Great Uncles Fred and Albert Hillier

[Guest Alan A Hillier]

A fantastic site which (quite obviously) I really will have to spend many hours familiarising myself with.

The dedication and detail is astounding and I am very grateful that it exists.It provides a wonderful opportunity to find out more information about the horrors endured by my own family members and get a better general understanding of the unbelievable hardship all of our heroic ancestors went through in 1914-1918.

It was only relatively recently that I discovered that two of my fathers four uncles were killed in WW1. Fred and Albert Hillier both young Welsh lads who gave their lives in different regiments in different years who both ended up a short distance apart in different cemetaries in Boezinge in Belgium.

As far as I know none of my fathers family ever visited their graves and I hope to put that shameful admission right this summer.

I will post more information about Fred and Albert ...soon.

cheers

Al

[Neil Mackenzie]

Alan.

Welcome to the forum.

A quick look on CWGC suggests that Frederick is buried at Bard Cottage Cemetery which is near Boesinghe and Albert at La Clytte which in in Klijte to the south-west of Ypres (but this is not really near Boesinghe which is just to the north of Ypres). Does this tie in with what you know? My map of the cemeteries in the area also seems to have La Clytte marked as 'The Huts Cemetery' so I am not sure if I am looking at the right one.

I am in Ypres next weekend and, if at all possible, hope to stop at Bard Cottage so any extra info you can post on the brothers would be very interesting. If I do manage to stop there I will send you a photo of the grave. Probably will not be able to make it to Klijte though. Although I have been to Ypres a few times I have never even heard of Bard Cottage Cemetery before - even though it is only just across the canal from Yorkshire Trench - an interesting trench layout reconstructed by The Diggers - which I have visisted on several occasions.

Good luck with your search.

Neil

[Andrew Hesketh]

Welcome aboard Alan.

[cockney tone]

Alan,

welcome to the Forum, I look forward to hearing about Fred & Albert in due course, good luck with your research,

Regards,

Scottie.

[Guest Alan A Hillier]

Thank you Neil and everyone for your kind welcome.

I really would like a picture of Fred's stone and if you would be kind enough to e mail it to me on bigalhillier@aol.com I will be able to share it amongst other family members who I know have a resurgent interest in the Hillier brothers Fred and Albert.

Your information is spot on Neil and Fred's grave location is Bard Cottage cemetery Diksmuidseweg Rd Iper, West Vlaanderen, Belgium the grave ref is 11.M.7 which is thirteen rows up on the Eastern side of the cemetery.

The really interesting thing about great uncle Fred's service is that it can be followed almost on a daily basis from the start to the very end. A fantastic book came out a few years back called 'Out since 14' which chronicles the service of Fred's regiment the 1st/ 2nd battalion The Monmouth's right from the outset and Fred is mentioned in it twice and Albert once.

Neil, if you do manage to get to Bard Cottage on the weekend you will be standing in front of a young 22 year old who had endured over two and a half years of warfare and hardship before finally being killed on July 18th 1917. I have jotted down some of the very first experiences Fred would have had and am happy to recount more if anyone is interested.

The Beginning

Fred really was out there hot on the heels of the British Expeditionary force and sailed on the 'Manchester Importer' from Southampton on the evening of the 5th of November 1914 landing the following morning at Le Harve with 30 officers and 984 other ranks.

On that first night they camped in the hills above St Adresse.The following morning they were paraded and each man was given a tin of corned beef, six large biscuits and tea and sugar in a tin. Fred and his comrades were told that this was their 'Iron' ration only to be used following direct orders and only after two days without food. Failure to comply with these orders would result in a court martial.

The 1st/2nd Mons were then herded into cattle trucks and endured a two day train journey barely able to stand up which trundled almost at walking pace through the French countryside finally de-training at St Omer in the Pas De Calais.

Marching that same day they were finally billeted in Wizerne (where Fred would have first heard the guns from the front) where they stayed for just 1 week.

Leaving Wizerne they Marched on through French towns like Hazebrouck and Bailleul on toward their destination at Le Bizet in the Armentiers section. On the way they bumped into a battery of artillery coming down off the line, the first battle weary British 'regular' soldiers they had seen. These men, disheveled and knocked about a bit could barely reply to the naive questions from the Mons but wished them luck.

By this time we had stopped the German advance through Belgium at a terrible cost and Fred and the Mons were marching straight into what would become the first battle of Ypes. Arriving at Armentiers on the 20th November was a great relief and the Mons were billeted in a factory and came under the direct command of the 4th Division of the 12th Infantry Brigade and in the following few days they would join experienced units (company by company) like the Essex Regiment and the Lancashire Fusiliers to get vital experience. The Mons were excited about getting into the trenches and finally having a chance to have a crack at the Germans............

Al

[Guest Alan A Hillier]

Hi Neil Mackenzie

facinated to know if you made it to my great Uncles grave in Bard Cottage Cemetery in Boesinghe....would love to hear the news of your trip

Al

[Neil Mackenzie]

Alan.

Got back yesterday and managed to visit Bard Cottages on the way to Ieper so have sent you a few photos of Frederick's grave and the cemetery. Please let me know if the email does not arrive. They are not the greatest photos in the world but at least give you something. As I suggested we never managed to get to La Clytte but there will always be another visit.

General view of the Cross of Sacrifice at Bard Cottages is below.

Best wishes.

Neil

[Guest Alan A Hillier]

Alan.

Got back yesterday and managed to visit Bard Cottages on the way to Ieper so have sent you a few photos of Frederick's grave and the cemetery. Please let me know if the email does not arrive. They are not the greatest photos in the world but at least give you something. As I suggested we never managed to get to La Clytte but there will always be another visit.

General view of the Cross of Sacrifice at Bard Cottages is below.

Best wishes.

Neil

Neil

Thanks again for the brilliant photographs. I did E Mail you earlier today but I want to take this opportunity to tell you again how fantastic your photographs are..really professional.so I think your modesty is completely in tune with your generosity.

Thank you so much for making the effort to take those pics and send them, even though I know you were going to the Cemetary in any event (My good fortune).

As I have said, you are the first visitor to great uncle Freds grave (as far as I know) and I will be eternally grateful to you for that.

Cheers

Alan A Hillier