Memorials to the Missing of Fromelles

The anniversary of the Battle of the Somme on 1st July has made me think recently of that equally disastrous attack, intended as a diversion and strategic support to the main Somme offensive, which took place at Fromelles on 19th July 1916. In the news, following the discovery of a burial pit containing the bodies of approximately 400 Australian and British soldiers in 2006, the Attack at Fromelles was the first engagement on the western front for the newly arrived Australian Imperial Force, and for many it was also to be their last. The attack is characterised by a catalogue of errors and poor judgement, for the plan of attack assumed that an assault in force in broad daylight would take the enemy by surprise, without allowing for the possibility of the advance being held up. In the event, the Australian 8th and 14th Brigades were caught above ground as, horrifyingly, they encountered trenches flooded with rainwater on their advance. They were trapped, unable to retreat or to move in either direction due to quick encirclement by German machine gun posts. Elsewhere, poor communication caused a futile and doomed one-pronged advance by the Australian 58th Battalion who were unaware that the British had cancelled their side of the assault.

The nature of the attack, which completely failed in its objective to divert the Germans from the Somme front and capture the German-held salient at Fromelles, explains the gravity of the Australian losses at over 5,000 men. These losses, made over just one day and night, led to the establishment of the only cemetery in France dedicated solely to Australian soldiers of the First World War.

V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles

Unlike the usual format of Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries, the V.C Corner Australian Cemetery near Fromelles does not have headstones. In the battlefield searches carried out by the Imperial (later Commonwealth) War Graves Commission in the 1920s, over 400 bodies were found at Fromelles, but none could be identified and as a result, they lie buried in unmarked plots.  Each man killed in the attack at Fromelles is instead commemorated on an imposing memorial, designed by Sir Herbert Baker, in the V.C Corner Australian Cemetery.  

According to the charter of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, every individual casualty is entitled to be commemorated by name, either on a headstone or, if their body was not found or identified, on a memorial to the missing/ unidentified. The CWGC does not commemorate individuals in more than one place. So, it does seem likely that, with the planned identification of individuals from the Fromelles mass grave using DNA, the names will slowly be removed from the Memorial and transferred to headstones in the new cemetery, planned outside the town of Fromelles for 2010. Certainly, a precedent for this exists with the Menin Gate.  What will be interesting to see, is whether the wish to identify individuals in the newly discovered mass grave will inevitably lead to a desire to identify the nameless interments in the V.C Corner Australian Cemetery.

Thinking about the unidentified and missing men of the attack, I wondered whether there might be memorials in the UK or Australia commemorating individuals killed at Fromelles in 1916. A search of the UKNIWM Channel4 names database brought up seven memorials which referred specifically to Fromelles. Six of these were to the battle of the same name, which had taken place just over a year previously on 9th May 1915. One memorial, a Roll of Honour in Peterborough District Hospital, commemorates Sgt Sidney Green, of the 59th Bn Australian Imperial Force, ‘Reported Killed in Action 19th July 1916 at Fromelles’.  Sidney Green was 26 when he died, and in the 1920s the IWGC received a returned casualty form from his family. This told them that he was the son of Patience and the late James Green and the husband of Irene Elizabeth. Described as ‘Native of Staines, Middlesex’ he was recorded as living at 7 Manningham Street, West Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Peterborough is not mentioned, although the Roll of Honour also has an address for him at Fletton Avenue, Peterborough.

Sgt Sidney Frank William Harold Green, from The Bond of Sacrifice

I did not find Sidney Green named on Staines War Memorial, and it may be that when this memorial was erected, there was no longer anyone living in the town who knew him. What was more surprising was that he is not on the Parkville War Memorial on Royal Parade in Melbourne. This memorial, a statue of an Australian First World War soldier, has 30 names on it and stands just across the park from where Sidney Green lived. There are numerous potential explanations for why his name is missing: by the time the Parkville memorial was commissioned and then unveiled in 1929, Irene Green may have moved away, or since her husband was technically missing she may not have wished to submit his name; there may have been some accidental, social or personal motivation. That he is on the Peterborough memorial shows that his life was not a straightforward case of born and died and represented in these areas: that his life touched that of others in the different places that he lived and was known.  An unexpected discovery was a photograph of Sgt Sidney Frank William Harold Green, 59th Bn, Australian Imperial Force in the First World War Bond of Sacrifice, a published photographic biographical roll of honour. This photo and entry would have been another means of commemorating the life of Sidney Green.  

