Combles Communal Cemetery Extension

[laughton]

I ended up here as a result of the investigation into the ICRC records and whether they could be used to identify men that on an ICRC record from what the COG-BR documents often refer to as a "GB List" (German Burial List). That topic was here:

 

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/267438-beaurevoir-british-cemetery-case-2-cracking-the-icrc-grave-records-gb-lisTt/

 

The ZIP Files for the GRRF and COG-BR are now here:

 

http://www.mediafire.com/folder/5jlg6awfcad6u/Combles_Communal_Cemetery_Extension

 

CWGC Information with DAL TMC added: (I don't see any of these on the DAL - I might find them on the COG-BR documents)

Quote

The large village of Combles is 16 kilometres east of Albert and 13 kilometres south of Bapaume.

 

The village was entered in the early morning of the 26th August, 1916, by units of the 56th (London) Division and of the French Army; and it remained in Allied occupation until the 24th March, 1918, when the place was captured after a stubborn stand by the South African Brigade at Marrieres Wood. It was retaken on the 29th August, 1918, by the 18th Division. The village was later "adopted", with Flers, by the County Borough of Portsmouth. The cemetery was begun in October, 1916 by French troops, but the 94 French graves made in 1916 have been removed to another cemetery. The first British burials took place in December, 1916. From March, 1917, to the end of May, 1918, the Extension was not used. In June, July and August, 194 German soldiers were buried in what was afterwards called Plot I, but these graves, too, have been removed; and in August and September further burials were made by the 18th Division.

 

Plots II, V, VI and VII and most of Plot IV were added after the Armistice by the concentration of 944 graves from the battlefields in the neighbourhood and from the following smaller cemeteries:-

 

• FREGICOURT COMMUNAL CEMETERY, in a hamlet between Combles and Saillisel, in which four soldiers from the United Kingdom were buried in the winter of 1916-17.
• LEUZE WOOD CEMETERY, COMBLES, at the North-East corner of Leuze Wood, contained the graves of eleven soldiers from the United Kingdom and five French soldiers who fell in September, 1916-January, 1917.
• LONGTREE DUMP MILITARY CEMETERY, SAILLY-SAILLISEL, a little South of the road from Morval to Sailly-Saillisel, in which 20 French soldiers and 12 from the United Kingdom were buried in December, 1916, and February, 1917.
• MAUREPAS MILITARY CEMETERY, on the South-West side of Maurepas village, in which 12 French soldiers and nine from the United Kingdom and one German prisoner were buried in December, 1916-February, 1917. Maurepas was taken by the French I Corps in August, 1916.

 

There are now over 1,500, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, over half are unidentified and special memorials are erected to nine soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from South Africa, known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of three soldiers from the United Kingdom, buried in Maurepas and Longtree Dump Military Cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire. The Extension covers an area of 5,356 square metres. It is enclosed by brick walls on the North-East and South-West.

 

It was on COG-BR 1984788 that the four (4) known men were located (Graham, Wallace, Richmont and Borland) who were in a similar list in the ICRC records PA24589. Underneath them are the five (5) unknown men, three (3) of which were believed to be Seaforths. The question became: are they some of the men on the ICRC list known by name?

 

It initially appears obvious that if they found numerals for 1 Seaforth (Graham, Richmond or Borland) and 1 KOSR (Wallace) then the additional numeral for a South African must belong to the Corporal Morland. I will need to check if there are other graves with with UNKNOWN SOUTH AFRICANS. Also, if there was a cross for four bodies and they recovered four bodies, why were there numerals for a South African? That would have meant that there were five (5) bodies in that grave? Is it possible that graves 36 to 40 are nothing more than extension of the trench grave for graves 31 to 35? That makes sense and the South African would be "Buried near this spot".

Edited 21 November , 2018 by laughton

[laughton]

Taking a review of the COG-BR documents for this cemetery to look for some others of interest:

• Plot 1 may be gone - might have been all the French graves that were relocated, the Germans were moved as well
•  COG-BR 1984742 - it would be an interesting puzzle to solve the residents of 2.D.39 and 2.D.40
• COG-BR 1984783 - Lynch was buried by the Germans along with another - can we find him from the ICRC records:
  • PA34784 - buried in a different place that the others on the list
• COG-BR 1984792 - more buried by the Germans in 57c.T.29.d - maybe everyone on this page, with a number who are know so check them out!
  • more on the next page COG-BR 1984793
• COG-BR 1984798 - these may be burials in the old Plot 1 after the French were moved - many pages of Grenadier Guards
• COG-BR 1984808 - another unknown South African - check him against the others as in a different location - refer to SA in Memorial Plot
  • another one at COG-BR 1984821
  • 3 more here at COG-BR 1984825
  • and more COG-BR 1984826, so too many to solve the SA special memorial case
• COG-BR 1984819 - unknown Rifle Brigade Lieutenant who has a SPEC-EXH so see note below that the ones I saw may be necessary to now recover
  • his was on the next page SPEC-EXH 1984820 - 2 stars so a full Lieutenant of the Rifle Brigade at  57c.T.2.b.3.3, piece of braces with Dublin address
  • L/Cpl Coster follows on next page from 9th Bn Rifle Brigade in the same location
• COG-BR 1983830 and SPEC-EXH 1984831 for an Unknown British Officer found at Ginchy in 1933
• COG-BR 1984833 - a Captain of the West Yorks with SPEC-EXH 1984834 
• ..... continue on here at 194840 with the new files just recovered

There is a SPEC-EXH in the middle of the files at 1984817 with a reference to Grandcourt. I recall there were more of those at the end of the COG-BR records I marked so they may also apply to this cemetery, but I did not download them - check again! YES! They are reburials in COMBLES so I will fetch them now. That extends the list to 1984915. Those have now been gathered and uploaded to the ZIP File folder.

