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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Movement of Burials?


basiloxford

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Hello,

can anyone tell me why service men killed in Belgium should be buried in France.

I'm researching the men on my local war memorial, and I've found a few that died in one

place, but are either buried of commemorated somewhere totally different.

was this common?

Thanks,

Barry.

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Barry,

Others will know more but there is:

1. The issue of died of wounds somewhere on the way to a base hospital/evacuation port on the French coast; and

2. Concentrations of smaller cemeteries into larger ones which happened quite extensively in certain areas. Not sure about the extent in Belgium.

Bill

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Many of those who died in the France/Belgium border region ended up being buried on the other side. The Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium has men who died in both countries - and it was originally due to be built in France.

As Bill said, when cemeteries were concentrated, graves sometimes ended up some distance from their original positions.

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As an aside when cemeteries were 'tidied up' after the war, the next of kin were informed that the man was going to be exhumed and reburied.

regards

Bootneck

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There are also cases where "beyond all reasoable doubt" there is a mistake and the headstone does not cover the body of the man named.

Peter

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Anyone any idea why some burials might be moved from one CWGC cemetery to another, just a short distance away in the late 1940's/ 1950s? (Both cemeteries I'm referring to are still in existance today BTW)

The CWGC themselves couldn't give me an answer to this one, but this is one of the rare occasions where I'd be interested in theories - one (quite believable one) of which myself and John Hartley came up with last week (...and I don't mean the Feng shui one!!! :lol: ).

Dave

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