Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres: Case #3 - 7th Battalion Australian Infantry (all in Heath Cemetery?)

[laughton]

From this main topic regarding the cemetery:

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/265515-heath-cemetery-harbonnieres/

 

From @Cheshire22

Quote

In this Cemetery, there are 12 Unknown Australia Soldiers from the 7th Battalion in 

 

Plot 3, Row D, Graves 15, 16 and 17 - No dates of death

Plot 4, Row A, Graves 11, 12, 13 and 14- all with date of death of 09/08/1918.  

Plot 3, Row F, Graves 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 - no dates of death 

 

1 unknown Australian with no unit or date of death in Plot 3, Row J, Grave 16 - he is buried amongst those from the 7th Bn who all died on the 09/08/1918 and he was originally buired with them at 62d SE. X. 20. b. 10. 10. So could be a Soldier of the 7th Bn as well. 

 

Lets say he is a member of the 7th Bn, we have 13 unknowns from them 7th Bn in this Cemetery 

 

for August 1918, the Battalion oh 13 Unknown’s on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial. 

 

Missed seeing this post during the week. There was also an OFFICER in 3.J.20 - see below, Lieutenant John Hamilton Hamblet is missing for that day. That makes 14 on the list, 13 of which are KNOWN (listed as such on the COG-BR documents) to be 7th Battalion so it would appear that you have them all. The war diary says they were with the 5th (CWGC - 2 missing) and 8th (CWGC - 8 missing) Battalions, so the extra (14th) man could be any one of those and now we know he is not 7th Battalion.

 

COG-BR 2301308

• 3.D.15 62d.X.21.a.05.95 UAS 7th Bn., no date
• 3.D.16 62d.X.21.a.05.95 UAS 7th Bn., no date
• 3.D.17 62d.X.21.a.05.95 UAS 7th Bn., no date

COG-BR 2301316

• 3.J.16 62d.X.20.b.10.10 UAS ?? Bn., 9 August 1918 - same location as many of 7th Bn., see COG-BR 2301321 (below) - see above, 5th or 8th Bn.

COG-BR 2301321

• 3.J.20 62d.X.20.b.10.10 UAS (Officer) 7th Bn., 9 August 1918 - Lieutenant John Hamilton Hamblet is missing for that day
• 4.A.11 62d.X.20.b.10.10 UAS 7th Bn., 9 August 1918
• 4.A.12 62d.X.20.b.10.10 UAS 7th Bn., 9 August 1918
• 4.A.13 62d.X.20.b.10.10 UAS 7th Bn., 9 August 1918

COG-BR 2301323

• 4.A.14 62d.X.20.b.10.10 AS 7th Bn., 9 August 1918  - same location as many of 7th Bn., see COG-BR 2301321 (above)
• 3.F.13 62d.X.21.a.05.95 UAS 7th Bn., no date - same location as those on COG-BR 2301308 (above)
• 3.F.14 62d.X.21.a.05.95 UAS 7th Bn., no date - "
• 3.F.15 62d.X.21.a.05.95 UAS 7th Bn., no date - "
• 3.F.16 62d.X.21.a.05.95 UAS 7th Bn., no date - "
• 3.F.17 62d.X.21.a.05.95 UAS 7th Bn., no date - "

[laughton]

We will need to check all the details, including those that are listed on Special Memorials in Heath Cemetery. That might account for some of the men and then the totals do not balance - has happened before!

 

surname	initials	death	rank	#	cemetery or memorial	reference
ANDERSON	O B A	09-08-18	Private	'1905'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 18.
CADDY	J	09-08-18	Second Lieutenant		HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 21.
COWAN	C	09-08-18	Private	'6982'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 15.
GIBSON	W	09-08-18	Corporal	'2669A'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 20.
GIRVEN	T J	09-08-18	Private	'5387'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 11.
HASLEM	R H	09-08-18	Private	'2585'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 10.
McCALLUM	E W	09-08-18	Lance Corporal	'2713'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 19.
NETTLETON	T	09-08-18	Lance Corporal	'1858'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 12.
PEPPER	H H	09-08-18	Lance Corporal	'2744B'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem.13.
PURBRICK	R B	09-08-18	Lieutenant		HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 22.
ROBERTS	G	09-08-18	Lance Corporal	'7064'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 14.
ROBERTSON	R G V	09-08-18	Private	'6820'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 9.
SALTER	J E	13-08-18	Sergeant	'2795'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 16.
WALLACE	G	09-08-18	Private	'1705'	HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES	Sp. Mem. 17.
AISTON	P A	09-08-18	Private	'6950'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
ATKINS	S J	09-08-18	Private	'26A'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
CASEY	J A	23-08-18	Private	'2593'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
COOK	R	13-08-18	Private	'6981'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
COOKE	C	24-08-18	Private	'2607'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
EASTON	C	24-08-18	Private	'719A'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
HAMBLETT	J H	09-08-18	Lieutenant		VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
MITCHELL	A K	24-08-18	Private	'6320'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
NEEDHAM	D E	11-08-18	Private	'3532'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
PAVICH	A A	11-08-18	Private	'961A'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
RAY	H	20-08-18	Private	'1605'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
SMITH	J H	23-08-18	Lance Corporal	'6353'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
WHITEHEAD	J F R	23-08-18	Private	'3501'	VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL	France
HART	H W	23-08-18	Private	'2691'	YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL	Belgium

[laughton]

Problem encountered, a check of the Special Memorial for the first man Anderson shows his name is here because he is known to be buried in Heath Cemetery. On this one alone there is six (6) men of the 7th Battalion so that means they COULD use up 6 of the spots that MIGHT already refer to an UNKNOWN of the 7th Battalion. They are not just BELIEVED to be in the cemetery, that was struck out, so they KNOW they are in the Heath Cemetery, just not where.

 

 

Here is the next batch of eight (8) men, also KNOWN to be buried in the cemetery, just not which grave:

 

 

So that means that if the graves are those of the men that are known to be in the cemetery then all fourteen (14) places have been used. As a result, there is no place for the other 13 or 14 men that were being thought of as candidates.

 

Not the first time this has happened. The only reason I knew to check these is because I made this same mistake myself in earlier days!