Silent cities issuu

Wayne Evans, Staf Schoeters e.a.

silent cities of Flanders Fields The WW I Cemeteries of Ypres Salient and West Flanders

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BARD COTTAGE CEMETERY

B

——Boezinge (Ypres) For much of the First World War, the village of Boezinge directly faced the German line across the Yser canal.

Bard Cottage was a house a little set back from the line, close to a bridge called Bard’s Causeway, and the cemetery was made nearby in a sheltered position under a high bank. Burials were made between June 1915 and October 1918, and they reflect the presence of the 49th (West Riding), the 38th (Welsh) and other infantry divisions in the northern sectors of the Ypres Salient, as well as the advance of artillery to the area in the Autumn of 1917. After the Armistice, 46 graves were brought in to Plot VI, Row C, from the immediate area, including 32 from Marengo Farm Cemetery (this was located a few hundred metres to the south of Bard Cottage and used from June 1915 to August 1916). Also four German soldiers are buried here.

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photos

Picture # of Bard Cottage Cemetery, taken a few years after the Armistice.

The entrance @ of Bard Cottage Cemetery.

Private George Adamson Whyte # Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, died September 4 1917.

George married Jeannie in 1915 and had a son, Thomas Wilson Whyte, born in October 1916. Pictures courtesy of his grandsons, George, Norman and Iain Whyte and family. Location of his grave Plot IV F 17.

Reverend Walter Wilks $ was killed by a shell-splinter when assisting a dying soldier. Location of his grave: Plot V A1.

As read in the Burnley Express of August 8 1917: ‘Mrs Davie, of 8 Whittlefield Street, Burnley, has been officially informed by the War Office that her husband, Private George Norman Davie %, 35998 Lancashire Fusiliers, was killed in action July 18th. This came as a severe blow to her, as she had previously received a letter from her husband saying that he had been slightly wounded on July 13th, and that he was in hospital. She had no reason to anticipate that his condition was critical. He was 32 years of age, and leaves a wife and one child. Private Davie was a quiet, unassuming nature, but one who gained the respect of the many that formed his acquaintance. Location of his grave: Plot III C3.

Lance Corporal William Noble ^ died October 1 1917, aged 19. William was unmarried and lost his parents when he was 7 years old. He lived with his married sister. He died during the build up to the battle of Poelkapelle on a night working party. Picture courtesy of the Noble and Croft families.

Location of his grave: Plot IV I 32.

Private Walter Skirrow &, York and Lancaster Regiment, died October 25 1917, aged 28. Picture courtesy of his granddaughter Michelle Iddon. Location Plot VI A 45.

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18

BARD COTTAGE CEMETERY

B

——Boezinge (Ypres) For much of the First World War, the village of Boezinge directly faced the German line across the Yser canal.

Bard Cottage was a house a little set back from the line, close to a bridge called Bard’s Causeway, and the cemetery was made nearby in a sheltered position under a high bank. Burials were made between June 1915 and October 1918, and they reflect the presence of the 49th (West Riding), the 38th (Welsh) and other infantry divisions in the northern sectors of the Ypres Salient, as well as the advance of artillery to the area in the Autumn of 1917. After the Armistice, 46 graves were brought in to Plot VI, Row C, from the immediate area, including 32 from Marengo Farm Cemetery (this was located a few hundred metres to the south of Bard Cottage and used from June 1915 to August 1916). Also four German soldiers are buried here.

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photos

Picture # of Bard Cottage Cemetery, taken a few years after the Armistice.

The entrance @ of Bard Cottage Cemetery.

Private George Adamson Whyte # Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, died September 4 1917.

George married Jeannie in 1915 and had a son, Thomas Wilson Whyte, born in October 1916. Pictures courtesy of his grandsons, George, Norman and Iain Whyte and family. Location of his grave Plot IV F 17.

Reverend Walter Wilks $ was killed by a shell-splinter when assisting a dying soldier. Location of his grave: Plot V A1.

As read in the Burnley Express of August 8 1917: ‘Mrs Davie, of 8 Whittlefield Street, Burnley, has been officially informed by the War Office that her husband, Private George Norman Davie %, 35998 Lancashire Fusiliers, was killed in action July 18th. This came as a severe blow to her, as she had previously received a letter from her husband saying that he had been slightly wounded on July 13th, and that he was in hospital. She had no reason to anticipate that his condition was critical. He was 32 years of age, and leaves a wife and one child. Private Davie was a quiet, unassuming nature, but one who gained the respect of the many that formed his acquaintance. Location of his grave: Plot III C3.

