The
little village of Rouex in the Pas-de-Calais is a quiet backwater now but
during the First World War it was the scene of heavy fighting – particularly
during the Battle of Arras in April 1917. The Usine chimique Lesage (Chemical
Factory) and the nearby Chateau Lesage are long gone and the area between the
railway line to the North of the town and the River Scarpe to the South is now
a residential area. The site of the chemical factory is now a car park and a
small provincial supermarket. Behind the supermarket rough ground covers the
remains of a vast complex of military bunkers and passageways unused and unseen
for almost 100 years.
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| The site of the former Roeux Chemical Works |
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| The author with Jean-Louis Bulcke (with shell) and friends |
During
the summer of 1992, a local resident, Jean-Louis Bulcke who was born in Douai,
Northern France and still has family links in the area was erecting a new
garden wall on his nephew’s property in Rue Guy Lemaire, Roeux. The property is
situated 200 metres to the North West of where the Chateau Lesage once stood. Also
there is a large German bunker built in 1917 which has been incorporated into a
neighbour’s garden nearby. The digging of the foundation of a new wall at the
nephew’s former home very quickly revealed evidence of the areas’ turbulent
past.
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| Jean-Louis at the site of his discovery |
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| Bunker in the Rue Guy Lemaire, Roeux |
During
the April 1917 Arras offensive the British Front Line just to the West of Rouex
was held by 101st Brigade, 34th Division. On the 28th
April 1917 the Division attacked the German lines to their East. In the
village, the 11th Suffolks attacked the area of the old chemical
works and the chateau. The 10th Lincolns were on their right and the
15th Royal Scots beyond them with the River on their flank. It was a
difficult day. The initial attack faltered in the face of strong resistance and
of the 17 officers and 610 men of the 11th Suffolks who went into
the assault 7 officers and 325 other ranks became casualties. Of those 103 men
were killed.
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| Plan of attack showing Cambs Suffolks front |
The 34th Divisional history describes the 11th Battalion's efforts thus:
"The Suffolks met with the same fate as the 24th Northumberlands,
being met by machine gun fire from a trench untouched by the barrage and from
buildings. They made no progress, and at 5:30 A.M. Major Tuck, Second in
Command, being sent up to reorganise the Battalion, found only five officers
and about three hundred other ranks in our front line, including about sixty
men from the 16th Royal Scots. Some of the Suffolks got as far as the houses
near the Chemical Works, and Stayed till dark, when they returned with some
prisoners."
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| Officer commanding Co. B sketch |
Jean-Louis’
nephew’s former home on the modern day Rue Guy Lemaire was built dead centre to
the 11th Suffolk line of attack – “near the chemical works”. Shortly
after starting the work in his nephew’s garden, Jean Louis came across the
remains of a British soldier. The body was in a contorted position and there
were a number of artefacts in the immediate vicinity. These included a British
helmet, a ‘Cambs Suffolks’ shoulder badge and a spoon on which the number ‘7203’
had been scratched. Also a pocket watch was found that still showed the time at
4:45am. Given the attack started at 4:25am the soldier had faced the danger of
enemy fire for 20 minutes before he was killed.
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| The Doctor (right) who certified the exhumation |
The
body was exhumed and certified by a local doctor. The remains along with the
spoon were handed over to the Gendarmerie who subsequently passed them onto the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Beaurins. Unfortunately documents
concerning these transfers are not available but Jean Louis subsequently
established that the soldier was buried as ‘unknown’ at Terlingthun British
Cemetery near Boulogne St Mare. He believes that that the remains lie in Plot
20, 9th grave to the left. This follows a precedent since two Roeux
casualties were buried in the same cemetery in 1984. Most of the artefacts had
been retained by Jean-Louis who now wishes to return them to England and to the
family of the brave soldier who was killed in action on the 28th
April 1917.
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| Left hand side of Cambs Suffolks start line |
Subsequent
research of the 11th Battalion Suffolk casualties in Rouex revealed
79 ‘missing in action’. Of these Lance Serjeant Charles William Stevens of A
Company proved to be a likely match for the man found by Jean Louis. His
regimental number was 17203 which matches with the number on the spoon –
‘7203’. Lance Serjeant Stevens enlisted into the Cambs Suffolks in December
1914 and CWGC records show that he was the son of Susannah Louisa Stevens of
Cavendish Road, Mill Road, Cambridge and the late Charles Stevens formerly of
Swaffham Bulbeck, Cambridgeshire whose ancestors were five generations of
blacksmiths from that village. Lance Serjeant Stevens was 42 when he was killed
and he left a widow, Susannah Jane Stevens of 18 Cyprus Road, Cambridge. He was
also father to a son and three daughters.
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| Susannah & Charles Stevens |
Jean-Louis
and his English speaking friend Maurice Vallat who sadly died last August confirmed the soldiers identity via the ‘Walking the Battlefields’ Cambs Suffolks online archive. Using this information Jean-Louis and Maurice found a link to Colin Fakes of Hauxton. Colin is the grandson
of Lance Serjeant Stevens and in 2011 had been instrumental in the re-dedication of a WW1 memorial found in a damaged state in the cellar of the former Methodist Church in Mill Road, Cambridge - now called Romsey Mill. Charles William Stevens' name is commemorated along with 13 others. This project was publicised on the internet and Colin's name and contact details were quickly discovered.
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| Colin Fakes and John Mills with the Romsey Mill memorial |
In
April 2013 Colin received a phone call from Maurice in France who said, “we
have found your Grandfather”. Colin’s mother, Ida was the youngest daughter of
Lance Serjeant Stevens. Colin subsequently visited the site of his
Grandfather’s action in France with Jean Louis as a guide. He described the
experience as a “sad but incredible pilgrimage”.
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| Former location of Stevens' body in Roeux |
Despite
the wholehearted support of Lance Serjeant Stevens’ Grandson, Colin Fakes of
Hauxton Cambridge together with his relations, the CWGC have so far declined to
reclassify Stevens’ grave as ‘known’. Furthermore the CWGC have refused to
review their files for 1992 on the grounds that to do so would ‘Set an
unhelpful precedent’. A ‘Freedom of Information’ request for details of the
small number of burials in 1992 was rejected by the CWGC on the grounds that
they are exempt from the Act. Sadly, a DNA test involving small quantities of
hair and bone from the original gravesite in Rouex has proved to be
inconclusive. The small and contaminated sample simply wasn't enough to produce a definitive result.
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| Some of the relics found at the grave site |
