Help please and advice would be great.

[deacs]

One of the casualty's that i am researching from Cockermouth is remembered on Thiepval war memorial, but this weekend whilst looking through "The West Cumberland Times" dated 4th October 1916. It says in the paper that his body was found and buried.

He was missing from 1st July 1916.

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/810241/ROUTLEDGE,%20JOSEPH%20LAMB

Any help and advice would be welcome.

[IPT]

Unfortunately, many graves were known but then later destroyed as ground was taken and retaken during later stages of the war. Many would have been obliterated by artillery.

It's possible that this was what happened in this case.

[ss002d6252]

Many bodies are on the memorial at Thiepval because, although they were buried, the graves were later destroyed.

Craig

[tullybrone]

Hi,

The probable reason is that after he was buried the grave was destroyed by shelling etc.

Same thing happened to one of my uncles KIA 14.7.16 who is also on Thiepval Memorial.

Regards

Steve Y

[deacs]

Thanks i did think this could have been the case unfortunately.

Regards Mike.

[Tom Morgan]

And there were many who were buried, and their graves marked at the time, but the remains couldn't be identified when they were found later. About half of the 73,000 men named on the Thiepval Memorial are buried in unidentified graves in cemeteries in the area.

Tom

[kenf48]

If you take a look at CWGC for 1/7 and 2/7 and 16th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers of the 58 casualties over 40 'of his comrades' which the newspaper says he was buried with are on the Thiepval Memorial, suggesting 'the cemetery' referred to was destroyed.

Ken