In looking into the memorials to one individual lost in the horror of Fromelles in 1916, I realised that although these men have been missing for over 90 years, there are traces of their complex life paths in the memorials, traces that have been made manifest by those who knew them. I was also left with the question of whether, when a name is missing from a memorial, is this not just as vocal an indication of the movements, hopes or errors of those they left behind?

The Soldier Returns to Jacksdale

This article was submitted by UKNIWM volunteer Wendy White:

The Jacksdale Soldier in 1921

Jacksdale War Memorial stands at the heart of a Nottinghamshire village, on a triangle of land at the junction of Main Road and Wagstaffe Lane. Unveiled in 1921 in memory of the men from the local districts of Jacksdale, Pye Hill and Westwood who fell in the Great War, the memorial was impressive, some 14 feet high, topped with a life-size statue of a soldier, carved from Carrara marble.  And so stood the soldier in silent tribute, until one morning in early 1959, the villagers awoke to find the statue in pieces on the ground. Stories as to how it happened vary; the general consensus is that it was the result of storm damage. A public meeting was convened shortly afterwards to take suggestions as to the course of action to follow. On the advice of the local ( and original) stonemasons, J Beresford & Son, the Council decided to cap the memorial, placing two stepped tablets beneath the capping piece.     

Jacksdale Memorial Following 1997 Renovation

By 1996 the memorial started to show the effects of neglect and pollution, with dirty, stained stonework and letters missing from the names and inscriptions, making them difficult to read.  Action was needed to save the memorial, and the Jacksdale Memorial Restoration Group was founded. Soliciting the help of local business, public subscription and with various grants, the sum of £1,500 was raised, but this was short of the £3,000 needed. As the memorial was placed directly outside the local Co-operative buildings the company was approached. The Co-op not only pledged to provide the balance but also their own craftsmen to refurbish the stonework in time for a rededication ceremony on the 13th of April 1997.

In 2007, a local initiative was launched to bring back Jacksdale’s soldier. This was very much helped by Jeff North, a local volunteer.  It appears to have been a journey not without its difficulties and frustrations; fund raising, planning permissions, structural surveys on the memorial, remedial work for safety, locating a stonemason and commissioning the new statue.  The final happy outcome is that on the 14th June 2009 at 2.00 pm there will be a service of rededication when the new Soldier will be unveiled, followed by a host of community events on the day. A wonderful example of how community spirit ensures that the memory of those lost  in both World Wars continues to be honoured.

Series of Events to Explore Purpose of Stoneham War Shrine

A series of free artist-led events will be taking place over the next few months as part of the Heritage Lottery-funded project to restore Stoneham War Shrine. We were interested to see that these include an exhibition, workshops and a talk by Prof. Mark Connelly which will be exploring the spontaneous and immediate purpose of war shrines, focusing on their responsive, temporary nature. Further information about the events can be found on the North Stoneham website.  

Mary Seacole and the Common Soldier in the Crimea

The National Portrait Gallery has recently acquired a portrait  of this celebrated nurse who, though rebuffed by Florence Nightingale, made her own way to the Crimea to assist the British soldiers. She was one of a number of civilians who, like Miss Nightingale, seem to have distinguished themselves far more than the British commanders: others were Alexis Soyer the chef, the railway contractors Peto & Betts, and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who designed a prefabricated hospital. After the war, Mrs Seacole spent some years in Jamaica but then returned to England in 1870, shortly after which she became the personal masseuse to Alexandra, Princess of Wales. She died in 1881 and is buried at St Mary’s Roman Catholic cemetery at Kensal Green in northwest London. Despite being a well known figure during her later life, Mary Seacole’s achievements were largely neglected during the first half of the Twentieth Century. More recently, her life has been looked at with renewed interest and respect, and this portrait is the first of her to be acquired by the NPG.

