Why this layout?

[Matt Dixon]

In Croix du Bac cemetery yesterday I saw a line of Australian headstones, each one with two names on. In the middle of the row, was a single headstone with a cross engraved on it and nothing else. None of the named headstones had crosses on.

Was this simply a space saving method, or is there some other reason?

[Paul Johnson]

I cant say for certain but my experience on this leads me to beleive that this is the resting place of a group of men who could not be identified singly. Possibly, one of them could not be identified at all. This may be as a result of an explosion in close proximity, such as a dugout.

How far from the cemetery is the old front line? This may be a good indicator, although there are numerous reasons such as an explosion at an Ammo dump. This would leave you with a gruesome pile of human remains that would be difficult to seperate or identify and this is the resaon why such groupings exist. I have seen Headstones with several names on in other cemeteries for much the same reason.

Hope this helps.

PAUL JOHNSON

[Matt Dixon]

I see your point although all the headstones (bar the one with the single large cross in the middle) were identified casualties.

[Michelle Young]

I have seen this kind of thing a few times. Is it beacuse they are named 2 on each stone and there isn't room for a religious symbol on each stone, they just put one cross in the middle?

[Matt Dixon]

Michelle,

This was what I suspected, but as I have already said, I genuinely don't know the reason. I haven't seen it before yesterday so I guess my curiosity was aroused!

[Tom Morgan]

Michelle is spot on. Whenever you see this kind of stone, it will always be near to graves with more than one name. (Sometimes in the middle but also to be found at or near the end of the group of multiple-named graves, as in the Devonshire Cemetery at Mametz on the Somme.)

Tom

[Paul Johnson]

You see, we all learn something new each day. This is my lesson.

Thank You.

PAUL J

[Paul Reed]

I am presuming it is the type of stone shown below (this is the one in Devonshire Cemetery, mentioned by Tom).

This indicates you are looking at a 'collective grave' - men all buried in the same grave. In this case the IWGC perpetuated probably a wooden board with names on or a cross with multiple names with a grouping of stones with two or more names on. As Michelle mentioned in such circumstances there was no room for a religious device; so a single stone was placed in the middle with a cross on it.

In some cemeteries there are whole rows of them: you will find this stone always in the middle; Hawthorn Ridge No 1 immediately comes to mind.

There appears more of them on the Somme than the Salient; Menin Road South and Perth (China) Wall being too exceptions that immediately come to mind.

[Matt Dixon]

Paul, Tom et al

Thanks for the info, the picture Paul has provided is exactly what I was talking about. Most interesting.

Paul, thanks for the email.

Kind regards to you all

[Petroc]

Paul; forgive me for this digression, but i would be most grateful for your response. The modern wooded area beyond Devonshire Cemetery, 'over the wall' as it were, reveals a track which much resembles, in Westcountry terminology, a sheep- or rabbit path; it has clearly been walked by many human feet, but is this merely the product of French farmers and poachers, is it the product of my ridiculously sensitive imagination, or is it really part of the 'old front line'?

[Terry Denham]

There is such a 'cross only' stone in Ypres Town Cemetery Extention as well.