I'm visiting the Maastricht area at the weekend and thought I'd visit the CWGC graves at the General Cemetery there. I did a bit of research and there are a few BEF graves from 1940. However, there is one army grave from 1941 (5 June) - Cpl. Robert Frame 6 Bn Gordon Highlanders Casualty Details Any ideas why there would be a British Army burial in The Netherlands in 1941? POW perhaps? Thanks in advance for any help, Shaun
Died as a PoW. Pte Hunter, Captain Annands batman of Wheelbarrow VC fame also rests here ,he to died as a PoW HUNTER, JOSEPH LAKEMAN Rank: Private Service No: 4449180 Date of Death: 17/06/1940 Age: 25 Regiment/Service: Durham Light Infantry 2nd Bn. Grave Reference: Row 3. Grave 134. Cemetery: MAASTRICHT GENERAL CEMETERY Additional Information: Son of Joseph Lakeman Hunter and Amelia Hunter, of Sunderland, Co. Durham Kyle
Many thanks for the information Kyle. Just been reading about the "Wheelbarrow VC" , which I have to admit I had never heard of before. But then again my knowledge of 1940 is limited and does need improving! One account says Hunter was sent to a hospital in The Netherlands along with other prisoners. I presume the other 4 in the cemetery who died in June 1940 were also POWs who died of wounds? I also presume there were no British troops who would have been KIA in this part of The Netherlands in 1940?
If appears so, I read that Lieut Thomas Philip Riou Onslow KSLI died of wounds Person Page and there`s this thread on here about another? Remebering Today - Corporal Thomas Edgar Flowitt Regards Kyle
There are some Belgian burials right next to the CWGC plot. Most are from 1940, but one is from 1944. After a quick look online, Josef van Calck was a member of the Piron Brigade who was killed near Thorn in the Netherlands. This was when the brigade was attached to Br. VIII Corps. His body was identified in 2015. I've been to Thorn and there is a memorial to the Piron Brigade there. I checked a photo of the plaque I took and interestingly the date of death is given as 28/9/44, whereas the grave states 27/9/44.
I've never seen any suggestion that 1940 prisoners were kept for long in occupied western countries. I'd suspect some other explanation for how he came to die there. Could he either have escaped early / avoided capture and then died of long standing wounds or perhaps been picked up in Belgium or France after evading and died of wounds / mistreatment when being transported . The territorial 6th Gordons had been transferred to 1st Infantry Division so had been fighting in Belgium. There is no concentration report on-line so presumably all the casualties were placed there prior to 1945. The International Red Cross may have a report.
