Spoilbank Cemetery, Zillebecke

[laughton]

This is the cemetery that @Becstar directed me to and from which I have already posted about one case:

 

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/268636-spoilbank-cemetery-case-1-captain-leinster-regiment/

 

The CWGC history of the cemetery is short:

Quote

Spoilbank Cemetery (also known as Chester Farm Lower Cemetery or Gordon Terrace Cemetery) was begun in February 1915, and used by troops holding this sector until March 1918. It is particularly associated with the casualties of the 2nd Suffolks on "The Bluff" early in 1916. It was enlarged after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of Ypres. The cemetery contains 520 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 125 of the burials are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 11 casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

 

I had not looked at this cemetery previously for the Canadians but Norm Christie (Sacred Places, Volume 1 page 190) tells us there were 16 Canadians, 6 of which are unidentified. Some of those with Frederick Ziggler are from the 14th Canadian Infantry Battalion, which initially does not appear to have been recorded by the CWGC database. They note it was "R.M.R." on the burial documents but may not have translated that into the 14th Battalion (from the Royal Montreal Regiment).

 

The ZIP files for this cemetery are now here:

 

Spoilbank Cemetery, Zillibecke

 

Some possible leads to unknowns:

 

• GRRF 1832562 - Unknown Corporal. Negro
• COG-BR 1832586 - Unknown Officer, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
• COG-BR 1832587 - 60196
• COG-BR 1832588 - Unknown Officer Royal Sussex Regiment
• COG-BR 1832599 - the Canadian's of the 14th Battalion, Royal Montreal Regiment with Ziegler
• COG-BR 1832600 - some numbers to check
• COG-BR 1832602 - check if the number can be varied
• COG-BR 1832606 - the Leinster Captain mentioned above, note by Becstar

 

I will need to take a look at the GRRF documents for the Special Memorials D, as that can influence any of the cases on the COG-BR list above.

Edited 3 January , 2019 by laughton
added links

[laughton]

I do have a candidate for the "Unknown Corporal Negro" that @Becstar identified in her early correspondence with me. I have moved it now to its own topic here:

 

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/268716-spoilbank-cemetery-case-2-negro-corporal/

 

Honestly I do not know what the correct term is to use in 2019 for African-Americans or African-British, but that is the term on the CWGC document.

Edited 3 January , 2019 by laughton
post moved to a separate topic as noted above

[laughton]

On 02/01/2019 at 16:24, laughton said:

COG-BR 1832587 - 60196

 

Maybe: https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/842522/bowers,-percy/ Died 3 September 1917

 

Thanks to @Chris_Baker and the LLT, couldn't survive in Canada without access to that site!

 182nd Brigade, 61st (2nd South Midland) Division

 

Details here (war diary page 136 of 252) @ Hill 35 which is 28.D.19.b and the remains are at 28.D.6.b.51.10, which is central Passchendaele, the village.

 

Looks like I missed the boat earlier as there is a direct 60196 - Private John Balls #60196 2nd Bn. (23rd Bde. 8th Div.) West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) 22 February 1918, Tyne Cot Memorial. Says they too were at Passchendaele (war diary page 403 of 564). Moved back to Red Rose Camp 28.H.1.d. That was a good hike away, near Dickebusch! They were there just before moving up to the trenches as well, so were they really in Passchendaele or just "that area"? They were moving back and forth by light rail (see 15 February 1918).

 

Private Hall was killed the same day as Private Balls (COG-BR 2025066) and he was concentrated into Poelcapelle British Cemetery from 28.D.5.c.2.4, so that is in the same general area where the remains were recovered. Basically the same for Private Parkinson, found at 28.D.5.d.4.2 (COG-BR 2025055).

 

I just noticed that the number was on his boots. Was that common to put your regimental number on your boots? I don't trust any reference to GROUND SHEETS as that is probably the biggest error in the graves recorded. If that number was on his boots, why was he not identified at the time?

 

 

By the time it got to the GRRF they had struck out the number - why?

 

 

I Googled the number and John Balls has made it to a GWF post in the past: 

1. https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/185215-okay-where-do-i-start-with-this/?do=findComment&comment=1803072
2. https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/203549-west-row-suffolk-and-the-centenary/?do=findComment&comment=1999349
3. https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/153773-uniform-identification/?do=findComment&comment=1481396

 

The last one is interesting as it has a photo and the death date is the same but he was said to have been killed on the Somme? His service record, as noted in that topic, is available on Ancestry (this link).

 

 

Edited 4 January , 2019 by laughton