A Tour of Zillebeke Part Eight – Chester Farm Military Cemetery

On leaving the Bluff we need only travel half a mile or so west to reach the final two cemeteries on our tour. Only a few hundred yards apart, these cemeteries contain more than 900 British burials, mainly from between early 1915 and late 1917 (although Spoilbank Cemetery was in use until 1918). The most northern of them, and our first stop, is Chester Farm Military Cemetery.

Although a handful of burials were made here in March 1915, it was the East Surreys and the Manchester Regiment who began using the cemetery on a, sadly, more regular basis in April 1915. It continued in use until November 1917.

Chester Farm Military Cemetery, looking west from near the cemetery entrance across Plot I.  Although there are more than four hundred burials here there are only three designated Plots, as you can see on the accompanying cemetery plan, as usual by kind permission of the CWGC.

Chester Farm Military Cemetery Plan

You may care to note the profusion of Manchester Regiment headstones visible in this photograph. Between April and July 1915 the Manchesters buried 93 of their dead here. The two nearest the camera are, left to right:

PRIVATE J. NEDDERMAN	MANCHESTER REGIMENT	u/k	28/05/1915	I A 20
PRIVATE J. J. CRAFT	MANCHESTER REGIMENT	35	26/05/1915	I A 21

Two of the thirteen East Surrey men buried here in April 1915.  Left to right:

SERJEANT A. MUDIE	EAST SURREY REGIMENT	31	26/04/1915	I D 20
PRIVATE T. J. ROBSON	EAST SURREY REGIMENT	u/k	26/04/1915	I D 21

View looking north west towards the spires of the Cloth Hall and St. Martin’s Cathedral in Ypres, visible through the trees on the horizon. The Canadian graves in the foreground are at the start of the final row of Plot I, Row K, which stretches across much of the width of the cemetery. The headstones behind constitute Plot II and those in the right background, the start of Plot III.

Three special memorial headstones to men ‘buried elsewhere in this cemetery’ (centre), and ‘known to be buried in this cemetery’ (right).  It’s interesting to note that the headstone on the left is inscribed Notts & Derby Regiment, and the one in the centre Sherwood Forresters.  Why is that of interest?  Because, of course, they are one and the same regiment.  Left to right:

PRIVATE J. NEWBURY	NOTTS & DERBY REGIMENT	u/k	12/09/1915	Spec. Mem 4
PRIVATE F. HARRISON	THE SHERWOOD FORESTERS	21	23/09/1915	Spec. Mem 5
PRIVATE H. BENNETT	MANCHESTER REGIMENT	u/k	19/07/1915	Spec. Mem 6

Waterlogged graves from 1917 in Plot II, left to right:

GUNNER G. BLOOMER	ROYAL GARRISON ARTILLERY	u/k	12/09/1917	II A 11
GUNNER J. KING	ROYAL GARRISON ARTILLERY	u/k	12/09/1917	II A 12
PRIVATE C. BELL	ROYAL FUSILIERS	u/k	18/09/1917	II A 13

The earliest burials at Chester Farm, these two Norfolk men died on the same day in March 1915.  Left to right:

PRIVATE O. TAYLOR	NORFOLK REGIMENT	u/k	15/03/1915	II AA 1
PRIVATE W. BARNES	NORFOLK REGIMENT	u/k	15/03/1915	II AA 1A

Plot II Row H in the far western corner of the cemetery. The two headstones at the far end of the row are German, as is the one in the right background. The front two CWGC headstones are, nearest camera first:

PRIVATE E. LEWIS	23rd BN, LONDON REGIMENT	u/k	15/03/1917	II H 4
PRIVATE J. W. BANFIELD	QUEEN’S OWN (ROYAL WEST KENT REGIMENT)	u/k	03/03/1917	II H 3

Looking south east towards the Cross of Sacrifice, with Plot II Row E to the left and Row D to the right, and Plot I Row K across the centre.