Lance Corporal William Noble ^ died October 1 1917, aged 19. William was unmarried and lost his parents when he was 7 years old. He lived with his married sister. He died during the build up to the battle of Poelkapelle on a night working party. Picture courtesy of the Noble and Croft families.

Location of his grave: Plot IV I 32.

Private Walter Skirrow &, York and Lancaster Regiment, died October 25 1917, aged 28. Picture courtesy of his granddaughter Michelle Iddon. Location Plot VI A 45.

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Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing The Ploegsteert (often referred to as ‘Plug Street’) Memorial to the Missing stands in the middle of Berks Cemetery Extension. The memorial is 70 ft (21 m) in diameter and 38 ft 6 inch (11.73 m) tall and was unveiled on June 7 1931 by the then-Duke of Brabant, later King Leopold III of Belgium. The Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing lists 11,447 missing Commonwealth soldiers from the following battles in the area: Armentières, Aubers Ridge, Loos, Fromelles, Estaires, Hazebrouck (part of the Battle of the Lys), Scherpenberg (also part of the Battle of the Lys) and Outtersteene Ridge.

The text on the memorial: ‘To the glory of God and to the memory of 11,447 officers and men of the forces of the British Empire, who fell fighting in the years 1914-1918 between the River Douve and the towns of Estaires and Furnes, whose names are here recorded but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.’

The memorial holds the names of three recipients of the Victoria Cross, Sapper William Hackett, Private James MacKenzie and Captain Thomas Tannatt Pryce, who have no known grave.

photos ! The Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing was inaugurated on June 7 1931 by the Duke of Brabant.

@ The Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing was designed by H Chalton Bradshaw (who also designed the Cambrai Memorial in France), apart from the two large lions which were commissioned from the sculptor Gilbert Ledward.

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Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing The Ploegsteert (often referred to as ‘Plug Street’) Memorial to the Missing stands in the middle of Berks Cemetery Extension. The memorial is 70 ft (21 m) in diameter and 38 ft 6 inch (11.73 m) tall and was unveiled on June 7 1931 by the then-Duke of Brabant, later King Leopold III of Belgium. The Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing lists 11,447 missing Commonwealth soldiers from the following battles in the area: Armentières, Aubers Ridge, Loos, Fromelles, Estaires, Hazebrouck (part of the Battle of the Lys), Scherpenberg (also part of the Battle of the Lys) and Outtersteene Ridge.

The text on the memorial: ‘To the glory of God and to the memory of 11,447 officers and men of the forces of the British Empire, who fell fighting in the years 1914-1918 between the River Douve and the towns of Estaires and Furnes, whose names are here recorded but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.’

The memorial holds the names of three recipients of the Victoria Cross, Sapper William Hackett, Private James MacKenzie and Captain Thomas Tannatt Pryce, who have no known grave.

photos ! The Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing was inaugurated on June 7 1931 by the Duke of Brabant.

@ The Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing was designed by H Chalton Bradshaw (who also designed the Cambrai Memorial in France), apart from the two large lions which were commissioned from the sculptor Gilbert Ledward.

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BRANDHOEK MILITARY CEMETERY ——Vlamertinge (Ypres) During the First World War, Brandhoek was within the area comparatively safe from shell fire which extended beyond Vlamertinge Church. Field ambulances were posted here continuously and the Military Cemetery, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, was opened early in May 1915 in a field adjoining the dressing station. It closed in July 1917 when the New Military Cemetery was opened nearby, to be followed by the New Military Cemetery No. 3 in August 1917.

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BRANDHOEK NEW MILITARY CEMETERY NO. 3 ——Vlamertinge (Ypres) During the First World War, Brandhoek was within the area comparatively safe from shell fire which extended beyond Vlamertinge Church. Field ambulances were posted here continuously and Brandhoek Military Cemetery was opened in May 1915, followed by Brandhoek New Military Cemetery in July 1917 and Brandhoek Military Cemetery No. 3 in August 1917. photos

photos

King George V and Sir Fabian Ware !, founder of the Imperial War Graves Commission, while visiting Brandhoek Military Cemetery.

