Northumbrian Miner? Buried Hill 60

[RaySearching]

Just thought i would add a couple of maps to the thread to clarify a couple of locations

Ramparts Cemetery is exactly two miles (as the crow fly's) from Hill 60

so it is likely that Bone was shortly after being killed buried close to where he fell, His body moved to Ramparts Cemetery a short distance away at a later date

Looking at the map there is a town La Bassee not (La Basse) as cutting)

La Bassee being some twenty miles away as the crow fly's) from Hill 60

This town is unlikely to be the La Basse mentioned in the cutting (unless of course the Ist Northumbrian field Coy Headquarters were based there temporarily

It is also possible that the cutting is misleading and not correct ,An error possibly made by the reporter

regards Ray

[seaforths]

Yes Aurel, they are the two places but La Basse Cour Farm ... I had made some notes on the route taken from them arriving at Le Havre to the Hill 60 area. They were billeted Vlamertinghe of course as I said earlier. Just in from work so I will look at the notes and fire up the PC, and your other post. The map I was looking at was 1916 and it was in German hands then but early 1915?

I had an inward chuckle last night after realising I had posted for Phil 'definitely an R' then afterwards realising that I am the one that still sees a t where there is an e! However, I do know that the 6th Seaforth erected a very big wooden memorial cross in one place and think that within days, it had been quite badly damaged by shrapnel etc. I am wondering if that is what has occurred here too.

[seaforths]

Sorry Ray, so intent on typing I didn't see the maps pop-up. The map I was looking at had La Basseville, possibly just a little south west of Warneton. Not sure as I'm still not on the PC but further north near Messines is, as Aurel mentioned La Basse Cour Farm. I will look at my notes from the other night on their route to the front by train and on the march. Could be clutching at straws again with this one and if it throws nothing up, it must be down to newspaper error.

[seaforths]

I don't think there is any way that it could be La Basse Cour farm now I have been able to see my notes and put the locations into a map. But for the record, here is their route:

20th January 1915. Entrained at Gaudes Mare Laudises.

22nd January 1915. Detrained at Cassel and marched to Caestre. Billeted in farm Remi Groye.

2nd February 1915. Left Caestre 07.30am and marched with 85 Bde. to Vlamertinghe via Bailleul and Locre, arriving in billet at 5pm. No 1 section (Lt Stowell) with 85 Bde. at Basseboom.

3rd February 1915. Vlamertinghe - moved to new farm. Started huts.

8th February 1915. Moved to Ypres...

Here the map showing the farm at the top not to be confused with La Basse-ville:



Sometimes, the information given to newspapers was from the family and as I said earlier, perhaps from Basseboom (definitely looks like an 'a' honest!) he wrote home. Basseboom (Busseboom) could have been possibly corrupted to La Basse by the men. Otherwise as you say Ray, a misprint. Will post casualties from Div. in a few minutes...

[seaforths]

28th Divisional Casualties from TNA files

8-13 Feb:

14-20 Feb:

21-26 Feb:

28 Feb-6 Mar:

7-13 Mar:

14-20 Mar:

[seaforths]

Copied casualties across from page 2 so easier to compare without jumping across 2 pages.

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...'

DIV. diaries - nil casualties on 8th and 1 wounded on 9th (presumably Sapper Gibbon above)

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.

DIV. diaries nil casualties on 10th and 11th. 3 killed and 4 wounded on the 12th (ties in with Northumbrians Casualties for 11th)

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

DIV. diaries nil casualties for 13th to 16th inclusive. SAPPER BONE IS MISSING FROM THE DIVISIONAL DIARIES

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.

DIV. diaries have nil casualties for 16th.

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.

Div. diaries for 17th have 1 Officer and 5 OR wounded (ties in with Northumbrian's casualties for 16th)

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

Div. diaries for 18th have 1 OR wounded and 4 OR missing. MISSING ORs NOT SHOWN IN UNIT DIARIES

Div. diaries for 19th have 1 Officer and 2 OR wounded (ties in with Northumbrian's casualties for 18th)

Div. diaries for 20th nil casualties.

Div. diaries for 21st 1 OR killed and 1 OR wounded.

Div. diaries 22nd nil casualties.

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

Div. diaries nil casualties 23rd to 27th inclusive.

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

Div. diaries nil casualties 28th.

MARCH CASUALTIES LOCATION GIVEN AS YPRES:

Div. diaries nil casualties 1st - 3rd inclusive.

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

DIV. diaries 4th 1 OR wounded. (Ties in with Northumbrian's OR for 4th)

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

DIV. diaries 5th 1 Officer wounded (Ties in with Northumbrian's for 4th)

6th March:
Buried Lt. White on ramparts.

DIV. diaries nil casualties for 6th

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

DIV. diaries nil casualties for 7th

DIV. diaries for 8th 1 OR Killed 1 OR Wounded (ties in with Northumbrian's entry for 7th)

10th March:
Sapper Hull(?) wounded at canal bank.

