No let up in the weather, folks. When we reached X Farm Cemetery, Baldrick declined to vacate the car, and I have to admit that my own excursion was somewhat brief.
Cross of Sacrifice.
X Farm Cemetery contains 113 burials, all of which, as far as I can tell, are identified.
The cemetery was begun in April 1915 and used for just over a year, the final burial here being made in July 1916. According to the CWGC Casualty Details List it was intended to replace Desplanque Farm Cemetery, but clearly both cemeteries were in use at the same time, as we saw last Nursery post.
The cemetery consists of seven rows of headstones, the Durham Light Infantrymen nearest the camera in Row D (above) all being casualties from early 1916.
Above & below: Row G, along the north west boundary; these graves are also all from the early months of 1916.
Views from in front of Row G (behind us, and not visible) looking south east towards the cemetery entrance.
Most of these shots, not for the last time this day, were taken with the camera wrapped in a plastic bag in an attempt to keep out the rain and wind. Once before, on a snowy evening at Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, my camera had cried enough due to the adverse conditions (thank heavens it was under warranty at the time!), and I intended to do all I could to prevent a repeat.
So I’m afraid that, after only a few minutes, I decided enough was enough. We would have to return another day to get some more acceptable photos.
And, nine months later, we did.
Another anodyne day, admittedly, but no rain, and that’s good enough.
Cross of Sacrifice.
I imagine that it’s a pretty little place, in mid-summer, when the flowers between the graves are in full bloom.
We’re a little late for that…
…but it still looks a lot nicer than earlier in the year.
Row F. The two Australian casualties were the final burials in the cemetery.
Nearly forgot! Here’s the cemetery plan.
Among the twelve Durham Light Infantrymen buried in this cemetery, two brothers, Privates Vender & Ernest Hunter, killed together on 26th January 1916, lie side-by-side near this end of Row G.
The CWGC website tells us that this cemetery was sometimes called ‘Wine Avenue’ during the war; I’d like to know why exactly, but I imagine the origins are lost in the mists of time.
Cross of Sacrifice.
So, our tour continues its way north…
…and the foul weather follows us. Next stop: Chappelle D’Armentières Old Military Cemetery. And then the new one.
Concerning “The CWGC website tells us that this cemetery was sometimes called “Wine Avenue” during the war; I’d like to know why exactly, but I imagine the origins are lost in the mists of time.”
Found this somewhere ( http://www.ww1cemeteries.com/ww1frenchextension/xfarm.htm ):
“Edward was killed in
Wine Ave, a communication trench leading to the front line. I have not been
able to ascertain his exact cause of death, but feel sure that it was either
a shell that killed him, and wounded Brett, or maybe a sniper. As the next
trench along, which runs parallel with Wine Ave (Wellington Ave), saw a
Sapper called King being killed by a sniper.
Edward is buried in X Farm Cemetery, Armentieres. Which is very close to were
Wine Ave would have been.”
As for why this trench was called “Wine Avn”; nothing showed up…
Hey, good enough! Thanks Chris.
I also highly recommend the ww1cemeteries.com site you mention; they have a very nice picture link to here on their links page.
There’s a sapper called Fred King buried just three graves away from Edward Crowter, the Edward you mention. Likely to be the King killed in Wellington Avenue, methinks.