Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner, Cuinchy

[laughton]

Another research project brought me back to this cemetery and it was apparent I needed more details on the concentration locations, so here we go!

 

Ted Walshe's @ejwalshe video is here for that cemetery: Guards Cemetery Video. I will do my best to add those links in each case, some have already been missed.

 

The documents for this cemetery have already been collected, so you can find them here:

• Guards Cemetery Windy Corner Shared MedaFire ZIP Files
  • GRRF 2007203-2007452
  • COG-BR 2007558-2007654
  • COG-BR 2762767-2762899

Here is what the CWGC has to say about the cemetery, to which I have added the trench map coordinates (TMC) for the concentration cemeteries from the DAL or COG-BR. Below that I will add any other battlefield burial sites or cemeteries that appear on the COG-BR that are not mentioned by the CWGC.

 

Quote

A little west of the crossroads known to the army as 'Windy Corner' was a house used as a battalion headquarters and dressing station. The cemetery grew up beside this house. The original cemetery is now Plots I and II and Rows A to S of Plot III. It was begun by the 2nd Division in January 1915, and used extensively by the 4th (Guards) Brigade in and after February. It was closed at the end of May 1916, when it contained 681 graves.

 

After the Armistice it was increased when more than 2,700 graves were brought in from the neighbouring battlefields - in particular the battlefields of Neuve-Chapelle, Aubers Ridge and Festubert - and from certain smaller cemeteries, including:-

 

• BALUCHI ROAD CEMETERY, NEUVE-CHAPELLE 36.M.34.b.8.9, on the road from Pont-Logy to the "Moated Grange". It contained the graves of fifteen soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in the winter of 1914-15.
   
• EDWARD ROAD CEMETERY No.3, RICHEBOURG-L'AVOUE 36.S.9.a.4.8, on the South side of the Rue des Berceaux, near another "Windy Corner" (Plot I only, which contained the graves of five men of the 1st East Surreys who fell in October 1914).
   
• INDIAN VILLAGE NORTH CEMETERY, FESTUBERT 36.S.21.a.5.6, near the intersection of "Prince's Road" and the front line of early 1915. It contained the graves of fifteen soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in May and July 1915.
   
• LORGIES COMMUNAL CEMETERY, which contained two British graves of October 1918.
  • did not see this one in the documents?
  • not identified but only COG-BR 2007590 has 2 British from October 1918 (Carter & Box) at 36.S.24.d.9.9
     
• PONT-FIXE SOUTH CEMETERY, CUINCHY, on the West side of "Harley Street" (the road going South from Windy Corner), a little South of the Canal. This was a row of graves stretching Westward behind houses, and contained the bodies of 42 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in 1915.
  • COG-BR 2762896 refers to removal of cemetery at 44a.A.14.d.1.5 (same as 36c map) - 3 pages

 

Guards Cemetery now contains 3,445 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 2,198 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 37 casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

 

Other special memorials commemorate six casualties buried in Indian Village North Cemetery, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire, and four Indian soldiers originally buried in the Guards Cemetery but afterwards cremated in accordance with the requirements of their faith. 

• COG-BR 2762899 from Arras Road British Cemetery 3.C.15 - then cancelled? 

 

• COG-BR 2007561: refers to a reburial from P.O. Cemetery, Festubert at 36a.X.29.d.9.2 but the writing is not clear
• COG-BR 2007563 many crosses at 36.S.26.c.6.2

 

There are a number of sites where there were Memorial Crosses that were initially removed and placed in Guards Cemetery. I have not listed those locations. For example COG-BR 2007613.

Edited 13 March , 2020 by laughton
updating details in stages

[laughton]

What we find on the COG-BR documents:

• COG-BR 2007558: if in sequence, that is Plot 4 Row E but the page is no longer readable, lost to history - might all just be UBS as in top line
  • these would all be from 36.S.10.c.3.7 as per the following sheet, as "3.7" just visible on top line
• COG-BR 2007561: appears to say "removed from P.O. Cemetery, Festubert 36.X.?9.d.9.2"
• COG-BR 2007596: a few Canadians appear from May 1915 at Festubert - where it says 2nd Canadian Regiment, read 15th Bn 3rd Canadian Brigade
  • many of those listed as "Unknown British Soldier" may be Canadian
• COG-BR 2007608: they should have investigated this one further as it only took a few minutes to find "Wood" buried by the Germans 13 April 1918
  • only two (2) were missing at the time, Harry and Harold (CWGC Link)
  • the details have now been placed in a separate topic in "Recovering the Fallen":
    https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/279745-guards-cemetery-windy-corner-case-1-buried-by-germans-13-4-18-wood/

• COG-BR 2007616: the Unknown Officer "Captain" of the Liverpool Regiment was identified as Captain Maurice Tweedale

• COG-BR 2007620: an unknown Officer of the Cheshire Regiment - I have not checked any further

• COG-BR 2007622: Worcestershire Regiment #5720 with a broken disc must be Private Alfred Wall 15 May 1915 36.S.15.a.6.3

  • he is listed with that number also on GRRF 2007323

  • as with the other one above, I will need to check that they were actually in that area at that time

• much more to follow later!

