Month: December 2017

On the War Memorial Trail ….. PEI Soldiers Buried In The Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek

/ On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter & Daria / 6 Comments

December 30, 2017.  During our first visit to the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek in The Netherlands, we were able to place flags at the graves of three PEI soldiers buried there.  In the last blog entry we told the story of George Preston SMITH of Kinkora, who was with the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, and the accident in which he lost his life. (See On the War Memorial Trail ….. At The Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek) Our thanks to Alice van Bekkum of the Faces to Graves Project, who shared an eye witness account that was recorded by Will Bird in his 1963 book about the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment.  (See https://books.google.com/books/about/North_Shore_New_Brunswick_Regiment.html?id=Iz7WAAAAMAAJ)

Will Bird account of what happened to George Preston Smith

Excerpt about George Preston Smith from Will Bird’s book about The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment.

Before returning to place flags at the rest of the known soldiers from PEI, we stopped by a memorial marking the route on February 8, 1945 where soldiers marched into Germany on their way from Groesbeek, as part of Operation Veritable.  This was the northern part of an Allied pincer movement that took place between February 8 and March 11, 1945 during the final stages of the Second World War.

The operation was conducted by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery’s Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group, primarily consisting of the First Canadian Army under Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar and the British XXX Corps under Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks. Their objective was to clear German forces from the area between the Rhine and Maas rivers, east of the German/Dutch frontier, in the Rhineland.

CIMG8998 Sep 15 2017 Pieter by memorial showis where soldiers marched into Germany from Groesbeek operation veritable

Pieter at the memorial for Operation Veritable in Groesbeek. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

CIMG8996 Sep 15 2017 memorial shows where soldiers marched into Germany from Groesbeek operation veritable

Close-up view of the text on the memorial for Operation Veritable in Groesbeek. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

On our second visit to the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek we were joined by Pieter’s former colleague in the Dutch Foreign Service, Ad Scheepers, and his wife Noor, who live in Groesbeek.

CIMG9023 Sep 16 2017 Groesbeek Cemetery Ad & Noor Scheepers with Pieter by Gaudets grave

Ad and Noor Scheepers with Pieter by the grave of Cpl Arthur Gaudet. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Ad was a fountain of information about the cemetery, and noted that it was along the Liberation Route, which one can take to visit the many monuments and memorials in this part of The Netherlands.  The cemetery, on a road called Zeven Heuvelenweg (Seven Hills Way), is the largest war cemetery of the Commonwealth Graves Commission in The Netherlands.

Most of the soldiers buried here fell during the fighting on the Lower Rhine between February 8 and March 26, 1945.  It’s called the Canadian War Cemetery and we’d always assumed all of the burials were Canadian, but it’s not true.  By number and nationality, the 2,617 soldiers buried here are from:

  • 2,399 from Canada
  • 267 from Great Britain
  • 3 from Belgium
  • 2 from Poland
  • 2 from Australia
  • 1 from New Zealand
  • 1 from Russia
  • 1 from Yugoslavia
  • 1 from The Netherlands

Inscribed on the Groesbeek Memorial in the cemetery are the names of 1,103 soldiers reported missing in action between August 1944 and May 1945. Only a few have been identified since the memorial was put up. Unfortunately, most are still listed as MIA (Missing In Action).

Ad told us he’d read that the Cross of Sacrifice in the cemetery was positioned where it was so it could be clearly seen from Germany, a stone’s throw away from the border.  It’s likely true, as one prerequisite that Canadian Officers had in selecting land for the cemetery was to have a view of Germany.

In a Dutch reference we read that construction on the cemetery began in 1945 by six Canadian soldiers. The location of the cemetery, on a hilltop, was chosen by Groesbeek Mayor Grotenhuis van Onstein for its view on the German border from the cemetery. The Cemetery was officially opened on May 4, 1947 by the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina. When the cemetery opened, the headstones were made from wood, as was the Cross of Sacrifice.  Later, the headstones were temporarily replaced by metal versions, and beginning in 1950 the headstones and Cross of Sacrifice were replaced by stone designs.

