Deadly work under the cover of darkness

On the night of the 29^th July 1915, 100 years ago today, The 2^nd Battalion, The Queens, Royal West Surrey Regiment set to work improving the front communication trenches in their sector around Rue – des – Berceaux.

The War Diary for the 29^th / 30^th July reads as follows.

29^th July 1915

Officers 32. Other ranks 961

From Hospital 2 To hospital 4

2/lt. W. Battiscombe to the 1^st Bn. 

A working party consisting of 8 officers and 287 N.C.O’s and men improved front communication trenches during the night.

30^th July 1915

Officers 31. Other ranks 959

From Hospital 2

Killed 3

Wounded 5

To hospital 5

The three soliders killed were Cpl. Frank William Cousens , Pte. B. Mannerings and Corporal John Joseph Graffham, my Great Grand Uncle in law.

All three soldiers are buried in the Rue-Des-Berceaux Military Cemetery, Richbourg-L’Avoue, North of Bethune in the Pas De Calais.

Rue Des Berceaux Military Cemetery

Corporal John Joseph Graffham (9443) was 26 years old and left behind his wife Daisy and one year old son Albert who were living at 9, Felwick Place, Red Hill, Surrey. He is buried in grave Reference I.B.17.

He is buried next to his comrade Corporal Frank William Cousens (9195) aged 24 who was the son of John and Rose Cousens, of 28, St. Peter’s Grove, Canterbury, Kent. Grave reference I.B. 18

Private B Mannerings (3716) was buried in Grave reference I.C. 14

Corporal John Graffham had fought in some of the heaviest fighting of the War so far and his battalion had suffered a significant amount of casualties since it had landed in Zeebrugge in October. Including the First Battle of Ypres and the Christmas truce of 1914

I have been writing this blog for a year now and this is the first one which records the death of an family ancestor, even now 100 years on, the sense of loss can still be felt, 

One wonders the catastrophic effect of John’s death on his wife, Daisy and son, Albert, back home in Red Hill, as well as his parents, Peter and Sarah and his brothers and sisters including his older sister May Rosetta Cobbold (nee Graffham) who was pregnant with her seventh child.

Lest We Forget