Tag: WW1

Graves of two unknown World War 1 officers ‘named’ 111 years after their deaths

The previously un-named graves of two officers who gave their lives during World War One have been identified in Belgium. Captain (Capt) Gordon Cuthbert of Sunbury, Middlesex, and Lieutenant (Lt) Leslie Harvey, originally from Windsor, both served with 1/8 Battalion Duke of Cambridge’s Own, Middlesex Regiment and both died near Ypres on 25 April 1915.

Two ‘unknown soldier’ headstones have been replaced with ones bearing the names of the men who lay there after investigation work by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘War Detectives’. 

Rededication services for Capt Cuthbert and Lt Harvey were organised by the team, and services were held for Capt. Cuthbert at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Tyne Cot Cemetery and for Lt Harvey at Sanctuary Wood Cemetery yesterday (29 April 2026). 

JCCC Caseworker, Alexia Clark, said: “I am grateful to the independent researcher who put such a lot of effort into discovering the stories of these two men, and the records behind the un-named graves and who ultimatly submitted the cases for their identification.

“Their work has led us to recognise the final resting places of Captain Cuthbert and Lieutenant Harvey, and to restore their names to them.

“It has been a privilege to have contributed to these cases and to have organised the services of rededication today.”

Captain Gordon Cuthbert 

14 August 1876 – 25 April 1915 

In 1894, Gordon Cuthbert joined the London Rifle Brigade, and he was gazetted 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd Volunteer Brigade of the Middlesex Regiment in February 1900. He transferred to the Territorial Reserve in 1908 and was appointed captain in command of the Twickenham Company in 1911. 

On the outbreak of war in August 1914, he rejoined the Middlesex Regiment and proceeded to Gibraltar for garrison duty until February 1915 when he was sent to northern Europe. He was killed on 25 April whilst leading a storming party which retook a trench near Ypres. In the chaos of war immediate burial was impossible, and following the war Gordon’s name was added to the Menin Gate Memorial to the missing in Ypres. 

In 1920 the body of a Captain of the Middlesex Regiment was recovered on the southern side of the Ypres-Roulers railway line – his rank and regiment were determined from elements of his uniform, but his personal identity was impossible to tell and so he was buried as an unknown Captain at Tyne Cot Cemetery. 

Detailed research has now allowed the unknown Captain to be identified as Gordon Cuthbert. 

Military personnel salute, and Standards are dipped, as Last Post sounds at the service for Captain Cuthbert (Crown Copyright)

Lieutenant Leslie Harvey 

3 January 1884 – 25 April 1915 

Leslie Harvey joined the Inns of Court Officer Training Corps, and on the outbreak of war volunteered immediately, being given a commission in the Middlesex regiment on 28 August 1914. Leslie was sent to Gibraltar with the regiment in October 1914 and was promoted to Lieutenant in February 1915. Following a short period of leave in England he was sent to France, in late February – early March 1915. 

By April 1915 Leslie had reached Belgium and was engaged in fighting in the Zonnebeke area. On 25 April 1915 he was killed whilst leading a bayonet charge. Although he was buried by his men at the time – near a railway crossing – the records of his grave were lost and following the war he was named on the Menin Gate Memorial to the missing at Ypres. 

In early 1929, the body of an unknown Lieutenant of the Middlesex Regiment was recovered from a location just south of the Ypres-Roulers railway – identified by a shoulder title, and his badges and buttons. It was impossible to determine his personal identity, and he was buried as an unknown Lieutenant at Sanctuary Wood Cemetery, alongside two other men recovered at the same place and time. 

Archival research has now connected this unknown Lieutenant to Leslie Harvey and allowed us to identify his final resting place.  

Padre Victoria Day leads the service for Lt Harvey (Crown Copyright)

The services today were supported by serving soldiers from the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment and led by Padre Victoria Day of 26 Royal Engineer Regiment. 

The headstones were replaced by CWGC.

Polly Brewster, Commemorations Case Officer at CWGC, said: “On the 25th April 1915, Captain Gordon Cuthbert and Lieutenant Leslie Harvey were engaged in fierce fighting near Ypres and made the ultimate sacrifice.

“It feels very poignant that 110 years later, almost to the day, we are now able to commemorate them by name at their final resting places. The Commission will continue to care for their graves in perpetuity, ensuring that they can rest in peace and dignity, their sacrifice remembered.”

Graves of two Glasgow soldiers rediscovered in Belgium

The graves of two World War One soldiers, Private (Pte) Peter Keill, aged 20, of 7th Battalion The Seaforth Highlanders and Second Lieutenant (2nd Lt) James Ferris, aged 29, of 16th Battalion The Highland Light Infantry, have finally been marked more than a century after their deaths.

The rededication services, organised by the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’, were held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Dadizeele New British Cemetery on Wednesday (25 October 2023) and Tyne Cot Cemetery yesterday (26 October 2023).

JCCC Caseworker, Rosie Barron said: “It has been a privilege to work with The Royal Regiment of Scotland to organise the rededication service for Pte Keill and to have his niece present. 

“Pte Keill was a young man who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He is still fondly remembered by his family and this service marked the end of their quest to establish what happened to him.”

Pte Peter Keill

By October 1918 the static fighting associated with the Western Front, which had kept the British Army in Belgium within the Ypres Salient since 1914, had lifted, and Allied forces were advancing.

On 1 October 1918, 7th Battalion The Seaforth Highlanders were in assembly positions in front of the village of Slypskapelle. After a brief barrage, they attacked at 6.15am and reached their first objective, the Menin to Roulers railway line north of Ledeghem.

After further fighting they consolidated in positions along the railway line. The battalion had suffered considerable casualties with 23 killed in action or died of wounds, four missing and 73 wounded. Pte Peter Keill was among these casualties. The location of Pte Keill’s grave was lost and, as he was missing, he was commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

Pte Keill’s niece, Mary Lloyd-Jones was in attendance at the service and said: “My mother always talked about her brother Peter, even though she was born two months after his death he was always part of her life and he has been part of mine too.

“We’re so pleased to see his final resting place recognised, and it’s been an honour for me to be here to see that happen today with my daughter Sian and my sister-in-law Margaret representing Peter’s wider family. We’re so grateful to Rosie from JCCC and Catherine from CWGC for making this happen.”

2nd Lt James Ferris

2nd Lt Ferris died in December 1917 while driving the enemy from the Passchendaele Ridge. He had no known grave so, following the war, his name was placed on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

In 1920 the remains of an unknown British Officer, a 2nd Lt of The Highland Light Infantry were buried nearby in the Tyne Cot Cemetery. The regiment and rank were identified from the insignia found on the casualty’s uniform, but there were no other artefacts to indicate his name.

Research has now revealed that Ferris was that unknown British Officer, and a new headstone has been installed above his grave at a ceremony attended by his descendants.

James Ferris’ great-nephew, Ewan, who attended the service said: “Although I never knew Uncle James I know that he was an upstanding man: he had a good job and was a Captain in the Boys Brigade – presumably this led him to join a regiment with direct ties to the Boys Brigade in his home town of Glasgow.

“I am pleased that we are now able to mark his final resting place and honour his memory.”

JCCC Caseworker, Alexia Clark said: “I am grateful to the researcher who submitted this case. Their work has led us to recognise the final resting place of James Ferris and restore his name to him. It has been a privilege for me to have contributed to this case and to have organised the service for the rededication of his grave today.

“The services were conducted by the Reverend (Captain) David Jeal, Chaplain to 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland and were attended by serving soldiers of the battalion.”

The Reverend Jeal said: “It was a great honour and immensely important for us to remember and rededicate the graves of 2nd Lt Ferris and Pte Keill, and to give them a place to rest where their names are written and recorded, so that they may be honoured by this generation and all who follow. We owe so much to their selfless sacrifice for our freedom.

“The headstones over both graves were replaced by CWGC who will care for them in perpetuity.”

Geert Bekaert, Commonwealth War Graves Commission Area Director said: “It is a privilege to now care for the graves of Private Peter Keill and Second Lieutenant James Ferris.

“The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is dedicated to ensuring that these servicemen, who made the ultimate sacrifice, are remembered with the dignity and respect they deserve. Their sacrifice will continue to be honoured by future generations as their names are eternally recorded on their headstones.”

Engraved spoon helps identify Royal Scots Fusilier killed at Loos

Two Great War soldiers finally laid to rest

Two British soldiers killed on 26 September 1915 (during the Battle of Loos) were laid to rest with full military honours yesterday, a century after their deaths.

The service was organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (MOD JCCC), also known as the “MOD War Detectives”, and was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Loos British Cemetery, Loos-en-Gohelle in northern France.

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Members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland carry Pte Johnston to his final resting place. Crown copyright.

One set of remains was recovered in January 2018 during a WW1 ordnance search near Lens. Also found was a pocket watch and a spoon with the number 13228 stamped on the back.

MOD JCCC and the CWGC confirmed it to be the regimental number of Private (Pte) William Johnston (aged 39) of 7th battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers, having cross referenced it with war records that also confirmed he was the only casualty with this number who did not have a known burial place.

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Soldiers of the Yorkshire Regiment carry an unknown East Yorkshire Regiment soldier to his final resting place. Crown copyright.

The MOD JCCC traced a great-great-niece who provided a DNA sample to compare with DNA taken from the remains. The results were conclusive. Pte Johnston’s service records no longer exist, so not much personal information is known about him.

Sharon Williamson, of Portadown, County Armagh, is Pte Johnston’s great-great-niece and DNA donor, she said: “I was sent an email by a relative in America who had been contacted by the MOD War Detectives to say that they had found remains from the Great War.

“They asked for my DNA, that was the start of our journey. Later, once it was confirmed that William was our relative, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to be here and pay our respects to a family member that, though we didn’t know, we did not want him to be alone on his final journey.”

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Phil Aldridge, great great nephew of Pte Johnston lays a wreath. Crown copyright.

The remains of another British soldier were found separately in the same area. Although it was not possible to identify him by name, MOD JCCC did confirm he served with the East Yorkshire Regiment due to two East Yorkshire shoulder titles being found with the remains.

Louise Dorr, MOD JCCC Caseworker said: “I’m both pleased and saddened that although I have been able to identify one of these soldiers by name, there are just too many casualties missing from the 8th East Yorkshire Regiment for us to be able to name their casualty.

“I’m delighted to see them both laid to rest in front of their military family and, in Pte Johnston’s case, his biological family. May they both rest in peace.”

The service was conducted by the Reverend Dave Jeal, Chaplain to 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland. Two bearer parties were provided by the Yorkshire Regiment and the Royal Regiment of Scotland respectively.

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Rev Dave Jeal leads the service. Crown copyright.

Rev Dave Jeal, who’s own grandfather Frederick Nichols served with the East Yorkshire Regiment during the Second World War, said: “To be involved today is a real privilege for me.

“When these two men died they did so in the service of our country: they gave everything. That’s so important to remember and to honour, because by bearing their remains to their final rest, our young soldiers of today can see they walk in the footsteps of those giants who went before them.”

The graves will now be marked by headstones provided by the CWGC, who will care for their final resting place in perpetuity.

CWGC Horticulture Manager, Steve Arnold said: “As the Recovery Officer I was honoured to be able to retrieve these two British soldiers from where they had fallen over 100 years ago, together with the personal items that have enabled Private Johnston to be named.

“It is deeply moving to see them laid to rest today alongside their comrades; each time we engrave a new headstone we renew our commitment to caring for all the graves in our care in perpetuity.”

Burial of thirteen WW1 soldiers brings closure to archaeological project

A burial service yesterday brought closure to a crowdfunded archaeological project that discovered 110 previously missing soldiers.

A burial service on Thursday 10 October brought closure to a crowdfunded archaeological project that discovered 110 previously missing soldiers. Thirteen of those found, all from Commonwealth nations including the UK, were buried side by side at a ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Wytschaete Military Cemetery, near Ypres, Belgium. Continue reading Burial of thirteen WW1 soldiers brings closure to archaeological project

WWI CENTENARY – LIGHT UP RED FOR POPPYSCOTLAND AND SAY ‘THANK YOU’

Poppyscotland is looking to ‘Light Up Red’ the whole of Scotland this year in recognition of the First World War generation who served, sacrificed and changed our world forever. The charity is calling on mass involvement from schools, churches, council buildings, monuments, statues and landmarks to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War. Continue reading WWI CENTENARY – LIGHT UP RED FOR POPPYSCOTLAND AND SAY ‘THANK YOU’

Armistice Day centenary: ring any bells?

Faith Minister Lord Bourne is calling on people across the nation to get involved in ‘Ringing Remembers’ as the country marks 100 years since the end of the First World War.

The UK government funded ‘Ringing Remembers’ project aims to recruit 1,400 new bell ringers to take part in Armistice Day 2018 commemorations as the First World War Centenary programme reaches a seminal moment. Continue reading Armistice Day centenary: ring any bells?

Remembrance Service at Granton Parish Church

granton great warEvery year Granton Parish Church holds an Act of Remembrance for the community to remember people from the area who fell in the First and Second World Wars, who have served with our Armed Forces or been involved in conflicts around the world – past and present.

This year – during the First World War centenary year – the Act of Remembrance will take place around the Granton War memorial in the grounds of Granton Parish Church in Boswall Parkway on Sunday 9 November 9 from 10:50-11:10, followed by a Remembrance Service inside the church for those who wish to attend.

All are warmly invited to attend this event.

Chas Macintosh, Granton Parish Church

Granton Parish Church