Where are they buried?

[Guest bjb]

My great uncle, Private Frederick James Buchan, 2158, 1st Inf. Battalion, Australian Imperial Forces, died on the 1st May 1918 in France. He is believe to have been shot through the heart as a bible he was wearing at the time has an entry and exit point as well as a few letters he had been carrying.

His military records show that he was killed in action near Meteren and his name is mentioned on the monument at Villers - Bretonneux ( register No 26) and also ON the Memorial Cross at Meteren Military Cemetary. The war records are confusing as one entry states he was buried ( his personal affects were removed from his body and sent home...AS I have some of them), yet he has no known grave. I have sought information from the Australian War Memorial but they replied that in the heat of battle some soldiers graves were lost.

The Battalion diary entry for 1st May 1918 has the troops at R32 C 9 5 (near Meteren) D company at Phincboom??, A company, centre of X3C 97, B Company C415 , C Company left at Les 4 Fils Aymon. I don't know what company he was attached to. From what I have read in the various internet sites there was a good chance that he was probably buried nearby. This could have been in the battlefield or perhaps in a church yard cemetary? The battalion does not appear to have been under a frenzied advance so I would guess that there would have been time to intern him. Could he have been interned at a local cemetary and the army simply forgot where he had been buried. His military records state for burial details see form B 103 but I don't have a copy of this document.

Would the map references assist in locating the area where the troops were located and maybe give an insight into a possible burial site? Can anyone give me some information as to the burial pratices used by the Australians Army at that time?

regards

Bruce Buchan

Australia.

bjb54@yahoo.com

[Robert Dunlop]

I have sought information from the Australian War Memorial but they replied that in the heat of battle some soldiers graves were lost.

Would the map references assist in locating the area where the troops were located and maybe give an insight into a possible burial site?

Bruce

Sadly, there were many reasons why the temporary grave of a soldier might be lost. In the heat of battle, his cobbers may not have had time to mark the site properly. Alternatively, the site would have been subsequently hit by a shell, destroying the grave.

I cannot help you with information about which burial site might have been used had the above not been the case. Others on the forum will have this knowledge. However, I have attached a trench map from 1918 that shows the map references you mentioned. The last one is not quite right and I have assumed it is large square 4, small sqaure C, easting 1 and northing 5.

Cheers, mate

Robert

[Marco]

Hello Bruce,

and also ON the Memorial Cross at Meteren Military Cemetary

I'm pretty sure there is no (longer?) Cross with names in Meteren. I was there last year and would have photographed any memorial present.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~aur/Cemeteries/METERENMC.htm

Regards,

Marco

[Guest bjb]

Thanks to Robert and Marco who replied. I have emailed the Australian War Memorial about the form B103, which stipulated that he was buried.

If that does not assist, I will let the matter rest.

regards Bruce Buchan