What happened to French servicemen buried in the UK after the war. Were they exhumed and taken for reburial in France or left in the UK. I have a french serviceman who was buried next to an English serviceman on the same day. The english serviceman is in the same plot, with other CWGC plots, that he was buried in, in 1940. He has a CWGC headstone, but there is nothing for the Frenchman.
Newcastle Journal - Wednesday 05 June 1940 ALLIED COMRADES BURIED AT HEXHAM. A British Tommy and French Marine, who in a convoy of wounded brought to Hexham on Friday died shortly after admission to hospital, were buried side by side in Hexham cemetery yesterday. Only his mother and uncle attended the funeral of the British soldier, Private Rex Martin (21) of the Middlesex Regiment, which was conducted by the Rector of Hexham, Rev. J.V.C. Farquhar. Many members of St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Hexham, were among the mourners at the funeral of the French Marine, Paul Muel, conducted by Father Cunningham. The coffins were draped with the Union Jack and the French Tricolour, and wreaths were sent from the French Consul in Newcastle. The funeral of the French marine was attended by the French Consul in Newcastle, Lieut. Commander le Dissez and Petty Officer le Gogg. Casualty I checked the burial registers and Paul Muel was buried in plot 87.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 Name: Paul Muel Death Age: 34 Birth Date: abt 1906 Registration Date: Apr 1940 [May 1940] [Jun 1940] Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun Registration district: Northumberland West Inferred County: Northumberland Volume: 10b Page: 587 Have you thought to contact the French Embassy?? TD Contact Us
CWGC Archives Unique ID CWGC/1/2/A/160 Alt Ref No A/40/2 PT.6 Title French Graves In UK Description Main topics: permanent marking and maintenance of French1939-1945 War graves in the United Kingdom; Free French casualties exhumed and reburied in France or in Brookwood Military Cemetery. Extent 1 file Date 18/8/1947 - 29/12/1952 MgtGroup Archive Category A :Archive File http://archive.cwgc.org/GetMultimed...ame=0c\edf091-a444-4436-bcfe-7979b7e896ce.pdf It was proposed to have French Military Cemeterys at Brookwood and Harrogate ? (Brookwood I think does? Kyle
Harrogate (Wetherby Road) was used predominately for B.C No 6 Group (Canadian) which were based in North Yorkshire although I note that it was also used for Canadian OTU/HCU casualties external to the Yorkshire area. From 1944 there were two Free French Bomber Squadrons based at Elvington just a few miles south east of York.....may be evidence of their individual operational casualties which occurred in Britain in Bill Chorley's B.C casualties publications.