Map @ of the three Commonwealth cemeteries at Brandhoek.

Picture ! of Brandhoek New Military Cemetery, with Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No. 3 in the background. The picture @ of a young man and his grave at Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No. 3. Second Lieutenant Jack F. Eberli (3rd Bn. Attd.

2nd Bn; Royal Irish Rifles) died on August 16 1917. (Location Plot II D 1) Corporal W. Bahgate, RAMC #, 113th Field Ambulance, did not survive his wounds of August 15 1917 and was buried by his brother Robert (112th Field Ambulance). Location Plot II B 1. In the background the tombstone of UK Jewish Private Joseph Woolf, Royal Irish Fusiliers, who died six days later, aged 25. Location of Woolf ’s grave: Plot II A 1.

Lieutenant Anthony Herbert Strutt $, 16th Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment), died April 27 1918, aged 22. He was the son of George Herbert and Edith Strutt. The entrance gate % of Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No. 3 was a gift of the Strutt family. Location: Plot IV A 5.

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BRANDHOEK MILITARY CEMETERY ——Vlamertinge (Ypres) During the First World War, Brandhoek was within the area comparatively safe from shell fire which extended beyond Vlamertinge Church. Field ambulances were posted here continuously and the Military Cemetery, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, was opened early in May 1915 in a field adjoining the dressing station. It closed in July 1917 when the New Military Cemetery was opened nearby, to be followed by the New Military Cemetery No. 3 in August 1917.

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BRANDHOEK NEW MILITARY CEMETERY NO. 3 ——Vlamertinge (Ypres) During the First World War, Brandhoek was within the area comparatively safe from shell fire which extended beyond Vlamertinge Church. Field ambulances were posted here continuously and Brandhoek Military Cemetery was opened in May 1915, followed by Brandhoek New Military Cemetery in July 1917 and Brandhoek Military Cemetery No. 3 in August 1917. photos

photos

King George V and Sir Fabian Ware !, founder of the Imperial War Graves Commission, while visiting Brandhoek Military Cemetery.

Map @ of the three Commonwealth cemeteries at Brandhoek.

Picture ! of Brandhoek New Military Cemetery, with Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No. 3 in the background. The picture @ of a young man and his grave at Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No. 3. Second Lieutenant Jack F. Eberli (3rd Bn. Attd.

2nd Bn; Royal Irish Rifles) died on August 16 1917. (Location Plot II D 1) Corporal W. Bahgate, RAMC #, 113th Field Ambulance, did not survive his wounds of August 15 1917 and was buried by his brother Robert (112th Field Ambulance). Location Plot II B 1. In the background the tombstone of UK Jewish Private Joseph Woolf, Royal Irish Fusiliers, who died six days later, aged 25. Location of Woolf ’s grave: Plot II A 1.

Lieutenant Anthony Herbert Strutt $, 16th Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment), died April 27 1918, aged 22. He was the son of George Herbert and Edith Strutt. The entrance gate % of Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No. 3 was a gift of the Strutt family. Location: Plot IV A 5.

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LIJSSENTHOEK MILITARY CEMETERY ——Poperinge During the First World War, the village of Lijssenthoek was situated on the main communication line between the Allied military bases in the rear and the Ypres battlefields. Close to the Front, but out of the extreme range of most German field artillery, it became a natural place to establish casualty clearing stations. Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield,

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was first used by the French 15th Hôpital d’Evacuation and in June 1915, it began to be used by casualty clearing stations of the Commonwealth forces. From April to August 1918, the casualty clearing stations fell back before the German advance and field ambulances (including a French ambulance) took their places. The cemetery contains 9,877 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, plus 24 unidentified burials. Also buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery: 3 Americans, 689 French, 226 Germans and 35 Chinese (CLC).

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LIJSSENTHOEK MILITARY CEMETERY ——Poperinge During the First World War, the village of Lijssenthoek was situated on the main communication line between the Allied military bases in the rear and the Ypres battlefields. Close to the Front, but out of the extreme range of most German field artillery, it became a natural place to establish casualty clearing stations. Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield,

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was first used by the French 15th Hôpital d’Evacuation and in June 1915, it began to be used by casualty clearing stations of the Commonwealth forces. From April to August 1918, the casualty clearing stations fell back before the German advance and field ambulances (including a French ambulance) took their places. The cemetery contains 9,877 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, plus 24 unidentified burials. Also buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery: 3 Americans, 689 French, 226 Germans and 35 Chinese (CLC).

