Busigny Communal Cemetery Extension

[laughton]

Another one with high numbers in the later weeks of the war, much like the Romeries Communal Cemetery Extension. I will collect the details for the concentration cemeteries and see if there are any Unknown Cases from within this cemetery. I first check the DAL for trench map coordinates and then the COG-BR documents, for those not listed.

 

I will also post the links to the ZIP Files for the COG-BR and GRRF documents as soon as they are assembled. Anyone is welcome (encouraged) to use these to look for cases that can be named, or general research.

• GRRF Zip Files
• COG-BR Zip Files

 

From the CWGC: (it says 696 identified so the numbers have changed - see below it says 670)

 

Busigny is a village about 10 kilometres south-west of Le Cateau and 24 kilometres north-east of St. Quentin.

Quote

Busigny was captured by the 30th American Division and British cavalry on 9 October 1918, in the Battle of Cambrai, and in the course of the next two months the 48th, 37th and 12th Casualty Clearing Stations came successively to the village. The majority of the burials were made from these three hospitals. The cemetery extension 57b.V.10.a.4.3 was begun in October 1918, and used until February 1919. After the Armistice it was enlarged when graves were brought into Plots II-VII of graves from a wide area between Cambrai and Guise. The following cemeteries were concentrated into it:- (TMC = not found yet)

 

• ANDIGNY-LES-FERMES BRITISH CEMETERY, VAUX-ANDIGNY 62b.E.4.c.8.0, on the North side of the hamlet of Andigny-les-Fermes. This place was taken by the 46th (North Midland) Division and the 1st Loyal North Lancashire Regiment on the 17th October, 1918, and the cemetery contained the graves of 16 soldiers of the latter unit.
• BUSIGNY CHURCHYARD 57b.V.10.d.7.4, from which the grave of one soldier from the United Kingdom was removed in 1927 to VIII. B 56
  • found his old GRRF 2253424 by chance
  • COG-BR 1975911
• BUSIGNY COMMUNAL CEMETERY 57b.V.10.a.3.2, which contained the graves of 13 soldiers from the United Kingdom and eight from Australia, all artillerymen, who fell in October, 1918.
  • found their old GRRF 2253429 as well but it has sixteen (16) listed, not thirteen (13) as noted by the CWGC
  • hang on, there are five (5) more on the next page GRRF 2253430 for a total of twenty-one (21)
  • COG-BR 1975917, COG-BR 1975918, COG-BR 1975919
• ESNES CHURCHYARD 57b.E.34.d.2.6, which contained the graves of one soldier from the United Kingdom and three from New Zealand who fell in October, 1918.
  • I see DAL has an Esnes Communal Cemetery (German) Extension at 57b.H.34.b.5.6 - where did it go?
  • found the original GRRF 2253433 with four (4) names, which is a match to the CWGC numbers
  • COG-BR 1975914
• MAGNY LA FOSSE CHURCHYARD 62b.E.25.a.9.2, which contained the graves of 19 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in October and November, 1918.
  • not on DAL but two others MLFBC 62b.H.25.b.3.2 and MLFCC 62b.H.25.a.9.2
  • GRRF 2253436 original shows a.9.2 but it only has 16 of the 19 mentioned (see also notes that follow about this churchyard)
  • found another one at GRRF 2253438 which has six (6) more. including three of the Chinese Labour Corps which appear to have been removed
  • the total is now 16+6=22-3=19 so it is a match to the CWGC
  • COG-BR 1975915 followed by COG-BR 1975916 stating the grave had previously been opened and the bodies were intermingled
• MARETZ BRITISH CEMETERY 57b.U.12.a.6.5, at the South-Western end of the village of Maretz, made by the 1st/8th Worcesters on the 11th October, 1918, contained the graves of 16 soldiers from the United Kingdom.
  • there is also a Maretx Communal Cemetery German Extension at 57b.U.6.b.3.0 on the DAL
  • shown on COG-BR 1975931
• MOLAIN CHURCHYARD TMC, which contained the graves of three soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in October and November, 1918.
• MONTRECOURT CHURCHYARD 51a.P33.d.5.1, which contained the graves of two artillerymen from the United Kingdom who fell in October, 1918.
  • original GRRF 2253441 is a match and gives us the TMC
  • COG-BR 1975912
• RIQUERVAL BRITISH CEMETERY, BOHAIN-EN-VERMANDOIS 62b.E.13.c.2.8, in Riquerval Wood, close to the Bohain-Regnicourt road. This cemetery contained the graves of 35 soldiers from the United Kingdom (almost all of the 46th Division) who fell on the 17th October, 1918.
• ROCQ CHURCHYARD 51.L.34.d.7.1, which contained the grave of one Notts & Derby Regiment soldier who fell in October, 1918.
  • shown on COG-BR 1975913

 

Busigny Communal Cemetery Extension contains 670 First World War burials, 64 of them unidentified.

 

Edited 27 October , 2019 by laughton
collecting and updating information

[laughton]

One of the extra GRRFs for the concentrations from the Magny La Fosse Churchyard (GRRF 2253436) has one (1) unknown soldier on that sheet, so I wonder if we can figure out who that is, as it must have been someone from the 1/5/ Leicesters from late September of early October 1918. Strange that the CWGC database lists only ten (10) in the Busigny cemetery yet there are twelve (12) on the GRRF named. There are three (3) on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial, so that is total thirteen (13) for either list - coincidence??