The UKNIWM database has over 300 records of memorials commemorating casualties of the Crimean War. One notable one is John Bell’s Guards Crimean memorial.

Guards Crimean War Memorial

This depicts guardsmen of the then three regiments of foot guards and is an early example of a memorial featuring other ranks.

The dispatches of William Howard Russell in The Times had made the British public aware of the conditions ordinary soldiers had to endure. Queen Victoria herself showed her concern in several ways: the institution of the Victoria Cross for which all ranks were eligible, the promotion of the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley in Hampshire and her patronage of the Royal Victoria Patriotic Asylum at Wandsworth for daughters of soldiers who died in the war come to mind.

Obama Looks to Sacrifice of War Dead to Inspire American People

In his inaugural speech last month, the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, seemed to emphasise sacrifice: comparing that of the past with the future. He encouraged people to look to those in current military service ‘with humble gratitude ’ that ’they have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages’. Speaking of the shared spirit held by living and dead service personnel he defined this as ’a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves…it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.’  There is no escaping the transmission of remembrance as patriotism in this, yet also, in asking people to relate to those who have died and may yet die, there appears to be the intention that the sacrifice he is asking of all the American people, in terms of economy and lifestyle, might not seem so high in comparison.

 Two days before his inauguration, Obama and Vice President-elect Biden went to Arlington Cemetery to place a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier. Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia is situated directly across the Potomac River from Washington DC, and was opened in 1864 in the grounds of Arlington House, the residence of the Confederate commander General Robert E. Lee.

Obama and Biden, Arlington, January 2009

 There are well over 200,000 people buried there, including veterans and military casualties from every one of the nation’s wars from the American War of Independence to the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Among many other notables are two Presidents, Taft and Kennedy, Justices of the Supreme Court, explorers and astronauts.

Some thirty Commonwealth dead of the two world wars are also buried here, including Field Marshal Sir John Dill and Major General Orde Wingate. The latter had originally been buried in 1944 at the site of the air crash in India in which he died. Later his remains and those of the other victims of the crash were transferred to the British Military Cemetery at Imphal, whence they were transferred to Arlington, in keeping with an Anglo-American agreement to repatriate remains in mass graves to the country of origin of the majority of service personnel. The re-interment took place on 10 November 1950.  

Holocaust Remembrance Encourages Present Day Reflection

This article was submitted by UKNIWM volunteer Irene Glausiusz, Chair of the ‘Memorial to Evacuation’ Steering Committee. 

 

To mark Holocaust Memorial Day, a moving act of remembrance took place on the last Tuesday in January under a cloudless sky beside Southwark Council’s Holocaust Memorial tree in the Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park outside the Imperial War Museum. The service was conducted by Rev Alan Greenbat representing the Chief Rabbi’s office and the Rt. Rev. Christopher Chessun Anglican Bishop of Woolwich. The assembled crowd was invited to join in the singing of the 23rd Psalm – forever a source of comfort and solace. Never forgetting all the millions who perished during World War Two, Alan Greenbat quoted a poignant translation of a Hebrew biblical passage “How pleasant it would be if brothers could live together in harmony” (Psalm 133).

 

Everyone then moved to the nearby Soviet War Memorial where His Excellency Yury Fedotov Ambassador of the Russian Federation recalled how his parents had been military personnel.  He too, and now the 3rd generation, his grandchildren, were growing up in another age of conflict.