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VLAMERTINGHE MILITARY CEMETERY

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——Vlamertinge (Ypres) Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery was started by French troops in 1914. The cemetery was then used by field ambulances and fighting units until June 1917, when it was closed (due to the construction of a military railway) and the Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery opened.

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The wrought iron entrance gate was a gift of the Redesdale family. Their son, Major Mitford, 10th (Prince of Wales’s Own Royal) Hussars, D.S.O., was killed on May 13 1915, at the age of 38. Major Mitford is buried in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery, location of his grave Plot I E8.

VICTORIA CROSS Francis Octavius Grenfell

‘I die happy.

Tell the men I love my squadron.’

Francis Octavius Grenfell was born on September 4 1880. His parents were Sophia and Pascoe Du Pré Grenfell. He was one of fifteen children. He had a twin brother, Riversdale Grenfell, who was also, like his brother, in the 9th Lancers and killed in action in September 1914. Admiral John Pascoe Grenfell was their grandfather, and Field Marshal Francis Grenfell, 1st Baron Grenfell, their uncle. An older brother, Lieutenant Robert Septimus Grenfell, 21st Lancers, was killed in a cavalry charge during the Battle of Omdurman in 1898.

Three other brothers, Cecil Grenfell, Howard Maxwell Grenfell and Arthur Morton Grenfell all reached the rank

of Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army. A cousin, Lieutenant Claude George Grenfell, was killed at Spion Kop during the Boer War. Two other cousins, Julian Grenfell (the poet) and his brother Gerard William Grenfell, were killed in the First World War. Heavy casualties Francis Octavius Grenfell was a representative cricket player at Eton college. He joined the army in 1899. After serving with the Seaforth Highlanders in Egypt he was commissioned in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps. In 1901 he went to South Africa and fought in the Boer War. Later he joined the crack cavalry regiment, the 9th Lancers, in India. On the outbreak of the First World War Captain Grenfell and the 9th Lancers were sent to France. So also was his twin brother, Riversdale Grenfell, who had joined the Buck’s Hussars. On August 16, Grenfell and the men un-

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der his command were sent out to carry out reconnaissance in the Harmignies area of Belgium. After returning to base Grenfell took part in the Battle of Mons. During this battle the 9th Lancers were ordered to charge the German gun positions. Hit by a hail of machine-gun fire, shelling and rifle fire, casualties were heavy. When they reassembled on the outskirts of Elouges they discovered that they had suffered over 80 casualties.

French nuns Later that day Grenfell and a small group of his men volunteered to try and rescue the men of the 119th Field Battery who were in danger of being captured by the Germans. The operation was successful but Grenfell was badly wounded and was taken by his friend, the Duke of Westminster, in his Rolls Royce to the nearby town of Bavay where he was treated by French nuns in a convent hospital. Grenfell recovered from his wounds and was awarded the Victoria Cross for the following brave deed.

On August 24 1914 at Audregnies, Belgium, Captain Grenfell rode with the regiment in a charge against a large body of unbroken German infantry. Grenfell was left as the senior officer. When he was recognizing the regiment behind a railway bank, he was twice hit and severely wounded. But once he was asked to save the guns by Major Ernest Wright Alexander of the 119th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, Grenfell and some volunteers helped to push the guns out of range of enemy fire, under a shower of bullets. Extract from the London Gazette, September 16 1914: ‘For gallantry in action against unbroken infantry at Audregnies, Belgium, on August 24 1914, and for gallant conduct in assisting to save the guns of the 119th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, the same day.’

Winston Churchill While Francis Octavius Grenfell was in hospital he heard that his twin brother had been killed on the Western Front. In October 1914, he returned to France as Squadron Commander of the 9th Lancers. He was seriously wounded a few weeks later and was shipped back to

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England for treatment. By the spring of 1915 he had recovered and on April 7 he had a farewell dinner with his close friends, Winston Churchill and John Buchan. Francis Octavius Grenfell was then sent to Ypres and on May 24 endured the first German chlorine gas attack on the Western Front. The following day Grenfell was shot and killed on the Ypres-Menin road. He was one of the 208 casualties out of the 350 men in the 9th Lancers who had taken part in the action that day. The last words of Captain Francis Grenfell: ‘I die happy. Tell the men I love my squadron.’

