Looking for information on soldiers killed in the village of Eecke

[Augustin]

I am looking for all the soldiers (death notices, documents,...) who died in the village of Eecke in Northern France. It is possible that they are scattered in the cemeteries of the surroundings. To my knowledge the soldiers who died there are : DJ Doig, Arnold Batty, Alfred Edwards, M.Martindale, William Ferrier - buried in another nearby cemetery. If you know of any other soldier who died in this village, please let me know, I am trying to link this village to the dead, the work of research is immense but I hope to succeed with your help.

Augustin

[Knotty]

Hi Augustin

How about changing the title of your thread to:-

“Looking for information on soldiers killed in the village of Eecke”

That way people will understand exactly what your searching for.

[TEW]

CWGC have four of those men buried in Eecke Churchyard. Three died spring of 1916, one in November. The former, all Canadians, the latter RWF.

The Canadians should have records online which might give a clue as to the circumstances of their death & burial there.

Generally speaking the location was used for billets. A few RAMC diaries for Eecke show they were also in billets but were admitting sick. One diary indicates they were shelled which killed some horses.

 I don't know where the nearby cemeteries are but Eecke is not far from Godewaersvelde which had a CCS group. Perhaps later deaths in Eecke were buried elsewhere.

Ancestry have 403 hits for Eecke within unit diaries.

Canadians will have more.

I'd be wanting to understand the unit dispositions in Eecke in order to understand any deaths/burials. Were they training? Died in medical stations? Died by shellfire?

Proving that men buried elsewhere died in Eecke sounds quite a task.

TEW

[TEW]

The story for Alfred Edwards 15461 10th RWF died 3/11/1915 looks an unusual scenario.

Their diary misses out this period but an entry for 14/11/1916 may describe the fate of Edwards.

CSM Fisher is noted for Gallantry when on 3/11/1915 he closed with and arrested a soldier who was firing his rifle indiscriminately inside a billet (in Eecke). One man killed, another wounded. Likely that Edwards was shot and killed in this act.

TEW

[Augustin]

Thank you for this clarification, I had the opportunity to read some death notices of the soldiers who died in Eecke, many of them speak of accidents and even
of a soldier of their unit shooting at them for some...
 

[Augustin]

32 minutes ago, TEW said:

 One diary indicates they were shelled which killed some horses.

the details concerning the war diaries are very interesting, will it be possible to share on the forum please? I think that there were more deaths in this village because in the one kilometer around one tells four cemetery it was surely buried in the cemetery as close as possible to their place of death? certain on the dying of the bombardments…?

Edited 20 September , 2021 by Augustin

[clive_hughes]

The Soldiers Effects registers state that Alfred Edwards was "accidentally killed".  He was noted as illegitimate and his unpaid wages and war gratuity were sent to his stepfather Edward Samuels. 

Stepfather resided Stone Cottage, Afongoch, Ruabon, but Alfred isn't on the Ruabon war memorial - possibly came from a nearby but different parish?  There is still an "Afon Goch (lit. Red River) just north of the town of Ruabon.  He applied in 1920 aged 65 for a dependant's pension, and curiously the ledger entry says that Alfred was killed in action.  He was unmarried.  His stepfather did receive a pension as a result. 

Alfred was born Rhos, enlisted Ruabon, next of kin resident Hafod (all in Denbighshire).  Soldiers Died in the Great War states "Died" 3.11.15, so cause was other than of wounds in action.  

[Matlock1418]

44 minutes ago, TEW said:

CWGC have four of those men buried in Eecke Churchyard. Three died spring of 1916, one in November. The former, all Canadians, the latter RWF.

Just for clarity in Eecke Churchyard:

BATTY, Arnold, 114098, Canadian Infantry - Son of Frank and Alice Batty, of 20, Hill St., Elsecar, Barnsley, England https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/273868/ARNOLD BATTY

DOIG, D[avid] J[ohn], 153021, Canadian Infantry - Son of Thomas and Helen Doig, of Rattray, Blairgowrie, Scotland. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/273869/D J DOIG [Full forenames come from service record at LAC]

EDWARDS, Alfred 15461 Royal Welsh Fusiliers - Son of Elizabeth Samuels (formerly Edwards), and Edward Samuels (stepfather), of Stone Cottages, Avongoch, Ruabon, Denbighshire https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/273870/ALFRED EDWARDS

MARTINDALE, M[oses], 15979, King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) - Son of Alexander and Martha Holding; husband of Mary Martindale, of 367, Preston Rd., Coppull Moor, Chorley, Lancs. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/273871/M MARTINDALE [Full forename comes from pension cards at WFA/Fold3]

:-) M

 

Edited 20 September , 2021 by Matlock1418

[jay dubaya]

I’d looked up the Canadians previously. David Doig was accidentally killed at the 9th Infantry Brigade Grenade School at Eecke. Arnold Batty died of wounds after being accidentally shot by a fellow soldier, he was admitted to 65th Field Ambulance at the 21st Division Rest Station which was most likely also at Eecke.