CIMG8945 Sep 15 2017 Groesbeek cemetery Pieter at Cross for remembrance

Pieter by the Cross of Sacrifice at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

In alphabetical order, here are the known soldiers from PEI that are buried in the cemetery:

  • L/Cpl Ralph Schurman BOULTER, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from West Point
  • Pte Lawrence BULGER, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from Foxley River
  • Major John Weston CAMPBELL, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from Clermont
  • Cpl Preston D. CAMPBELL, Algonquin Regiment, from Coleman
  • Rifleman William Alfred CANNON, Regina Rifle Regiment, from Pownal
  • Cpl Arthur GAUDET, Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, from Mont Carmel
  • Sapper Joseph Edmond HENNEBERY, Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, from Morrell
  • Cpl George Ivan MACKINNON, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from Mt. Albion
  • Cpl Robert Bruce MACNEILLL, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from Charlottetown
  • Pte Barney R. MCGUIGAN, North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, born in Souris
  • Cpl Stephen A. MCKINNON, Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, from St. Peter’s Bay
  • L/Cpl Edward Gabriel PERRY, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise), from St. Nicholas
  • Pte John Clifford ROGERS, North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, born in Hope River
  • Pte Ralph K. SILLIKER, Lake Superior Regiment, from O’Leary
  • Sgt Edison Alexander SMITH, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from West Point
  • Pte George Preston SMITH, North Shore Regiment, from Kinkora
  • Pte William L. WEATHERBIE, Royal Regiment of Canada, from Charlottetown

Do you have photos or information on any of these soldiers?  If you know of other soldiers from PEI, please help the researchers at the Faces to Grave project by sharing that information. Photos and stories can be sent either through their website at http://facestograves.nl/index.html or by email to info@facestograves.nl.  Alternatively, you can contact us and we will forward your info for you.

Comments or stories?  You can share them by emailing us at dariadv@yahoo.ca or by commenting on this blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

On the War Memorial Trail ….. At The Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek

/ On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter & Daria / 11 Comments

December 25, 2017.  During lunch with members of the Royal Canadian Legion in The Netherlands, we mentioned that we would be going to the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek to lay flags at the graves of PEI soldiers, and one from New Brunswick.  Although we had a list of 17 soldiers, only one was listed on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Legion Carleton, George Preston SMITH of Kinkora, who was with the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment.

Placing flags at the grave of a soldier from New Brunswick was at the request of our friend, Brenda Graves of North Tryon, in memory of her uncle Frank Edward MCGOVERN. He also was from the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, and died February 26, 1945 at the age of 19. Brenda, who is researching her family history, unfortunately has only a poor quality photo of her uncle.  Can anyone help put a face to this name?

Just outside the cemetery, by the parking lot, is a banner asking people for help in the Faces to Graves Foundation project.  The project was begun by members of the Royal Canadian Legion in The Netherlands to create a virtual memorial for all who are buried at the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery or listed on the Groesbeek Memorial.  2,338 soldiers are buried here.

CIMG8926 Sep 15 2017 faces to grave banner at Groesbeek cemetery

Faces to Graves Foundation banner. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

Many of the war dead were brought to this cemetery from nearby Germany. Fallen Canadian soldiers from WWII, who were buried in German battlefields, were reinterred here (except for one who is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany). General Harry Crerar, who commanded Canadian land forces in Europe, had ordered that Canadian dead were not to be buried on German soil.

CIMG8928 Sep 15 2017 Daria at Groesbeek cemetery

Daria at entrance to Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, with flowers to place at the grave of Frank Edward McGovern. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

CIMG8937 Sep 15 2017 Groesbeek cemetery grave of Brendas uncle FE McGovern

Grave of Frank Edward McGovern at Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

George Preston Smith (2)

George Preston Smith. (Photo courtesy of Canadian Virtual War Memorial)

Private George Preston SMITH was born September 3, 1923 in Kinkora, the son of William Wilfred and Mabel Smith.  A store clerk before enlisting on April 1, 1943, he served in England, France, and Belgium, before meeting his death in Belgium in an unfortunate accident on November 12, 1944.  Smith was accidentally killed while trying to take his Stengun out of the back of a military truck. The gun was under a pile of greatcoats. He grabbed it by the muzzle and gave it a hard pull, causing the cocking piece to be pulled back far enough. When he let it go, the cocking piece went forward again with enough pressure to push a round into the chamber and fire it.

