Please help identify this cemetery

[Chris_Baker]

In late December 1917, the Drake Battalion of the Royal Naval Division undertook burial duty and created a cemetery near Villers-Plouich. The trench map reference was R.8.c.3.2, and it is shown by a red box on the image below. It is not too far from modern day Villers Plouich Communal Cemetery, in the valley between Highland Ridge and Welsh Ridge.

This battlefield cemetery no longer exists, so I presume it was cleared into one of the nearby CWGC cemeteries after the war. Several such cemeteries such as Fifteen Ravine Cemetery at Villers-Plouich (the village appears bottom left of my map) were expanded by bringing in bodies from these smaller cemeteries.

A tough question then: can anyone put an original name to the cemetery on the map? (Terry Denham: could CWGC identify it?) The records of Flesquieres Hill British Cemetery refer to a small cemetery that was cleared into it: "63rd Division Cemetery, between Marcoing and Villers-Plouich". Could it be that?

[Terry Denham]

Chris

I'll ask CWGC to see if they have any record.

[Terry Denham]

Chris

Just heard back from CWGC.

They do hold some records of cleared cemeteries but the documents are held in files under the name of the cemetery where the graves were concentrated. So you have to know the name of the concentration cemetery and work backwards.

They have checked Flesquieres British Cemetery for you and no moved graves came from the map ref you quote. 63rd Div Cemetery is quoted as being at map ref. 57c R.9.c.3.3 in their records.

I hope this helps.

[aramsay]

I'm interested in the fate of the Hood Batt. during the German attacks of 30th Dec., 1917. How late in December are you talking about, when you mention Drake being envolved in burial work, and the cemetry you were investigating ?

Also, is the ref.: 57c R.9.c.3.3 the location of an exisiting cemetry, or location of a battlefield one ?

Slainte, Alan

[Chris_Baker]

Hello Alan, welcome to the forum

This is not exactly verbatim, but some notes I took from the Drake Bn war diary:

1st January, 1918

Relief by Nelson Battalion. We moved back to Highland Ridge.

2nd January, 1918

Battalion resting, cleaning up and one Company to baths at Metz. Casualties 2 killed 11 wounded.

3rd January, 1918

One Company moved to Naval Trench, relieved two Companies of Hood Battalion. One Company digging new reserve line in rear of Naval Trench, two Platoons collecting dead and digging new cemetery at R.8.c.3.2.

4th January, 1918

Battalion moves to the line to relieve Nelson Battalion. Relief complete at 11:30pm. Casualties nil.

[Terry Denham]

Alan

63rd Div Cemetery is a cleared site.

[Chris_Baker]

Nearest concentration cemetery I can think of would be Fifteen Ravine Cemetery. Any chance your friends could check that one for me, Terry?

[aramsay]

Chris...........just noticed your sign-off mentions a connection with HMS Dasher. I pass the site of this disaster every morning on my way to work, off Ardrossan. Quite a lot of local interest in this event has surfaced (no pun intended) in the last few years.......

As for Welsh Ridge/Highland Ridge........I walked this area quite extensively last December, esp. the area of the sunken roads cutting across and parallel to the German Emden trench. If I can help with any practical advice about the area, let me know. I have a 1918 trench map, the relevant modern iGN map and a set of GPS bearings taken in the field (literally!), so should be able to place most areas of interest.

Slainte, Alan