Polygon Wood Cemetery

[Peter Beckett]

I am looking for any info regarding this cemetery's use as an aid post prior to being used as a cemetery. On checking the CWGC site, it appears that the first burial was on 4th Oct 1917. This was JOHN ROBERTSON THOMSON, Gordon Highlanders. So presumably it was an aide post prior to that. I am interested on the date - 1st Oct 1917.

Can anyone help, please?

Peter

[Mat McLachlan]

Hi Peter,

I can't really add too much information to your query, but I can certainly add to the confusion by raising a few more issues!

The CWGC says the cemetery was made in August 1917. As it was in German territory at that time, I feel sorry for the burial parties who had to dash across No Man's Land and through the German lines in order to make use of the cemetery! Perhaps the CWGC is referring to the large German cemetery on the site. I'm interested to know how the presence of the German cemetery would have influenced the site of a British aid post - would a German cemetery make a site more appropriate for an aid post, less appropriate or have absolutely no bearing at all? As I said, just really hypothosising...

Cheers,

Mat

[Chris Henschke]

After the area was captured by 14 Bde, 5 Aust Div it became a hive of activity.

On the night of 30 September/01 October 1917:

a) 22 Bde, 7 Div and

110 Bde, 21 Div

took over the 5 Aust Div frontage. Three RAPs had been established there, within a few hundred metres of the Butte. I have marked them with a red cross on the Map extract. The two close to the Butte were taken over by medical units of 7 Div and the one closer to the 'racecourse' was used by a medical unit of 21 Div. Handover was completed on the morning of 01 Oct 17.

Chris Henschke

[Peter Beckett]

Chris and Matt,

This info leads to a few more questions regarding my Grandfathers wounding.

1. Was the RAP by the 22nd Bde, 7th Div fully functional by the next morning?

2. Major Crewdson states in the 95th FC Diary: 1st Section employed on forming operations dump. Trench map ref J.10.a.6.8., at the Butte. If this was at the same location as the RAP, did any members of the RAP suffer the same fate as the Engineers party?

3. If not, is it a fair supposition to think that this RAP actually administered First Aid to the wounded Engineers?

Peter

[Chris Henschke]

Chris and Matt,

This info leads to a few more questions regarding my Grandfathers wounding.

1. Was the RAP by the 22nd Bde, 7th Div fully functional by the next morning?

2. Major Crewdson states in the 95th FC Diary: 1st Section employed on forming operations dump. Trench map ref J.10.a.6.8., at the Butte. If this was at the same location as the RAP, did any members of the RAP suffer the same fate as the Engineers party?

3. If not, is it a fair supposition to think that this RAP actually administered First Aid to the wounded Engineers?

Peter

Fully functional by which morning?

Even though the position had been taken a few days earlier, everything was fairly well established. Apart from the RAPs and the strongpoint just to the north there were the following close to the Butte;

14 Aust M.G. Coy had CHQ at the Butte.

14 Aust. L. T. M. Bty had Battery HQ at the Butte.

There were 3 trench mortar positions prepared behind the Butte.

There were 2 MGs located at the Butte.

Dumps for rations and water were located at the Butte.

The 14 Aust Bde forward station was established at a dugout at J.10.a.4.5.

A visual station was at the Butte and was in touch with the Cable Head at J.14.a.9.8.

These were in place before the handover to 22 Bde.

Chris Henschke

[Mat McLachlan]

Chris,

Interesting info about Polygon Wood, but you've just excited me by something else you wrote: "A visual station was at the Butte and was in touch with the Cable Head at J.14.a.9.8."

Do you know what the Cable Head was? A recent post on the forum asked about this exact feature in the vicinity of Polygon Wood and none of us had heard of it. I even went so far as to suggest it didn't exist and was the result of a garbled message or similar. Where did you source the above information from?

Cheers,

Mat

[Chris Henschke]

That particular Cable head was in Glencorse Wood.

It was not one place, there were many cable heads. This is from a preliminary instruction for the attack on Polygon Wood;

'The position of cable-heads are being selected by the 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions. 50 pairs will be carried up each Divisional sector; that is, 25 pairs for each Brigade sector.

Battalion Headquarters will be linked up to this system'

There was another one later laid by 24 September that was at J.9.c.8.2. It was the communications node. I have always read it as the furthest point that the deeply buried cable had been laid up to that time.

Chris Henschke

[Chris Henschke]

Mat,

I just re read you question. The information was from a handwritten report by Bde HQ, 14 Aust Bde to 5 Aust Div explaining the Bde disposition on 30 Sep 1917.

Chris Henschke

[Peter Beckett]

Chris,

were there any AIF casualties from the German barrage that commenced at 5 am on the 1st Oct?

Peter

[Chris Henschke]

It is quite possible. 5 Aust Div had the following casualties on the day they were relieved (1 Oct 1917).

KIA 1 offr 21 ORs (Lt Col Scott, CO 56Bn was killed showing the incoming CO the area)

WIA 24 offrs 92 ORs

MIA 2 ORs

[BatterySergeantMajor]

Just discovered this old thread, but it might still be useful to mention that John Thomson was not the first, but the last burial (in October 2004)!

[Peter Bennett]

No longer one of the missing

Private John Thomson 235495

2nd Bn Gordon Highlanders

Who died on 4 October 1917

Husband of Annie Thomson, of 13, Auchterderran Road, Lochgelly, Fife

Grave: D 2A

John had been one of the missing for many years until his body was found by a local gardener in Moleraarelst, Zonebeke in 1998.

John had a knife with his initials on it, plus his badges to give vital clues. Following DNA tests he was formaly identified and reburied here on 21st October 2004.

Two other bodies found at the same time have never been identified and are buried along side of him.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3763162.stm

[matrixx]

Hello 

I am new to the forum. I belive that John was my father's great uncle. When the remains of several soldiers were found it took many years to identy John, not least by his pocket knife but the tenancity of the investigators was faultless. John was buried with full military honours and the service attended by many Belgium and Uk high ranking officials and military personel. No less than he and the the other hero's deserve.

 

Andrew