Artillery Cemetery

[Guest paddy]

G'day

I was surprised by the proportion of Gunners, particularly Aust Field Aty, at The Huts Cemetery, Dickebusch. I had noted, but not recorded, "similar concentration" in other Salient cemeteries.

This raised 2 main questions. Why here? & Why then?

My first assumption that the cemetery was named for accommodation huts was wrong, and the majority of the casualties appeared to be late October, early November 1917, by which time I understood the Australians had been withdrawn.

Can anyone help shorten the research process please?

Pat

[Alan Seymour]

The following historical information is taken from the CWGC web-site;

This cemetery takes its name from a line of huts strung along the road from Dickebusch (now Dikkebus) to Brandhoek, which were used by field ambulances during the 1917 Allied offensive on this front. Much of the cemetery was filled between July and November 1917 and nearly two thirds of the burials were of gunners from nearby artillery positions The cemetery was closed in April 1918 when the German advance brought the front line very close. The advance was finally halted on the eastern side of the village, following fierce fighting at Dickebusch Lake, on 8 May. There are now 1,094 Commonwealth burials of the First World War in the cemetery. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

[MartinWills]

Thought this postcard pic (spotted on Ebay) of the cemetery might be of interest.

Martin

[John_Hartley]

Pat

Silentcities.co.uk gives the breakdown of casualties as:-

270 Royal Field Artillery

244 Australian units

234 Royal Garrison Artillery

339 all other identified burials

6 unidentified

This was a centre for artillery during Third Ypres and certainly accounts for the concentration of units. We've had a similar thread about the area round Monchy (south of Arras) where artillery was static for a lengthy period of time (and where the relative in my signature, Ben Hartley, was killed). I'm afraid I don't know the movements history of the Australians or those I've summarised as "others".

Hope this helps some

John