The SAD case of Pte W.E. Anderson.

[SPotter]

Pals,

With a small glance in Terry Denham's direction, I wonder if anyone can help with this anomaly. Whilst curiously looking up the last resting place of one of the two Dorsetshire Regt soldiers shot for desertion I discovered that the plot given on the CWGC plan of the cemetery doesn't appear to exist. His entry is here...

CWGC

The plot diagram is given below. However Plot 1, Row P doesn't appear to exist. Unless the Row A (Graves 1-9) shown outside the cemetery (the otherside of the Stone of Remembrance) is misidentified as A instead of P.

Or am I missing something?

Regards

Steve

[Terry Denham]

Steve

These plans are very old and do not always reflect the current layout. The plans were drawn for publication in the early registers in the 1920s/30s. Some cemeteries changed in layout subsequently by having additional rows or sections added.

This may be the case here. Anderson was not listed in the original register (Published 1925) and so may not have been buried there when it was produced. A Plot 1 Row P could have been added later.

There are only two burials in Row P numbered 1 and 2 (the other is Kidd) supporting the idea that they were late arrivals in the cemetery. Kidd is also not listed in the original register.

[SPotter]

Terry,

Many thanks as ever. I appreciate that something is generally better than nothing but it does seem strange that with all the technology at their disposal the CWGC are attaching out-of-date and inaccurate information on the web site. Fully understanding their remit to record and commemorate the fallen and not to satisfy the needs and wishes of researchers and historians I would of thought that this sort of thing ought to be kept up-to-date?

Regards

Steve

[SPotter]

Terry,

As Pte Anderson was not be included in the original 1925 Register would it be safe to say that his remains were concentrated into Gezaincourt Cemetery after the war? If so, would it be possible to find out where he was originally buried? I would however have thought this unlikely as surely he would have been shot some distance behind the lines and therefore buried in a General Hospital cemetery or the like nearby, which was probably more likely to be enlarged and not removed?

Thanks

Steve

[Terry Denham]

Steve

You are right about the plans but CWGC has no remit to spend vast sums of money having them redrawn for our benefit. The originals existed in the old registers and so they are making use of them. The alternative would be to have nothing! In reality, I have only come across a handful of these plans which have changed significantly.

I have always found it safe to say that nothing is safe to say when dealing with these matters! You need evidence. CWGC may still have a record of the original burial place if it was passed to them by the army - remember that it was the army who did the concentrating and not CWGC.