 

On the theme of the 2009 rallying cry of Holocaust Memorial Day ‘Stand Up to Hatred’ the Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Eliza Mann said ‘While we remember those who died in the European Holocaust, we should also think that each day people stereotype, exclude and persecute because of race, religion, disability or sexuality’ and added ‘acts of hatred involve making a choice, but we can choose to resist racism.’

 

Simon Hughes MP for North Southwark wished that leaders whether nationally or locally – that is all those in power – never abuse their power.  A local issue was youth violence in his constituency – recently a fight led to the stabbing of a 14 year old, just because he came from another school.

 

Mayor of Southwark, Eliza Mann at the Soviet War Memorial

(image courtesy of London SE1 community website)

 

Wreaths were laid at the Soviet War Memorial by Embassies and Defence Attaches of Commonwealth of Independent State countries, UK military organisations, Royal British Legion and veterans of the Arctic Convoys.  Amongst other organisations laying wreaths were Russian cultural societies, the Marx Memorial Library and the Evacuees’ Reunion Association, whose wreath bore the inscription “REMEMBERING THE CHILDREN OF WORLD WAR TWO”.

 

Philip Matthews, Chair of the Soviet Memorial Trust Fund, in closing the ceremony added a reminder that the next event at the Soviet War Memorial would be Victory Day marking the 10th Anniversary of the installation of the Soviet War Memorial in the park beside the Imperial War Museum.

 

 

Investigation Dismisses Murder Mystery?

Naturally, most of the memorials we record are to UK citizens, though we do also have some to the enemy (see blog of 27 February 2008). There are also many to our allies, including a number to the Polish wartime leader General Wladyslaw Sikorski.

Mystery and conspiracy theories have long surrounded the circumstances of General Sikorski’s death, with some arguing that he was in fact murdered.  In response, a report just released by Polish investigators announced that the recent exhumation and examination of the General’s body has produced no evidence to back up these theories. The General died when his plane crashed 16 seconds after takeoff in Gibraltar in 1943. He is commemorated on a number of memorials in the UK, including a statue outside the Polish Embassy and a plaque on his wartime HQ, the Rubens Hotel, both in London. General Sikorski was buried at the foot of the Polish Memorial in Newark-upon-Trent  cemetery, until 1993 when his remains were returned to Poland, but he is still commemorated at Newark. Whether the recent investigation puts an end to theories of  murder though remains to be seen, with investigators acknowledging that they could not yet rule out sabotage…

Tribute to Last Veteran to have served in both the First and Second World Wars

Over a hundred mourners gathered yesterday to pay tribute at the funeral of William (Bill) Stone, the last veteran of both the First and Second World Wars. Chief Stoker Bill Stone served in the engine room of several war ships including HMS Tiger in 1918 and, during the 1920s, the ill-fated  HMS Hood – see our blog of 20th November 2008. During the funeral service in St Leonard’s Church, Watlington, Oxfordshire, Bill’s Naval career of 27 years was praised by Commodore Al Rymer of the Royal Navy, who described him as living a ‘remarkable life’.

In a recent interview for WW2 People’s War, Bill enjoyed recounting witnessing the rescue by HMS Eagle of General Franco’s brother from the sea in 1929, where his seaplane had crashed due to engine failure. He also spoke, more sadly, of his experiences during the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940 ‘I was often stationed on the quarterdeck helping men get aboard (HMS) Salamander as they swam out from the beach. Other groups of men had managed to find boats and row out to the ship. On one occasion I had a rope around a badly injured soldier who had bones sticking out of his trousers. Just as I tried to pull him in, the ship went ahead and I lost him. I don’t know what happened to him’  

Bill had been one of the three surviving veterans of the First World War to attend the 90th Anniversary of the Armistice at the Cenotaph last November. On that day, he had been accompanied by Leading Logistician Jon Ryder, who had pushed his wheelchair. Yesterday, Leading Logistician Ryder followed behind Bill’s coffin, carrying the medals which represented Bill’s service in the two world conflicts. Amongst these was the oakleaf representing Bill’s Mention in Despatches for his role serving on HMS Newfoundland when the ship was torpedoed off Malta in 1943. 