[Matlock1418]

BATTY, Arnold, 114098, Canadian Infantry = Canadian Circumstances of Death Register at LAC -https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/mass-digitized-archives/circumstances-death-registers/Pages/item.aspx?PageID=29673 go to page 925 [as jay has just posted]

:-) M

[Matlock1418]

DOIG, D[avid] J[ohn], 153021, Canadian Infantry = Canadian Circumstances of Death Register at LAC - https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/mass-digitized-archives/circumstances-death-registers/Pages/item.aspx?PageID=49111 Go to page 989 - Accidentally killed during grenade practice

:-) M

[jay dubaya]

It would appear that each of those 4 soldiers were all killed accidentally. The 10th Bn RWF diary records a soldier arrested in billets for firing his weapon indiscriminately and had killed and wounded two soldiers. Alfred Edwards Soldiers Effects record him being killed accidentally. The battalion was at the time in rest billets at Eecke.

[Matlock1418]

2 hours ago, Augustin said:

William Ferrier - buried in another nearby cemetery

Presuming this is:

FERRIER, W[illiam]  59318, Canadian Engineers - at Bertenacre Military Cemetery, Fletre - https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/273624/W FERRIER

= Canadian Circumstances of Death Register at LAC  https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/mass-digitized-archives/circumstances-death-registers/Pages/item.aspx?PageID=54123  - go to page 857 - again an accident, a dugout he was working on collapsed and buried him

:-) M

Edited 20 September , 2021 by Matlock1418

[TEW]

41 minutes ago, Augustin said:

the details concerning the war diaries are very interesting, will it be possible to share on the forum please? I think that there were more deaths in this village because in the one kilometer around one tells four cemetery it was surely buried in the cemetery as close as possible to their place of death? certain on the dying of the bombardments…?

I entered Eecke in the keyword box under Ancestry diaries and read a few RAMC pages. The one I mentioned is for horses killed but no soldier deaths or casualties.

Looks like the Eecke Churcyard is a small CWGC cemetery and I suspect at some point no more burials were allowed there. Later deaths in Eecke could have been transported for burial elsewhere, even those killed by Artillery.

TEW

 

[Augustin]

14 minutes ago, TEW said:

and I suspect at some point no more burials were allowed there

Thank you all,
it is possible that we feared an overloading of the cemetery therefore directing the bodies to neighboring cemetery (I am trying to find these victims)

Edited 20 September , 2021 by Augustin

[Matlock1418]

This is the CWGC description of Eecke Churchyard https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/27407/EECKE CHURCHYARD

Interestingly their photo depicting the First World War burial plot appears to show 11 CWGC headstones - some/many appear to be 'Unknowns', presumably the majority leaving the only 4 named above and on the Graves Registration Report Form [same GRRF for all 4].

There might perhaps be partial info on the identity of those 'Unknowns'.

= How might we find any form of report on the other 'Unknown' burials? = Struck-through as wrong graves plot.

:-) M

Edit:  Augustin - Are you from/from near Eecke?  Can you read/transcribe/photograph all the headstones?

Edited 20 September , 2021 by Matlock1418
Edit

[TEW]

I think there are WWII burials there as well but I thought 7 in total which could leave 4 unknowns from either war?

TEW 

[jay dubaya]

30 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said:

This is the CWGC description of Eecke Churchyard https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/27407/EECKE CHURCHYARD

Interestingly their photo depicting the First World War burial plot appears to show 11 CWGC headstones - some/many appear to be 'Unknowns', presumably the majority leaving the only 4 named above and on the Graves Registration Report Form [same GRRF for all 4].

There might perhaps be partial info on the identity of those 'Unknowns'.

= How might we find any form of report on the other 'Unknown' burials?

:-) M

Edit:  Augustin - Are you from/from near Eecke?  Can you read/transcribe/photograph all the headstones?

They’re the graves from a later war M, there are only 4 GW graves there - swipe the CWGC image to see the second image and the 4 graves.

[Matlock1418]

1 minute ago, jay dubaya said:

They’re the graves from a later war M, there are only 4 GW graves there - swipe the CWGC image to see the second image and the 4 graves.

Yes, Completely my mistake regarding that larger plot being all WW1 - I can see the 4 WW1 in the smaller plot.

In too much haste I seem to have got my thoughts totally about face! :-(  Sorry folks.

:-) M

[Augustin]

38 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said:

11 CWGC headstones - some/many appear to be 'Unknowns', presumably the majority leaving the only 4 named

indeed these graves are ww2 but I am looking for the dead of the first war

[Matlock1418]

Just now, Augustin said:

indeed these graves are ww2 but I am looking for the dead of the first war

Yes, has been pointed out to me.  I understand you are looking for WW1

My apologies for getting rather confused!!!

:-) M

[Augustin]

on these reports of the CWGC one sees there mysteriously two unknown names those below I know of their name but the names of the soldiers surrounded? did they die in Eecke?

7 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said:

My apologies for getting rather confused!!!

no problem

[Matlock1418]

Mr E. SAMUELS is the step-father of EDWARDS, Alfred 15461 Royal Welsh Fusiliers

Mrs E PENNY is quite likely to be the married sister of DOIG, David John, 153021, Canadian Infantry - Named as paying for/corresponding over the personal inscriptions on the headstone

:-) M

Edited 20 September , 2021 by Matlock1418
added Penny

[Augustin]

ok thank

[Augustin]

not far away there is a military cemetery "Bertenacre".
I'm sure there are victims of Eecke in it