Soldiers in civilian cemeteries - Le Cateau 1918

[Guest jwillia5]

Hello there,

One of "my" soldiers was killed just outside Le Cateau on Oct 23rd, 1918...nearly made it, bless him....but not quite.

He was Rifleman Walter Singer, 16th Btn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps.

He is buried in the small village cemetery of nearby Montay with approx a dozen other soldiers, some died on the same date, one or two I believe died much earlier.

I was fortunate enough to visit the area this last Summer and spent some time looking around the military cemetery at Le Cateau....British and German sectors.

Many graves on both sides were dated Oct 1918, so my question is two fold please....

Could anyone tell me what was going on at Le Cateau on this date and why Walter was buried in the village at Montay and not at the military cemetery in Le Cateau.

Many thanks for any help....I am very new to this site so I hope you can bear with me while I find my feet!

Jane

[Terry Denham]

Local communal cemeteries or churchyards were often used by the British when they were convenient and had sufficient space. They were used when small numbers of casualties had to be buried and there was no existing army managed cemetery nearby.

Le Cateau Military Cemetery was started by the Germans in February 1916 and was in their hands for most of the war. There are a number of October and November 1918 Commonwealth burials in the cemetery but they were all concentrated there after the war when the battlefields were cleared.

Your man was obviously not amongst those so moved.

[Guest jwillia5]

Thank you Terry...that's a lot clearer now....much apppreciated.

Jane

[sarabrown]

Hi

My Great Grandfather was also killed on 23/10/1918 whilst crossing a light wooden bridge near Richemont.

He was a 2nd Lt with the 7th Bn Royal West Kents, he is buried in Le Cateau Communal Cemetery. What is the difference between this cemetery and the military one?

Thanks, Sara

[truthergw]

Hi

My Great Grandfather was also killed on 23/10/1918 whilst crossing a light wooden bridge near Richemont.

He was a 2nd Lt with the 7th Bn Royal West Kents, he is buried in Le Cateau Communal Cemetery. What is the difference between this cemetery and the military one?

Thanks, Sara

During the fighting at the end of 1918, soldiers who were killed, were buried in a section of the Local Municipal Cemetery. The British burials in the Military cemetery took place after the war when small groups of bodies which had been buried in scattered places e.g. on the battlefield, were collected and reburied there. This is known as concentration.

[Kathie]

I had assumed (perhaps wrongly) that British prisoners of war were buried by the Germans in the military cemetery. . I assumed that he was taken by them to a hospital there and having died was buried i the military cemetery at the end of March. I found an early book writteen by a South African captured at Delville Wood in July 1916 - he describes being taken back to Le Cateau and the work of

German doctors at the hospital there.

Is it possible Eric Dold was not bured in the cemetery where he is today ? After all he on the other side of the cmetery - Germans being on the other.

Kathie