Thistle Dump Cemetery, High Wood, Longueval (Somme)

Details

Thistle Dump Cemetery stands in a field 800 metres south of the southern apex of High Wood. It was begun in August, 1916, and used as a front-line cemetery until February, 1917; and the Germans buried five of their dead in it in March and April, 1918. It was increased after the Armistice by the concentration of 56 graves from the Somme battlefields. It now contains the graves of 107 soldiers from the United Kingdom, 37 from New Zealand and 36 from Australia; twelve men whose unit in our forces is not known, and seven German soliders. Fifty-nine graves are those of unidentified men, and special memorials are erected to three soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from New Zealand, known to be buried among them.

Number of burials by unit

New Zealand burials
35
   Australian burials
27
Royal Field Artillery
9
   Cameronians - Scottish Rifles
8
Royal Garrison Artillery
6
   Royal Berkshire Regiment
5
Royal Scots - Lothian Regiment
5
   Rifle Brigade
5
King's Liverpool Regiment
4
   Cameron Highlanders
3
Royal Fusiliers - City of London Regiment
3
   Royal Warwickshire Regiment
3
Royal Munster Fusiliers
3
   Somerset Light Infantry
3
Hampshire Regiment
2
   Manchester Regiment
2
South Lancashire Regiment
2
   Bedfordshire Regiment
1
King's Own Scottish Borderers
1
   King's Royal Rifle Corps
1
2nd Btn Royal Fusiliers - London Regiment
1
   Northamptonshire Regiment
1
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
1
   Royal Sussex
1
Royal Army Medical Corps
1
   Royal Engineers
1
Royal West Kent Regiment
1
   West Yorkshire Regiment
1
Wiltshire Regiment
1
      
Identified burials
137
      
German burials
7
      
Unidentified Uk burials
36
      
Unidentified Australian burials
8
      
Unidentified New Zealand burials
3
      
Wholly unidentified
12
      
Total Unidentified
59
      
Total burials
203
      

Those with awards buried in this cemetery

Pte. Albert Farr M.M. and Bar. 1st Bn. Hampshire Regiment, died 1st July 1916 aged 26. F.24.

2nd Lt. Stewart Francis Humphrys, Mentioned in Despatches. 20th, attd. 14th Bn. Royal Fusiliers. K.I.A. 26th Aug. 1916 aged 24. Special Memorial 1.

Sgt. James Rankin D.C.M., N.Z. Field Artillery. K.I.A. 20th Sept. 1916 aged 28. Also served at Gallipoli. C. 24.

Sgt. Wilfred Campbell Rimmer M.M., 1st Bty., 1st Brig. N.Z. Field Artillery. K.I.A. 17th Sept. 1916 aged 24. C, 16,

Sgt. D. L. Seath M.M., 1st Bn. Cameron Highlanders, died 3rd Sept. 1916. B. 22.

Maj. Ivan Brunker Sherbon M.C., 19th Bn. Australian Infantry. K.I.A. 14th Nov. 1916 aged 23.
E. 4.

Pte. Harry Raymond Walters M.M., 6th Field Amb. Australian Army Medical Corps. K.I.A. 6th Nov. 1916 aged 27. E. 7.