phil

[seaforths]

Not yet, I was going to back track on what I had posted so far and cross refer with the CWGC details you posted earlier and Aurel's earlier post. However if you are keeping tabs on them as I am posting, I will push on through into March...

[seaforths]

Okay so March casualties first entry is 4th March:

2Lt. Lancaster wounded of trench 27. Sapper Watcliffs wounded also Private Lewis(?)

Next entry states 1/3/15 - 7/3/15 VLAMMERTINGE and casualties that are entered are not named on next two pages. However, confusingly, the diary then on the next page begins 5th March. Okay figured it out. They have inserted two pages of the North Midland Field Company diaries in the Northumbrian. So 4th March entry above is correct...so moving on...interesting entry 5th March location give Ypres:

Lt. White wounded on night 4/5. Died on 5th at S Jean(?) Hospital at 5pm.

6th March: Buried Lt. White on ramparts.

7th March: Sergt(?) Words(?) killed at no. 27 trench and buried there. Sapper Macky(?) wounded and sent to hospital.

Next casualty is 10th March: Sapper Hull wounded at canal bank.

15th March: ???? Taylor H. shot through leg in new trench on St Eloi Road. Rifleman D Howels and Private RJ Bastion(?) wounded.

16th March: Sapper S Landers shot at trench in St Eloi Rd and died same night buried at Rosendal(?) Chateau.

Last entry for March concerning casualties is an entry of 19th March: Lt. ?????? shot through leg in Zillebeke village whilst returning from mines.

It seems reading the extra information that some men were attached from another unit and I will check and post on that tomorrow - tired eyes. The man who wrote the diaries must have engraved his cross because his hand writing is difficult and nigh on impossible to read in some places but thankfully, he did record his casualties extremely well.

[seaforths]

I've just checked LLT for information about the other unit, from which there were also casualties. The diary was difficult to read and I thought it said Monmouth and Monmouthshire but couldn't be sure. Later on it said men returned to 171st. Checking this out LLT states for 171st:

'Formed of a small number of specially enlisted miners, with troops selected from the Monmouthshire Siege Company,RE. First employed in March 1915 in the Hill 60/Bluff areas at Ypres.'

I will have a look at March casualties again and amend my previous post. It might be possible now to identify those casualties that were Monmouth men

[seaforths]

Phil, just copying your casualty list across from previous page to this page and hope you don't mind. It's easier to scroll up and down than to jump back and forth between pages. On CWGC, there may be casualties for 171st in Ramparts too:

Edit: I note a difference in date of death from the diary for Campbell by one day. Also my transcription of Sergt Words must be Woods.

[Aurel Sercu]

So Landers, who is now at Ramparts Cem. (C.28, Bone's neighbour), originally was buried at Rosendal (= Bedford Cem.). Odd. (As it is a concentration cemetery)

Ray,

You wrote :

"commemorated on Mbro war mem"

What does Mbro stand for ?

Aurel

[seaforths]

Aurel, it stands for Middlesbrough.

Edit: Also guessing La Basse is near Verbranden Molen. I was looking at the map I posted earlier and I possibly cropped it out not having seen the newspaper article, I wasn't looking for it at the time. I will have another look.

2nd Edit: A possible burial location Larch Wood 'near Verbranden Molen' seems to have been a number of burials here at some point. Also close three burial sites in The Ravine. La Basse - nearest reference I can find - Basseville Cabaret. However this looks some distance away...

[Guest basher]

I've just checked LLT for information about the other unit, from which there were also casualties. The diary was difficult to read and I thought it said Monmouth and Monmouthshire but couldn't be sure. Later on it said men returned to 171st. Checking this out LLT states for 171st:

'Formed of a small number of specially enlisted miners, with troops selected from the Monmouthshire Siege Company,RE. First employed in March 1915 in the Hill 60/Bluff areas at Ypres.'

I will have a look at March casualties again and amend my previous post. It might be possible now to identify those casualties that were Monmouth men

There would have been some men from 3 Monmouthshire on Hill 60 in early 1915. My great Uncle died there in early May 1915, possibly in a gas attack but we have no real details. The info we have is sparse, but I believe that 3 Mon may have suffered heavy losses elsewhere and the relatively few men still available were attached to another unit, therefore the records showing 3 Mon there may be limited.

[seaforths]

The handwriting in the diaries I am reading of 1st Northumbrian Field Coy. is extremely untidy and not easy to read. The reference to Monmouthshire men is clearer now that I read the information below this morning:

http://www.1914-1918.net/tunnelcoyre.htm

Scroll right down to the units and under 171st (to which the diary states the men returned to) you will see the Monmouthshire reference to the miners. They weren't there as a unit but they were attached to the 1st Northumbrian Field Coy. temporarily. I am not on the PC at the moment but I will edit my previous post on casualties and insert the Monmouth references as I now understand the words to be.

[draperju]

To whom it may be of interest but I have a picture of Sapper Bone obtained from the Illustrated Chronicle .

