The Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Erquinghem-Lys (1914-1925)

I suppose that most people who visit the First World War 'Old Front Line' tend to have their favoured spots. For me, the town of Erquinghem-Lys near Armentieres in Flanders holds a particular fascination. Nowadays when I visit, it invariably means spending time with an old friend - Jack Thorpe. However, my connection with the town really stems from my interest in the 11th Battalion, the Suffolk Regiment (the Cambs Suffolks). It is near the town, at Bois Grenier, where the volunteers from this Battalion first went into the line in early 1915, and it was here where they saw their last major action during the 1918 'Kaiser's Offensive'.  Their first casualties can be found in Brewery Orchard Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and their later ones, in the tiny Suffolk Cemetery at La Rolanderie Farm - both within a mile or so of Erquinghem-Lys.

Erquinghem-Lys Churchyard Extension CWGC

The aforementioned Jack Thorpe is a local resident and historian who was born in the town. Like his father, Jack worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. His father had arrived in the town in 1944 whilst serving with the British Army. He was just passing through, but in what must have been a fairly brief interaction he exchanged details with a local girl. After the end of the Second World War, the two corresponded and they were eventually married settling in Erquinghem-Lys. When Jack opened the local War Museum in 2005, I'm proud to say that I was the very first person to sign the visitors book. When I last visited earlier this year, Jack said 'let me tell you a few more stories about the lads buried in the cemetery'. I'm grateful to Jack and his friend Delphine Isaaman for the following information. 

Jack Thorpe (Right) & Volunteer at the Erquinghem-Lys Museum

During the first few months of the First World War, after the line of trenches that constituted the Western Front had been established, Erquighem-Lys was a rest area for the British Army. According to Delphine there were 26 military burials in the locality up until the end of 1914, and only one in the succeeding four months. These could easily be accommodated in the village cemetery in the grounds of St Martin's Church. However, with the Allied offensives in the Spring of 1915, local casualties mounted and the Extension was opened. The first 'new' burial was Walter Brazier of the 1st Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment. He had been killed by an artillery shell in the Rue Delpierre in town. The final tally of British and Commonwealth burials was (and is) 558 with only 8 unidentified. In 1918 after the Germans had taken the town 130 German graves were added. These were men from a Field Hospital which was located nearby. Interestingly, the cemetery is in two halves with the German plots facing the Allied ones over an expanse of lawn which was apparently designed to represent no-mans-land.

German graves on the left, British & Commonwealth on the right 

Jack's latest project, now completed, was to erect a monument marking the fact that the man responsible for the burial of an 'Unknown Warrior' in Westminster Abbey was billeted in Erquinghem-Lys in 1916. Indeed, according to an account written by Delphine Isaaman the Reverend David Railton conceived the idea whilst staying in the town. His inspiration came from seeing a battlefield grave just six feet from the house where he was staying. It was noted at the time that the grave was  that of an unknown soldier of the Black Watch. The house in question, which was destroyed in 1918, has been rebuilt to the exact specification of the original building which served as Railton's billet back in 1916. 

David Railton's rebuilt billet and monument

And what of Jack's stories? Well, behind every headstone there is a tale to tell, but on the occasion of my last visit Jack took me to three spots in the cemetery. The first consisted of three Sergeants from the 19th Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC). Sergeants Pollock, Allport and Male were killed when they were hit by shrapnel from a long range artillery shell on June 27th 1915. At the time of their death, the three men were off duty and were out fishing near Deliot Park on the River Lys. Local man, Victor Rancote, knew the men well and wrote about them in the 1950s  - he was particularly fond of Sgt Pollock and 75 years later was stll reliving his anguish of seeing his friend 'pallid and seriously wounded on a stretcher'. The families of the three Sergeants had a private monument erected in the cemetery, but this was removed in the late 1950s to conform with CWGC guidelines on uniformity.

German Map showing temporary graves in 1918

The above map was drawn by a cartographer during the occupation of Erquighem-Lys by the German Army  from 10th April 1918. It shows the battlefield graves of combatants killed during the five day battle in the town which culminated on that day.

Perhaps the most famous grave is that of the German pilot Josef Suwelak who was shot down whilst patrolling over British lines on the 13th September 1915. Before the war Suwelak was quite an adventurer. In 1911 he broke the world record for an endurance flight with a passenger, spending four hours and 34 minutes in the air. in February 1913 he tried (but failed) to fly an aircraft from Essen to London. He and his co-pilot Oskar Tiechmann, were flying an Albatros Doppeldecker when they were intercepted by a British BE2c fighter above the Biez Woods. After the incident the British Commander of 16th Squadron sent a message to the German Aviation Corps detailing the circumstances. Tiechmann is buried in the Equinghem-Lys Extension (British Section) alongside his comrade in arms.

