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Remembered Today:

Larch Wood (Railway Cutting) Cemetery


laughton

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It appears that I need to dig into this cemetery, as it is linked to the cases of the Messines Ridge British Cemetery for men that were concentrated from the Wervicq / Bousbecque area. There was another topic on this cemetery (https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/42476-larch-wood-railway-cutting-cemetery/) with some photographs and lots of broken image links.

 

The ZIP Files for the CWGC documents was made for this cemetery back in 2016 so they already exist here: (there is always the chance there are others not yet found)

 

As with the other cemeteries, I will track down the trench map coordinates (TMC) for the concentrated cemeteries and check the COG-BR documents for any others not mentioned. I will update this page as those are unearthed. Here is the start from the CWGC page:

Quote

The cemetery was begun in April 1915 at the North-end of a small plantation of larches. It was used by troops holding this sector, particularly the 46th (North Midland) Division and the 1st Dorsets, until April 1918. It was enlarged after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of Ypres and from the following smaller cemeteries:-
 

  • AMERICA CROSS ROADS GERMAN CEMETERY, WERVICQ 28.P.12.b.9.0, (COG-BR 2226289) (named from a cabaret between Wervicq and Kruiseecke) contained the graves of five soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in October, 1914.
     
  • BRUGES GENERAL CEMETERY, ST. MICHEL, contained the graves of 32 soldiers and airmen from the United Kingdom and one Canadian merchant seaman.
    • I will try to find the TMC, as not listed, but the Canadian Merchant Seaman must be listed on a COG-BR
    • It must be this one that I found with a different name, as it is the only one with a link to a Canadian Merchant Seaman and it was not on the list
      STEENEBRUGGE COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION 13.G.30.b.7.6 (COG-BR 2226313)
      • six (6) pages with German Grave numbers
      • includes an RAF aviator from 14 October 1918
      • also includes the Canadian Ed Wood from S.S. Mascutta - not sure if that is the Canadian Merchant Marine mentioned or not GRRF 2127895 and COG-BR2226314 
      • probably the correct one as there are thirty-four (34) including the Canadian and the last one on the list, a Belgian, who they probably moved
         
  • CORTEMARCK GERMAN CEMETERY, No.1 20.K.8.c.1.5, (COG-BR 2226303) a little North-West of the village, contained the grave of two R.F.C. officers.
     
  • EERNEGHEM GERMAN CEMETERY 12.Q.32.c.5.7, (COG-BR 2226311) a little East of Eerneghem, that of one R.A.F. officer.
     
  • GHISTELLES CHURCHYARD 12.P.15.a.3.2 (COG-BR 2226307) contained the graves of two British soldiers who fell in July, 1917. There was a German aerodrome at Ghistelles, and the Germans used a plot in the Churchyard for war burials.
     
  • GROENENBERG GERMAN CEMETERY, ZANTVOORDE  (on the South side of "Shrewsbury Forest"), contained the graves of four soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in February, 1915,
    • no TMC to date, will hunt it down
       
  • HANDZAEME GERMAN CEMETERY 20.J.17.b.5.9  (COG-BR 2226302) (on the North side of the village) those of two Canadian soldiers who fell in May, 1915, and
     
  • ICHTEGHEM GERMAN CEMETERY 12.V.29.b.9.9 (COG-BR 2226309) (a little West of Ichteghem) those of two unknown R.A.F. officers.
     
  • LEFFINGHE GERMAN CEMETERY 12.I.32.c.5.4 (COG-BR 2226308) (on the North side of the village) contained the graves of one R.F.C. officer who fell in July, 1917, and three unknown soldiers from the United Kingdom; and
     
  • MARCKHOVE GERMAN CEMETERY, CORTEMARCK 20.K.2.c.7.2, (COG-BR 2226304) those of ten soldiers and airmen from the United Kingdom who fell in 1918.
     
  • OUDENBURG CHURCHYARD (or C.C.G.E.) 12.J.29.b.9.1 (COG-BR 2226320) contained the graves of two soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in 1917, and
     
  • TENBRIELEN COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION 28.P.17.c.2.6 (COG-BR 2226291) those of six who fell in 1914.
     
  • THOUROUT GERMAN CEMETERY No.2 20.E.12.b.8.8 (COG-BR 2226306) (on the road to Jabbeke, beyond the railway line), contained the graves of seven soldiers and airmen from the United Kingdom and one from Canada;
     
  • VLADSLOO GERMAN CEMETERY 20.C.28.d.7.4 (COG-BR 2226310) (near the Church) those of two R.F.C. officers who fell in 1917; and
     
  • WARNETON SUD-ET-BAS GERMAN CEMETERY 28.V.8.a.9.4 (COG-BR 2226290) those of two unknown British soldiers who fell in 1918.
     
