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Second Lieutenants Boswell A.T.W and Gundill R.P.


LDT006

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A report for the above was submitted in September 2017 and has now been accepted, a rededication ceremony will be held when Covid permits. I must thank Trevor Henshaw and the late Richard Laughton for their help with this case.

They were last seen west of Menin whilst flying a DH9 (D1080 ) on 2 October 1918. Their remains were recovered from 28.K.34.c.2.1 (in my hometown) just west of Menin. 

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/741560/boswell, alan thompson watt/ 

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/637457/gundill, robert percy/

A.T.W. Boswell had a brother who was also killed during WWI and still has no known grave: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/699129/percy-william-innes-boswell/ . 

Can you help with photo's of these men?

Thanks, Luc.

1524622841_Burialreturndoc2151675.JPG.28a0a0b211fbeba60bd46c7c8c494572.JPG

 

S6001850.JPG.32a18cd59da6323f754fa19e3b0ca120.JPG

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Unfortunate but there's no picture in that book. The author is Russell Evans, a family member of the Boswell's.

I was in contact with him and we exchanged documents that he used in the book. It will be difficult to find a photo but one never knows with the knowledge on this forum.

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1 hour ago, LDT006 said:

Unfortunate but there's no picture in that book. The author is Russell Evans, a family member of the Boswell's.

I was in contact with him and we exchanged documents that he used in the book. It will be difficult to find a photo but one never knows with the knowledge on this forum.

Maybe a forum member may be able to find a pic of him from an archive of one of the sports clubs/ schools listed in his bio on  Cardiff high school war memorial - scroll down to Boswell

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Hi All, 

I would be very surprised if  one of the numerous clubs he played for and having been capped by Wales for Hockey and Football, doesn't have a photo..

As posted above by jaykayu a bit more research....https://roathlocalhistorysociety.org/local-history/war-memorials/cardiff-high-school-war-memorial/

Regards Barry

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There may be a photo in the Western Mail of 23rd August 1915. He is certainly mentioned on a page with plenty of photographs.  

Worth a look anyway.

Edited by IPT
sp.
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Luc,  out of interest can you share how long it was after September 2017 that CWGC told you - if at all - that they had reviewed your case and passed it onto the MOD etc. ?

Thanks

J

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58 minutes ago, IPT said:

There may be a photo in the Western Mail of 23rd August 1915.

Would you have a link, Google fails again to find it...

15 minutes ago, jaykayu said:

Luc,  out of interest can you share how long it was after September 2017 that CWGC told you - if at all - that they had reviewed your case and passed it onto the MOD etc. ?

No notification was ever received from CWGC for this and other recent cases. I can only remember one case where they told me that it was passed to JCCC but that was many years ago.

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Thanks to all for the contributions, I am quite busy with other cases and did not have much time to search.

On 24/01/2022 at 19:56, IPT said:

Findmypast want's me to upgrade (very expensive), this a bit too steep when there might be nothing there

 

On 24/01/2022 at 15:02, jaykayu said:

Maybe a forum member may be able to find a pic of him from an archive of one of the sports clubs/ schools listed in his bio on  Cardiff high school war memorial - scroll down to Boswell

Russell has already posted the research there so I am assuming that he asked for a photo...

Luc.

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Just now, LDT006 said:

Findmypast want's me to upgrade (very expensive), this a bit too steep when there might be nothing there

 

On 24/01/2022 at 18:56, IPT said:

You can also view it directly on the British Newspaper Archive, where you get three free images when registering.

 

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Hi - Russell Evans here - a complete novice at this "forum" - a first time user no less...

The only photo I came across in my work on my book (From Milford Haven etc) was of the Senior Officers and Sergeants of the 11th Service Battalion (Welsh Regiment) taken before they went to the Western Front.  I tried to attach it here, but as its in Word, that was not accepted.

I'll send a copy to Luc - LDT006 -  by email if I can!

Russell

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Welcome Russell. I've read your book and found it very useful.

Luc, can you please tell me what the CWGC will now do with the names of Boswell and Gundill on the Arras FSM? Will they be erased?

Very well done , BTW. 

Mike

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On 27/01/2022 at 20:29, evans said:

Hi - Russell Evans here - a complete novice at this "forum" - a first time user no less...

The only photo I came across in my work on my book (From Milford Haven etc) was of the Senior Officers and Sergeants of the 11th Service Battalion (Welsh Regiment) taken before they went to the Western Front.  I tried to attach it here, but as its in Word, that was not accepted.

I'll send a copy to Luc - LDT006 -  by email if I can!

Russell

Welcome Russell

Re your pic I tried to attach it here, but as its in Word, that was not accepted. Have you tried selecting the pic in Word, right clicking it and saving it as an image (png, jpg) and then inserting into a post here?

Fingers crossed 

J

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Just to answer my own question. The names will be erased. I've just looked up an article in the Hampshire Telegraph, 5 August 1932, about Air-Marshal Lord Trenchard and the opening of the Arras and Arras FS Memorials. In 1932 there were 1018 names on the Air Force obelisk. Currently on the CWGC website, a download of the AFSM's names gives 983. So 35 have been erased in the last ninety years, with now another two to follow.

I wonder if there is a list of those found in these years (ie, if there is a list from 1932)?

Mike

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Sorry for the late reply, these are the pictures that I received from Russell

2047869737_Picture1(1).jpg.8acf8b185bf0d55613638a253ecdab71.jpg

 

1867915641_Picture12305843009264602477(1).jpg.2ce2a5ef86bfd498bcfdf1f1e3a423cd.jpg

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3 hours ago, Perth Digger said:

Just to answer my own question. The names will be erased.

The names will be removed from the CWGC database but not "erased" on the panels at the Arras Flying Services Memorial.

Panels on memorials are only replaced when really needed: damaged worn, unstable...

The US have a nice system where they add a rosette next to the name of a soldier whose grave has been found, example:

1566249384_Rosetteontablets.jpg.a644a0aa17cfd284c57ac0efc8990c3e.jpg

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  • 3 months later...

The MOD has just announced the rededication services for Second Lieutenants Alan Thompson Watt Boswell and Robert Percy Gundill,

29 June 2022

11.15am at Duhallow ADS cemetery, Belgium. A Rededication Service for Second Lieutenants Alan Thompson Watt Boswell and Robert Percy Gundill, Royal Air Force. Killed in action 2 October 1918.

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  • 1 month later...

The ceremony took place today with Russell Evans and other members of his family.
We also found a better picture of 2Lt. A.T.W. Boswell when he was younger but unfortunately none of 2Lt. R.P. Gundill

image.png.b0d99fd1dea9c07606d9eddac244b429.png

More information on the MOD website and facebook:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ww1-royal-air-force-officers-grave-rededicated
https://www.facebook.com/wardetectives

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