Unknown Russian soldier at Erquinghem-Lys

Nearby, is the grave of an unknown Russian soldier. Jack told me that he was one of seven Russians captured in the Champagne region having fought alongside the French (two Russian Brigades were loaned to the French in anticipation of what was ler knoen as the 1917 'Neville Offensive'). The Germans took them as prisoners-of-war and put them to work on a farm in Flanders. Tired of the meagre rations, three of the Russian prisoners escaped and made for the British Front Line. All three were shot by 'friendly fire' as they tried to reach safety. Two were killed outright and the third (buried in Erquinhem-Lys) died shortly having made it across to the apparent safety of the Allied back area. 

Captain F. J. Duggan, Grave at Erquighem-Lys and memorial in Clevedon

There is also a local connection with my home town, Clevedon. Frederick Duggan, who is buried in the Erquinghem-Lys Cemetery Extension, had married a local girl, Edith Emily Cogan. The couple had two children and Frederick was a veteran having attained a commission in the 103rd Battalion of the Royal Field Artillery in 1902. He was Mentioned-in-Despatches shortly before being appointed a Staff Captain in 1915. He was killed in action near Erquighem-Lys on the 21st March 1916 by a sniper whilst carrying out reconnaissance. Edith, Frederick's wife, is also commemorated on the Clevedon memorial in the St Andrew's Churchyard. She died at Summer Hill (now an equestrian centre), Mooi River, in Natal, South Africa on the 31st August 1955.

So, please do include a visit Erquighem-Lys in the Lille area if you are planning a trip to the Great War battlefields of Belgium and France. Aside from the sights on the battlefield, the excellent local museum deserves more attention. Moreover, its' future is in doubt as Jack Thorpe and his fellow volunteer are not getting any younger - and there doesn't appear to be a successor willing to take this fascinating repository of artefacts and stories forward. 

Walking the Loos Battlefield (1915)

 Until 1992 St Mary's ADS (Advanced Dressing Station) Cemetery in Haisnes was a quiet corner of a rarely visited battlefield. All that changed when the grave of a hitherto unknown officer of the Irish Guards was positively identified as Second Lieutenant John Kipling, the only son of the famous writer and poet Rudyard Kipling. Now, this tiny corner of France has joined the list of 'honeypot' battlefield sites, and the tourist buses arrive several times a week throughout the summer months. I was there for another reason however. Just before he passed away, my Brother-in-Law, Alan Walker, had finished researching his Grandfather's service in the Great War. Nottingham man, Private John Walker, had served in the RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps). It was here, whilst his unit were supporting the 16th (Irish) Division at Haisnes in 1916, that John received a wound which would eventually prove fatal. With Alan's final ambition of walking the ground where his Grandfather served being unfulfilled, two of his friends and myself decided to tie up what we considered to be a loose end.

St Mary's ADC Cemetery, Haisnes

Paying our respects to Private Walker, was an adjunct to a full day of walking the battlefield at Loos. It is not my intention to describe the battle in full here. Suffice to say, the 60,000 strong British (and Indian Army) attack at Loos was a small part of a major French offensive intended to pinch out a huge salient in the German lines which threatened Paris. The French would commit over 700,000 men to an attack on two fronts - Artois and Champagne. Like much that had happened before in 1915, from an Allied perspective the whole thing was a costly failure. The British were attacking over unfavourable flat ground dotted with slag heaps, and to compensate for this gas would be used to mask the attack. On the first day, the 25th September 1915, the initial attack succeeded in punching through the German Front Line despite the gas proving to be somewhat ineffective. In the south the 15th (Scottish) Division and the 47th (London) Division did particularly well - capturing the village of Loos and pushing through to Hill 70 beyond. 

Looking north from Bois Carre CWGC

The subsequent attacks at Loos were an unmitigated disaster. The overall commander, Sir John French, had retained control of the Reserves and they were held some way back from the theatre of operations. Aside from a number of British and Indian Cavalry Brigades the Reserve consisted of two 'yet to be blooded' new Army Divisions (the 21st and the 24th) and the Guards Division. The considerable delay in bringing these formations into action in order to capitalise on the early success gave  the Germans time to consolidate their Second Line, range their machine guns and set their artillery. By the end of the third day, most of the original gains had been forfeited with a huge loss of life.