  • WERVICQ COMMUNAL CEMETERY and its EXTENSIONS (on the Belgian side of the Lys) contained the graves of 62 soldiers from the United Kingdom and six from Canada.
    • Communal Cemetery (COG-BR 2226312) - only one grave concentrated and no TMC provided
    • German Extension 28.Q.25.a.5.1 (COG-BR 2226292)
    • see also special reference to bodies found in the German Extension of COG-BR 2226336
    • on DAL LIST we also have Wervicq German Cemetery 28.Q.25.c.4.7 - no idea yet if concentrations from there to Larch Wood
    • original GRRF documents show there was an east and west German Extension
      • Wervicq Communal Cemetery, German Eastern Extension GRRF 1820923 28.Q.25.a.6.2
      • Wervicq Communal Cemetery, German Western Extension GRRF 1820927 28.Q.25.a.2.1
         
  • WIJNENDAELE GERMAN CEMETERY, THOUROUT 12.W.29.d.8.8 (COG-BR 2226319), contained the graves of two flying officers from the United Kingdom and one from Canada; and
     
  • ZANTVOORDE GERMAN CEMETERY 28.P.3.d.4.6 (COG-BR 2226287) (called also De Voorstraat No.49) those of eleven soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in 1914.


The cemetery contains 856 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 321 of the burials are unidentified and there are special memorials to 82 casualties known or believed to be buried in the cemetery. Other special memorials record the names of five casualties buried in German cemeteries whose graves could not be found on concentration.

 

Looking for more COG-BR documents I came across a series of GRRF documents within this cemetery for those concentrated from Wervicq Communal Cemetery German Extension. They are in the series that ends with GRRF 1820915 so I will need to go back and collect those. Looks like they moved out all the commonwealth soldiers from there. This is the Larch Wood document that led me to the Canadian SMITH 71430 GRRF 2127861 and SPEC-SERIES 1820908. Earlier in that package is also the GRRF documents from Oudenburg Churchyard, and others. In that group are also some other SPEC-EXH documents - all found by sheer luck! And it just keeps getting to be a bigger list - scattered with blanks throughout. I have added this SPECIAL SERIES to the list at the top and put them on the Shared MediaFire site.

 

There are some interesting documents in that Special Series, such as the remains of Canadian Allan Gordon Barton, who for some reason was not exhumed with the rest of the group from Wervicq until 20 July 1955? I missed it .... just 3 days short of turning 3 years old!

doc2364214.JPG doc1820926.JPG

 

 

 

back later with more TMC

Edited by laughton
updating details in stages
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20 hours ago, laughton said:

The cemetery contains 856 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 321 of the burials are unidentified

 

That means I must not have retrieved all the COG-BR documents. True enough, a random search revealed Frank Chessum in another set of documents around COG-BR 2153064 which is a new series. Something amiss with that though, as that document says he was removed to the Perth China Wall Military Cemetery? Also on that page is John Charles Paling who is named on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. I see why now, it was a cross with no remains that was removed to Perth. That was a DUD - but I will return to look for more COG-BR documents.

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2 hours ago, laughton said:

I will return to look for more COG-BR documents.

 

You need 2153065 - 2153177

 

Luc.

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Thanks Luc, I had looked at those but am unaware of a link between Larch Wood and Perth China Wall?

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Some of the candidates: (have not checked details - just making a list - Luc may have checked the aviators already)

Edited by laughton
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4 hours ago, laughton said:

Some of the candidates: (have not checked details - just making a list - Luc may have checked the aviators already

 

This is what I have for those aviators:

 

COG-BR 2226300 RFC Officer 3 June 1917 - Haller or Foster, have not checked any details

Grave 4A18 is FltSubLt PG McNeil, reported, CWGC Identification Case No. 306.

Topic: https://cefresearch.ca/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=84&t=13949 

Haller and Foster are at Messines Ridge graves 5B6 and 5B7, doc2015142

Topic: https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/277325-messines-ridge-british-cemetery-case-2-unknown-aviators-haller-foster/

 

COG-BR 2226305 RAF Officer (s)? around 25 September 1918 - 213th Squad, same as other in cemetery - Iliff or Scroggie

Grave 1A11 is 2Lt HG Pike, reported, CWGC Identification Case No. 415

Grave 1A12 is almost certainly 2Lt G Iliff but can't exclude Lt LC Scroggie, We are still looking for more details.

Grave 1A12 is 2Lt DA Shanks, report in progress.

 

COG-BR 2226309 2 RFC Officers, no dates or details except location is unique

Grave 1B14 is FltSubLt EGA Eyre, reported by Johan Ryheul, case number unknown (you might have that on the CWGC case list ?).

Grave 1B13 is still unknown.

 

COG-BR 2226317 1 RAF 14 October 1918 and there are two more from 213th Sqd plus another

Grave 4F31 is probably Lt WT Owen, this needs further investigation.

 

Most of these cases rely on the date shown on the headstone and it's not easy to exclude all others that were shot down earlier and could have died later from wounds, recent rejections show that CWGC will not accept these easily.

 

Luc.

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