22 OCTOBER 2014

FUNERAL SERVICE 100 YEARS ON.

During recent excavations for a building project in France, the remains of fifteen Soldiers of The Great War were discovered.

Although 100 years on, a funeral service was held at Y-Farm Cemetery, Bois-Grenier in France on 22 October 2014.

The deceased Soldiers were: Private Herbert Allcock, Private John Brameld, Private William Butterworth, Corporal Francis Dyson, Private Walter Ellis, Private John Jarvis, Private Leonard Morley, Private Ernest Oxer, Private John Richmond, Private William Singyard and Lance Corporal William Warr, together with another four Unknown Soldiers.

All were men of The York and Lancaster Regiment.

Attending the Service was our Branch Chairman, Eddie Morton and Branch Treasurer, Charlie Turpin who were on one of their regular sojourns to the battlefields.

The 2nd Battalion of the York and Lancasters (Y&L) landed at St Nazaire on 9 September 1914 with the rest of the 6th Division. They were able to capture the village of Radinghem without much opposition before being driven back by heavy machine gun fire from woodland that contained the Chateau de Flandres.

Although casualties were considerable, a new defensive line was established at Le Touquet, which the Germans attacked on 23 October. The Y & L were able to hold the line and inflict 300 enemy casualties. On the night of 31 October the 6th Division was driven back through Radinghem, in the vicinity of Beaucamps-Ligny, to the positions they would hold until the spring of 1918.

This is where the remains of those interred were found in 2009.

                               Eddie  and Charlie at the graveside.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *