Hi all Could anyone tell me please on the attached concentration report is there a way to find out the location of the original grave which I believe is denoted by the letters on the bit I have highlighted. My reason for asking is the two men are both from my town. It was only when I was copying some information today for someone on another lad from here who died six days earlier that I suddenly realized they are buried next to each other ( the entry for John on the CR should say 14 instead of 17 ). Thanks
Hi Jemm It might help to know which 2 men you are searching for, there are a number of graves that were concentrated on that form TD
Walsh and McCulloch are highlighted? Jemm the reference isnt a grave reference its another report number page NZ/GR/HO/184 :- New Zealand /Graves Registration [unit] / Reference HO/ Sheet/page 184 Kyle
Hi Kyle, thanks I did wonder if the NZ was referencing New Zealand. I did highlight the wrong grave ( it had been a long day lol ) it should have been Howarth ( real name Howorth). I was just wondering if the fact they were both from here and buried next to each other was it pure coincidence or would it have been done on purpose, which I would be surprised at given the casualties being exhumed and reburied at the time.
Hello Jemm, If I were you I would contact the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and ask them Vitellino
Hello Jemm, This extract re Operation Supercharge (second battle of El Alemein) and The Sherwood Foresters will hopefully be of interest to you (please note that there's a map within the page linked to below which will help with tracing the 'Foresters location and where they were likely originally buried) And, as per Vitellino's advice above, CWGC will hopefully narrow down location of said original burial, though the answer may be in New Zealand archives. "In the lead the 3 Hussars group, of some 300 vehicles, made good time along Sun track, turning off to the west at the Diamond track junction to cross the railway near Tell el Eisa station. About midnight the column halted to refuel and then set off again for the infantry start line. Here it caught up with the tail of the 8 Royal Tanks column whose head, as earlier related, had encountered a minefield. By the time the Valentines moved on, the mines blocking Diamond B had been cleared so the Hussars advanced again. Movement was still slow and stoppages frequent and it was not long before harassing fire from the enemy artillery began to fall, causing damage among the soft-skinned vehicles in the tail of the column. The lorried infantry of A Company of 14 Sherwood Foresters and the gunners of A Troop, 31 NZ Anti-Tank Battery suffered numerous casualities and fell behind the tanks, the gunners eventually having to pull off to the side of the track to reorganise as so many of their guns and portées had been damaged by shellfire or collisions. Six of the Hussars tanks were damaged, four by breakdowns and two by mines, but by 3.30 a.m. the leading tanks were passing the infantry's intermediate objective and by 5.15 a.m. had reached the defences being dug by 9 Durhams. The attached squadron of the New Zealand Divisional Cavalry, following the tanks, managed to round up a number of enemy stragglers." CHAPTER 30 — Operation supercharge | NZETC Good luck with all your searching. Kind regards, always, Jim.
Jemm take a look at post #86 CWGC Archives, Exhumation & Re-burial returns: Maps, References & other related enquires I posted a map which was on the back of one of the concentration forms Kyle
To add to Kyle's comments above, you might also like to look at this post containing a similar sketch kindly provided by the CWGC, and which shows a detailed description of the original burial location. In this case the burial was undertaken by my father. Remembering today, 6 August, Tpr 5389669 DONALD FREDERICK LONG, 14 Troop, C Squadron, 56th Recce
Hi Jim, thank you kindly for taking the time to post Neither of the lads are related to me but I found it comforting that they are buried next to each other. Also thank you Vitellino, whenever I contact CWGC I seem to get the same woman who is not best pleased with me at the moment and has in fact been quite defensive. Due to me questioning the state of the grave of a WW2 RAF casualty buried in my local cemetery. So for now I think ill pass on contacting them