Does anyone know where the above cemetery is/was located? There's a lot of chaps buried in the main Dunkirk cemetery after the war that were initially buried there. I suspect there was a large Field Hospital there. I have a Grid Ref given by CWGC on there website but I'm useless at that translate things. The details are GSGS 4336 1/100,000 2150 Sheet 1 Grid 273843 Cheers for any pointers and don't blame me.....It's all JB's fault and his dam Tweets from Dunkirk
I put those coords into the translator using Nord de Guerre Zone vH273843 & got this. 51° 02' 22'' N 2° 25' 00'' E https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/51°02'22.0"N+2°25'00.0"E/@51.0433784,2.4120268,1860m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d51.0394444!4d2.4166667 Have you not got a copy of that map ? Surprised if you haven't.
Absolutely brilliant - You have just uncovered a piece of unknown (as far as I'm aware) history for me regarding Dunkirk. I tweeted a hunch last night but couldn't prove it either way. You have just done that for me.....Proper happy Thanks mate.
Next to that location was a CCS where Jimmy Langley of MI9 fame was captured. It identifies the location of where they were burying the dead before they were moved to Dunkirk after the war and also where they were being treated before they died.
If the co-ordinates are correct then the location is a fair way from the house to be transporting bodies for burial during the fighting. I'd be inclined to suspect that they were originally buried in the grounds and then perhaps consolidated during wartime before being finally moved to Dunkirk Town where the Memorial was not completed until 1957. The reference to 'New Military Cemetery' suggests that it was there for a while with an official title before they decided to consolidate at Dunkirk Town Cemetery. I see that the causes of death from Rosendael include both KIA and D/W which might suggest that the cemetery was used for burials from the whole surrounding area. CWGC records ought to show if there ever was an official cemetery there....
Like you I think it would be in the grounds. I remember doing some grid ref translations for my Wormhoudt thread and some of them were slightly out. I'd love to see some photo's of it. I find it hard to believe there isn't any, I suspect the Germans arriving would have been snapping away.
Looking through the CWGC concentration records would I be right in assuming those casualties without a `concentration` record were buried directly into Dunkirk Town Cemetery ,as it was already an established WW1 cemetery? Some of the other original burial grounds I noted were ;- Lefferinckouck French Military Cemetery (a lot of unknowns including;- 3 Unknown British Soldiers,1 Unknown British Merchant Seaman,1 Unknown RAMC and 1 Unknown RE Sergeant) Locon Communal Cemetery Steenvoorde Communal Cemetery Bambecque Communal Cemetery Zuydcoote New Military Cemetery Parc des Allees, Arras, Pas de Calais Kyle
I think that should be the case, Kyle unless consolidation cards are missing. 'Rosendael New Military Cemetery' almost suggests that there had been an 'old' one as well (maybe WW1 ?) It would be a lot of work to see if there are any consolidations of WW1 graves from Rosendael also. It makes sense as peace returned that both the French authorities and CWGC would not want to have more than one cemetery in an area...There seems to have been much less concern in 1945 to keep the fallen close to where they fell.
Thanks Rich, Locon Communal Cemetery, Bambecque Communal Cemetery and Parc des Allees, Arras, Pas de Calais are not cemeteries I am aware of . I can find Parc des Allees, Arras, Pas de Calais but its what it says a `park` (temp burial ground?) Steenvoorde Communal Cemetery and Zuydcoote New Military Cemetery I can find they are established burial grounds likewise Lefferinckouck French Military Cemetery (exclusively French) . I have looked to see what else the CWGC hold and found their catalogue online there`s a few files of photographs too. http://media.cwgc.org/media/14251/ac_part_2.pdf Thanks Kyle
Locon still seems to have public cemetery. Cimetière communal de Locon - Cimetière Communal de Locon - Locon (62400) - Localisation I can't find one at Bambecque but it is a tiny place and with the continental practice of limited grave concessions, it is quite possible that it was cleared for a car park or something and for that reason graves were relocated. Arras is a puzzle as there are CWGC cemeteries there. As you say, the Parc des Allees just seems to be a public park, but maybe it had been a temporary graveyard. I think we've seen photos of field graves close to the station at Arras. How accessible are CWGC general records to researchers ?
Rich, The CWGC archives are accessible via a personal visit ( only just found this out) 10 days notice to make an appointment http://media.cwgc.org/media/122043/cwgc_archive_visitor_information.pdf Archive Catalogue Thanks for finding Locon Kyle
does this map help? pity didn't have it other day as a lot easier looking at the map ref 273843 on it than translating it. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/belgium_100k/txu-pclmaps-oclc-6624417-dunkerque-1.jpg
Thanks Owen - I'm familiar with the area and have visited a building several times that was a CCS at the time of Dunkirk surrendering. The grid location confirmed a hunch I had. Ps I don't have a set of maps-Wish I did.
Has anyone experience of using the CWGC Archives? If so did you find much of interest in the WWII files?