On November 15, 1944, he was buried in the Civil Cemetery in Malden, Belgium.  In 1946, his remains were exhumed and he was reburied in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery.

CIMG8940 Sep 15 2017 Groesbeek cemetery Pieter at the grave of George Preston Smith

Pieter by the grave of Private George Preston Smith. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

After paying our respects to McGovern and Smith, Pieter placed flags on two more graves of PEI soldiers.  We had been invited by Alice van Bekkum, of the Faces to Graves Foundation, to participate in a special ceremony, along with members of the Royal Canadian Legion in The Netherlands.  Wish Of A Lifetime Canada (see https://wishofalifetime.ca/), an organization that fulfills seniors’ dreams and shares their stories to inspire those of all ages, had granted a wish that had a PEI connection.

Harriet Jenereaux, born in West Point, PEI, now living in Nova Scotia, wanted to see the grave of her father, Sgt Edison Alexander SMITH, who is buried in the cemetery in Groesbeek.  Harriet and her husband Keith were flown to The Netherlands, members of the Royal Canadian Legion provided a colour party, and Alice van Bekkum paid for a bugler to play The Last Post at the grave.   (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgXkld9BUIA)

CIMG8948 Sep 15 2017 Groesbeek cemetery bugler with Yvonne and Berry Swarthoff providing colour parade

Bugler with Royal Canadian Legion’s colour party of Yvonne and Berry Swarthoff at Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Before Harriet arrived at the cemetery, Pieter made sure that Canadian and PEI flags were placed at her father’s grave, and that of her uncle, L/Cpl Ralph Schurman BOULTER, her mother’s brother.  Smith, aged 32, and Boulter, aged 28, were in the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, and were both killed in battle while crossing the Rhine on March 25, 1945.

CIMG8952 Sep 15 2017 Groesbeek cemetery Alice van Bekkum

Alice van Bekkum arranged for a photo of Smith to be placed by his grave. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

As Harriet neared her father’s grave, she called out to her husband Keith, “There’s Daddy!”  It was a poignant moment for us, the Dutch members of the Legion, an astonishing amount of reporters and press photographers, plus a representative of Phillips, the Dutch sponsor of Wish of a Lifetime.

CIMG8950 Sep 15 2017 Groesbeek cemetery Harriet Jenereux at her fathers grave

Harriet Jenereaux kneels at her father’s grave. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

After the ceremony and greeting Harriet, it was time for us to enjoy a cup of coffee and a piece of Dutch apple cake.  We’d return to place flags at the graves of the other 14 soldiers from PEI once all the commotion regarding Harriet’s visit had diminished.

Do you have relatives buried in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery?  If so, please consider participating in the Faces to Graves project by submitting photos and stories either through their website at http://facestograves.nl/index.html or by email to info@facestograves.nl.  Alternatively, you can contact us and we will forward your info for you.

Comments or stories?  You can share them by emailing us at dariadv@yahoo.ca or by commenting on this blog.

On the War Memorial Trail ….. A Taste of Canada in The Netherlands

/ On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter & Daria / 1 Comment

December 22, 2017.  After travelling through Europe for weeks, and arriving in The Netherlands for the next phase of our war memorial tour, we were delighted to receive an invitation from the Royal Canadian Legion in The Netherlands for lunch at their home base in Lochem.  While we knew that the home base was in a restaurant called Mondani, we were completely astonished to see that it was a Canadian restaurant.  We eagerly went inside and found a piece of west coast Canada!

CIMG8916 Sep 13 2017 Mondani Restaurant in Lochem

Photo: Pieter outside the Canadian restaurant Mondani in Lochem, The Netherlands. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Owners Berry Swarthoff, of The Netherlands, and his wife Yvonne, from Dawson Creek, BC, opened their restaurant in 1991. With a pan-Canadian menu, including a seafood cocktail from Prince Edward Island, it’s a great place to meet and enjoy a taste of Canada.  They even serve Tim Horton’s coffee upon request.

