Tag: JCCC

Officer Of The Cheshire Regiment Killed In World War One Laid To Rest In France

A young soldier who worked as a schoolteacher and played for Bolton Wanderers Football Club has finally been laid to rest in France along with two unknown soldiers, nearly 110 years after his death

Second Lieutenant (2ndLt) James Arthur Greenhalgh, of 1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment, was buried with full military honours in a service organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’.

The service was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner near Neuve-Chapelle on 22 May 2024. 

Rosie Barron, MOD War Detective said: “It has been an honour to have worked with The Mercian Regiment, which today recruits from Cheshire, to organise the burial of 2ndLt Greenhalgh and these two unknown soldiers, and to have played a part in the identification of 2ndLt Greenhalgh.

“Although two of these men were sadly not identifiable, the Greenhalgh family now have answers as to what happened to their relative and he now rests in Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner alongside his comrades.”

2ndLt Greenhalgh, who came from Bolton, Lancashire, and had played for Bolton Wanderers Football Club, was killed on 22 October 1914 in the village of Violaines. 

At 5:30 hours the enemy attacked their positions on the outskirts of the village. The alarm was raised by a patrol from D Company, but their trenches were rushed before they could resist and bayonet fighting ensued. The entire battalion was forced to retire with six Officers and 209 other ranks missing, many of whom were taken prisoner. 

2ndLt Greenhalgh was reported later to have been in the trenches and to have been shot in the head. He was 25 years old. 

His men were unable to recover him and, after the enemy had captured the village, a serjeant of The Norfolk Regiment was taken by a German Officer to the location where 2ndLt Greenhalgh had fallen and allowed to bury his body. After the war no trace of 2ndLt Greenhalgh’s grave was found, and as he was listed as missing. He was commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial.  

In 2020, the remains of three soldiers were found on the outskirts of Violaines during the construction of a new housing estate. Although two of the soldiers had no artefacts on them which would lead to their identification, one was believed to have been an Officer of The Cheshire Regiment. After DNA testing, this casualty was identified as 2ndLt Greenhalgh.  

The service was attended by members of 2ndLt Greenhalgh’s family. His great niece, Joanna Potts, was unable to attend the service, but placed a personal inscription on behalf of the family on his headstone. 

Joanna Potts, great niece of 2ndLt Greenhalgh said: “Hearing my Great Uncle had finally been found after all this time, has been an unexpected and surprisingly emotional time.

“We are so grateful that he will now be laid to rest and commemorated for the sacrifice he gave for us all.”

The coffin of Second Lieutenant Greenhalgh was carried to the graveside by serving soldiers of 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Crown Copyright)

The coffin of 2ndLt Greenhalgh was carried through the cemetery by serving soldiers of 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment and the service was conducted by the Rev Gary Birch CF, Chaplain to 19 Regiment Royal Artillery said: “I have officiated at a number of WW1 burials of both known and unknown service personnel, and each one is special and important in their own right.

“Being able to honour them and finally show them the proper dignity and respect they deserve reminds us of the fragility of life and gives us an opportunity to pause, reflect and learn the lessons of past conflict.”

The coffin of Second Lieutenant Greenhalgh is lowered onto the grave (Crown Copyright)

The graves will now be cared for in perpetuity by CWGC. Xavier Puppinck, Director for the France Area at the CWGC, said:  “We are honoured to have played our part in helping to lay these exceptionally brave men to rest, more than 110 years after they put their lives on the line in Violaines.”

Three Great War soldiers buried with full military honours in Belgium

More than a century after his death, Lance Serjeant Robert Brand, a 24-year-old Glaswegian soldier has finally been laid to rest with full military honours in Belgium. He was buried alongside two unknown soldiers from the same regiment.

The burial service, organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’, was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Messines Ridge Cemetery, Belgium yesterday (25 October 2023).

Tracey Bowers, JCCC Case lead, said: “Robert served his Country for the entirety of the War and paid the ultimate sacrifice, I am honoured to have worked on this case and be here today to pay my respects.

“It is always disappointing not to identify all soldiers but we will keep trying.”

The three soldiers were recovered by archaeologists working in Neuve Eglise, Belgium, as part of a potato farm expansion project. Artefacts found nearby identified them as soldiers from the 9th (Glasgow Highland) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry.

Other finds indicated they died after August 1916; this information combined with that from battalion war diaries and other records, narrowed their dates of death to a period between 13-15 April 1918. This was during the Battle of the Lys.

A shortlist of potential candidates was drawn up using the finds, anthropological information and documentary evidence. Then efforts were made to trace the descendants of eight of the regiment’s men listed as missing and who matched all the available evidence. Lance Serjeant Robert Brand was positively identified through the DNA testing of his descendants.

Robert Brand was born on 13 September 1893 in Stirling, to William McPhail Brand and Christina Johnston Arthur. He was the eldest of 12 children. He had first gone to France with the army in November 1914, and in 1916 he was hospitalised with a gunshot wound to the neck. Following this, he was entitled to wear a wound stripe on his uniform.

This wound stripe was one of the critical artefacts in helping to identify him as one of these casualties.

Caroline Smith, Great Niece, said: “The Brand Family is honoured and humbled to be able to attend the burial of our Uncle, Lance Serjeant Robert Brand and two of his fellow soldiers. It is amazing how remains have been found after all these decades.

“We would like to thank the JCCC whom have guided us through the process of DNA and organising the burial. Also thank you to the Regiment for being here to support and honour. Last of all thank you Uncle Robert, who fought for our country and our family. We are very proud and grateful.”

The service was supported by members of the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland who provided the bearer party, Piper and Bugler.

Conducting the service, Rev’d David Jeal, chaplain said: “It is a great honour and privilege to finally lay our soldiers from World War 1 to rest.

