The Advance East Part Three – Ledeghem Military Cemetery

The weather is foul, the roads are closed (cycle race), and Baldrick is not in one of his better moods.  Still, we’re here, so I suggest we head for the centre of town and find our way to the cemetery from there.  Lead on, Balders.

Some time later:

Hey hey!  A signpost.  That’ll help.

         

And another one!  Keep going Balders.  Can’t be that much further.

Ok, so I lied.  But eventually…

…we do find the little cemetery, and a brief, albeit temporary, respite in the downpour allows us the opportunity to take these pictures without drowning the camera or, come to that, ourselves.

Once upon a time surrounded by nothing but farmland, now this housing estate encroaches, some might suggest, a little too close to the cemetery boundary, but Ledeghem Military Cemetery still, for me at any rate, retains a charm of its own, a little oasis of peace and remembrance in a modern world.

Time for a history lesson.  France, August 1918.  Early on the morning of 8th August British, Australian and Canadian infantry, supported by hundreds of tanks, launch a well prepared and surprise offensive through the mist against German positions along a fourteen mile front on the Somme east of Amiens.  The attack is a stunning success; by the end of a day later referred to as “the Black Day of the German Army”, the Germans have lost an estimated 27,000 casualties and the course of the war has been irrevocably changed.  The offensive continues the next day, and for the rest of the month and throughout September, a series of offensives at Albert, Bapaume, and further north on the Arras front push the Germans back towards the pre-constructed defensive positions of the Hindenberg Line.

Belgium, 27th September 1918.  British and Belgian troops, under the command of King Albert of the Belgians, begin an offensive designed to finally, after four years, break through the German lines around Ypres.  In just three days the Germans are pushed back some ten miles, but appalling weather, lengthening lines of supply, and stiffening German resistance eventually halt the advance, and it is not until the 14th of October that the attack is resumed.

Ledeghem, 1st October 1918.  The Royal Scots succeed in capturing the rail station on the outskirts of the village before the attack is halted, but Ledeghem itself remains in German hands for the next fortnight.  When the offensive recommences early in the morning of 14th October, the men of the 2nd Leinster Regiment, although they have to fight literally from house-to-house to force the Germans out of the village, successfully recapture Ledeghem, taking more than 250 prisoners in the process.  Later in the morning as the Leinsters are withdrawn, the Hampshire and Worcester Regiments pass through to continue the attack, before the Lancashire Fusiliers finally secure the village.

As I said earlier, a little too close perhaps?

Maybe it’s appropriate that houses now surround this little cemetery; throughout the Battle of Courtrai, as the actions between 14th & 19th October 1918 became known, the British advance east took them through areas still inhabited by the local populace and fiercely defended by the Germans.

The earliest burials date from October 1914.  Wounded men, captured by the Germans as the British retreated, who subsequently died and were buried alongside German dead in nearby cemeteries, to be re-interred here after the war.  The Germans, meanwhile, would hold the village for the next four years.  The cemetery, rather curiously, holds none of the Leinsters who died recapturing the village in October 1918, although 21 men of the Hampshires, Worcesters and Lancashire Fusiliers, killed on 14th October securing the village, are to be found here.  In total there are 85 British burials in the cemetery.

The cemetery plan, although (whisper it) somewhat out of date, and of course as ever by kind permission of the CWGC, can be perused here:  Ledeghem Military Cemetery Plan

Above & below: Row B, nearest the camera, contains, among others, the graves of some of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who died on the 14th & 15th of October fighting just to the east of the village.

         

Row A runs the length of the cemetery’s western boundary.  All but one of the Worcester Regiment burials can be found near the centre of the row.

Men of the Worcester and Hampshire Regiments, killed on 14th October, share graves with an unknown Royal Scots Corporal who died two days later.

         

Row A runs the length of the cemetery’s western boundary…ah, yes, you already know that.  In the foreground, more headstones in Row B (none of which, I presume, were here when the Cemetery Plan was originally drawn).

Yet more casualties of the Battle of Courtrai in Row A, alongside, to the left, another of the Royal Scots killed attempting to capture the village two weeks earlier; the final Worcester Regiment grave is to the far right.

The six identified graves in this photograph are those of the men of the Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment) and the Royal Dragoons, whom the Germans originally buried elsewhere in 1914.

Moving along Row B, men of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers and the Royal Scots, all killed two weeks before the liberation…

…while at the far end of the row, two headstones mark the final resting place of four unknown soldiers.

Private Cadman, left, was buried in Ledeghem Churchyard but his grave was destroyed by shellfire and he is now remembered here.  The two Patersons are believed to be among the 17 unidentified burials within the cemetery.

Three VCs were won during the fighting in and around Ledeghem.  Second Lieutenant Robert Gorle of the Royal Field Artillery won his during the fighting on October 1st, and Private Martin Moffat, of the Leinsters, and Private Thomas Ricketts, of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, were both awarded VCs for their heroism on 14th October.  Ricketts, incidentally, at only 17, is to this day the youngest army recipient of the VC in a combatant role.  A fourth VC was awarded to Sergeant John O’Neill, also of the Leinsters, for conspicuous bravery at nearby Moorsele on 14th October.  All four survived the actions for which they won their awards.