Div. diaries nil casualties for 10th and 11th.

DIV. diaries 12th 1 OR wounded (ties in with Northumbrian's for 10th)

DIV. diaries 13th and 14th nil casualties.

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.

DIV. diaries 15th 1 OR Wounded (ties in with 1 of Northumbrian's ORs for 15th.)

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

DIV. diaries 16th to 18th inclusive nil casualties. SAPPER LANDERS APPEARS TO BE MISSING FROM DIV CASUALTIES

19th March:
Lt. ?????? (1/1st Monmouth) shot through leg in Zillebeke village whilst returning from mines.

DIV. diaries 19th 1 Officer wounded (ties in with Monmouth Offr with Northumbrian's on 19th.)

26th March:
Detachments of 1/1st and 1/3rd Monmouth + tunnelling companies transferred to 171st Field Co. RE.

Edit: to show differences between Unit and Divisional diaries regarding casualties.

[Aurel Sercu]

Well, at least I am convinced now that some men were killed at some distance, then buried (even Rosendal Chateau / Bedford Cem.) or not, and (later) taken to Ramparts Cemetery.

A little surprising to me.

Aurel

[seaforths]

I have just edited my previous post no.81 to show better the any differences in the diaries. Only three which coincidentally include Sapper Bone and Sapper Landers who was buried at Rosendal.

Draperju - as a matter of interest - how do these casualties compare with 83rd Bde diairies?

The following map of the line was forwarded by Draperju so I will post it here and hopefully he will leave his very relevant observation on his next post.

Just thought...I hope post 81 is not now too challenging for anyone with poor colour perception - I did underline the ones which stand out if that helps

[seaforths]

I am wondering about the grave beside him that is not marked. Perhaps a casualty from another Field Coy? I will check the Div. casualty lists tomorrow and see if there is any indication of another death from the Field Coys on 13th Feb although I note that Bone's death is not in the Div. diary. It cannot be Landers he was buried at Rosendal and it can't be Woods buried at or near trench 27 and moved to Ramparts - could it? His death was a few weeks after Bones on 7th March.

I amended my post 81 earlier on casualties but I can't remember checking for Woods in the DIv diaries - oh dear thought I was nearly done for the night too...Oh Woods is fine I see him for both diaries now.

[Phil Evans]

My thought, when I was revising my list, was that the second grave may be Campbell's. He was killed 4 or 5 days after Bone, depending on which date you take as correct.

Phil

[seaforths]

Yes, thanks for reminding me, I missed him and more likely they could have buried Campbell with Bones rather than him being buried in or near trench 27. I will still check the other Field Coys for casualties. It's a pity the camp badges are gone or not visible...

[draperju]

My thoughts for the death of Sapper Bone are:

Divisional Diary

Ruined house at I34c blown up early morning (5am)

The German returned retaliatory artillery fire

Trench I 34b shelled. Rather more shelling than usual.

From the map of the 83rd Brigade Trench 34 is to the right of the Brigade Front

In front of Trench 34 can be seen four buildings. One of these, was the building mined?

George Bone was killed by the German Artillery fire.

Verbrande Mouen is just behind the line at this point of the Front.

Draperju

[Phil Evans]

Draperju,

The map I having been using previously is a little later (September 1915) and on that I can only see one building in 28.I.34.c. It doesn't show up on your map, but is just below where Bde is written. The cluster of four buildings is in 28.I.34.b See extract below:

Phil

[Phil Evans]

I was having problems reading between the two maps, so I have re-orientated a section of the map Draperju posted from the Brigade diary. I have superimposed the grid and added a North point and then in a very rough and ready manner, re-marked the trench numbers the right way up.

It's no masterpiece of cartography, but it's functional.

[seaforths]

I was wary of relying on the 1916 map as giving an accurate reflection on the ground for February 1915. Thanks for annotating Deparju's map it was giving me neck-ache! Thinking of his comment and that of the diary on how Bone was killed, I'm not sure about him being killed by the subsequent and possibly retaliatory shelling, unless shelling activity wreaked havoc in the mine he was working in when he was killed.

You would think they would have had maps and plans of where they were mining. I wonder if these would be at CRE level?? I'm not sure what the next level up would be in terms of diaries. Certainly, I have never seen any plans or diagrams for mining in Infantry diaries where mining has taken place but there must have been some surely?

Given the time of year and the water levels, mining and trench work must have been incredibly difficult. They had only been insitu a short time and I am wondering now, given the distance to the building blown up, whether it was mined or blown up setting charges achieved via above ground methods.

[draperju]

However the War Diary reports that Bone was killed at the entrance to the mine, Northumbria Field Company Diary.

Draperju

[seaforths]

Sorry just re-read. Killed in trench while working in the mine could be construed as entrance to a mine. Still curious as to whether there are diaries that would have maps and diagrams for RE at a higher level than Field Coy?

