The Belgian frontier village of Watou is about 10 miles to the East of Cassel and straddles one the main evacuation routes towards Dunkirk. In the Great War, Watou was behind the lines of the British-held Ypres Salient for the duration of the conflict and many British soldiers were billeted here. During May 1940, Watou was in British control, until the night of the 29th May. It appears that the 145 Brigade's (Somerforce) Breakout from Cassel on the early morning of 30th May 1940 was heading towards Watou in the mistaken belief that it was in still in British hands. Watou was subjected to two German air-raids on 27th and 28th May 1940, which inflicted civilian and military casualties, some of whom were buried in nearby front gardens. During the Cassel breakout on 30th May there were additional British casualties that also needed burial and so a burial ground was purchased by the Mayor of Watou on land just outside the town on the Houtkerkestraat Road. It was used to re-bury the air-raid victims, as well as providing graves for BEF casualties near to where they had been killed. Many British casualties were buried here, the majority being soldiers participating in the Breakout from Cassel on 29th-30th May 1940 including the victims of the column lead by Major Ronald Cartland MP of the 53rd Worcester Yeomanry. The Burial Ground at Watou, an unmarked clump of overgrown trees The site has never been developed, although all the victims have since been re-interred to other graveyards. It has now become a copse of overgrown trees, obvious on the approach into Watou from the North, that has been left undisturbed by the people of Watou to this day. Most of the BEF casualties were re-interred by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on 22nd February 1948 to the CWG Cemetery at Hotton. I have listed the men buried here by Regiment below. Graves Concentration Report Form showing some of the burials recorded at Watou East Riding Yeomanry, now buried at CWG Hotton Major Geoffrey RADCLIFFE Captain Thomas SISSONS Captain Donald HALL 2nd Lt. Leonard BRABROOK 124411 2nd Lt. John COCKIN 2nd Lt. Lt Richard HUDSON Corporal Robert SMITH Lance Corporal Basil BALL Trooper William OSTLER 7887355 Trooper Arthur TODD, 7893113 Ox & Bucks Light Infantry, now buried at CWG Hotton Private Oscar ADAMS Private Harold SHILCOCK 5387125 Private Denis COMLEY Gloucester Regiment, now buried at CWG Hotton Private Hugh POWELL 4th Battalion Cheshire Regiment, now buried at CWG Hotton 2nd Lt Francis GOLLAND 90570 Warrant Officer Robert SHEILS Royal Engineers, now buried at CWG Hotton Driver Walter GILCHRIST Middlesex Regiment, now buried at CWG Hotton Private Richard COVERDALE 19th Field Regiment RA, now buried at CWG Hotton Warrant Officer Cecil PLAYFORD RAOC, now buried at CWG Hotton Warrant Officer Leonard WATTS 2026837 6th Battalion Yorks and Lancs Regiment, now buried at CWG Hotton Lance Corporal George NICHOLSON 4750206 Military Police, now buried at CWG Hotton Lance Corporal Reginald CASPELL 8th Battalion Worcester Regiment, now buried at CWG Hotton Private Christopher WILLIS Royal Corps of Signals, now buried at CWG Hotton Signalman (motorcyclist) Victor MUNRO 98th Field Regiment, RA- now buried in Dunkirk Town Cemetery Gunner Reginald WATTS- 935663 53rd Worcester Yeomanry anti-tank Regiment, RA Major Ronald Cartland MP, Lieutenant Robert Hutton-Squire, now buried at CWG Proven 140 (5th London) Regiment, Royal Artillery killed on 30th May 1940 in an ambush alongside Major Ronald Cartland MP Described in the website In Memoriam – 140th Field Regiment Royal Artillery – 140th (5th London) Army Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 2nd Lieutenant Graham COOK, age 26 Gunner Horace NICHOLLS, age 20 Gunner Sydney VANGROSY, age 25 Lance Bombardier James HARDY, age 26 Gunner Alfred THORPE, age 21 Gunner John DUFFIELD, age 21 Gunner Edwin STRAHAN, age 24 Gunner William DAVIS, age 26 Grave Concentration Report Form showing Ronald Cartland MP and the names of eight 140th Regiment and other Soldiers who were reburied at Hotton Cemetery in Belgium, courtesy Commonwealth War Graves Commission. . Graves of Major Cartland MP, one unknown soldier, and five members of 140th Field Regiment at Hotton. Gunner Vangrosky’s grave carries the Star of David. Watou Air Raid images, 29th May 1940 Air raid damage photographed in Watou, 29th May 1940. The convoy was heading North through Watou towards Dunkirk and had been strafed by German bombers. B&W images courtesy of Jan Daschot. Flemish Grave documentation kept in the mayor of Watou’s office describing Major Cartland’s burial details and belongings. Similar documents exist for all the other casualties buried here. Abandoned British and French Army vehicles on roads towards Dunkirk, between Poperinghe and Proven, May 1940. Photograph courtesy Jan Daschot
Hi John West Really interesting report. I have been looking into the 4 OBLI casualties from the night of 29/30 May 1940 following the breakout from Cassel. My main interest has been the burials at Winnezeele. Do you know if there are any 'Unknown Soldier' graves at Hotton?
Yes there's at least one in the row of Artillerymen in Row 1 0 B (See image- Cartland's grave is nearest in 2nd row- an unknown is next to his grave)
While looking for something else I've been able thanks to the Great War memorial to place this 1940 prisoner photo as Watou....Now I have to recall where I scanned it from.
I thought that you might appear, John. The photo appears on page 328 of Pallud's 'Blitzkrieg à l'Ouest. He relates it to 145 Brigade and infers Cassel which threw me for a long time as it clearly wasn't. I hadn't thought to look north of the border. Photo seems to be credited to H. Ritgen. Would that be Helmut Ritgen of 6th Panzer Division ?
6th Panzer were ordered to prevent the escape from Cassel on 29th May and 'were sent to the Watou-Poperinghe Road' (Hans-Adolf Jacobsen, Dunkirk-German Operations in France 1940) so certainly his unit would have been in exactly this area on 30-31st May 1940. The accounts suggest Watou town square was completed packed with POWs and so I wonder if this is an early photo, or perhaps some later stragglers taken on 31st May? Congratulations on your recent trip to Belgium in any event!
Those are not Panzer uniforms, are they ? This photo appears on the net somewhere captioned as Ritgen near Cassel. Clearly just captured, respirators at the alert and bandoliers still in place. I'm already in Belgium by the way or it wouldn't really have been possible as the rules stand...it was simply a trip from one side to the other and a motorcycle is fairly socially distanced. I've visited Watou in the past, but with the St. Bernardus brewery there, I really need a chauffeur.