CIMG8920 Sep 13 2017 Berry & Yvonne Swarthoff Mondani Restaurant in Lochem

Photo: Berry and Yvonne Swarthoff in their Canadian restaurant Mondani in Lochem, The Netherlands. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

The Royal Canadian Legion in The Netherlands, of which the Swarthoffs are members, is one of 5 branches in Europe.  Pieter and I were invited for lunch to meet with other members of the Legion, including Branch President Gerard Hendricks and Vice-President Martin Reelick.  Alice van Bekkum, president of the Faces to Graves project at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, was also present.  Of the 18 known PEI soldiers buried in Groesbeek, one is on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion.  Pieter intended to place flags on the graves of all 18 soldiers.

CIMG8925 Sep 13 2017 Daria & Pieter by Legion sign at Mondani restaurant in Lochem

Photo: Pieter and Daria by the Legion sign at Restaurant Mondani in Lochem, The Netherlands. (Photo credit: Berry Swarthoff)

CIMG8919 Sep 13 2017 Mondani Restaurant in Lochem Legion members

Photo: Left to right: Gerard Hendricks, Martin Reelick, Pieter Valkenburg, Alice van Bekkum. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

“The main purpose of the Dutch branch of the Royal Canadian Legion is remembrance.  We have 40 to 50 events annually normally, and then every five years we have 65 extra commemorations” said Hendricks.  “Many families had daughters who were war brides, and many Canadian soldiers were stationed in The Netherlands after the war.  Plus, 85% of The Netherlands was liberated by Canadian troops.  Many friendships still survive.  So a Royal Canadian Legion branch here is most appropriate.”

The branch has members from the Dutch public, as well as Canadian embassy officials, Canadian expats, and even a Canadian pilot on exchange with the Dutch Air Force.

Since the Legion uses the Mondani restaurant as its home base, there are few fixed costs.  Travel costs, and the costs of flags for colour parties make up the bulk of the Legion’s expenses.  “We travel across The Netherlands, and in April we were at Vimy Ridge for the 2017 commemoration ceremonies” noted Hendricks.

To help with finances, the Canadian Embassy in The Hague hosts an annual fundraiser at the ambassador’s residence, plus the Legion sells T-shirts, bags, and hats to raise money.

The lunch was a Dutch one, not Canadian, but it was delicious, and we were enveloped in a warm atmosphere of friendship.  After the Dutch members of the Legion left, Berry, who surely knows what Canadians like, asked if we’d like a piece of lemon meringue pie.  Did we ever!  And it was delicious.  My mother, who was an excellent cook and baker, could not have made a better pie.

The visit to Lochem reminded us not only of home, but that so many people in Europe are grateful for the help Canada gave in the liberation of their countries.  We were very much looking forward to continuing our war memorial trail in Pieter’s country of birth.  As in Belgium, we would be joined by friends, old and new, who shared in honouring the soldiers who gave their lives during war.

Comments or stories?  You can share them by emailing us at dariadv@yahoo.ca or by commenting on this blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

.

 

Sharing Information at In Flanders Field Museum in Ypres

/ On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter & Daria / 1 Comment

December 12, 2017.  Our last war memorial trail stop in Belgium was in Ypres, at the In Flanders Field Museum, which is dedicated to preserving the story of World War I in the West Flanders region.  Pieter had arranged to donate photos, information, and the memorial plaques about Charles Benjamin Murray BUXTON and George Albert CAMPBELL to their Knowledge Centre.

CIMG8886 Sep 10 2017 photos and plaques of Buxton & Campbell

Photos and plaques of WWI soldiers Buxton and Campbell. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

cimg8901-sep-11-2017-entrance-to-archives-of-in-flanders-field-museum-in-ypres.jpg

Entrance to the Knowledge Centre of the In Flanders Field Museum (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Pieter met with the Registrar, Frederik Vandewiere, who seemed very happy to receive information on two Canadian soldiers, and gave Pieter a book about the museum and the work it does in preserving the past.

CIMG8906 Sep 11 2017 Pieter with plaques given to Frederik Vandewiere of In Flanders Field Museum in Ypres

Pieter donates plaques and photos to Frederik Vandewiere, Registrar at the In Flanders Field Museum’s Knowledge Centre. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Besides collecting information on soldiers and battles, photos, and other artifacts, the Museum also has a collection of WWI related art.  Considering the war memorial trail we’ve been following, one very poignant one recorded sentiments that were very telling.

