Gordon Dump Cemetery Case #1 - Unknown 2nd Lt 4th Middlesex Regiment

[laughton]

There is an Unknown 2nd Lieutenant of the 4th Bn Middlesex Regiment (LLT Link) in Plot 4 Row O Grave 8 at the Gordon Dump Cemetery. He is not named on either the COG-BR 2149684 nor on the GRRF 2004384.

 

There are no Second Lieutenants on the Thiepval Memorial for this unit during the period of July 1st to 3rd 1916.

 

There is a list of Officer Casualties available (war diary page 7 of 285) many of whom are in a Collective Grave with One Cross in Plot 4 Row K). I was able to account for all of the officers in the Gordon Dump Cemetery, except for Captain Rowley who died of wounds.
 

• Captain O. R. F. Johnston - Gordon Dump Cemetery
• Captain D. C. L. Rowley - D. T. C. Rowley - Warley-Baillion Communal Cemetery Extension
• Lieutenant A. Sapte - Captain A. Sapte - Gordon Dump Cemetery 4.M.1 (his grave was transferred from within the cemetery, found at 57d.X.26.d.8.6)
• Lieutenant G. L. C. Ridpath - Gordon Dump Cemetery
• 2nd Lieutenant A. Branch - Gordon Dump Cemetery
• 2nd Lieutenant A. G. Chambers - Gordon Dump Cemetery
• 2nd Lieutenant A. A. H. Johnston - listed as Lieutenant Gordon Dump Cemetery
• 2nd Lieutenant S. P. Churchfield - Gordon Dump Cemetery
• 2nd Lieutenant A. H. Winn-Sampson - Gordon Dump Cemetery (CWGC dropped hyphenated last name)
• 2nd Lieutenant W. J. Wood - Gordon Dump Cemetery
• 2nd Lieutenant E. Peyton - Gordon Dump Cemetery
• 2nd Lieutenant E. W. Whitby - Gordon Dump Cemetery
• 2nd Lieutenant A. F. C. Paxton - Gordon Dump Cemetery
• Second Lieutenant G. R. Money - Gordon Dump Cemetery
• Second Lieutenant P. Barnett - Gordon Dump Cemetery

 

The COG-BR 2149684 is missing the letter "X" but that is where the battalion was located (51d.X.27) during that period in early July 1916. There is a good McMaster Map combination for MONTAUBAN that covers 62d.F and 57d.X, the two adjoining sectors around FRICOURT, just to the west of MAMETZ.  You will note that FRICOURT FARM is in 57d.X.28.c. The War Diary mentions the "German Tambour" which can be seen on that map at 62d.F.3.c.5.8. There is also reference to Sunken Road, which may be Sunken Road Trench in sector 62d.F.9.b (war diary page 4 of 285).

 

I have looked at the Lieutenants and Second Lieutenant list for the Thiepval Memorial for this period and they are all listed for 1 July 1916 but there are none from the 4th Battalion Middlesex Regiment. Only Lieutenant Alan Foster Paterson has no battalion affiliation listed but is attached to the 2nd Bn Royal Fusiliers, who were farther north at Beaumont-Hamel (war diary page 21 of 351). He is listed as a 2nd Lieutenant on the UKNA Officers database.

 

surname	forename	Rank	death	Middlesex Regiment	Secondary Regiment	UKNA
SCRUBY	WILLIAM SAMUEL	2nd Lieutenant	29-06-16	12th Bn.
EDINGBOROUGH	NOEL DUNCAN	2nd Lieutenant	01-07-16	15th Bn.	Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)
ASSER	HAROLD EDWARD	2nd Lieutenant	01-07-16	16th Bn.
ORR	JAMES KENNETH	2nd Lieutenant	01-07-16	16th Bn.
BARKER	HAROLD WILLIAM	Lieutenant	01-07-16	16th Bn.
FORGE	WILLIAM FREDERICK	2nd Lieutenant	01-07-16	2nd Bn.
FROST	ALFRED INGO	2nd Lieutenant	01-07-16	2nd Bn.
SPATZ	WALTER	2nd Lieutenant	01-07-16	2nd Bn.
WILSON	JOHN	2nd Lieutenant	01-07-16	2nd Bn.
SCOTT	GORDON	Lieutenant	01-07-16	2nd Bn.
VAN DEN BOK	FREDERICK	2nd Lieutenant	01-07-16	2nd Bn. "A" Coy.
WOOD	HARRY DOUTY	2nd Lieutenant	01-07-16	3rd Bn. attd. 2nd Bn.
PATERSON	ALAN FOSTER	Lieutenant	01-07-16		attd. 2nd Bn Royal Fusiliers	2nd Lt.

Edited 5 August , 2018 by laughton
missed a link

[laughton]

There may be some link to the interesting grave of Lieutenant Barnett who is at the bottom of the first list above (Second Lieutenant P. Barnett - Gordon Dump Cemetery).

 

Th Unknown Second Lieutenant referenced above was found at 57d.X.27.b.8.9, as a reference to those listed below.

 

In the first COG-BR 2149705 the remains were in grave 5.K.5 from the location at 57d.X.27.c.6.4. The next COG-BR 2149803 agrees with the written addition on the first, that he was moved to grave 4.K.5. There was an UNKNOWN with Lt. Barnett, in the same grave, and he was moved from 5.K.10 to 4.K.10.

 

A few pages later in COG-BR 2149718 we find there was also an UNKNOWN OFFICER found in Lt. Barnett's grave, which was recovered from 57d.X.27.c.7.6. That means that Lt. Barnett's grave site just moved from c.6.4 to c.7.6, a distance of 120 yards, about the length of a football field.

