Pozieres British Cemetery

Details

POZIERES is a village and commune in the Department of the Somme, on the NorthWest side of the straight main road from Albert to Bapaume; and Pozieres British Cemetery is on the same side of the road, between the villages of Pozieres and Ovillers and in the commune of Ovillers-La Boisselle. The place was known in 1916 as "Tramway Crossing" or "Red Cross Corner".
The village of Pozieres was attacked on the 23rd July, 1916, by the ist Australian and 48th (South Midland) Divisions, and was taken on the following day. It was lost on the 24th-25th March, 1918, and recaptured by the 17th Division on the following 24th August. In the immediate neighbourhood are the Battle Memorials of the 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions, the Tank Corps and the King's Royal Rifle Corps.
Plot II of the cemetery contains the original burials of 1916, 1917 and 1918, carried out by fighting units and Field Ambulances ; 57 German graves, made during their occupation in 1918, have been removed to another cemetery. The remaining plots were made after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the battlefields immediately surrounding the cemetery. The great majority of the graves thus brought in are those of soldiers who fell in the Autumn of 1916, but a few represent the fighting in August, 1918.
The cemetery now contains the graves of 1,800 soldiers from the United Kingdom, 714 from Australia and 209 from Canada; 7 men whose unit in our forces is not known; and one German soldier. The unnamed graves are 1,353 in number, and special memorials are erected to 18 soldiers from Australia, two from the United Kingdom and one. from Canada, known or believed to be buried among them.
The cemetery covers an area of 7,227 square metres. It is enclosed by buildings and walls on which are carved the names of those who fell in the Retreat of the Fifth Army in 1918 and whose graves are not known. The Memorial records 14, 690 "Missing" of the Fifth Army who fell in the Battles of the Somme up to April 5th 1918 and all casualties in this area until Aug. 7th 1918.

The following were among the more important burial grounds from which British graves were concentrated to Pozieres British Cemetery

CASUALTY CORNER CEMETERY, CONTALMAISON, on the road from Pozieres to Fricourt, used in the summer and autumn of 1916 and containing the graves of 21 Canadian soldiers, 21 Australian and 13 from the United Kingdom.

DANUBE POST CEMETERY, THIEPVAL (named from a trench and a Dressing Station), between the site of Thiepval village and Mouquet Farm. Here were buried, in the winter of 1916-17, 34 soldiers from the United Kingdom, mainly of the R.F.A.

NAB JUNCTION CEMETERY, OVILLERS-LA BOISSELLE, at the crossing of the Thiepval-Pozieres Road and " Nab Valley ", in which 60 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one German prisoner were buried in the winter of 1916-17.

Number of burials by Unit

Those with Awards buried in this cemetery

Cameron, Lt George Brown, M.C. Army Service Corps. Died of Wounds 26th Aug., 1918. II. A. 1

Castleton Serjt. Claude Charles, 1352, V.C. 5th Coy. Australian Machine Gun Corps Killed in action 29th July 1916. Age 23 Son of Thomas Charles and Edith Lucy Castleton of 18, Wilson Rd., Lowestoft, England. An extract from "The London Gazette", No. 29765, dated 26th Sept., 1916, records the following :- "For most conspicuous bravery. During an attack on the enemy's trenches the infantry was temporarily driven back by the intense machine gun fire opened by the enemy. Many wounded were left in "No Man's Land" lying in shell holes. Serjt. Castleton went out twice in face of this intense fire and each time bought in a wounded man on his back. He went out a third time and was bringing in another wounded man when he was himself hit in the back and killed instantly. He set a splendid example of courage and self sacrifice" IV. L. 43

Chipman, Bmbdr Charles Clifford, 40349. M.M. 2nd Bty 1st Bde Canadian Field Artillery. Killed in action 9th Oct., Age 25. II. F. 17

Constable, Pte Henry James, 1702. 23rd Bn Australian Inf. Mentioned in Despatches. Killed in action between 27th July and 4th Aug., 1916. Age 43. I. D. 34

Cottingham, Pte Devereux, 1086, M.M. 7th Coy Australian Machine Gun Corps. Died of wounds 26th March, 1917. Age 23 II. E. 7.

Crowder, Gnr Thomas 70021, M.M., 23rd Seige Bty Royal Garrison Artillery. 14th Nov., 1916 Age 29. I.J.45

Crowe, Sgt J.A.1611. M.M. 12th/13th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers. Died of wounds 28th Aug., 1918 II. A. 17

Greene, L/Sgt Daniel, 19847., D.C.M., M.M. 10th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers 4th Aug., 1916. Age 28 III. L. 24.

Hayes, Sgt H. S. 89814., M.M 7th Bde Canadian Field Artillery. 2nd Nov. 1916. II. G. 13.

Heaton, Sgt Cecil Raymond, 493, D.C.M., 9th Bn Australian Inf. Killed in action 23rd July, 1916. III. L. 14.

Hirst, Cpl Percy Frederick, 58., M.M. 1st Field Coy, Australian Engineers Killed in action 25th July, 1916. Age 24 III.H. 15

Horton, Pte William Henry, 2399, M.M. "A" Coy. 1st/7th Bn Royal Warwickshire Regt. Killed in action 14th July, 1916. Age 23 I.J.6.

