Lance Corporal: Valenciennes Communal Cemetery 49th Division?

[laughton]

The CWGC documents report an UNKNOWN LANCE CORPORAL (Canadian) found at 51a.E.27.d.2.1 which is immediately south of Valenciennes where the Canadian's and British were overlapping on November 1, 1918.

The problem is that there are no missing Canadians at that time, let alone a Lance Corporal. I have that all detailed on our CEFSG Forum here: (includes maps, lists and documents)

Unknown L/Cpl.: Valenciennes Communal Cemetery 1918

If he is not Canadian then he must be British and I could only find one that fit the criteria, that being Lance Corporal Lamb #54153 of the West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales Own). I am stepping out of my knowledge area here but if I interpret Chris's works correctly then the 1st/5th Battalion is 146th Brigade, 49th British Division. They were on the immediate right flank of the Canadian 10th Brigade, 4th Division.

Can someone check this lad out on the British records and see if it is possible? If you have some other ideas, that is great as well.

[laughton]

Back now following up on "Loose Ends" now that I have Ance$try access to the British War Diaries.

 

Some 21 months after the post above I find it difficult to recall why I focused on Lance Corporal Lamb, If it was because of the date, then Rowan is also a fit and the others are certainly possible.

 

Here is the COG-BR where you can see that the initial UBS Lance Corporal had the word "Canadian" added in red ink:

 

 

You will note that it does not say the date of death was 1 November 1918, as do the ones in the graves above 3.E.21, but that clearly shows on the Headstone Schedule, but now it is just a "Canadian Soldier of the Great War":

 

 

That also appears on the Graves Registration. Note the "x" that indicates that the remains were exhumed for identification.

 

 

Alain went out to the cemetery and that is definitely what is on the headstone:

 

 

It would appear that it is unlikely that we will ever be able to decide if this was really a British Lance Corporal or an Unknown Canadian Private.

 

As noted previously, the Canadian option is recorded here:

 Unknown: F1142 Valenciennes 2.E.16