Gone to a better country An American journalist, Frederic Coleman, was with the 9th Lancers on May 25 1915. He wrote: ‘As the sun went down that evening their comrades of the 9th Lancers buried the bodies of Francis Grenfell and Algy Court.

Court’s face wore a smile, as though he was quietly sleeping. Grenfell, shot through the heart at the height of the battle, bore, too, a look of deep peace, as if at last he had cheerfully gone to a better country to join his beloved Rivy, from the shock of whose death, on the Aisne, Francis had never recovered.’

Location of Grenfell’s grave: Plot II B 14.

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VLAMERTINGHE MILITARY CEMETERY

V

——Vlamertinge (Ypres) Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery was started by French troops in 1914. The cemetery was then used by field ambulances and fighting units until June 1917, when it was closed (due to the construction of a military railway) and the Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery opened.

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The wrought iron entrance gate was a gift of the Redesdale family. Their son, Major Mitford, 10th (Prince of Wales’s Own Royal) Hussars, D.S.O., was killed on May 13 1915, at the age of 38. Major Mitford is buried in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery, location of his grave Plot I E8.

VICTORIA CROSS Francis Octavius Grenfell

‘I die happy.

Tell the men I love my squadron.’

Francis Octavius Grenfell was born on September 4 1880. His parents were Sophia and Pascoe Du Pré Grenfell. He was one of fifteen children. He had a twin brother, Riversdale Grenfell, who was also, like his brother, in the 9th Lancers and killed in action in September 1914. Admiral John Pascoe Grenfell was their grandfather, and Field Marshal Francis Grenfell, 1st Baron Grenfell, their uncle. An older brother, Lieutenant Robert Septimus Grenfell, 21st Lancers, was killed in a cavalry charge during the Battle of Omdurman in 1898.

Three other brothers, Cecil Grenfell, Howard Maxwell Grenfell and Arthur Morton Grenfell all reached the rank

of Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army. A cousin, Lieutenant Claude George Grenfell, was killed at Spion Kop during the Boer War. Two other cousins, Julian Grenfell (the poet) and his brother Gerard William Grenfell, were killed in the First World War. Heavy casualties Francis Octavius Grenfell was a representative cricket player at Eton college. He joined the army in 1899. After serving with the Seaforth Highlanders in Egypt he was commissioned in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps. In 1901 he went to South Africa and fought in the Boer War. Later he joined the crack cavalry regiment, the 9th Lancers, in India. On the outbreak of the First World War Captain Grenfell and the 9th Lancers were sent to France. So also was his twin brother, Riversdale Grenfell, who had joined the Buck’s Hussars. On August 16, Grenfell and the men un-

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der his command were sent out to carry out reconnaissance in the Harmignies area of Belgium. After returning to base Grenfell took part in the Battle of Mons. During this battle the 9th Lancers were ordered to charge the German gun positions. Hit by a hail of machine-gun fire, shelling and rifle fire, casualties were heavy. When they reassembled on the outskirts of Elouges they discovered that they had suffered over 80 casualties.

French nuns Later that day Grenfell and a small group of his men volunteered to try and rescue the men of the 119th Field Battery who were in danger of being captured by the Germans. The operation was successful but Grenfell was badly wounded and was taken by his friend, the Duke of Westminster, in his Rolls Royce to the nearby town of Bavay where he was treated by French nuns in a convent hospital. Grenfell recovered from his wounds and was awarded the Victoria Cross for the following brave deed.

On August 24 1914 at Audregnies, Belgium, Captain Grenfell rode with the regiment in a charge against a large body of unbroken German infantry. Grenfell was left as the senior officer. When he was recognizing the regiment behind a railway bank, he was twice hit and severely wounded. But once he was asked to save the guns by Major Ernest Wright Alexander of the 119th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, Grenfell and some volunteers helped to push the guns out of range of enemy fire, under a shower of bullets. Extract from the London Gazette, September 16 1914: ‘For gallantry in action against unbroken infantry at Audregnies, Belgium, on August 24 1914, and for gallant conduct in assisting to save the guns of the 119th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, the same day.’

