41 Machine Gun Battalion Casualties 5 Oct 1918 - Ghelevelt

[kelvintruss]

Good day all, War Diary WO 95/2627/5 records the death by shelling of 25 members of B Coy on 5 Oct 1918, however I can only locate one (possibly) related record in CWGC records: Benjamin Wattonhttps://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/163444/b-watton/.  A Walter Jenkins also died on 5th but he had been wounded on 1 Oct. It seems odd that I cant find any other mention of the 25 killed anywhere. can anyone suggest where else to look?  Thanks (Also, what is the word in paranthesis after B Coy? A ecehelon?

 

 

[LDT006]

21 hours ago, kelvintruss said:

Also, what is the word in paranthesis after B Coy?

Almost certainly the name of the company leader. Can't help with the 25 death but believe that there must be a serious error somewhere.

[AndrewSid]

When seareching for MGC on the CWGC web site i have found you need to do two searches,  one under Machine Gun Corps and the other under Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)

I havnt tallied the numbers but there are more 41st MGC Bn men here:

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/search-results/?Surname=&Forename=&Initials=&ServiceNum=&Regiment=Machine+Gun+Corps+(Infantry)&DateDeathFromDay=4&DateDeathFromMonth=October&DateDeathFromYear=1918&DateDeathToDay=6&DateDeathToMonth=October&DateDeathToYear=1918&DateOfDeath=&CountryCommemoratedIn=null&Cemetery=&Unit=&Rank=&SecondaryRegiment=&SecondaryUnit=&AgeOfDeath=0&Honours=null&AdditionalInfo=&Tab=&Size=50&Page=1

Equally,  although there are a lot of hits  searching one just  the day and trawling through each page and picking out MGC men is a good, if slow, sanity check.

 

 

Edited 13 April , 2023 by AndrewSid

[HenryTheGerman]

The location's name certainly is Gheluvelt, not Ghelevelt. Gheluvelt is located halfway between Menen and Ypres astride the N8 (nowadays Geluveld). Close to Menen there is Gheluwe, nowadays Geluwe. It's a bit confusing.

[Ray Tomlinson]

I don't think the word in brackets is a name. It also crops up in the first line of the same page (not in brackets) - 

There's also a reference to "A ??????" in the second para. Could it be "Echelon"?

Rather chilling though; my grandfather was in B Co. of the 41 Bn.!

Edited 20 April , 2023 by Ray Tomlinson

[kelvintruss]

Thanks all. Im none the wiser, but will keep invetsigating.

[WhiteStarLine]

On 11/04/2023 at 18:08, LDT006 said:

Almost certainly the name of the company leader.

Plus one for @kelvintruss and the word in brackets is A Echelon.