          

Two small photographs, but so many names.  Of the various battalions of the London Regiment who buried their dead here, the headstones of the 7th Battalion are most in evidence.  Above left:  Front row, left to right:

PRIVATE A. J. JACKSON	7th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	20	22/12/1916	III F 1
PRIVATE J. SKINNER	7th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	u/k	21/12/1916	III F 2
PRIVATE W. R. SILVER	7th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	u/k	15/12/1916	III F 3
PRIVATE S. P. CLIFFORD	7th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	u/k	15/12/1916	III F 4
PRIVATE E. A. COSBURN	7th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	25	13/12/1916	III F 5

There are London Regiment men in the row behind too, although this time from the 20th Battalion.  Left to right:

PRIVATE A. J. BAKER	20th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	32	20/02/1917	III G 1
PRIVATE T. CALLAGHAN	20th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	u/k	20/02/1917	III G 2
PRIVATE M. A. ELLIOTT	20th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	u/k	28/02/1917	III G 3
PRIVATE H. G. NATION	20th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	35	28/02/1917	III G 4*
PRIVATE W. MARSHALL	20th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	u/k	28/02/1917	III G 5

* Clearly incorrectly, the CWGC casualty details list also states that Second Lieutenant A. W. Bays of the Middlesex Regiment is buried in III  G 4.

Above right: The headstones in the background to the left are the same ones as in the previous picture. The 7th Battalion men in the front row are, left to right:

PRIVATE W. G. BEZLEY	7th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	20	10/04/1917	III D 2
SERJEANT C. W. A. ROBERTSON	7th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	u/k	24/03/1917	III D 3
PRIVATE G. J. CATE	7th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	23	25/03/1917	III D 4

The single headstone visible to the right in the second row is:

PRIVATE W. EWENS

7th BN, LONDON REGIMENT

25

21/12/1916

III E 1

Plot III, Row A, left to right:

SAPPER L. J. KNOWLES	ROYAL ENGINEERS	u/k	07/06/1917	III A 1
SAPPER W. M. ONGLEY	ROYAL ENGINEERS	u/k	10/06/1917	III A 1A
LANCE CORPORAL L. BEAVIS	7th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	21	09/06/1917	III A 1B
PRIVATE M. JOFFE	LONDON REGIMENT (PRINCE OF WALES’ OWN CIVIL SERVICE RIFLES)	20	07/06/1917	III A 1C
LANCE CORPORAL G. P. HOWIE	MACHINE GUN CORPS (INFANTRY)	u/k	07/06/1917	III A 1D
PIONEER J. G. E. DAVIS	ROYAL ENGINEERS	23	07/06/1917	III A 1E
PRIVATE E. J. DORRINGTON	24th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	19	07/06/1917	III A 1F

The headstones of Plot II cast lengthening shadows behind two more London Regiment burials in Plot I.  Left to right:

PRIVATE R. J. STANBRIDGE	24th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	20	22/05/1917	I K 24
PRIVATE G. B. HILL	24th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	24	21/05/1917	I K 25

Plot I Row K, continued from the previous picture, with Plot III beyond.  Left to right:

SAPPER E. P. ETHERIDGE	ROYAL ENGINEERS	33	29/05/1917	I K 26
PRIVATE H. PHILIPS*	19th BN, COUNTY OF LONDON	u/k	07/06/1917	I K 27
RIFLEMAN W. E. CRANN	LONDON IRISH RIFLES	34	08/06/1917	I K 28
RIFLEMAN A. G. COOPER	LONDON IRISH RIFLES	u/k	08/06/1917	I K 28A
RIFLEMAN D. FOAY	LONDON IRISH RIFLES	38	08/06/1917	I K 28B
SECOND LIEUTENANT H. A. DUCKETT	HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY	24	07/06/1917	I K 29

*The CWGC casualty details list spells Philips with two ‘l’s.

Four more London Regiment burials, Plot I Row J, left to right:

PRIVATE A. E. MOSS	24th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	21	02/12/1916	I J 11
PRIVATE S. H. YOUNG	23rd BN, LONDON REGIMENT	u/k	04/12/1916	I J 12
PRIVATE W. G. SMITH	24th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	19	22/01/1917	I J 13
PRIVATE G. H. CRAMMOND	24th BN, LONDON REGIMENT	19	09/03/1917	I J 14

North westerly view looking towards the Cross of Sacrifice with Plot I Row H in the foreground.  Left to right:

RIFLEMAN H. MORETON	FIRST SURREY RIFLES	26	04/07/1917	I H 11
PRIVATE A. A. BALL	REGIMENT (PRINCE OF WALES’ OWN CIVIL SERVICE RIFLES)	24	03/07/1917	I H 12
PRIVATE H. S. OCKENDEN	REGIMENT (PRINCE OF WALES’ OWN CIVIL SERVICE RIFLES)	33	03/07/1917	I H 13

