3 US in Lijssenthoek

[paul guthrie]

New book about the 365 men whose names were read at the Menin Gate the year that was done says three US soldiers were left in this cemetery at request of relatives. Likely were with 27th NY and 30th Tennessee-North Carolina Divisions who were with the British their entire service on Western Front.

Does anyone know who they are? If they have US or IWGC headstones? Thanks,

[Jacky Platteeuw]

Paul,

As I am going regularly to Lijsenthoek Poperinge I will make pictures of them and email you. I also will try to get the number of men who were probably buried on the American Plot. By the way on Nine Elms Cemetery Poperinge there was also an American plot and probably on other Cem's.

Jacky

[Paul Reed]

From memory the headstones are CWGC American i.e. cross in a roundel, with name, unit and date of death. Jacky's photos will confirm.

I have a 1920 photo of the American plot, which was very much larger then: it was 'Plot 32 American' of the cemetery at this stage and there are 40+ graves on the photo, including 3 Jewish. As you say they will be all 27th and 30th Divs.

[paul guthrie]

The reason there are less than in your picture is as you know the repatriation of bodies. The most generally accepted figure is 70% though I have seen 60% also. it may be that unknowns figure in somehow but I have seen nothing on that.

There was a large advertising campaign by the funeral industry designed to convince families it was improper to leave the men in Europe. The ones who did leave the bodies then lobbied as Gold Star Mothers for a trip to the graves arguing they had saved the government money. The January Stand To! will have my article on a Kentucky man killed in army of New Zealand which includes a bit about all this.

[Terry Denham]

Paul

The three US soldiers in Lijssenthoek are:

BEATTIE, David Stanley

Sergeant 1202774 27 Div, 105th Infantry

KIA 31.08.18 Age 20

Plot 32, Row C, Grave 14

KING, Harry Arthur

Private 1st Class 209559 Troop 'F' , 3rd Cavalry

Died of pneumonia 20.09.18 Age 26

Native of Heybridge, Tean, Stoke-on-Trent, UK

Son of John & Susan King of 11 Maple Place, Meir, Stoke-on-Trent

His brother Reginald also died

Plot 32, Row A, Grave 11

PIGUE, James A.

First Lieutenant 'A' Coy, 117th Infantry

KIA 18.07.18 Age 37

Plot 32, Row D, Grave 9

Dates written in the British style! (dd/mm/yy)

[paul guthrie]

Thanks Terry, am guessing you got that from a Cemetery Register, know you have many. What about the US men in Nine Elms Jacky mentioned. Where is that one, I know Lijsenthoek.

[Terry Denham]

Paul

Nine Elms Cemetery is about 11km west of Ypres near Poperinghe. However, the CWGC register does not mention any US burials in their cemetery there. If any were buried there they have probably been removed elsewhere.

You are correct in assuming that I got the info from my complete collection of CWGC registers. CWGC published details of foreign & non-world war burials in their care in their registers in the late 1990s - in this case in Volume Seven of the Lijssenthoek register. This info is not available yet on their web site.

[Jacky Platteeuw]

The original number of US soldiers buried at Lijssenthoek was 50 of who 47 have been removed. Not to forget is that Lijssenthoek with his almost 11.000 graves is the second largest Cem in the region and extremely interesting for study because the greatest part are known soldiers.

Nine Elms Cemetery Poperinge, roughly a mile away of Lijssenthoek, had 95 Americans buried but all removed. However you can still see were the American Plot was it has stayed empty since the removal. I wonder if there are no other Cem's around Ypres and especially near Kemmel which had American burials.

Jacky

[Frank_East]

American dead at Lijssenthoek British Military Cemetery.

Both Beattie's and King's home state is listed as New York while Pigue is listed as being from the state of Tennessee.

I remember the graves were laid out in what I thought was a random manner away from, and unlike the British row order.

I did take a photograph but that was before the days of digital and they are not to hand at the moment.

Regards

Frank East

[Terry Denham]

Jacky

A quick flick through all the CWGC registers for Belgium reveals the following details about other US casualties removed after the armistice -

- One American removed from Gwalia Cemetery, Poperinghe.

- Two Americans removed from Talana Farm Cemetery, Boesinghe.

- One American removed from Klein-Vierstraat British Cemetery, Kemmel to Lijssenthoek.

- Three Americans removed from Erquelinnes Communal Cemetery.

No other details given

[Paul Reed]

Abeele Aerodrome Cemetery also had some - a book called Over There With O'Ryans Rouhnecks about a MG unit in the 27th (NY) Div mentions the authors return journey in the 1950s. He went to Abeele looking for his comrades graves, not knowing they had been moved to IFF Cemetery.

[Terry Denham]

Quite right Paul. I missed that one!

There were 84 Americans at Abeele Aerodrome Cemetery all of whom died July-September 1918.

[paul guthrie]

There are of course lots of Americans in CWGC cemeteries, most of whom served with Canadians but also with UK, Oz. You usually do not know it.

An interesting one is Major John Simon Lewis MID commanding officer D CO, 87 Bn Canadian Grenadier Guards, Montreal Regiment. He was 41, editor of the Montreal Star. He did not have to be there and was KIA 18 11 16 in attack on Desire Trench.

His headstone says born Pelosi Wisconsin USA. His attestation papers say born Dubuque, iowa USA. His birth certificate says Dodgeville, Wisconsin! Figure that one out!

I have mentioned this before but next Stand To! will have my article about a Kentucky man buried in Somme American Cemetery, Bony, whose only service was NZ Rifle Brigade. He has standard Christian headstone without a day of US service.

[Aurel Sercu]

Terry,

Do you have any information about the two US soldiers who after the Armistice were removed from Talana Farm Cemetery, Boezinge ? Only that there were two ? No names, date of death, unit ?

Aurel Sercu

Boezinge - Ypres

[Terry Denham]

Aurel

The Talana Farm register does not give any further info other than 27 French casualties were also removed. The register was published in 1926 and so the removal happened very shortly after the war.