After 14th October the fighting moved further east, and the task of clearing the battlefields left behind could begin.

Part Four can be found here.

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41 Responses to The Advance East Part Three – Ledeghem Military Cemetery

  1. Filip Jacques says:

    The regiments and dates on the stones tell the story of the ‘actions’ in 1914 and 1918 in and around Ledegem. We are looking for the individual stories of the men who gave their lives. Any suggestions?
    The Leinsters who fell on October 14th can be found in Dadizele, and even closer to Ypres.

    • D Brown says:

      My Grandfather’s younger brother, Pte Herbert Downes, of the Lancashire Fusiliers was killed on 14 October as his Battalion advanced. He was originally buried in Railway Crossing Cemetery which lay just off Kortrijesstrasse but was later reburied at Dadizeel.

  2. Magicfingers says:

    Yes, and I presume they were buried somewhere else before being moved to Dadizele after the Armistice. Do we know where?

    Well, although perhaps rather an impractical suggestion for you, the best place to start looking is the local newspapers of the time, which I would hope are available at least on microfiche, and are probably held by the various county archives. I have found numerous reports of actions involving local men this way. Also, if you have found out where some or all of the men buried in Ledegem came from (village or town), and especially if their names can be found on a local war memorial (most English towns and villages have them), then there may well be a local history society that has already researched them and I am sure would be happy to share their research with you. That’d be my advice.

  3. John Lynch says:

    My Grandmother’s brother 2nd Lt James Meacher Lynch (12 Royal Scots) was killed in action on 1st October 1918 and lies here.

    • Magicfingers says:

      I am sorry I didn’t reply to your post at the time, but if you ever come back, thanks for commenting.

    • I ‘ve been struggling with the name of Lt. J. M. Lynch: Meacher of Meagher?
      Now reading that he ‘s your granduncle, could you tell me more about him? Where and when was he born, where did he live, did he leave any personal items (letters?) to your grandmother, … Anything helpfult to bring the man home (I’m doing some preliminary research for a story-telling concert in Ledegem in oct 2018.
      Kind regards, from the In Flanders Fields Museum, Ieper/Ypres
      Dries

      • Magicfingers says:

        Hello Dries. Thank you for your comment, and for your wonderful museum. I have emailed John Lynch on your behalf as it was several years ago that he commented. We shall see if he replies.

        https://thebignote.com/2016/10/29/ypres-the-cloth-hall-in-flanders-fields-museum/

      • Paul McPate says:

        Hello Dries, I have just found this site – and your comment about the event in October. I am planning to visit Ledegham on the weekend on 14/10 to pay my respects to my Great Uncle James McPate who was killed 100 years ago on that date in the battle for the village and who is buried in the cemetery (although Scottish, he had been transferred to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers by that stage of the war). I would be interested in attending any remembrance event that weekend – if your story telling event is that weekend, please do let me know. Regards, Paul

  4. Ewen McGee says:

    My uncle John Campbell was with “C” Coy. 6th Bn. King’s Own Scottish Borderers and was killed 30 Sept 1918. The family archives include a small photograph of what appears to be a barn and the back of it has the pencilled word “Ledegem”. John has no known grave and his name is recorded on the panels at Tyne Cot. I am just wondering is he is buried at the Ledeghem Military Cemetery – in an unmarked grave.

    • Magicfingers says:

      Yes, that is a distinct possibility, I would have thought, as there are seven King’s Own men killed that day buried here. However, seventeen men of the King’s Own, also all killed on the same day as your Uncle, are buried at Dadizeele New British Cemetery (there are two posts about the cemetery on this site – just use the search engine), so I would have thought it is equally possible he is there, also in an unmarked grave.

  5. Alan bray says:

    My grandads brother Joseph Bray 20
    From Prescot Merseyside
    Is buried there been planing a visit this summer.. Thanks for the brilliant insight..Cheers

    • Magicfingers says:

      Thanks Alan. As you will have gathered, I like this little cemetery. Hope it’s a nicer day when you visit!!

  6. Dave Thornton says:

    My grandmothers first Husband Arthur Benjamin Lander is buried here and i can see his headstone in one of your photographs. Thank you so much. He died shortly before Armastice day killed by a stray shell when covering for some postman duties. I have an article covering this and photos of him with my grandmother. I also have his widows penny but not his medals.

    Of course i am not related as my grandmother met and married my grandfather after the war.

    • Magicfingers says:

      Hello Dave. Thanks for your comment. I am very pleased that you found Lance Corporal Lander’s headstone, in one of my favourite little cemeteries, and thanks for the details on what happened to him (and which obviously had a great ‘influence’ on you, bearing in mind your Grandmother remarried). If you like I would be very happy to include the article in this post, or perhaps I should say, would you allow me to add the article to this post? By the way, as I have about a dozen Death Pennies in my little collection, I always love to hear of ones that are still with the family, such as yours. Keep it safe.

