Geoff, If you check out this thread you can see several headstones being recut. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/ww2-museums-events-places-see/25667-cwgc-berlin-field-day.html It makes you appreciate just how much work is needed to maintain the cemeteries around the world. Regards Tom
Good news in an email today. I sent a THANK YOU in reply. Dear Sir, Thank you for your e-mail regarding the Gunner Eede's headstone at Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille. I have passed your e-mail to our Works Department and please find hereunder theirs comments : "Please be informed that all the WW2 headstones in Terlincthun have been taken for replacement LG EEDE is among this order and will be replaced as soon as the order has been manufactured." I hope I have answered your question fully. Regards Enquiries Section Commonwealth War graves Commission
My Mrs just made a good point. Why don't the gardeners keep an eye on the headstones & report wear & tear? Maybe they do & it was scheduled for replacement anyway.
Whilst at Harrogate Stonefall GWGC part of the cemetery I came accross the use of the new stone as mentioned in Tom's post. For those who have not yet seen the new stone there is a then and now in the attached photos
My Mrs just made a good point. Why don't the gardeners keep an eye on the headstones & report wear & tear? Maybe they do & it was scheduled for replacement anyway. Owen, It is part of the duties of the Gardeners to report worn headstones and there is a programme that they use based on their experience. There is more of a problem with "heave" or ground movement, where a row of headstones start to move out of the vertical plane, due to the earth moving position. The regular inspections pick this up and specialist teams rectify the problem. Regards Tom
Owen Spotted something else about this casualty. In the unit text line, it states 13 space 3 H.A.A. Regt. If this is a typo and should be 133 HAA Regt, then they were in the UK in 1944, according to the war diary reference at the National Archives. He is buried in France. If it is 3 H.A.A. Regt, then they were captured at Singapore in 1942. I'll send them another e-mail to check it out. Cheers - Rob Saw this last week. Needs renewing quickly. I've emailed the CWGC CWGC :: Casualty Details Name:EEDE, LIONEL GEORGE Initials:L G Nationality:United Kingdom Rank:Gunner Regiment/Service:Royal Artillery Unit Text:13 3 H.A.A. Regt. Age:40 Date of Death:24/09/1944 Service No:14292665 Additional information:Son of Charles and Alice Eede; husband of Grace Eleanor Eede, of Bournemouth, Hampshire. Casualty Type:Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference:Plot 19. Row A. Grave 10. Cemetery:TERLINCTHUN BRITISH CEMETERY, WIMILLE
Advising CWGC of badly worn headstones, as Owen did for Gunner Eede is the way to go to ensure replacement. Sending a photograph of the headstone with its location seems to help things along the way. When so doing experience over the years has shown a dramatic speed up in their replacement. There are North Irish Horse WW II ones in the "pipeline". The endeavour is to place in the regiment's archives before and after photographs, such as this one done many years ago: Lt. Colonel West Cheers, Gerry
