Guards Grave

[Adrian]

I have a couple of questions arising from "Fifteen Rounds A Minute", the excellent book on 2nd Grenadier Guards in 1914.

1) Is the Guards Grave referred to by CWGC the same as the grave the creation of which is described in the book?

2) CWGC gives the date of death of a Guardsman Percy Battle, 2nd Grenadiers (buried in the Guards Grave) as 4 September 1914 ie three days after the Villers-Cotterets battle. SDGW also gives the same date.

I'd be grateful as to any suggestion why the 4 September date is given. If the cause of death were "died of wounds", would he have been tended to by anyone prior to his death?

[Paul Reed]

The cemetery in the book, and the one you mention are one and the same.

Not sure about the Guardsmans date of death; some men got isolated during the retreat and often got killed while 'behind enemy lines'. It could also be that this is an assumed date of death as initially he might have been missing.

An excellent book, and glad it has prompted you to ask more.

[Chris_Baker]

You can see some pics of the cemetery here

[Adrian]

Thank you for your answers - the text with the pictures describes (as does the book) the isolation of 2 platoons, so it is possible Gdsman Battle was among them.

However, this begs the question why not then ascribe a date of death to all these men of 1 September? and how are such dates agreed upon?