Lamb, CSM Peter, 44531, M.M., M.S.M., 12th (Duke of Lancasters Own Yeomanry) Bn, Manchester Regt 26th Aug., 1918 Age 33. II. A. 9.

Lockyer. Pte George Howard , 223. M.M. 20th Bn Australian Inf. Killed in action 30th July, 1916. Age 33 III. O. 18.

Lowe, Capt R.C. M.C., 6th Bn Royal Warwickshire Regt, Mentioned in Depatches. Killed in action 18th Aug., 1916. Age 22. IV. A. 36

Mackay, Major Murdoch Nish, 22nd Bn Australian Inf., Mentioned in depatches. Killed in action 4th Aug., 1916. Age 25. III. E. 7.

Morris, CSM George Alfred, 1149. M.C. 3rd Bn Australian Inf. Killed in action 22nd/27th July, 1916. Age 27 III. K. 22.

Robbins, Pte Garnett Edward, 2488, M.M. 22nd Bn Australian Inf. Killed in action between 27th July & 4th Aug., 1916. Age 20 I. H. 33.

Sadler, Pte Norman Henry, 3373, M.M. 12th Field Ambulance. Australian Army Medical Corps. Killed in action 30th Aug., 1916. Age 21. IV. M. 28.

Smith, Pte Edwin Richardson, 462, M.M. 22nd Bn Australian Inf. Killed in action 26th Aug., 1916. Age 24. III. G. 10.

Stannard, Sgt Frank, 18005, M.M. 8th Bn Suffolk Regt 6th March, 1917. Age 24. IV. Q. 7.

Stone, Sgt Robert George, 1149. D.C.M. 22nd Bn Australian Inf. Killed in action between 27th July & 14th Aug, 1916. Age 25. I. H. 32

Tucker, Cpl Charles Samuel, 1069., M.M., 22nd Bn Australian Inf. Killed in action 26th Aug., 1916. Age 23. IV. D. 22.

Vowell, Cpl E.A. 430758., M.M., 3rd Canadian Pioneer Bn. 15th Sept. 1916. III. P.1.

Williams, Sgt G.H. 443., M.M. 5th Bn Royal Warwickshire Regt 18th July 1916. I. D. 48.

Wright, Sgt J. 12845. M.M., "B" Bty 87th Bde Royal Field Artillery. 3rd Nov., 1916. IV. T. 12.

Writer, L/Cpl F.T. STK/290 M.M. 10th Bn Royal Fusiliers. 15th July, 1916. Age 24. III. H. 35.

Others buried in this cemetery

Agnew (served as Sheriff), Pte Norman Leslie, 2319. 19th Bn Australian Inf. Killed in action 27th July, 1916. Age 20. Son of James Leslie Agnew and Sarah Jean Durrant (Formerly Agnew), of "Waitange" 5, Cook St., Randwick, New South Wales. Native of Brisbane, Queensland. III. K. 6.

Boustead. Lt Harry Atheling Russell. 8th Bn Middlesex Regt., attd Royal Flying Corps. Killed in air combat 5th April, 1917. Age 24. Son of John Melvill Boustead and Leila Boustead, of Briar Farm, Eden Bridge, Kent. Born at Surbiton, Surrey. II. D. 13.

Challen L/Cpl Stephen Henry 12856 8th Bn Loyal North Lancs. 10th July 1916. Age 18. Son of John Napper Challen and Emily Challen, of 55, Cockayne Place, Meersbrook, Sheffield III. C. 16. One of two brothers who fell the other was Sgt W.T. Challen 8219 1st Bn Loyal North Lancs died 8/11/14 aged 23, Commemorated on the Menin Gate.

Christy, Pte J.W. 52988 1st Bn The King's Liverpool Regt. 17th Jan., 1917 Age 21 and his brother, Christy, Pte Robert, 52988. 1st Bn The King's Liverpool Regt. 17th Jan., 1917 Age 25. Sons of Robert Christy, of 199, Every St., Ancoats, Manchester. Both in the same grave II. G. 3.

Crooks, Pte Ben 2354. 20th Bn Australian Inf. Killed in action 2nd Aug., 1916. Age 17. Son of John Henry Parker Crooks and Mabel Crooks, of Lord St., Botany, New South Wales. Native of Derby, England. IV. V. 2.

Grainger, Pte Frank Rupert , 4214., 16th Bn Australian Inf., Killed in action 30th Aug., 1916. Age 17. Son of Thomas and Rosina Florence Grainger, of 22, Parkes St., West Perth, Western Australia. Native of South Australia. IV. D. 32.

Griffiths, Rfn Horace Henry Y/373 13th Bn King's Royal Rifle Corps. 13th July, 1916. Age 17. Son of Thomas and Nellie Griffiths, of Birmingham. III. E. 6.

Ward, Pte Henry George 4715, 1st/4th Bn Oxf. and Bucks Light Inf. 23rd July, 1916. Age 17. Son of Henry George and Emily War, of Old Marston, Oxford. I. A. 28.