Unidentified Soldiers

[Guest Hill 60]

Sometime ago there was a letter in 'Medal News' (I think ) asking for help regarding some unidentified British soldiers found in the Ypres Salient. I can recall telling the gentleman about this Forum & the Diggers and suggesting he get on-line ASAP; the big problem is that he doesn't have a PC!

So, he has written to me in the hope, that via the Forum, someone will be able to help him. The letter is below, as it was written:

Dear Mr Bradbury,

Thanks for replying to my request for information regarding the sixteen soldiers found at Boesinge, you were the only one who offered his help, I don't have a computer so I could not contact you that way, I got in touch with the C.W.G.C. about it and they wrote and told me that its likely that the soldiers were killed in early 1915 (2nd Ypres) but some of the men were still wearing steel helmets which were not issued until 1916 and the next time the Lincolnshires fought at Ypres was after June 1917, after mid November all the Battalions were back in France. Thats why I believe they were killed between mid June and mid November 1917.

I don't know if they were able to identify which Battalion they belonged to, I mislaid the cutting from the newspaper so I can't remember if they did so.

I would appreciate any help at all and your thoughts on the matter. If we could narrow it down to a particular Battalion it would help. We copuld also eliminate those killed before mid June and those killed after mid November, also all those with a known grave, even some of the missing who were sadly blown to pieces can be excluded.

Have you any idea if their grave was their original one, that would also help, many thanks.

Yours gratefully

B McIlwaine

So, can anyone help me get myself out of a hole ('cos I really can't remember much about this article or Bernard's original question!!) and shed some light on Bernard's question....PLEASE?

[Chris]

Lee.

iam not sure if this will be much help, but in the copy of the letter it mentions the Lincolnshire Regiment. If they were identified as Lincolns the person who would know is the Regimental Historian Capt. Lee. (I think i have his rank right). He was heavily involved with the group of grave bodies that were found last year and which were believed to be Grimsby Chums. I think you could contact him via The Museum Of Lincolnshire Life on 1522 528448. Let me know if you have any luck.

Chris

[Geoff Parker]

This is obviously a queston for Aurel. I assume this chap is talking about

the dig that took place around that area was filmed for TV. If I remember

correctly the bodies round came from different periods. Some from 1915 and

some (as stated with steel helmets and box respirators) from 1917.

Geoff

[Geoff Parker]

Lifted this info from the Diggers website on the Bodies found at Boezinge ;

"1999

Lancashire Fusilier : 2

York & Lancaster : 1

Fusilier : 1

West Riding : 1

Northumberland Fusiliers : 1

London Rifle Brigade : 1

No insignia : 18

2000

Rifle Brigade : 3

Durham Light Infantry : 1

Somerset Light Infantry : 1

York & Lancaster : 2

No insignia : 14 (one non-military trade union badge 'North Warwickshire Miners')"

No Lincolns mentioned, althought could be something after 2000.

Geoff

[Myrtle]

This sounds like the twenty soldiers found buried in a row, three of them with 10th Bn. (Grimsby Chums) badges. They were found about May 2001 and were thought to have fallen 9th April 1917 Battle of Arras.

[john w.]

Definitely one for Aurel.. he's the chap and he probably did dig up the bodies..

I am noping to see him this Thursday in Boseinge, so if you get no response by then let me know..

John

[Paul Reed]

Does sound like the chap is getting confused with Grimsby Chums discovery at Arras, which was also shown on TV about the same time as 'Forgotten Battlefield' was first aired. For further info on the Arras discovery see:

http://battlefields1418.50megs.com/point_du_jour.htm

I think Aurel with confirm that no Lincs have been found at or near Boesinghe.

[Steve Bramley]

I think Pauls comments are correct and I'm also pretty sure that the CWGC were unable to confirm any of the bodies definately belonged to the 'Chums', although i think some Lincolnshire Regt members were at the burial. they were found in june 2001.

check out this link

http://w1.865.telia.com/~u86517080/Battlef...ologENG_3B.html

I'll keep looking and check on the Grimsby evening telegraph next time i'm at the library, this discovery caused quite a stir if i remember correctly.

Boesinghe, seems to ring a bell? I think there was another discovery (with a TV programme) at around the same time as the Arras discovery.

All the national newspapers covered the Arras discovery at the time,

Cheers,

Steve.

[Aurel Sercu]

I am glad I have an opportunity to reply to this and clear up some misunderstanding.

This letter is not new to me. I was informed about it a month or two ago by a medal collector. I wanted to reply that this must be a misunderstanding, but the problem was indeed that the writer of the letter did not have email. (And no address was mentioned either. My intention then was to write to the editors of Medal News, but ... I forgot.)

I can be very positive : I do not know about "16 British soldiers wearing steel helmets found at Boezinge." Our team of course have found several British soldiers in the past 5-6 years at Boezinge (about half of the total of more than 170 so far) but we have never found 16 soldiers together wearing helmets. (And if they have been found somewhere else in my village, by someone else or during road works or so, I would certainly have known.)

Actually apart from the 2 Royal Welsh Fusiliers we found in the summer of 2001 (as shown in The Forgotten Battlefield) we have never found British soldiers wearing helmets. Almost all the soldiers we have found date from 1915.

I am also very sure that we have never found Lincolnshires, and as far as I know Lincolnshires have never been in this part of the Ypres Salient.

My first reaction was that the writer of the letter confounded the finding of British soldiers at Boezinge in the past 5-6 years with the finding of the Grisby Chums near Arras. So, Paul and Myrtle are right : two finds were mixed up.

Aurel

[Guest Hill 60]

To everyone who contributed to this posting...Many Thanks!

I'll print this topic and send it to Bernard today, I am sure he'll get back in touch with some more questions and I hope that the answers will, again, be found amongst the Pals.

Once again, Thank You all very much.

[Guest Hill 60]

I received, this morning, a long letter from Bernard. He has asked me to pass on his thanks to all of those who helped with his question, he was over the moon with the info that the Pals supplied.