A wreath is laid at the Cenotaph on behalf of Bill Stone, 90th Anniversary of the Armistice, 2008

Bill Stone was a prominent figure in a number of military associations including the Dunkirk Veterans, HMS Hood and HMS Newfoundland Associations as well as the Royal British Legion. Following the funeral, a memorial plaque was sited in the grounds of St Leonard’s Church in his memory.

Satirist unhappy with headstones of Feuchy Chapel British Cemetery ‘Stretching away across the uplands like some vast dolls’ housing estate’

This blog was submitted by UKNIWM office volunteer Richard Graham.

 

Generally, the CWGC cemeteries in France and Flanders get a favourable press, their beauty and tranquility compensating to an extent for the enormity of the sacrifice which they commemorate and contrasting with the sombre setting of the German cemeteries (see our blog of 1st December 2008).

 

Not all the bereaved shared this view. In 1920 a schoolboy, Osbert Lancaster, accompanied his mother to Arras to visit his father’s grave. The boy, later to become Sir Osbert Lancaster (1908-86), the brilliant cartoonist, author and designer was to write:

 

     ‘Confronted with the war cemeteries it was difficult, even then, to experience any but piously induced sentiments. The scale was far too large for personal feelings; in the long perspectives of identical headstones, stretching away across the uplands like some vast dolls’ housing estate, the individual message was successfully blanketed by the general testimony to man’s ruthlessness and folly…When, finally, after much consulting of maps we located my father’s resting-place it evoked, in that neatly laid-out valley of bones, hardly more than an entry in the telephone directory.’  

                       With an Eye to the Future, Osbert Lancaster, 1967.

 

 

 

 

Feuchy Chapel British Cemetery, Wancourt (Image courtesy of CWGC)

 

Osbert Lancaster’s father, 2nd Lieutenant Robert Lancaster of the Norfolk Regiment, is buried at Feuchy Chapel British Cemetery, Wancourt. He is commemorated on the war memorial of his school, Charterhouse, which Osbert also attended.    

 

Midland Railway Memorials At Home on Derby Station

This blog article was submitted by UKNIWM  volunteer Roy Branson. 

Following the First World War many private companies provided memorials for their employees who had served or died in the war. One such was the Midland Railway Company, based at Derby. In addition to the basic infrastructure of tracks and stations the company also had a huge locomotive works and a carriage and wagon works both of which were located close to Derby’s Midland Station. These sites comprised many specialist workshops and were supported by a host of administrative departments including accountants, draughtsmen, estate agents and many others. Additionally, there were several social organisations two such being a substantial institute and a sports association. Most of these workshops, departments and clubs sent men to fight for their king and country, and most of them subsequently displayed their own war memorial. 

 

The memorials were often in one of two standard types; either a brass plaque or a printed roll of honour in an elaborate wooden frame. A particularly fine photographic roll of honour to men of the Locomotive Works General Stores currently hangs in the Reading Room of the Midland Railway Study Centre in Derby Silk Mill Museum. These memorials generally survived the merger of the Midland Railway to form the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and, after the Second World War, the nationalisation of the railway industry to create British Railways. What many of them did not survive was the privatisation of the railways at the end of the twentieth century.

 

The locomotive works (which, incidentally manufactured artillery pieces during the First World War) was demolished during the 1990s, and most of the carriage and wagon works went the same way.  The institute and sports club are long gone.  Some of the memorials found their way to Derby Museum and some of them went into storage.  Several are unaccounted for.

 

Midland Railway Memorials, Derby Station, Platform 1

The reconstruction of Derby Station in 2008 provided an opportunity to display the salvaged brass memorials and 18 of them are now mounted on a wall on Platform 1.  These have recently been resurveyed by one of our volunteers and entered onto the database.  Their entries can be found by entering the keyword Railway and the place Derby into the advanced search.  Although any further information about them would certainly be welcome…