As you are also reading the diary of the Field Coy. It seems that as well as the Infantry getting a bad handover, the Field Coy also states on take-over something about no list of work completed but they must have had something in the form of work underway or were they starting from scratch? Either way, they must have recorded something somewhere. Monmouth brought in to accelerate mining work etc...

[RaySearching]

Here you are the man himself

Source The Sports Gazette (Middlesbrough) Saturday May 8th 1915

[Devondumpling]

I should like to thank those members who contributed to this thread, you see George Brittain Bone was my great grandfather. I have been researching him for ten years and whilst I had a lot of information about his life, I always wanted to know more. He was baptised on 12th October 1875, at St Justin's in Middlesbrough. Yes, he did lie about his age. His father was a blacksmith and he eventually became a 'nut and bolt market'shimself. We don't know where or when he met my great grandmother, but they were soon married and eventually their first child, Jane was born in Hurst, Northumberland. Unfortunately as was often the case, Jane died very young and then my grandfather, Thomas arrived. We believe it was about this time that he 'went down the mine,'but not for long. I had no idea that he was in the territorials during The Boer war, nor that he had received medals for the same.

I knew of course that he was KIA but I thought he was in the building that was hit. As I learn more and more of his involvement in Hill 60 and his subsequent death near the mine,(incidentally, is that mine as in tunnel or mine as explosives?), and burial then 're-burial', I felt even more of a connection with him. When I came across the image of him posted in March this year, (thank you, thank you, thank you for that!), I was so grateful and overcome I cried.

His young family mourned him all their lives and his sons, Thomas 'Geordie' Bone, James 'Jim' Bone both joined the Royal Engineers themselves and fought in WW II.

I shall now 're - read these posts again having recovered from the shock that my great grandfather's small and very short military career in WWI is acknowledged.

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.

DD

[RaySearching]

Now look what,s happened Seaforths, You have got Devondumpling in tears

As an aside

Georges brother Thomas Bone also enlisted

Thomas initially enlisted in Middlesbrough on the 28^th August 1914 giving his age as 28 and his occupation as a fitters labourer (Pte 5011) 10^th Northumberland Fusiliers and was discharged from service as medically unfit on the 17^th Sept 1914 having served for only 21 days

Thomas undeterred re-enlisted again in Middlesbrough

He re-enlisted on the 29^th October 1915 whilst residing at 78 Wilson Street Middlesbrough

giving his age as 29 and his occupation as a labourer

Placed in the 12^th (S) Battalion Yorkshire Regiment ( Pte 24029) posted to the 14^th Bn joining the Battalion at Marton Camp He was again on the 24^th Dec 1915 discharged from service as not likely to be an efficient soldier (Thomas suffered from epilepsy, having had a fit at Marton Camp)

(Source pension doc’s F.M.P

Three months later

Source N.E.D.G 5th April 1916

Source N.E.D.G 6th April 1916

although his death at home after discharge was not related to his military service and he is not commemorated by the CWGC

Thomas along with his brother is commemorated on Middlesbrough war memorial

I presume their names put forward for inclusion by their parents after the war

Thomas is listed as having served with the Yorkshire Regiment on the memorial roll

Regards Ray

Edit N.E.D.G (North Eastern Daily Gazette)

[RaySearching]

and the memorial panel

Regards Ray

[Devondumpling]

Hello Ray,

Our 'mail' crossed I see

Strangely enough I was just looking into Thomas's military career or non career, so many thanks for that and the images you posted of the newspaper articles and the Middlesbrough WWI memorial panel.

I am about to visit my mother in a care home and she has never seen a photo of her grandfather. She is 83 and I know she will be enthralled to learn of the new information I can now give her.

best wishes

DD

[RaySearching]

The Inquest into Thomas bone's death

N.E.D.G 17th April 1916

Regards Ray

[gmac101]

This map shows the layout of trenches at hill 60 in April 15. It's from a RWK war diary - they were involved in the attacks of late April early May 1915. There is a map in Nigel Caves book on Hill 60 which shows the mine entrances in use in early 1915. M1 and M2 were in Trench 40, slightly to the east of Hill 60. The entrance to M3 was from the end of Trench 38 furthest from the Railway. Hope this is useful

[seaforths]

Sorry folks been away from the scene with family issues to resolve.

Some amazing additions in my absence and his photograph too! Thank you for posting.

Devondumpling - please PM your email address to me and I will send you the photograph of the original grave plus the other one I believe was taken nearby. They are copyrighted to a museum archive which is why I cannot post them publicly. I know from my own experience it is very humbling and emotional to be given something on the Forum on a relative you have researched for so very long. The photograph taken nearby, as I've said in previous posts, features a bridge (handwritten caption: The Railway Cutting at Hill 60 which I think must be here circled by me on the map posted by bmac101 (thank you):