• the three on the memorial are Meakin, Peach and Scott and they are not on the cemetery list (CWGC Link)
• the ten (1) listed for the cemetery does not include Reverend Buck, Private Mycroft and the Unknown
  • Reverend Cyril Buck is shown as being attached to the 1st/5th
  • Private J. Mycroft #10585 is listed for the cemetery but for the 1st Battalion but he is actually Private Issac Mycroft #10565 so they got both the name and number wrong. I cannot find his Soldiers Effects file but the UK Soldiers Died also has 1st Bn. His Medal Roll has 6th and then 1st/5th.
  • given all that there is a match in numbers at twelve known and one unknown for which there are three candidates

Edited 27 October , 2019 by laughton
adding new information to topic

[micks]

Two cases which have been submitted from this cemetery.

 

Grave IV.C.29/30     305343 Private James McCafferty 

 

           V.B.13           Second Lieutenant Albert Hutchinson  

[laughton]

Thanks for that - had not yet checked the list. McCafferty must be in the appeal process, as it has 254.1. Hutchinson is not on my list, which is out-of-date to April 2019.

 

Others I see, that have some sort of clue: (but I have to check the GRRF and HD-SCHD to see if already identified ....)

• Unknown Serjeant Signaller of the York & Lancs in 3.A.5 COG-BR 1975921 at 57b.W.13.b.6.1
  • 3 candidates but probably Dale 1st/5th or Goodwin 1st/4th on the 13th (CWGC Link)
  • it was not Dale or Godwin as they are heading northeast toward the Selle River - Map 51.a.U.13 etc (war diary page 718 of 843)
  • both of those battalions are 148th Brigade in 49th (West Riding) Division
  • which one was a Signaller?
  • Lee and Travis on the same sheet are both 2nd Battalion Y&L which is 16th Brigade in the 6th Division
  • maybe Sgt. Abbott of the 2nd Bn back on 18th September - have not found that war diary yet - nope the 16th Brigade was NE of Atilly at 62c.X.9 
  • 16th Brigade war diary has the 2nd Bn in that area in October - see map (war diary page 652 of 707 - red circles)
  • that leaves us with only Serjeant Riggs, V.C. of the 6th Bn.,  32nd Brigade in 11th (Northern) Division (war diary page 499 of 610) in Epinoy 51b.R.34 northwest of Cambrai (with the Canadians) - not the correct area, so we are out of Serjeants!
• 2 Stripes from the Staffordshire Regiment COG-BR 1975924 at 62b.E.13.c.2.8 (probably south as 16 others in this cemetery
  • 1st/5th Bn 137th Brigade, 46th (North Midland) Division, which includes other SSR battalions - check how they were split left and right
  • nine (9) candidates (CWGC Link), so potential identification and a potential Special Memorial for the rest
  • Corporal Rooke who just got promoted or Serjeant Nicklin after he changed his stripes - KIA on 12th and 13th respectively
  • 2 more of them are on COG-BR 1975938 that are at 62b.D.30.b.4.4 on the southwest approach to Bois de Riquerval, with group 62b.D.24.d.8.2
  • 5 more on COG-BR 1975940, which means we have 8 of the 9 on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial, so one (1) more and they are all here! SM-A or SM-B
  • looking for any UBS that are at or near 62b.E.13.c.2.8 - must be a cemetery of some sort, a lot of men here on the edge of Bois de Riquerval
  • one possible here at 62b. E.13.b.4.7 COG-BR 1975937 - don't see any others and this fellow is not in the woods with his pals
  • it would appear the path is from D.30 up through D.24 then west through E.13 the "possible man" is very likely the 9th man
  • the attack of the 1st/5th was on 12 October 2018 (war diary page 693 of 853) and narrative (war diary page 739 of 853)
• group of four (4) on COG-BR 1975927, all were identified on HD-SCHD 2080616, one of which was South Staffordshire
• 4.B.7 on COG-BR 1975936 but the CWGC stroke it all out on the GRRF 
• Gloucestershire Regiment, if same as Sgt. Haines 1st Bn. 30-10-1918 then it is Private Porter - maybe we can find the other two (2) in here as well
• 19th Royal Hussars has 5 candidates on COG-BR 1975947 - can we find the others?
  • check the TMC for other unknowns to see if there is a match
  • here is one COG-BR 1975983
• check how many of these eleven (11) men of the 1st/5th Lincolns are in the cemetery as three (3) are at least COG-BR 1975958
  • looks like two (2) more at the same location 62b.E.2.a.8.6 are here COG-BR 1975963
• COG-BR 1975979 - only 2 Serjeants of the 4th King's Royal Rifle Corps on 18 October 1918 so it is Parr or Wallace (CWGC Link)

There are nine (9) known Canadians in this cemetery. Fort Garry Horse and Railway Troops. There are five (5) FGH still missing so this gives me a good trench map coordinate at 57b.P.32.d.3.2. See COG-BR 1975920.

Edited 27 October , 2019 by laughton
updating as I go along