“We remember their sacrifice and have given them the full military burial they deserved, something I and all 2 SCOTS soldiers present will never forget.”

The graves of Lance Serjeant Brand and the two unknown soldiers will be cared for in perpetuity by CWGC.

Geert Bekaert Commonwealth War Graves Commission Area Director said: “It is a profound honour to now care for the graves of Lance Serjeant Robert Brand and his fellow soldiers from the 9th (Glasgow Highland) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, at Messines Ridge Cemetery, Belgium.

“The Commonwealth War Graves Commission reaffirms its commitment to preserving their memory in perpetuity and their burial today reminds us of the enduring legacy of all those who served during the First World War.”

Among the soldiers who remain unidentified, one possible individual is Private Robert Campbell. The JCCC would like to appeal to any family members who believe they could be related to a Pte Robert Campbell who served with the 9th Glasgow Highland Light Infantry to get in touch.

Two Irish WW1 soldiers’ graves rededicated in Belgium

The graves of Capt Hugh Travers, DSO, and Sjt Frederick Cardy rededicated in Ypres

The graves of Captain (Capt) Hugh Mortimer Travers DSO and Serjeant (Sjt) Frederick Cardy, who were killed on the Western Front whilst serving with Irish regiments, have been rededicated in Belgium more than a hundred years after they died.

The services, which were organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’, were held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) New Irish Farm Cemetery and White House Cemetery, near Ypres.

Rosie Barron, JCCC case lead said:  ““It is always a privillage to work with The Royal Irish Regiment to organise these services and to discover more of Ireland’s unique experience of the First World War.

“Both Capt Travers and Sjt Cardy paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of freedom and justice and it is as vital today as ever that their sacrifices are not forgotten.”  

Capt Travers, aged 41, was a veteran of the Boer War. For his service in South Africa he received The Queen’s South Africa Medal with five clasps and The King’s South Africa Medal with two clasps. He also received The King George V Coronation Medal. Capt Travers was wearing these medal ribbons at the time of his death, which assisted with the identification of his grave.

The Adjutant of the battalion described Capt Travers as having ‘died the death of a soldier and a very gallant gentleman.’ Another member of the battalion stated that Captain Travers’ actions were ‘the coolest deed’ he had ever seen. ‘It was gloriously brave.’ As Capt Travers was recorded as missing he was commemorated on the Menin Gate.

The rededication service at New Irish Farm Cemetery was attended by members of Capt Travers’ family.

Guy Travers, Capt Travers’ great nephew said: “I am very happy that a service has been held for my Great Uncle, Captain HM Travers, after so many many years.

“I believe my grandfather, his brother, had no luck in finding him. This service is also for him. And of course Hugh’s fallen comrades. His stone is magnificent, I can’t thank the Commonwealth War Graves Commission enough.”

The final resting places of Capt Travers and Sjt Cardy were discovered after researchers submitted evidence to CWGC hoping to have located them. Further research conducted by CWGC, the National Army Museum and JCCC, agreed with their findings and the identifications were confirmed.

The services were attended by representatives of the British and Irish Embassies as well as serving soldiers of The Royal Irish Regiment. They were conducted by the Reverend Dr Isaac Thompson MBE, TD, DL, HCF, Chaplain to The Royal Irish Regiment.

The Reverend Dr Thompson said: “Hugh Travers, born in India into a family where his father and both of his grandfathers were Army officers, joined the Royal Munster Fusiliers in South Africa in 1893.

“Bravery appears to have oozed from this young man’s veins. As a forty-one year old he arrived in France in October 1914 but by November 1914 he was killed near Ypres. Those who witnessed his bravery said, “He died the death of a soldier and a very gallant gentleman.”

Capt Travers was a member of 5th Battalion The Royal Munster Fusiliers but on the outbreak of the First World War was attached to 2nd Battalion The Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment.

He was killed during a bayonet charge near Gheluvelt on 8 November 1914, when the battalion was ordered to retake trenches on the northern side of the Menin Road. He received the Distinguished Service Order for the part he played in this action. The citation for the gallatry medal read:

‘For conspicuous gallantry and ability on the 8th November 1914, near Ypres, in organising an attack and re-capturing a trench from the enemy, and subsequently for leading a second attack and capturing another position 50 yards further to the front. Captain Travers was killed whilst maintaining his post on this occasion.’

Sjt Cardy was serving with 7/8th Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers when he was killed during the Third Battle of Ypres.

At around midnight on 10 August 1917 his battalion moved into the frontline north of Frezenberg. They were relieved at midnight on 12 August. It was during this time in the frontline that Serjeant Cardy was killed although the exact date is unknown.

Sjt Cardy was buried and a wooden cross was erected over his grave. In 1919, his remains were concentrated into White House Cemetery, but it appears the original grave maker was damaged and he could not be identified. As Serjeant Cardy was missing he was commemorated the Menin Gate.

The Reverend Dr Thompson added: “Frederick Cardy, a native of Suffolk, must have had his heart strings tugged to the limit when he learned of the birth of his son, Ralph back in England in July 1916.

“Within a year, in August 1917, this brave Royal Irish Fusilier, gave his life in the service of others, reflecting the motto of his regiment, “Faugh a Ballagh” (Irish for “Clear the Way”), a rallying cry that had inspired “Faughs” since 1811 and still today in their successors, The Royal Irish Regiment; young Cardy had cleared the way for his young son to grow up in a land free of war for another two decades.”  

The headstones over their graves will now be replaced by the CWGC, who will care for their final resting places in perpetuity. 

CWGC Commemorations Officer, Fergus Read, said: “Having both been commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) memorial until now, we are moved and honoured to be able to mark these brave men’s graves today.

“Thanks to the effort of many, the Commission will proudly care for their graves, and their memory, in perpetuity.”