Epehy Wood Farm Cemetery, Epehy

[laughton]

@dickaren

 

Here is the Epehy Wood Farm Cemetery binders:

 

http://www.mediafire.com/folder/9kd8kd99129n1/Epehy_Wood_Farm_Cemetery

 

Here is what the CWGC says, to which I have added the TMC from the DAL:

 

Quote

The village of Epehy was captured at the beginning of April 1917. It was lost on 22 March 1918 after a spirited defence by the Leicester Brigade of the 21st Division and the 2nd Royal Munster Fusiliers. It was retaken (in the Battle of Epehy) on 18 September 1918, by the 7th Norfolks, 9th Essex and 1st/1st Cambridgeshires of the 12th (Eastern) Division. The cemetery takes its name from the Ferme du Bois, a little to the east. Plots I and II were made by the 12th Division after the capture of the village, and contain the graves of officers and men who died in September 1918 (or, in a few instances, in April 1917 and March 1918). Plots III-VI were made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields surrounding Epehy and the following smaller cemeteries:-
 

• DEELISH VALLEY CEMETERY, EPEHY 62c.F.3.c.2.8, in the valley running from South-West to North-East a mile East of Epehy village. It contained the graves of 158 soldiers from the United Kingdom (almost all of the 12th Division) who fell in September, 1918.
   
• EPEHY NEW BRITISH CEMETERY 62c.E.6.a.8.6, on the South side of the village, contained the graves of 100 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in August, 1917-March, 1918 and in September, 1918. (see 2nd post with different coordinates)
   
• EPEHY R.E. CEMETERY, (not on DAL but go 150 yds north of 62c.E.6.a.8.6 - might be in COG-BR) 150 yards North of the New British Cemetery. It contained the graves of 31 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in April-December, 1917, and of whom 11 belonged to the 429th Field Company, Royal Engineers.
   

The cemetery now contains 997 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 235 of the burials are unidentified but there are additional special memorials to 29 casualties known or believed to be buried among them, and to two casualties buried in Epehy New British Cemetery, whose graves could not be found when that cemetery was concentrated.

 

Edited 28 September , 2018 by laughton
missed TMC, fixed CWGC quote

[laughton]

Some of interest, which will go to new topics if any merit for follow-up work: (the last one on the list is the most promising!)

• COG-BR 1998567 3.G.4 Unknown British Serjeant Dublin Fusiliers 62c.F.8.A.15.92 (with a number of others of the regiment, 1st or 2nd Bn. - strange TMC)
  • 5 missing in 1st Bn. (CWGC Link), all 21 March 1918
  • 7 missing in 2nd Bn. (CWGC Link), all 21 March 1918
• COG-BR 1998575 same as above in 4.B.7 at 62c.F.8.a.8.6, also and Officer and a Lieutenant with not details
• COG-BR 1998583 there must have been a cemetery at 62c.F.7.a.4.8 as WIllett was found in Plot 1 Row B Grave 4 at that location, and so on down the rest of the page, along with some others on the previous page - see next bullet
• COG-BR 1998587 conflicts with CWGC+DAL information in prior post, as it show Epehy New British Cemetery at 62c.F.7.a.4.8, matches TMC in preceding bullet
• COG-BR 1998591 another RDF Serjeant in #.B.5 and two L/Cpl in 3.B.1 and 3.B.6 62c.F.8.a.9.6
  • so that is four (4) of 12 Serjeants accounted for - maybe there are more?
  • possibly we can link them into specific battalions by TMC, unless they are burial grounds, then we have "Special Memorial A or B" cases
• COG-BR 1998594 an Unknown 2nd Lieutenant from 1.C.3 at the Epehy New British Cemetery
• COG-BR 1998595 in 3.K.1 at 62c.E.16.a.9.9 we have an East York Sergeant, looks like it is dated 1917
• COG-BR 1998597 might be the Royal Engineers Cemetery but this shows 62c.E.6.a.8.6, which matches what is in first post for the Epehy New British Cemetery, for which we already found a conflict - maybe the DAL is incorrect?
• COG-BR 1998601 probably identified already (nope) as it is a Leicesters Captain with a Military Cross in grave 6.F.2 from 62c.E.5.d.6.6
  • not on list of 32 from the Leicestershire Regiment (CWGC Link), December 1917 and March 1918
  • not named on GRRF 1998497
  • two (2) missing in March 1918 (CWGC Link) on Pozieres Memorial (both M.C.) and two (2) on Arras Memorial, no idea why yet but no M.C.

Edited 26 September , 2018 by laughton
fix TMC

[dickaren]

Richard,

Thanks for posting the files. I was in the cemetery last week (visiting a known grave) and it was the unknown Lieutenant in Plot 5 Row A Grave 12 (COG-BR 1998575) which drew my attention as a possible to identify as the headstone shows him as Royal Dublin Fusiliers - see GRRF.

regards

Richard

[laughton]

I have sent the follow-up research on the Leicestershire Regiment Captain to a new topic:

 

 

[laughton]

@dickaren

 

I will ask Admin to move the selected posts - see here and continue there with the Lieutenant Royal Dublin Fusiliers.

 

Quote

 

 

[AlanCurragh]

Posts now moved

[laughton]

On 26/09/2018 at 06:55, laughton said:

COG-BR 1998597 might be the Royal Engineers Cemetery but this shows 62c.E.6.a.8.6, which matches what is in first post for the Epehy New British Cemetery, for which we already found a conflict - maybe the DAL is incorrect?

 

There is some additional importance to that particular COG-BR in that it shows a large number of men of the Leicestershire Regiment found at that sector 62c.E.6. All but one on that page were found at 62c.E.6.a.7.6. From the other references (this topic - Leicestershire Captain), we know that the men recovered in E.6 were more likely 8th Battalion and those in E.12 of the 6th Battalion.