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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Annie65115 on Saturday 03 March 18 18:40 GMT (UK)
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My grandfather was killed in Northern France on 6 July 1918. He was at that time with the King's Shropshire Light Infantry but had only been with that regiment for a few weeks, having previously been in the S Lancs regiment. I don't know what batallion he was with.
He is buried in Sandpits cemetery near Bethune.
Is there any way of narrowing down where he actually died?
thanks in advance
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I guess you will have looked at the CWGC site. If you haven't it may be able to give you more info.
www.cwgc.org
Emeltom
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If you know the Battalion number you could search the war diaries on Ancestry to see if one is available for that period.
Or try searching the newspapers as sometimes war dead were recorded in their local newspaper.
JJ
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If you post his name we can help?
MaxD
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Belay that - presumably he was Sgt Bradbury 7th Battalion KSLI.
Location to follow hopefully.
MaxD
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On 6 July, 7 Battalion KSLI were deployed in positions along the canal bank in the area of square W 24 and the square below it (on another map) shown on the link :
http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=14&lat=50.5572&lon=2.6600&layers=101723830&right=BingHyb
Towards the bottom left where the D945 road number is.
The brigade war diary records them being shelled intermittently specifically in the area of a wood yard which would be to the left of the D171 road marker. Although it doesn't record casualties (quite usual) this would be where Sgt Bradbury was on that day.
The built up area appearing at the very bottom of the map is the northern outskirts of the town of Bethune which you can find and hopefully relate to the linked maps on Goggle Earth. The cemetery is to the west of Bethune towards Bruay la Buissiere, not very far from this area.
MaxD
PS The battalion war diary is a mess and that period appears to be missing. However, the brigade diary from which this detail comes is at the National Archives at http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14052975
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Corporal Arthur Newton was also killed that day and is buried in Sandpits Cemenery,
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/493072/newton,-arthur/#&gid=null&pid=2
https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/153912/
Malky
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Indeed. I settled on Sgt Bradbury as the poster has the Bradbury name in their list of interests and on the basis that he had previously served, as indicated, in the South Lancs.
Detail given of course applies to his comrade.
MaxD
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I wonder how many others from that regiment succumbed that day?
Malky
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Total of four on that same day although only the two from 7 Battalion, the other two were each from other battalions and fell and were buried elsewhere.
MaxD
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Oh my goodness, so much detailed info, thank you so much!
John William Bradbury was my grandfather. He was killed by a shell and took 1/2 hour to die, according to letters sent back to my grandmother.
I'm planning on visiting the area in Summer so now I can go to not just his grave but his corner of that foreign field.
Once again, many many thanks.
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Managed to make a bit of sense of the battalion diary which, on 6 July 1918, simply records "2 ORs killed, 1 OR wounded".
By one of those twists of fate, the battalion had been relieved in the line near Locon on 27th June and had moved to the sandpits above Gosnay for resting, training, to enjoy a concert by the Kings Royal Rifle Corps concert party and to hold a battalion sports afternoon while taking intermittent shelling. They took their place again in the line across the canal on the 4th July. Sandpits cemetery, which had already been started, is half a mile to the east of the sandpits, which are still there.
Do let us know how your trip goes.
MaxD
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What does "OR" mean?
--I've been away for the weekend, downloaded the file from the NA onto my laptop, and have let my laptop behind when I came home so I can't access the file again just now, grrrr.
Do you know where the line was in relation to the canal --- on the north-east side of the canal ? ie on the Ypres side rather than than the Bethune side, so to speak (using those towns as easy reference points!) Looking at the georeference maps, I can't see the square below W24, which would appear to be where the mentioned wood yard was, and it looks as though the current route of the canal is not quite the same as it was in 1918.
My mother has original letters sent to my grandmother by a couple of JWBs companions who were with him when he died, but of course they don't give details of where exactly they were.
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Other Ranks.
Malky
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I'll mark up a map for you but need your direct email. I've sent you a PM.
MaxD
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I realise that I never completed this thread.
In July 2018 I visited Flanders and stayed in Ypres. I went to Sandpits cemetery and paid my respects to my grandfather and his comrades. Sandpits is a lovely little place, out in the countryside, with just over 300 graves, so quite an intimate cemetery.
Best of all, I went to the very field where my grandfather’s battalion was holed up. As we walked along the footpath at the edge of the field, I realised that the the trench was still there! It was very overgrown but indisputably a trench (having visited others, I immediately recognised the scale)!
So I was indeed able to visit John William Bradbury’s corner of that foreign field.
No way could I have done this without the help of people here, who I have thanked privately; but I realise, as I said, that I hadn’t done so publicly. But I can never thank you enough. You truly made it an unsurpassably special trip.