More Manchester and East Surrey graves. Front row, left to right:

PRIVATE P. ROBINSON	EAST SURREY REGIMENT	29	13/04/1915	I D 17
PRIVATE G. EDMEADS	EAST SURREY REGIMENT	u/k	14/04/1915	I D 18
PRIVATE D. CRAWFORD	MANCHESTER REGIMENT	u/k	19/04/1915	I D 19
PRIVATE W. GRANT	MANCHESTER REGIMENT	25	19/04/1915	I D 19A
PRIVATE W. SOUTHWORTH	MANCHESTER REGIMENT	24	19/04/1915	I D 19B
PRIVATE W. MARTIN	MANCHESTER REGIMENT	45	19/04/1915	I D 19C

Now, elsewhere on this site I explain that the East Surrey Regiment is my ‘local’ regiment and that therefore you are likely to see quite a number of East Surrey headstones pictured should we come across them on our travels.  As if to prove the point, the photo above, and the two following, are more East Surrey men, killed near here in April 1915.  Above, front row, left to right:

PRIVATE D. H. MARRS	EAST SURREY REGIMENT	28	29/04/1915	I D 14
PRIVATE O. W. APPS	EAST SURREY REGIMENT	20	29/04/1915	I D 15

Above left, front row, left to right:

PRIVATE H. J. CROCKETT	EAST SURREY REGIMENT	u/k	12/04/1915	I D 12
PRIVATE F. C. JOHNSON	EAST SURREY REGIMENT	u/k	27/04/1915	I D 13

Above right, front row, left to right:

LANCE CORPORAL H. G. HACKETT	EAST SURREY REGIMENT	48	12/04/1915	I D 10
PRIVATE G. CURTIS	EAST SURREY REGIMENT	u/k	12/04/1915	I D 11

North east view looking along the East Surrey burials in Plot I Row D, with more Manchester graves behind.

At this point, let’s take a look at two pages (above & below) from 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment Battalion Orders, dated 24^th April 1915 (left), and 15^th May 1915 (right).  You will find all ten of the East Surrey men mentioned earlier by name listed, five on each page, but equally interesting is the subsequent list of men sent to hospital, and the nature of their wounds (one of which is self-inflicted).  For your information G.S.W. (gun shot wound) refers to any gun, including artillery, doubtless the cause of the majority of these injuries.

View from the southern corner of Chester Farm looking north across Plot I.  Front row, left to right:

PRIVATE J. G. HAMILTON	GORDON HIGHLANDERS	26	14/08/1915	I C 1
PRIVATE H. PULESTON	LONDON REGIMENT (ROYAL FUSILIERS)	21	27/10/1915	I C 2
PRIVATE F. KILLEN	GORDON HIGHLANDERS	u/k	14/08/1915	I C 3

Still in the south corner, headstones in Plot I Row B nearest the camera, with those pictured in the previous photo directly behind.  Front row, left to right:

LANCE CORPORAL A. GARDNER	GORDON HIGHLANDERS	25	14/08/1915	I B 1
PRIVATE T. D’ARCY	NOTTS & DERBY REGIMENT	u/k	30/09/1915	I B 2
PRIVATE G. PARTRIDGE	NOTTS & DERBY REGIMENT	u/k	30/09/1915	I B 3
PRIVATE H. CHAPMAN	NOTTS & DERBY REGIMENT	21	30/09/1915	I B 4

Numerically the first, but as we have seen, not, by far, the earliest burials.  Left to right:

PRIVATE G. T. HARRISON	NOTTS & DERBY REGIMENT	22	24/09/1915	I A 1
PRIVATE G. F. SLATER	NOTTS & DERBY REGIMENT	19	26/09/1915	I A 2

Back at the eastern corner, near the cemetery entrance, looking along Plot I Row A into the setting sun.

So, time to leave Chester Farm, and head down the road to Spoilbank Cemetery.  But first…

Prepare yourselves.  Are you ready for this?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you…

…the one, the only…

…without whom etc etc…

…yes, it’s Baldrick, chauffeur and spotter extraordinaire.  Is that a smile or a scowl?  A wave, or a demonstration of a single death-dealing karate blow?  When it comes to Balders the Enigmatic, it’s impossible to tell.

I think we should move on.