TomasJakl Posted 15 March , 2020 Share Posted 15 March , 2020 (edited) There is a grave of Auguste Birmann in the Magdalen Hill Cemetery in Winchester. It is held as a grave of a Great War Russian soldier. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/6016943/birmann,-auguste/ There is thread about him on the Sussex History Forum: http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=8503.0 It is clear form his thread that the grave has a CWGC headstone for soviet WWII soldiers. User alkhamhills cites Death register which shows that Auguste Birmann was born in 1877. From these two French pages: http://www.memorialgenweb.org/memorial3/html/fr/complementter.php?id=2236961 http://www.archives57.com/index.php/component/fabrik/details/1/8794 results that Auguste Birmann was in fact born on 07th May 1877 in Mittelbronn in French Moselle region annexed in 1870 by Germany. He served in German Army and was captured while serving in the Landwehr Infanterie Regiment 97. Thus this grave is a grave of a German POW of French origin. Edited 15 March , 2020 by TomasJakl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helpjpl Posted 15 March , 2020 Share Posted 15 March , 2020 1. Graves Registration Report states - Served in German Army. (This man was actually a Frenchman, forcibly mobilised by the Germans, captured by the Russians, & died in England) https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/6016943/birmann,-auguste/#&gid=null&pid=1 2. findagrave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68225904/auguste-birmann/photo JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomasJakl Posted 15 March , 2020 Author Share Posted 15 March , 2020 (edited) Many thanks! Now it makes much more sense! Nevertheless the soviet star on the gravestone is still a nonsense. He should have French headstone. In fact I came across this case when looking for graves of three Czechoslovak soldiers who passed away in United Kingdom in autumn 1917. A battalion-sized transport of Czechoslovak volunteers was sent from Russia via Arkhangelsk to reinforce Czechoslovak units in France in autumn 1917. They spent two weeks in Flowerdown Camp in Winchester between 30 October and 11 November 1917. Three of them should been buried en route, one in Newcastle and two in Winchester. Their graves were supposed still exist during World War II. Unfortunately I don't even know their names. They were clothed in Russian uniforms. I guess Auguste Birmann was attached to the same transport from Russia as a volunteer for French army and because of his Russian uniform he was buried as a "Russian". Edited 15 March , 2020 by TomasJakl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 15 March , 2020 Share Posted 15 March , 2020 I live not very far from the cemetery in question. If it's any help I'm happy to go and take photos of the graves; I know where they are as I've been there before (it's a very nice cemetery!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomasJakl Posted 15 March , 2020 Author Share Posted 15 March , 2020 Many thanks for your kind offer. That would be very nice from you to take picture of the graves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 16 March , 2020 Share Posted 16 March , 2020 I'll potter out later this week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 23 March , 2020 Share Posted 23 March , 2020 Here we are. It was a splendid day today, and a pretty-well deserted cemetery seemed an ideal place in which to socially distance myself. Photo of his grave and a general shot of the location: next along is a Portugese gunner (Great War) and the furthest is a RNZVR(A) pilot (Second World War). If you'd like me to email them to you (and I have a lot more from around the cemetery), message me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomasJakl Posted 23 March , 2020 Author Share Posted 23 March , 2020 Nice pictures! Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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