He also appears on the Ashington War memorial and when I get all the information on him.

www.ashingtonmemorial.com

Best wishes

Draperju

[RaySearching]

Draperju

The "Bone" on Ashington war memorial is W Bone Northumberland Fusiliers

The photo that you have from the Illustrated Chronicle is it William Bone Northumberland Fusiliers or George Brittain Bone (1st Northumbrian) Field Coy Royal Engineers

regards Ray

[draperju]

There are two Bones on Ashington War Memorial

W Bone NF

and G B Bone RE

The photo is of Sapper Bone RE

Best wishes

Draperju

[RaySearching]

Draperju

​Thanks got it now, They are listed on separate panels on the memorial

Would love to see the photo could you post it on the forum ?

or I could let you have my e mail address and I will post it for you

Regards Ray

[Phil Evans]

Thanks Marjorie for re-posting the table. It was driving me mad keep going back a page.

There are photos of their individual headstones at the bottom of this page and top of the next.

I have now amended the table with the burial information - interesting to say the least.

Phil

[seaforths]

I think it would be great to see a photograph of Sapper Bone and look forward to seeing it hopefully if it gets posted here.

Phil thanks for the update I am just about to start going through the casualties once again and will update from last night where I can and if I am still stuck, I will have to post extracts for help deciphering. I haven't been too far off the mark with my guesses so far but it needs to be better than guess work...nearly had a fit clicked on the grave of Curtis from your link and I used to live a few streets away as a kid when my parents moved down from Scotland! That was scary!

There are some strange things with these burials - especially as Aurel pointed out that Rosendal was a concentration cemetery. Another indication perhaps that these men were moved before the post war concentrations began. Shame the diaries don't give locations and map refs for the areas they are in - righto off to the diaries...

Aurel, if you are watching tonight where might La Basse be from the newspaper cutting saying where he died?

[Langdon]

K.I.A at La Basse ?

cutting source North Eastern Evening Gazette 25/04/1915

Son of Thomas and Jane Bone (nee Brittain)

commemorated on Mbro war mem

regards Ray

Been puzzled by this reference to La Basse. More French than Belgian. It can't be La Bassée near Neuve Chapelle. There's the Bassevillebeek (SE of Ypres) but was it behind German lines then? Could it be an editor mistaking Basseije (SW of Ypres) for La Bassée?

Mike

[RaySearching]

Hi Marjorie

I am sure this thread is going to veer of in a different direction from your initial query

Meanwhile here is some additional info on George including a small query

1875

George was born in 1875 in Middlesbrough (birth registered Oct qtr of 1875)

He was the son of Thomas Bone and Jane Bone (nee Brittain)

1891 census

George can be found on the 1891 census aged 16 residing with his widowed grandmother a confectioner along with his sister Ann and brother Thomas at 7 Willow Street Middlesbrough employed as a nut and bolt maker

1898

George married Edith May Waldock in Morpeth Nothumberland

1901 census

George can be found on the 1901 census residing with his wife and daughter Jane at 53 Maple Street Bedlington Nothumberland employed as a coal trimmer/ hewer in a local coal mine

1911

George can be found on the 1911 census residing with his sons Thomas and Norman at 23 Juliet Street Ashington Northumberland also residing at the property are his parents Thomas and Jane and his brother Thomas

His wife Edith and remaining three children Evelyn Eliza and John are on the 1911 census visiting

John and Jane Waldock (his wife’s parents) at 8 aged Miners Cottage Ashington

George’s service records show that he was previously a serving soldier called up from army reserves at the outbreak of the war and re-enlisted in Newcastle

George having served at some point during the Boer War (awarded the South African Medal and two clasp’s )

I am surmising that as George is shown as a miner on the 1901 census, That George must have

enlisted initially shortly after 1901

I cannot see George having served prior to 1901 would this be a fair assumption?

regards Ray

[seaforths]

Been puzzled by this reference to La Basse. More French than Belgian. It can't be La Bassée near Neuve Chapelle. There's the Bassevillebeek (SE of Ypres) but was it behind German lines then? Could it be an editor mistaking Basseije (SW of Ypres) for La Bassée?

Mike

Mike I think you are right I have struggled to reconcile that piece of information from the newspaper. However, there is something about them being billeted in a location sounding similar before they reached Hill 60 when they were at Vlamertinghe. Given the speed at which he arrived in France and a few weeks later he was dead, I wonder if the last his family heard from him was from that location and they have assumed that is where he died. I am digging around in the diaries just now so will post that one up in a while.