The number of unknowns from 36.S.15, 36.S.16 and 36.S.21, southeast of Richebourg (southwest Neuve Chapelle, northeast of Festubert) is endless! Men from 1914 to 1918. Appears the most are Spring 1915.

Edited 16 March , 2020 by laughton
moved the WOOD case to a separate topic; moved Wall to a separate topic

[thetrenchrat22]

Hi Richard,

 

I'm looking at the case of Alfred Wall f

who was from Cookley.  One of 5 brothers who served and 4 of them died, Alfred, William, Thomas and Ernest.  

 

Alan

[laughton]

Thanks Alan, I will mark it on the list that you are looking after that case. We really do need a master list!

Continuing....

• COG-BR: 2007633: Notts & Derby Corporal, 5th Battalion, so could be 1/5th or 2/5th
  • remains are at 44a.A.11.b.3.7 which is just east of La Bassee and west of Givenchy, about 2,500 yards east of Windy Corner, 
  • 16 are known in the cemetery, one January 1915 the rest May-June 1916, but none are 5th Bn
  • two (2) on Loos Memorial 1915 and 1917, for 1st/5th Bn - will need to check their location on those dates
    • UPDATE: cannot separate the men as both east of Vermelles west of Cite St. Elie:
      • 14 October 1915 (36c.G.4 - war diary page 35 of 170)
      • 11 December 1917 (36c.G.12 - war diary page 111 of 170)
  • none on the Loos Memorial for the 2nd/5th Bn
  • none on the Le Touret Memorial for any with the ?/5th component
• COG-BR 2007635: don't know what this one means, listed as Unknown British Officer "9th Infantry", does not say Division, Brigade or Battalion?
  • just clothing and numerals
• COG-BR 2007650: Captain Northamptonshire Regiment 36.S.15.b.7.6 
  • only Captain Shortt 7th Bn is on the Loos Memorial for 25 September 1915, so worth a deeper look
    • 7th (Service) Battalion is 73rd Brigade 24th Division (LLT)
    • at Vermelles and marched to Hohenzollern Redoubt 36c.G.4 (war diary page 6 of 407)
  • the nine (9) on the Le Touret Memorial I presume would also be candidates?
    • see new topic: https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/279796-guards-cemetery-windy-corner-case-2-captain-northamptonshire-regiment/

Edited 17 March , 2020 by laughton
updating details in stages

[laughton]

Moving on to the second set of COG-BR documents: - the list of those in the 36.S.15 area continues to grow at an incredible rate, not reflected on the Body Density Maps seen to date!

• COG-BR 2762776: there was a Canadian on this one J. M. Clark #440 from the 8th Battalion, so I checked on him to see if the records match - interesting

  the COG-BR says he was exhumed from 36.S.27.a.8.3  his casualty record, circumstance of death or casualty, says he was exhumed from 36.S.26.b at the minimum that is 400 yards different his E-13 War Graves Register says 36.S.26.b "near Rue Cailloux, near Lothian Road to the left" on the trench maps, Lothian Road is in sector 36.S.27.c.central and Rue de Cailloux is in 36.S.25 Lothian Road on other maps extends further west cutting across 36s.S.26d and 36.S.27.c Rue de Cailloux is a major road running from 36.S.25.b.8.8 (Brewery Corner), northeast to 36.S.22.c.7.5 that means those two roads do not intersect keep this in mind when looking at the trench map coordinates, as something is off a bit somewhere!

  click to expand

• COG-BR 2762778: Kings Liverpool Regiment Serjeant 36.S.21.c.9.2 
  • 80 men from that regiment in the cemetery (CWGC Link), 5 of which are Serjeants
  • multiple years, locations and regiments, but closest to where they found Serjeant Unsworth 5th Bn at 36.S.15.a.2.4 KIA 16 May 1915
  • thirteen (13) on the Loos Memorial, most for 1918 and just two from the fall of 1915 (CWGC Link)
• COG-BR 2762809: for someone with experience with the men of the Machine Gun Corps
  • an Officer found with a man, both at 36a.X.24.c.9.4
  • the soldier is D Coy 55 Brigade, so logic says the Officer probably is as well
• COG-BR 2762824: Canadian, not British, of the Lord Strathcona's Horse 25 May 1915 36.S.27.c.8.2
  • seven (7) on the Vimy Memorial for that date, so not a case
  • a lot of Canadian Unknowns filed away as "Unknown British Soldiers"

[Pat Atkins]

Thank you for your efforts on this, laughton; while I admit to an interest - a relative (D Coy, 23rd Londons) was killed at Givenchy on 26th May 1915 and has no known grave - it's also clearly important and commendable work you're doing. 

 

Cheers, Pat