Help Needed

[peterd]

I have recently acquired the following relating to Pte John Barton (50879), C Coy, 8 Bn, Royal Fusiliers who died on 2 November 1916 aged 35:

Large Braonze Death Medal and associated presentation Scroll

Notification letter sent by War Office to NOK (original and rather fragile)

Picure of Soldier

Post Card sent to his daughter

CWG shows him buried in Dainville Cemetry just outside Arras. This is a small cemetry with about 38 graves in the middle of the town grave yard. I have visited the grave; his is the only grave from that period.

As a new boy to this can the experts help me out be suggesting:

1. Why John is buried in this graveyard?

2. When might he have joined up (8RF is a Kitchener Bn from 12 (Eastern Div)? His picture was taken in Ediburgh in September 1916 and he died only 3 months later.

3. Where might I find out what 8RF were doing in November 1916?

John is not a relative the material was obtained from a Junk Shop following a house clearance.

I will be gratefull for any help. Sorry this is so long!

Peter Dillarstone (PeterD)

[Jonathan Saunders]

No 3) is relatively easy to answer ... if you go back to the mother site you should be able to locate 8/RF history through the "Tommy" link. For more detailed info the Battalion War Diaries will almost certainly be available at teh National Archives at Kew. Warning ... this type of research becomes habitual!

[Bob Coulson]

Peter,

8th Royal Fusiliers were fighting on the Somme and were transferred to the Arras sector on October 23rd 1916.

Bob.