Where is he first buried?

[Dazscuba]

Looking at L/Cpl 36940 Walter G Drewery, KOYLI

who is now buried in Bouilly Cross Roads Military Cemetery but I believe he was first buried in 

Mesgrigny French Militery Cemetery. Does anybody know the location of this cemetery and a possible map from 1918?

[Acknown]

Here's some detail: https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.207441/2015.207441.The-Silent_djvu.txt (click 'see other formats').

Go to page 386: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.207441/page/n405 where you'll see the cemetery in the index with some references including a map reference.

Acknown

[Langdon]

Here's a map from 1920 - https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=11&lat=48.5053&lon=3.8992&layers=180&b=1

 

Mike

[Acknown]

11 hours ago, Acknown said:

Go to page 386: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.207441/page/n405 where you'll see the cemetery in the index with some references including a map reference.

I'm afraid I can't decode the map reference: 43,F,1.

It seems that there was a military hospital in Mesgrigny; Complementary Hospital No. 39: http://hopitauxmilitairesguerre1418.overblog.com/2017/03/aube-hopitaux-militaires-1914-1918.html. Perhaps the cemetery was adjacent.

Acknown

[Langdon]

19 minutes ago, Acknown said:

I'm afraid I can't decode the map reference: 43,F,1.

It seems that there was a military hospital in Mesgrigny; Complementary Hospital No. 39: http://hopitauxmilitairesguerre1418.overblog.com/2017/03/aube-hopitaux-militaires-1914-1918.html. Perhaps the cemetery was adjacent.

Acknown

On page 349 of The Silent Cities there's a map of the Rheims area - page number 43, square F1 in the bottom left corner.

Thanks for the Silent Cities link - fascinating...

 

Mike

[Acknown]

Missed it! Makes sense; near the railway.

Acknown

[Dazscuba]

Thank you very much for the above, cheers 

Edited 23 April , 2019 by Dazscuba

[TEW]

Daz,

I did start typing;

Mesgrigny is 130Km south from the location where he was either killed or possibly wounded and died of wounds. Bouilly Cross roads Cemetery is less than 2Km away. Perhaps you have more info on the Mesgrigny connection so I won't say it sounds unlikely (yet).

 

Have just checked and found other men who died at Mesgrigny (June 1918, 25th Division) but are buried in Bouilly. Finding the CWGC info shows numerous concentrations from Mesgrigny to Bouilly circa 1922. Haven't checked in detail if there are any 62nd Div. men among them.

 

I'll recheck the evacuation system for 62nd Div. in July 1918.

TEW

[TEW]

CWGC have 10 British moved from Mesgrigny to Bouilly around 1922. Millhouse is the only 62nd Div. man. there are 2 others from 51st Div who could have been wounded around Courmas Bouilly 20/7/1918. Soldiers' Effects gives 'wounds' for both as cause of death, 1 with a French Ambulance.

 

Nothing for Mesgrigny in any medical diary for 62nd Div. July 1918. MDS in Suzanne along with 50 CCS, ADS at Sermiers. 48 CCS set up in L'Hopital Auban-Moet, Epernay.

 

MDS saw 939 wounded in first 24 hours of attack on 20th July, most evacuated to Suzanne.

 

There is mention of Hopital d'evacuation, Vertus and another Chaltrait-aux-Bois (probably Chaltrait, Villers-aux-Bois).

 

All of these places are to the north of Mesgrigny. Given that Drewery's date of death 20/7/1918 is a 'death presumed' one it seems pretty unlikely that he made it through the evacuation chain and ended up in Mesgrigny to die there of wounds.

 

I'm still looking through the concentration reports to plot out where 62nd Div. who died circa 20th July 1918 men were recovered from and if any were located around Courmas or Bouilly.

 

Bear in mind Bouilly Cemetery has around 200 graves with only 98 identified and less than 20 concentrations.

 

TEW

[Dazscuba]

TEW very thorough as usual and thank you that’s a great amount of info