Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille

[laughton]

This is a large cemetery with 3,874 identified burials out of more than 4,500 total. It is a confusing site, particularly for document collection, as they are scattered all over the place and have other cemetery records (i.e. Tyne Cot) mixed in with them.

 

One that stood out, which started this hunt, was the concentrations from EPERNAY (Military or French National), which in itself had concentrations from other smaller cemeteries. As such this was a case of "double concentration" or "follow the bouncing ball".

 

I can not be sure I have all the records. Some were collected in 2015 and then the new batches today. Perhaps as I go through them in detail I will see what might be missing. I will also try and make a list of where concentrations came from, as that is not given. There are new burials in this cemetery for remains found in our lifetime.

 

If you are investigating a specific individual or unknown, you will need to check multiple folders to see if that person was concentrated into Cemetery B from Cemetery A before arriving finally in Cemetery C. Some are still mixed up and need to be sorted. For example, 2nd Lieutenant C. F. R. Goodyear of 55 Sqdn. RAF 25 June 1918 was first buried in the Kalhausen Communal Cemetery in Moselle and concentrated to Terlincthun in 1976, but he is with the EPERNAY collection and has to be moved to MISC. Private Marriott #31904 was in the Chichey French Military Cemetery, then concentrated to Epernay French National Cemetery in 1922, and in 1964 concentrated to the Terlincthun British Cemetery. I have no idea why they moved him again in 1964 unless it became essential to move the Epernay facility. That is discussed on the GWF here in 2004.

 

What I have now is on the Shared MediaFire site here:

• Terlincthun British Cemetery Shared MediaFire Site
  • GRRF 2052876-2053008
  • GRRF 2053009-2053382
  • COG-BR 2053657-2053682
  • COG-BR 2619861-2620249
  • EPERNAY Collection 2053501-2053654
  • MISC Concentrations 2053392-2053492

 

Here is what the CWGC has to say about the cemetery:

Quote

The first rest camps for Commonwealth forces were established near Terlincthun in August 1914 and during the whole of the First World War, Boulogne and Wimereux housed numerous hospitals and other medical establishments.

 

The cemetery at Terlincthun was begun in June 1918 when the space available for service burials in the civil cemeteries of Boulogne and Wimereux was exhausted. It was used chiefly for burials from the base hospitals, but Plot IV Row C contains the graves of 46 RAF personnel killed at Marquise in September 1918 in a bombing raid by German aircraft.

 

In July 1920, the cemetery contained more than 3,300 burials, but for many years Terlincthun remained an 'open' cemetery and graves continued to be brought into it from isolated sites and other burials grounds throughout France where maintenance could not be assured.

 

During the Second World War, there was heavy fighting in the area in 1940. Wimille was devastated when, from 22 - 25 May, the garrison at Boulogne fought a spirited delaying action covering the withdrawal to Dunkirk. There was some fighting in Wimille again in 1944. The cemetery suffered considerable damage both from the shelling in 1940 and during the German occupation.

 

The cemetery now contains 4,378 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and more than 200 war graves of other nationalities, most of them German. Second World War burials number 149. 

 

Much more to follow!

[chaz]

Richard

always wanting to learn, One of my great uncles is buried in Terlincthun. His returns show he was originally burried in Montmirail Convent cemetery, before being reburried in Epernay French National Cemetery. It was thought Eperney was needed for more French nationals hence moving the British ones out.

[laughton]

From the COG-BR documents that were just uncovered in April 2020 for this series "COG-BR 2053657-2053682":

• COG-BR 2053657: Concentrations from Pas de Calais and the Somme sectors in mid 1960, this sheet and several that follow
  • appears now to cover 1957-1960, wonder what caused this great adventure to find these remains?
• COG-BR 2053659: I put a note in the topic about the Bath Star
• COG-BR 2053665: the 1959-1960 concentrations now extend to the Aisne and Marne sector, so May-July 1918
• COG-BR 2053674: Officer of the 10th (Service Battalion) Durham Light Infantry 15-16 September 1916 - in an isolated grave at 57c.N.32.c.1.7
  • that would suggest the Officer was knowingly buried aout 750 yards due east of Flers in his size 9 boots
    • 3 Lieutenants
    • 2 Second Lieutenants

From the COG-BR series "COG-BR 2619861-2620249" from 1962-1987. Surprising identification of Canadians after all those years. Had they started on DNA by then? Looks like mainly the result of construction projects. Some small cemeteries also concentrated at this time. Many of the British and Australians were also identified. From Lens and  Pas-de-Calais to the Aisne battlefields. They give the general area where the remains were found but not trench map coordinates.

• COG-BR 2619971: a Canadian at Moreuil, which would likely mean Lord Strathcona's Horse, I believe the only ones in that area
• COG-BR 2619985: and those that follow, discovered during the construction of Autoroute 26 Souchez in 1976
• COG-BR 2620059: interesting a 1939-1945 find carrying a 1938 coin in an isolated building site
• COG-BR 2620096: they did identify the last one on the page as George Crockett
• COG-BR 2620111: multiple pages with mixed men from EPERNAY FRENCH NATIONAL CEMETERY from WWI and WWII concentrated in 1964
  • it appears they did concentrate them into separate plots so WWI (Plot VII XVI) was separate from WWII (Plot XIX)
• COG-BR 2620163: the last one should read "Unknown Australian Soldier, 17th Bn. A.I.F.", of which there are 222 unknowns
• COG-BR 2620166: a number of clues here, top entry
  • who had titles that just said "YORK"
  • a Company Serjeant Major with two wound stripes
  • Boiry Notre Dame, Pas de Calais but there are none on the Arras Memorial database?
• COG-BR 2620181: the 24th Canadian Infantry Battalion was at 51b.A.5.c on 9 April 1917 during the attack on Vimy Ridge just north of Les Tilleuls
• COG-BR 2620182: man pages for the concentration of the CHARLEVILLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY

That completes the new COG-BR documents.

[pilot]

Hello

 

COG-BR 2619971 : this Canadian was discovered in Rifle Wood (Domart-sur-la-Luce) and was a Fort Garry Horse (badge found). Only 2 FGH were MIA during this time in this sector : Sgt Bill Willis and Trooper Harry Hancock. Unfortunatly no DNA test  was possible at this time. A cemetery is very close to this place and I don't understand why the CWGC buried him so far away.

 

Sincerly