[thetrenchrat22]

Evans in 1.C.39 of the 9th Rifle Brigade was found at 57c T.2.b.35.25 

 

Coster in 1.C.19 of the 9th Rifle Brigade was found at 57c T.2.b.25.35 

 

unknown Lt Rifle Brigade was found at 57c T.2.b.3.3 

 

it could bt Lt Bartholomew Patrick Lynch 9th Rifle Brigade 

 

all 3 died on the 15th September 1916.  

 

Lt Lynch has his name on the Kilkenny War Memorial in Ireland, which is not far from Dublin.  When looking at Google Earth

 

57 Lieutenant’s from the Rifle Brigade died in France and 23 of them appear on memorials to the missing 

Edited 22 November , 2018 by thetrenchrat22

[thetrenchrat22]

COG-BR 1984742 - it would be an interesting puzzle to solve the residents of 2.D.39 and 2.D.40

 

2.D.39 is 49874 W Aitken Royal Scots 

[laughton]

13 hours ago, thetrenchrat22 said:

unknown Lt Rifle Brigade was found at 57c T.2.b.3.3 

 

it could bt Lt Bartholomew Patrick Lynch 9th Rifle Brigade

 

Once again Alan is quickly out of the gate! We will need a little work to prove it was the 9th Battalion but you are probably correct. I put him up as our first case for this cemetery so we can start to add to his topic here:

 

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/267505-combles-communal-cemetery-extension-case-1-lieutenant-rifle-brigade/

 

[laughton]

Continuing on with the list of candidate cases. I should note that when I make this first list, it is what I see going to each page in the file. I do not pause to check on each case at this stage, so it is possible that the candidate is already identified. I go back afterwards and check those. I normally also go back and check the documents a second time relative to any effects that may have been forwarded to base (last column), as sometimes that list holds hidden clues (i.e. signet rings, numbers - see COG-BR 1984865 below). In most cases I ignore anything that is related to "partial names on waterproof sheets", as I do not see how that can be related to the remains - anyones sheet could have been used. Here we continue:

• COG-BR 1984844 shows two (2) Somerset Light Infantry Officers, which they have marked as Sept. 1916 (see also SPEC-EXH 1984845 and 1984846)
  • another one at COG-BR 1984871 and SPEC-EXH 1948872
• COG-BR 1984849 M.G.C. Officer wearing a steel body shield
• COG-BR 1984860 possible Lance Corporal of the Cornwall Light Infantry
• COG-BR 1984865 as an example to above, could one of the men in 4.E.12 / 4.E.13 be Pte. Mitchell #1060 of the 22nd Northumberland Fusiliers?
• COG-BR 1984892 the Serjeant in 3.E.7 is no longer a Serjeant - why? Is Vincent a person?
• COG-BR 1984899 an Unknown Officer but no additional clues, other than the devastation of the upper body SPEC-EXH 1984900
• COG-BR 1984904 and Oxf. & Bucks L.I. Officer SPEC-EXH 1984905
• COG-BR 1984906 could the initials have been F.G.H. and not F.G.P., in which case it might be Pte. F. G. Hookham, of the 3rd Bn SAI 
  • (ping Ralph McLean SAWGP @southafricawargraves)
  • they checked the other one of the same regiment in detail COG-BR 1984911 and SPEC-EXH 1984912

There are also always a number of interesting questions, so there is lots for everyone to research once the files are produced. Here is a good example:

• COG-BR 1984876 an Unknown British Soldier of the Royal Warwicks
  • is it the waterproof sheet that is marked 18507 or another piece of the equipment?
  • is their a link between that number and the name D. Lumno_ of the 1_ Royal Warwickshire Regiment?
  • did the sheet or equipment belong to Pte Dennis Lunnon #18507 of the 14th Royal Warwickshire Regiment?
  • if so, how did the body end up in the Corbie Communal Cemetery Extension in grave 2.D.8 (CWGC Link)?

There are a lot in this cemetery that need to be checked. Whoever did the concentrations did a very thorough job - apparently in 1933!

 

That is all for now.

[laughton]

• COG-BR 1984728 - a Canadian, identified by a badge, way outside the area where there were any Canadians - at 57c.T.27.b.8.2, outskirts of Combles?

On 21/11/2018 at 16:51, thetrenchrat22 said:

COG-BR 1984742 - it would be an interesting puzzle to solve the residents of 2.D.39 and 2.D.40

 

2.D.39 is 49874 W Aitken Royal Scots 

• that's him Alan, clearly named on GRRF 1984512 and HD-SCHED 2088057, 12th Royal Scots 24/03/1918
  • checking the ICRC records it tells me that AITKEN is filed under ATKIN - had not noticed that before, they did insert a note (see here)
  • that's great but I don't see anything under ATKIN, closest is ATKINSON and nothing in the Royal Scots list for ATKIN