CIMG8903 Sep 11 2017 Picture seen at In Flanders Field Museum in Ypres

Poignant artwork seen at the In Flanders Field Knowledge Centre. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

This ended our war memorial tour in Belgium.  We were eager to continue on to The Netherlands, where our first stop would be in Harlingen to visit the grave of WWII pilot Elmer Muttart, whose story has been told previously on this blog. (See The Elmer Bagnall Muttart Story).  Comments or stories?  You can share them by emailing us at dariadv@yahoo.ca or by commenting on this blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

On The War Memorial Trail In the Passchendaele Area

/ On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter & Daria / 2 Comments

December 9, 2017.  After we finished placing flags in Belgium in memory of those names on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, we decided to visit some of the memorials in the Passchendaele area.  Anyone who has been here knows that it’s impossible to see everything in such a short time, but we did our best to see as many as we could.

After we left Maple Copse Cemetery, where it’s possible the George Albert Campbell is buried, we went to the 85th Canadian Infantry Battalion – Nova Scotia Highlanders Monument in Zonnebeke.  It was a small monument, located in a farmer’s field.  It was impossible to drive right up to it, so Pieter parked the car and went there alone.

cimg8866-sep-10-2017-info-sign-about-85th-nova-scotia-highlanders-monument.jpg

Information sign about the 85th Canadian Infantry Battalion – Nova Scotia Highlanders Monument in Zonnebeke. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

The monument is in memory of the 85th Canadian Nova Scotia Battalion, which suffered heavy losses during the battle of Passchendaele at the end of October 1917.  One side of the monument has a black bronze plaque with the inscription: “85th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) BEF. This plaque was erected by the Battalion in memory of their valiant comrades who gave their lives in action before Passchendaele at Decline Copse and Vienna Cottage on 28 to 31 October 1917.” Below the inscription are listed the names of the 12 officers and 132 other ranks who died in these actions.

CIMG8868 Sep 10 2017 85th Nova Scotia Highlanders monument

85th Canadian Infantry Battalion – Nova Scotia Highlanders Monument in Zonnebeke. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

From the photo above, you can notice that the sky was dark.  After a day of sunshine, it had started to rain.  But, since we weren’t made of sugar, we kept going.  Our destination was Kitchener’s Wood in Langemark, but along the way we saw a sign marking the location of the final battle of Passchendaele, right beside the Passchendaele New British Cemetery in Zonnebeke.  Of course we stopped to visit.

CIMG8869 Sep 10 2017 Sign marking final battle of Passchendaele beside New British Cemetery in Zonnebeke

Sign on the wall of the Passchendaele New British Cemetery in Zonnebeke says “end of the Passchendaele offensive 25 September 1918. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

CIMG8872 Sep 10 2017 New British Cemetery in Zonnebeke

Entrance to Passchendaele New British Cemetery in Zonnebeke. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

650 Canadians are buried in this cemetery, including Alexander Wuttenee DECOTEAU, Canada’s first Aboriginal-Canadian police officer.  A Cree born on the Red Pheasant Reserve in Saskatchewan in 1887, he enlisted in 1916 and was killed by a sniper during the Battle of Passchendaele on October 30, 1917, the same day and battle in which Vincent CARR, who is listed on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, lost his life.  After reading about Private Decoteau, we went and put a Canadian flag by his grave.

CIMG8874 Sep 10 2017 Pieter by grave of Alexander Decoteau New British Cemetery in Zonnebeke

Pieter by the grave of Private Alexander Decoteau in Passchendaele New British Cemetery in Zonnebeke. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Our last war memorial trail stop for the day was at Kitchener’s Wood Memorial in Langemark-Poelkapelle.  This was harder to find than we expected, as the car’s GPS directed us to an empty field! A farm with what looked to be a house was across the field and we had a discussion whether to give up or knock on the door and ask directions.