[seaforths]

Hi Marjorie

I am sure this thread is going to veer of in a different direction from your initial query

Meanwhile here is some additional info on George including a small query

1875

George was born in 1875 in Middlesbrough (birth registered Oct qtr of 1875)

He was the son of Thomas Bone and Jane Bone (nee Brittain)

1891 census

George can be found on the 1891 census aged 16 residing with his widowed grandmother a confectioner along with his sister Ann and brother Thomas at 7 Willow Street Middlesbrough employed as a nut and bolt maker

1898

George married Edith May Waldock in Morpeth Nothumberland

1901 census

George can be found on the 1901 census residing with his wife and daughter Jane at 53 Maple Street Bedlington Nothumberland employed as a coal trimmer/ hewer in a local coal mine

1911

George can be found on the 1911 census residing with his sons Thomas and Norman at 23 Juliet Street Ashington Northumberland also residing at the property are his parents Thomas and Jane and his brother Thomas

His wife Edith and remaining three children Evelyn Eliza and John are on the 1911 census visiting

John and Jane Waldock (his wife’s parents) at 8 aged Miners Cottage Ashington

George’s service records show that he was previously a serving soldier called up from army reserves at the outbreak of the war and re-enlisted in Newcastle

George having served at some point during the Boer War (awarded the South African Medal and two clasp’s )

I am surmising that as George is shown as a miner on the 1901 census, That George must have

enlisted initially shortly after 1901

I cannot see George having served prior to 1901 would this be a fair assumption?

regards Ray

Ray I don't mind if there is information emerging from different sources. If there is information comes to light that might assist with those researching Monmouth units or for those researching Ashington/Middlesbrough Memorials that can only be a good thing for those concerned. I will have another look at his service record but it looked like previous service with more than one unit and if memory serves me right, Territorial Artillery and Yeomanry but I will check and come back on that one as well. I think a date of 1901 would be assumption but how long on reserve? 2 years? 4 years? He was still eligible and they didn't waste any time pulling him in despite his years and all those bairns! I think I also recall seeing that they had trouble making contact with his widow as she had remarried by 1919 and moved to Blyth.

Edited: type

[seaforths]

FEBRUARY CASUALTIES LOCATIONS ALL GIVEN AS YPRES:

2nd February:

Arriving at Vlamertinghe No 1 Section (Lt ????) with 85th and billeted at Basseboom(?)

8th February is:
'Moved to YPRES. Billetted in Rue de Lombard. No. 1132 Sapper JB Gibbon wounded. Spent whole of week 9/2/15-13/2/15 in trenches...'

11th February:
Shell burst at door of billet and killed following: 987 Sapper T Graham, 970 Dvr. A Luke, 991 Dvr J Wilson, 104 QMS JH Curtis (died 12/2/15). Wounded by same shell 767 Sapper GW Vardy, 1279 Dvr JW Ferguson, 1241 Dvr WT Scott.

13th February:
Nr. 1086 Sapper GB Bone killed in the trenches while at work in the mine.

16th February:
????? wounded in neck by our own shrapnel. Following also wounded 677 L/Cpl H Thompson, 1261 Sapper JW Caudle, 1196 Sapper T Dodds, 887 Sapper N Harding, 1538 Sapper JF Taylor.

17th February:
Took Co. up to S Trench to dig. Wounded 529 L/C T Burn, 1363 Sapper FC Matheson, 1327 Sapper TW Milford, Sapper JR Henderson. Killed 1336 Sapper A Campbell.

18th February:
Took party to S Trench. 2Lt Stroud shot through legs. Injured 1316 Sapper W Speck, 1487 Sapper F Jordan.

23rd February:
Advised that Driver Scott is dead (Died 23/2/15)

27th February:
Lt. ???? and 2Lt Lancaster + 80 men of Monmouths arrived.

Edit 1: If anyone can help decipher the writing below for the above entries it would be much appreciated:

2nd Feb:

16th Feb:

27th Feb:

MARCH CASUALTIES LOCATION GIVEN AS YPRES:

First entry is 4th March:
2Lt. Lancaster wounded of trench 27. Sapper Watcliffs(?) wounded also Private Lewis

5th March:
Lt. White wounded on night 4/5. Died on 5th at S Jean(?) Hospital at 5pm.

6th March:

Buried Lt. White on ramparts.

7th March:

Sergt Woods killed at no. 27 trench and buried there. Sapper Macky(?) wounded and sent to hospital.

10th March:

Sapper Hull(?) wounded at canal bank.

15th March: L/Cpl Taylor H. shot through leg in new trench on St Eloi Road. Rifleman D Howels (1/1st Monmouth) and Private RJ Bastion(?) (1/3rd Monmouth) wounded.

16th March:

Sapper S Landers shot at trench in St Eloi Rd and died same night buried at Rosendal Chateau.

19th March:

Lt. ?????? (1/1st Monmouth) shot through leg in Zillebeke village whilst returning from mines.

26th March:

Detachments of 1/1st and 1/3rd Monmouth + tunnelling companies transferred to 171st Field Co. RE.

Above is a revisit on Feb and March casualties Monmouth info added and pre arrival at Ypres the location Basseboom? Still a few question marks around. I will post up shots of the ones I really can't decipher preceded by diary date.

Edit 2: Ditto edit 1. I can't decipher these entries either:

4th March:

5th March:

7th March:

10th March:

15th March:

19th March:

[seaforths]

Ray here is the previous service for GB Bone:

Assume he would have another medal card somewhere for South Africa.