L/Cpl George Henry Sutton - KIA Xmas day 1914

[SgtPrice]

Remembering my Great Uncle, George Henry Sutton, 1st Leicestershire Regiment, killed on Xmas day 1914 whilst taking part in the Xmas truce near Bois Grenier. Remembered and not forgotten. His picture is my profile picture. I visited the location where he died last year on Xmas Day, a very moving experience.

PrivatePrice.

[SgtPrice]

Pete,

The location of the trenches occupied by the 1st Leicestershire Regiment is quite easy to find. Drive south out of Bois Grenier on the D22/Rue de Bas for about 500 meters when you will come to a junction with a road on the left, the Chemin de la Patenerie. Proceed along this road even though there is a sign saying it is for locals only! After 500 meters there is a dog leg in the road. Continue along the road for about another 300 meters after the dog leg and there is a farm on the left hand side, the Grand Flamergerie, which was used as a company HQ during the fighting. Just further along on the right is a entrance to an electrical substation. In the past I have parked here and walked up to the top of the railway bridge next to the substation. From here you can look towards the German lines on your right. Behind you British communication trenches would have linked Bois Grenier to the allied trenches. If you take a copy of a trench map with you as we did last time you really get a good idea of where all the relevant features were located. Hope this helps.

Stuart

[Fattyowls]

Stuart

Thanks for this; I know exactly where you mean because I've stood on the bridge over the Eurostar line myself. My footballer, Wilf Toman was mortally wounded in May 1917 just to the right of the railway lines as you look back with Bois Grenier on your left and with the German lines (now the electricity installation) behind you. He's buried in Erquinghem-Lys Churchyard Extension which suggests to Jack and I that he was carried back. In a further coincidence the farm is one of the locations where Lt Reginald Porter may have been killed at the end of October 1914 as the lines crystalised in the area.

Was L/Cpl. Price out of the trenches when he was killed? The IWM have a photograph of British and German soldiers meeting in no-man's-land at Le Bridoux less than a mile away, just where the road swings round towards the farm. One of my Kiwi footballers, Harold Boyne was mortally wounded there in a trench raid in February 1917, and there is a memorial cairn to the 2/10th Liverpool Scottish there too. Small world.

Pete.

[SgtPrice]

Pete,

L/Cpl Sutton was killed whilst taking part in the Xmas day truce. From all accounts he had got out of the trenches and was walking towards the Saxon regiment who were opposite, them to meet up when he and another soldier from the 1/Leicesters were killed by a sniper from a neighbouring Prussian regiment. His body was not recovered and he is remembered at the Plogestreet memorial. The Bttn war diary just states that 2 O/R were killed on Xmas day and does mention that the regiment took part in the truce. I think that might be because it wanted to down play its involvement due to some generals not being too happy with what had happened in No Mans Land.

Stuart

[RGCMBE007]

I'm working through a long list of Leicestershire Regiment casualties (my Grandfather and Father served in Leicestershire Regiment, WW1 and WW2, both survived) and came across this string; you might want to know about this entry for L/Cpl Sutton  I've started where you may wish to add detail: https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org/lifestory/4326567

Kind regards Bob

[RGCMBE007]

These are my entries:

 

Cemetery/Memorial: Commemorated on PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL, Hainaut, Belgium, Panel 4

Added by Robert Cobley

Nature of Death: Killed in Action, The "Christmas Truce" was experienced on this sector (page 35 of "Fighting Tigers" but hostilities apparently resumed on this day

Added by Robert Cobley

Place of Death: KIA near Bois Grenier, Belgium

Added by Robert Cobley

Age On: 27

Added by Robert Cobley