The (replaced) Lone Tree - Loos Battlefield

The fighting was particularly fierce around the Hohenzollern Redoubt and the Quarries (the nearby memorial to the 46th (North Midlands) Division is testament to the former). A short distance away a lone tree marks a spot where the slaughter was particularly intense. Visiting this spot in the late 1980s, I remember Martin Middlebrook telling me that the inexperienced New Army officers had chosen the lone tree in the middle of the battlefield as a rallying point. The resultant concentration of fighting men at this spot made easy picking for the German machine-gunners. 

The controversy surrounding the treatment of the reserves was to precipitate Sir John French's replacement as Commander-in-Chief by his subordinate Douglas Haig, the Commander of 1st Army. In a admittedly self-serving letter sent to Lord Kitchener (Secretary of War) on 29 September, Haig laid out the case against Sir John.

You will no doubt recollect how earnestly I pressed you to ensure an adequate reserve being close in the rear of my attacking Divisions. It may interest you to know what happened. No Reserve was placed under me. My attack, as has been reported, was a complete success. The enemy had no troops in the second line, which some of my plucky fellows reached and entered without opposition .... the final result is that the enemy had been allowed time in which to bring up troops, and probably construct a third line.

Looking south from Dud Corner CWGC

The losses amongst the officer cohort were particularly high, and amongst them were two men from my home town of Clevedon. 2nd Lieutenant Lewis Hopkins of the 2nd SLI (Somerset Light Infantry), 61st Brigade, 21st Division who was killed in action on the evening of the 26th September. Also, 2nd Lieutenant James Conroy Fair of the 1st Coldstream Guard killed on the 28th of that same month. Their names are recorded, along with thousands of others,  on the Loos Memorial at Dud Corner on the main Bethune to Lens road. The intensity of the fighting in the direction of Hill 70 is captured in the Coldstream Guards War Diary entry for the day that Fair was killed - which records that the men were absolutely mown down. Indeed, within one hour nine officers and 240 Coldstream Guardsmen became casualties as a result of just two well-placed German machine guns.

Loos Cemetery Extension

Hill 70 Canadia Memorial

Many of the casualties at Loos are buried in the Loos Military Cemetery near to Hill 70 which was the high water mark of success on the first day of the battle (the Hill was eventually captured by the Canadian Corps on the 25th August 1917). The cemetery is a particular point of interest as it has been extended to cater for the burial of bodies being disinterred as a result of the construction of a vast new hospital a few miles away. The picture above represents less than 10% the new section which will eventually contain in excess of 250 new burials - many identified as a result of meticulous by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission who have used DNA processing to track down relatives and verify identities.

A toast to the late Alan Walker in Place des Heros, Arras

And what of Private John Walker, the RAMC soldier who prompted this trip to Loos? Well, John was born in Nottingham in 1885 to parents Thomas and Sarah, and spent his early life in the Somercotes area. In 1908 he received an educational scholarship which enabled him to attain a professional qualification in mining at the Riddings Colliery Educational Centre. This enabled him to work as a Deputy Miner at the local coal mine. He married Mary Degg at the United Methodist church in Alfreton and had three children - Tom, William and Harry (Alan Walker's father). It would appear that John picked up administrative and medical skills whilst working in the colliery. His late grandson remembered that Harry (John's son) would demonstrate Red Cross skills in South Wingfield Social Club in the 1950s. Maybe an interest in the welfare of others had been passed down a generation?

John Walker's grave marker - restored by his grandson

John enlisted in the RAMC on the 6th September, 1915. He served with 112 Field Ambulance (No. 64661) and was wounded on the 23rd June 1916 around the time his unit had moved to the British lines near Busnes, France. John was discharged from the RAMC on the 14th August 1917 but later joined the Army Pay Corps (No. 23838) before a final discharge on the 8th January 1920. Sadly, John succumbed to his wounds at the St Martin's Convalescence Home in Cheltenham on the 4th July 1923. He is buried in Leabrooks Cemetery, Derbyshire (Plot 957), his grave plot and marker stone having been refurbished by his grandson, the late Alan Walker, as a final act of remembrance. 

This blog is dedicated to my good friend and battlefield walker - Alan Walker, who sadly passed away earlier this year. We will remember him.