  7. Filip Jacques says:

    Just ‘visited’ this post again, after quite some time. Living in Ledegem myself and very interested in WWI, I’m ever so happy that there are so many new reactions. Dries, I see that even you found this nice place to gather information. Looking forward to our concert, that’s for sure! I keep on dreaming of being able to tell a personal story about every man buried in the cemetery, so if there still is more information around, let us know.

  8. John kemp says:

    Hi all, a good friend of mine has relative in this cemetery, WA Dobson 4th Worcestershire – I am just starting to research for him.
    A number of years back we visited the cemetery for a service bringing a coach full of people, some visitors on the day may remember this.
    I would be interested in bringing my friend over for the 14th Oct if details could be provided to me.

    Thanks

    JK

    • Filip Jacques says:

      I met this relative (or at least a relative) of WA Dobson in 2008 or 2009, when he payed a visit to this cemetery. He even mailed me some information about WA.

  9. James Paterson Wilson says:

    Hi
    My uncle, John Paterson, and his cousin James Paterson, are buried at Ledeghem Cemetery. I visited the Cemetery on 11 October, was on a Warfields bus tour – 2 bus loads from Hawick in the Scottish Borders. I left flowers, a photo of him after he enlisted, and a crocheted poppy at his grave. John was born 2 May 1895 and lived at Crookedstane Farm, Elvanfoot in Lanarkshire, Scotland. He walked a round trip to school of 5-6 miles each day. I have several books he received as prizes for school work. After school he started work as a dry stane dyker. His last job before joining the KOSB was to build a dyke round Elvanfoot School. He enlisted with the KOSB on 27 February 1915. He was wounded on 4 June 1916 and in hospital for 6 months. Returned to France May 1917 – slightly wounded December 1917, killed 30 September 1918. My middle name is Paterson, after my uncle. My father was very proud of his step brother. My mother visited Ledeghem Cemetery about 40 years ago and my sister and her husband have visited since then.

    James Paterson lived in Eyemouth, a fishing town in the Scottish Borders.

  10. Filip Jacques says:

    It still is a dream of mine, to be able to tell the story of all those who fell in and around Ledegem. Keep the information coming!

    • Magicfingers says:

      I seem to remember a long time ago mentioning to you that you had four years before Armistice 2018 to complete your project. Do I take it from your comment that deadlines have slipped???

  11. Hugh Miller says:

    Hi
    My great uncle, Robert John Nelson Pope (known as ‘Jack’), is buried in Ledeghem Military Cemetery and his headstone is shown in one of the pictures. He was a drummer in The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment, 2nd battalion, and died on 24th October 1914. Originally he was buried in Ledeghem Churchyard and was moved to the military cemetery in 1951. He was born in India in 1892 where his father was serving with the army. I am not sure when they returned to the UK but his brother Herbert , known as ‘Bert’, was born in Scotland in 1896 so they must have been back by then. They also had a sister (my grandmother) Beatrice who was born in India in 1890. Sadly, both of their parents died in the UK in 1901, within 6 months of each other. I think that the army supported them although have no actual evidence, but my grandmother went to a ‘Soldier’s Daughters School’, then into service joining The Royal Flying Corps (WRAF) at the end of the war, and Jack enlisted with The Queens at the age of 14. I have limited information about Bert, but know that he served during WW1 as he was seriously injured and died in 1928 as a result of head wounds he received. I do have a small badge in the shape of a drum purported to have come from Bert’s uniform which suggests that he was also a drummer and a couple of photos. I also have two photos of of Jack, one aged 15 in uniform, taken in Colchester and one taken in 1913 possibly in South Africa where the regiment were stationed before being brought into WW1. The Queens 2nd Battalion war diaries (available online) chart the progress from South Africa to joining the war. I also have Jack’s ‘Dead man’s penny). Hope this is of interest.

    • Filip Jacques says:

      Thank you for this wonderful story! Interesting that he first was buried in Ledeghem Churchyard. We know that some German soldiers were buried there too, initially. During WWI, the Germans finally had a cemetery close to the church, with up to some 1,800 crosses shortly after the war, when bodies of soldiers that were found during the clean up, were buried there.
      If it is possible, could you e-mail the pictures that you have of your great uncle?

  12. Magicfingers says:

    Okay both, I shall set you up with each other. Have literally just got home from the weekend in Flanders so bear with me. Hugh, thanks for your fascinating comment. The Queen’s and the East Surreys are my local regiments, btw.

  13. Magicfingers says:

    Filip, have forwarded two mails to you re: Hugh and his address.

  14. Philip Williams says:

    I understand that 14 burials in this cemetery were re-interred in the new Dadizele cemetery. Do we know which ones were moved ?

    • Magicfingers says:

      My reply was going to be to wait and see what Filip suggests. He has suggested. Alternatively check all the GRRFs for Dadizeele New British Cemetery – they should tell you if men have been reinterred there and give map references for their original places of burial. You can then check if the original map references are the same coordinates as Ledeghem Military Cemetery. That’ll keep you busy for a while!

  15. Filip Jacques says:

    Could CWGC give the information you need, perhaps?

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