Now, if you are a long-suffering wife, you know who was ready to give up rather than ask directions.  Yep, the guy who could speak the language sat in the car, while the Canadian with poor Dutch skills went and knocked on the door.  It was clear that the door was beside the kitchen as through the window I could see a group of young men around a large table, and one young man washing dishes by the sink.  The man washing dishes opened the door, and to my great relief very quickly found out he spoke as much Dutch as me.  It turned out that he and his companions were all from Poland, near where my maternal grandmother was born!

Obviously we weren’t the first to get tricked by the GPS system as he was familiar with the Kitchener’s Wood Memorial and explained that there was an error in the navigation system.  The memorial was 500 metres down the road right beside a house, on the side of the road opposite to where the GPS directed us to.

With the right directions, we found the memorial by a farmhouse.  The memorial was erected in memory of the soldiers of the 10th Canadian Battalion and the 16th Canadian Scottish Battalion, who were killed during a night attack at Kitchener’s Wood on April 22, 1915 during the first lethal chemical gas attack by the Germans.

CIMG8883 Sep 10 2017 Pieter by Kitcheners Wood Memorial

Pieter by Kitchener’s Wood Memorial. (Photo credit; Daria Valkenburg)

French troops had fallen back, leaving a 6 km gap to the left of the Canadian sector.  During the night of April 22 into 23, the 10th Canadian and the 15th Canadian Scottish Battalion counter-attacked and captured a German held position at Kitchener’s Wood.  This prevented a German breakthrough to Ypres and beyond.

CIMG8880 Sep 10 2017 Kitcheners Wood Memorial close up of acorn

On a polished stone base is a roughly worked stone representing the mutilated oaks of the forest, with the inscription: “Kitchener’s Wood, 22 April 1915″ encircling an oak leaf with an acorn. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

This ended our war memorial tour in Belgium for this trip, and we went back to the hotel to relax.  One more stop in Belgium, at the In Flanders Museum in Ypres, and then on to The Netherlands where we will be visiting the graves of WWII soldiers.

Comments or stories?  You can share them by emailing us at dariadv@yahoo.ca or by commenting on this blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

Two Campbell Brothers in WW1

/ On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter & Daria / 2 Comments

December 8, 2017. After visiting the Sanctuary Wood Cemetery, we stopped at the Battle of Mount Sorrel Monument, honouring the 15th Canadian Infantry at Observatory Ridge.  We had noticed this monument only because of a torn Canadian flag beside it!  We learned that the plaque was unveiled on October 22, 2011 before Canadian and Belgian dignitaries by members of the 15th Battalion Memorial Project.

IMG_20170910_133239840_HDR Sep 10 2017 Batttle of Mount Sorrel Monument

Battle of Mount Sorrel Monument, honouring the 15th Canadian Infantry at Observatory Ridge. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

While no one on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion was in the 15th Canadian Infantry, these soldiers were in the thick of things during the Battle of Mount Sorrel, in which George Albert Campbell and Charles Benjamin Murray Buxton lost their lives.

Buxton’s story was told in previous blog entries, and this blog entry is to tell what little we know about George Albert CAMPBELL and how he lost his life.

george-albert-campbell-from-gerald-tingley.jpg

Private George Albert Campbell. (Photo courtesy of Gerald Tingley family collection)

Campbell was born on July 8, 1895 in Wellington, PEI, the son of John George Campbell and Grace Emma, nee Barlow.  A fisherman and farmer before enlisting on April 6, 1915 with the 6th Canadian Mounted Rifles, he later transferred to the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles.

During the Battle of Mount Sorrel, the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles were in a supporting position, occupying the strongpoint, dugouts, and trenches in Maple Copse and Zillebeke area, as noted in ‘With The Patricia’s In Flanders 1914-1918 Then & Now’ by Stephen K. Newman.

Newman goes on to explain in his book that “the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles in Maple Copse held on despite heavy shelling that flattened the entire wood and made their old trenches untenable.  They waited for the reinforcements from 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles and the 9th Brigade.  The two eighteen pounder sacrifice guns of the 5th Battery Canadian Field Artillery hidden in the southern part of Sanctuary Wood did their job to the last man and were overrun.  The German success depended on their bulling through the Patricia line and moving the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles out of Maple Copse.”

Campbell was in the midst of this battle, as a member of the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles.  According to the Canadian War Graves Register Circumstances of Death, he was killed in action in the vicinity of Maple Copse.

