Puttenham Cemetery

Here’s one for you Google Earthers.  Within the grounds of Puttenham Golf Club, just over 500 yards from Puttenham parish church, and after a bit of searching among the trees adjoining the 18th fairway, you’ll find Puttenham Cemetery.

It’s only a little burial ground, opened in 1882 and still in use today,…

…and at one end there are four Great War graves, two sons and two husbands, all Puttenham residents, one who died a couple of weeks after the Armistice, and three who died in 1919.  Closest to the camera on the left,…

…is the grave of Lance Serjeant Frederick George Burningham, Suffolk Regiment, who died of sickness, likely the flu, on 3rd August 1919, aged 20.

The first of the three CWGC headstones close to the cemetery’s southern boundary,…

…is that of Corporal Ernest George Harmsworth, originally Devonshire Regiment, later Labour Corps, and later still attached to the Royal Army Service Corps, who died of pneumonia on 26th November 1918 aged 34, the lettering on his headstone rather curiously justified, hence the odd gap in the first line between number and rank, and also between ‘Labour’ and ‘Corps’.

The two other graves are those of Driver Clement Madgwick, Royal Field Artillery, later transferred to 436th Agricultural Company, Labour Corps, who died on 21st February 1919, aged 44,…

…and Pioneer Ernest Golding, Royal Engineers, who died on 1st December 1919 aged 22.

Although Lance Serjeant Burningham (above) is the only one of the four whom I know for certain died of sickness, what price all four were victims of the flu?

With thanks to the kind gent at the golf club for parking and directions.

This entry was posted in Surrey, U.K. Churches, Memorials & Cemeteries - Back in Blighty. Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Puttenham Cemetery

  1. sendergreen says:

    I did find it, but it’s not an area that is done in very good resolution… yet. On the north side of the course, the google streets car passed down a lane so narrow, and overgrown, that the cars rooftop camera pillar went through low hanging leaves. I’ve never seen that before. It’s a quaint and sheltered cemetery.

    And more curious, about 300 yards south of the entrance to the Golf Course is a trio of road destination signs. The one facing north reads “Normandy” ?

  2. Nick Kilner says:

    I suppose the one conciliation for these men was that they’d seen the war end. Hopefully they went to their rest knowing that they’d helped bring that about and believing it was worth the sacrifice.
    I must get Ian over there for a round of golf sometime, so we can call in and pay our respects. Excellent post.

  3. Magicfingers says:

    I hope you’re right – cheers mate!

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