 

Go a few more pages to COG-BR 2149720 and we find two more British Officers with Lieutenant Barnett, one identified as Middlesex Regiment. however the other one is not that specific. THey are place in graves 7.D.8 and 7.D.9, both found at the location of 57d.X.27.c.7.6, the second location noted above.

 

Go forward one more page to COG-BR 2149721 and we have another Officer in Lt. Barnett's grave, this time the grave is at 57d.X.27.d.7.6. Now the grave has moved east 500 yards into Sub-Sector d.

 

We are not done yet! Go to COG-BR 2149723 and we find they have buried another Officer in 7.d.9 that was also in Lt. Barnett's grave. It also looks like Lieutenant Marshall also wants to play this game. The next Officer with Lt. Barnett is buried in 10.E.9 as noted on COG-BR 2149724. Two more Officers in 9.E.8 and 9.E.9 as listed on COG-BR 2149725.

 

Now you have to jump forward to COG-BR 2149734 to pick  up the next two Officers in Lt. Barnett's grave, also found at 57d.X.27.c.7.6 and buried in 9.H.7 and 9.H.8. It is starting to look like an "Officer's Burial Ground". 

 

Back to another Officer of the Middlesex Regiment (we don't have that many missing in the 4th Bn.) on COG-BR 2149737 (repeated at COG-BR 2149796), in grave 8.C.3 and perhaps another, as it is the same coordinates in 8.C.4.

 

Although COG-BR 2149741 for grave 7.I.3 lists another in Lt. Burnell's grave, this is probably to read Barnett, as they made errors elsewhere and there is no Lieutenant Burnell at that location.

 

At COG-BR 2149745 we have another officer in  7.K.1. Last one appears in COG-BR 2149808, buried in grave 4.L.6. 

 

This is what the CWGC has to say about the concentrations: (I have not yet looked at the list of the 34 casualties that have Special Memorials - that often deals with a lot of issues, as they are then NOT listed on the Thiepval Memorial). Done, there are none from the Middlesex Regiment.

 

Quote

 Plot I of the Cemetery was made by fighting units after 10 July 1916 and closed in September when it contained the graves of 95 soldiers, mainly Australian. It was called variously Gordon (or Gordon's) Dump Cemetery or Sausage Valley Cemetery, from the name given to the broad, shallow valley that runs down from it to Becourt. The remainder of the cemetery was formed after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the 1916 battlefields immediately surrounding the cemetery. There are now 1,676 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 1,053 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 34 casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

 

Edited 5 August , 2018 by laughton
list updated

[laughton]

No candidates unless there is something amiss in the case to Lieutenant (2nd Lieutenant) Alan Foster Paterson, who died on the correct date and is the only one on the Thiepval Memorial. They do not give his battalion, so the Officer File would need to be checked.

 

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1089089

PATERSON Lieutenant

ALAN FOSTER

Saturday, July 1, 1916 THIEPVAL MEMORIAL Pier and Face 12 D and 13 B.

VIEW RECORD Middlesex Regiment attd. 2nd Bn.  Royal Fusiliers

 

They do not state the names of the Officer Casualties of the 2nd Bn Royal Fusiliers (war diary page 22 of 351). If they had, we might have had confirmation that Second Lieutenant Paterson was one of the dead.

 

• Officers KIA - 3
• Wounded -12
• Wounded & Missing - 1
• Missing -4
• Missing believed killed - 1

 

CWGC List: (no Majors or Captains)

• Lieutenants - 3
• Second Lieutenants - 2

 

So actual dead and likely dead both add up to 5. If that is factual, then Second Lieutenant Paterson is not included in the tally.

 

2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers on the CWGC database:

 

DRINKILL Lieutenant	FREDERICK MAURICE	Saturday, July 1, 1916 AUCHONVILLERS MILITARY CEMETERY II. F. 1.	VIEW RECORD Royal Fusiliers
HAYCRAFT Lieutenant	A M	Saturday, July 1, 1916 HAWTHORN RIDGE CEMETERY NO.2, AUCHONVILLERS B. 44.	VIEW RECORD Royal Fusiliers
NICHOLLS Lieutenant	JOHN WATSON	Saturday, July 1, 1916 THIEPVAL MEMORIAL Pier and Face 8 C 9 A and 16 A.	VIEW RECORD Royal Fusiliers

ROOPE Second Lieutenant	C F	Saturday, July 1, 1916 HAWTHORN RIDGE CEMETERY NO.2, AUCHONVILLERS B. 57.	VIEW RECORD Royal Fusiliers
WESTAWAY Second Lieutenant	LESLIE THOMAS	Saturday, July 1, 1916 HAWTHORN RIDGE CEMETERY NO.2, AUCHONVILLERS B. 98.	VIEW RECORD Royal Fusiliers

Edited 5 August , 2018 by laughton

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear All,

This (IWM Q 23562) is what the recording entailed, for the recorders.

Kindest regards,

Kim.

[laughton]

To move this case forward, all we need to know is if 2nd Lieutenant Alan Foster Paterson was with the 4th Battalion, Middlesex. His Medal Roll Index Card does not provide that information. Perhaps Mike can help me out (once again!)

 

 

 

The Officer Records only state: 

Reference: WO 339/35188

Description:	2/Lieutenant Alan Foster PATERSON The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment).

 

On the Casualty List of Heroes Fallen 1 July 1916 we find (page 160 of 729): Lieutenant ALAN FOSTER PATERSON Middlesex Regiment

 

The London Gazette, Issue 29804, Page 10423

- last entry, left side 16 March 1916, temporary 2nd Lt to temporary Lt., no battalion listed

 

The Long, Long Trail - 14 November 1915 : transferred to 63rd Brigade in 21st Division. The War diary ends in June 1916 even though it did not transfer to the 37th Division until 8 July 1916.