The War Diary of the unit for June 2, 1916 notes: “A red letter day in the history of the battalion ever to be remembered by those who lived through it. The battalion went into the line in the night of the 31st of May /1st of June occupying a position in Brigade support at Maple Copse.

 ‘A’ company and two platoons of ‘B’ company at Maple Copse. Nothing of importance occurred until the morning of the 2nd of June when at about at 8.30 a.m., the enemy began a very heavy bombardment of the frontline and all the ground at Maple Copse and vicinity. Heavy bombardments continued till noon on the 3rd and continued again after 6 p.m.”

Unfortunately, Campbell has no known grave, and his name is therefore listed on the Menin Gate Memorial.  It’s quite likely, however, that he might be buried in Maple Copse Cemetery in an unknown grave.

CIMG8858 Sep 10 2017 Maple Copse Cemetery

Entrance to Maple Copse Cemetery. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

Maple Copse was the name used by the British Army for a small plantation east of Zillebeke and just west of Sanctuary Wood.  It was used by medical staff as a dressing station, and burials took place here both before and after the Battle of Mount Sorrel.

The cemetery was destroyed by shellfire during the Battle of Mount Sorrel and when fighting resumed afterwards, with the gravestones destroyed and ending up in the rubble.  Of 256 named graves that were known to exist, only 26 could be definitely located.  Perhaps Campbell is in one of these.  Of the 256 graves, 114 had soldiers from the United Kingdom and 142 from Canada.

Like he did with Buxton at the Sanctuary Wood Cemetery, Pieter put Canadian flags on 4 unknown graves from a Canadian Regiment, and then placed a PEI flag on one of these in memory of George Albert Campbell.

CIMG8864 Sep 10 2017 Pieter by grave of unknown soldier at Maple Copse Cemetery

Pieter by the grave of an unknown soldier from a Canadian regiment at Maple Copse Cemetery. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

With the advances in DNA research, perhaps one day there will be the possibility to find out who the unknown soldiers are in Maple Copse and Sanctuary Wood cemeteries.  Wouldn’t that be a genealogical project to get involved with?

Unfortunately, we have very little information about his life prior to enlistment, but are grateful for the photo of Campbell sent by a distant relative, Gerald Tingley.  If anyone has more information or photos, please help us honour Campbell’s memory by sharing them.  (For previous blog entries that have mentioned Campbell, see A Daytime Visit To Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres and A Visit To Sanctuary Wood.)

There are two Campbells on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, one who died and one who survived, but with injuries.  George Albert Campbell had a younger brother, William Galen CAMPBELL, born June 16, 1897 in Wellington, who enlisted on April 22, 1916 with the 5th Siege Battery as a gunner, shortly before his older brother died.  He later transferred to the 8th Siege Battery of the 3rd Brigade Canadian Garrison Artillery, and was poisoned by a mustard gas shell, during action near Lievin (Pas de Calais) in France on May 28, 1918.

The war diary of the 8th Siege Battery tersely noted what happened to the unit:

“27 May 1918: Intense gas bombardment on Lievin and many gas shells fell around Thelus and vicinity.

28 May 1918: Twenty nine other ranks of Lievin section admitted to hospital, gassed.

29 May 1918: Capt. Cunningham, Lt Messeray and 39 other ranks of Lievin section to hospital, gassed.”

Unlike his brother George Albert, William Galen survived and married Ida May McNally on January 5, 1919.  On April 14, 1919 he was discharged from military service.  He passed away on April 24, 1954 in Charlottetown and is buried in the cemetery at the Free Church of Scotland in Cape Traverse.  We have no photo or further information on William Galen Campbell.

william-g-campbell-gravestone-free-church-of-scotland-cape-traverse.jpg

Grave of William Galen Campbell in the cemetery of the Free Church of Scotland in Cape Traverse. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

While our visit to Maple Copse Cemetery ended our Belgian visit to graves and memorials for the names on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, we were interested in visiting some of the other memorials in the area.  So, in the next blog entry, we will continue on the war memorial trail in Belgium.

Comments or stories?  You can share them by emailing us at dariadv@yahoo.ca or by commenting on this blog.

© Daria Valkenburg