General enquiry about a WW2 casualty on the Western Front (18 April 1945) Can anyone help with a query as to how a WW2 casualty from my home area of West Cumberland died please? Would anyone have access to a 'War Diary' which may give further details, please? This chap is buried at the CWGC cemetery at Niedersachsen, Germany (near Luneburg Heath). The soldier in question was Staff Sgt. William Fisher Birkett, REME from Cleator Moor, Cumberland. According to the contemporary local newspaper report Sgt. Birkett "... died of injuries sustained in a battle accident in a forward area on the Western Front on April 18." Possibly this is falsely reading between the lines on my part, but could the wording indicate a case of so-called "friendly fire"? Whatever the circumstances, Sgt. Birkett's death was a terrible tragedy. His late father, Dickinson Fisher Birkett, was a WW1 casualty while serving with the 11th (Lonsdale) Battalion, The Border Regiment (died 12 January 1917, Somme area). Thanks in advance to anyone who can assist.
Hi, From Canadian files I've seen online "battle accident" usually gave rise to a court of enquiry. I don't think "friendly fire" was in usage in that period. I've seen court of enquiry results for cases where 1. Shot by front line sentry on return from a patrol. 2. Blown up on a tank carrying "defused" German land mines to a safe place. Steve
Is the six-figure map reference given for the original grave location from a British WW2 military map, please?