99th Anniversary

Ninety-nine years ago today Australian soldiers were involved in an offensive near Flers and Geuedecourt, France. 

 Thomas (my great-grandfather) and his fellow Australian soldiers of the 1st and 3rd Battalion attacked a 'triangle' just near Geuedecourt, France. Unfortunately a number of them were wounded and/or died during this attack.

This is an attack map for the 'triangle' attack on November 5th 1916

A little further along the front the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th Battalions were also involved in this offensive. They were attacking a section called 'The Maze' and a larger number of these soldiers were wounded and/or killed then involved in the 'triangle' attack.

This is photograph of the original attack plan for the November 5th offensive.

 

 

Unfortunately for a number of the soldiers killed (especially in the 'triangle' attack) they remained un-buried where they fell until early March 1917. 

Actual Attack and Burial Site

Over the two trips I have made I have come close to the actual attack and burial site of the soldiers. On many different maps I have been able to pinpoint and highlight the areas but have never had a photograph. Thanks to Google Maps now having the street view options for the area I am looking at I have now got an actual image of the burial site and attack area.

The area surrounded by the blue line during the war linked up and made Bayonet Trench. The area marked with red is where they attacked from. The area surrounded by the pink line is Hilt Trench. The green arrow is pointing roughly to the co-ordinate given in the military files. The yellow line shows the area where the soldiers would have died and been buried.  The road makes up part of what was called Fritz Folly.

The above map shows the actual attack and burial sites. In 2016 when I go back for the 100th anniversary of their death I will be stopping here and if there are no crops in and the weather permitting, I hopefully will be able to walk out onto this or at least up hilt trench.

This is the same image as above, however without the coloured lines.

Developments

It has been a while since the last post. A few things have happened since then.

Some family members have contacted me and I have begun a memorial page on the website (http://www.november5th1916.350.com/). I have also completed and been sending out my research CD.

The new developments:

I have contacted my local federal MP and sent him my research CD and a short document (which I will post later) outlining why I believe our soldiers are buried (and still are) at/near the co-ordinates outside of Gueudecourt.

He passed everything onto the Australian War Graves and they took a look. They then passed it on to the Department of Defence History Unit who are in charge of locating/investigating unknown solider graves (they are dealing with Fromelle's right now).

Fingers cross they think it worthwhile to explore / acknowledge our soldiers, my dad asked for an investigation to see if in fact their bodies are still there, I asked for help to put a memorial up and/or recognition that they were buried there.

Denis McCarthy (who is helping me) on his last trip to France spoke to the Mayor of Gueudecourt about having a memorial erected for our soldiers. The Mayor didn't promise he would allow it, but promised to look in to the issue and see what he could do. It turns out the farmer fields where our soldiers were killed/buried belong to the Mayor.

The photo above was taken by Denis looking South West across Hilt Trench. Somewhere under these fields my great-grandfather and the others were/are buried.














The photo above was taken by Denis looking West along Hilt Trench becoming Bayonet Trench. Somewhere under these fields my great-grandfather and the others were/are buried.

A lot has happened

Since last posting on here, a lot has happened.

1. I have finished going through all the records/files I had and so I have completed my research.

2. I sent of 'articles' to two magazines about Thomas and the others. But I don't think I will hear back from them (as much as I would love it).

3. Two families have contacted me recently who are related to two of the soldiers with Thomas (a part of the 36).

4. It is coming up to another ANZAC Day without a memorial to the soldiers in France (a part from V-B). Right now I have settled for knowing where they are even though it is not acknowledged.

5. I have completed my website to the soldiers.

6. Contacted locate politician about Thomas and the others.




Even though all this happened I still have some things to do.

1. Finish the interactive CD.

2. Send the CD off to the local politician and the people who have contacted me.

3. Try to get something published about Thomas and the others in the media.

Narrowing Down

I decided that I needed to concentrate on the soldiers that had unknown graves along with Thomas. I needed to stop researching all the 1st Battalion soldiers who died on the 5th November 1916 and just concentrate on those few.

I looked at the information I had already gathered and created a list (which follows).


These men died on November 5th 1916 and where buried (according to the personnel files) about 450yards N.N.W of Gueudecourt, Sheet 57c N.20 D.3.7 and are commemorated at Villers-Bretonneux

B Company
Gordon Bromley (M)
Alic Brown (R M)
William Gibney (M)
Leslie Miller (M)
Robert Miller (M)
Wallis Rankine (M)

C Company
Alan Andrews (* M)
Thomas Bannan (M)
Ernest Clarkson (M)
William Constable (M)
Robert Costellow (M)
Herbert Elmes (R M)
Reginald Flower (R M)
William Graham (M)
Charles Hambling (M)
John Harris (* M)
William Harris (R M)
John Howell (M)
George Jamieson (M)
Joseph Lanyon (* M)
Osswild McGregor (R M)
David Murray (M)
Milton Penketh (R M)
Thomas Rutherford (R M)
Horace Schofield (M)
Leslie Tiedeman (M)
Sydney Todd (R M)
Sydney Vandine (R M)
George Wallgate (* M)
Thomas Whitton (M)

D Company
James Lewis (M)

Company Unknown or Not Sure
Charles Cregan (M)
Edward Fanning (R M)
Thomas Lunn (R M)
Matthew Thorburn (M)
James Henry (M)

* – No Red Cross File

R - Same burial reference as Thomas in their Red Cross File [Buried about 450yards N.N.W. of Gueudecourt, Sheet 57c S.W N.20 D.3.7]

M - Same burial reference as Thomas written on their Military File [Buried about 450yards N.N.W. of Gueudecourt, Sheet 57c S.W N.20 D.3.7]

There were some soliders that I couldn't place on the above list because the records did provide me with the same information.

# Director of graves: Buried 2 ½ miles south of Bapaume

James Charles Simington

# No exact co-ordinate found in any records for burial, just general stuff - can assume with others.

Emanuel Hansen

John Harold McIntyre

Niall Joseph Mullarkey

George Joseph Parr