Winston Churchill While Francis Octavius Grenfell was in hospital he heard that his twin brother had been killed on the Western Front. In October 1914, he returned to France as Squadron Commander of the 9th Lancers. He was seriously wounded a few weeks later and was shipped back to

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England for treatment. By the spring of 1915 he had recovered and on April 7 he had a farewell dinner with his close friends, Winston Churchill and John Buchan. Francis Octavius Grenfell was then sent to Ypres and on May 24 endured the first German chlorine gas attack on the Western Front. The following day Grenfell was shot and killed on the Ypres-Menin road. He was one of the 208 casualties out of the 350 men in the 9th Lancers who had taken part in the action that day. The last words of Captain Francis Grenfell: ‘I die happy. Tell the men I love my squadron.’

Gone to a better country An American journalist, Frederic Coleman, was with the 9th Lancers on May 25 1915. He wrote: ‘As the sun went down that evening their comrades of the 9th Lancers buried the bodies of Francis Grenfell and Algy Court.

Court’s face wore a smile, as though he was quietly sleeping. Grenfell, shot through the heart at the height of the battle, bore, too, a look of deep peace, as if at last he had cheerfully gone to a better country to join his beloved Rivy, from the shock of whose death, on the Aisne, Francis had never recovered.’

Location of Grenfell’s grave: Plot II B 14.

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VOORMEZELE ENCLOSURE NO. 3

She told Barrie that Peter had been named after the title character in her father’s play ‘Peter Ibbetson’. He became a regular visitor at the Davies household and a common companion to the woman and her boys, despite the fact that he and she were each married. In 1901, he invited the Davies family to Black Lake Cottage, where he produced an album of captioned photographs of the boys acting out a pirate adventure, entitled ‘The Boy Castaways of Black Lake Island’. Barrie had two copies made, one of which he gave to Arthur, who misplaced it on a train. The only surviving copy is held at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.

——Voormezele (Ypres) Voormezele Enclosure No. 3, the largest of these three burial grounds, was started by the Princess’s Light Infantry in February 1915. They buried their men in what is now Plot 3, the other plots from 1-9 are the work of other units or pairs of units, and they also include a few burials from October 1918. Plots 10 and 12 are of more general character, whilst Plots 13-16 were made after the Armistice.

Private Frank Harris Butcher, 7th Bn Northamptonshire Regiment, died on October 15 1915, aged 24. He was killed by a trench mortar at St. Eloi, and had only been in Belgium for a month. (Location of his grave: Plot VIII B2).

The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up Arthur Llewelyn Davies died in 1907, and ‘Uncle Jim’ became even more involved with the Davies family, providing financial support for them, even more so after the death of their mother in 1910. Years before, the character of Peter Pan was invented by Barrie to entertain George and John. Barrie would say, to amuse them, that their little brother could fly. He claimed that babies were birds before they were born; parents put bars on nursey windows to keep the little ones from flying away. This grew into a tale of a baby who did fly away. In the 1904 play ‘Peter Pan’, or ‘The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up’, Peter Pan is roughly 10, the same age that George Llewelyn Davies was when Barrie began writing the play in 1903.

Barrie reported taking important elements of the characterization of Peter and individual ‘Lost Boys’ from things George and his younger brothers said or did. For exam-

George Llewelyn Davies: the proud soldier who as a boy inspired Sir James Barrie’s ‘Peter Pan’ ‘To die will be an awfully big adventure!’

The most famous person buried in Voormezele Enclosure No. 3, although for a very special reason, is Second Lieutenant George Llewelyn Davies, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, who died on March 15 1915, aged 21. The location of his grave at Voormezele Enclosure No. 3: Plot II E2.

As a boy, George Llewelyn Davies was the main inspiration for Sir James Barrie’s ‘Peter Pan’. The Scottish author, novelist and playwright Sir James Matthew Barrie is best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The Arthur Llewelyn Davies family played an important part in Barrie’s literary and personal life. The family con-

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sisted of the parents Arthur (1863-1907) and Sylvia (18661910), daughter of the French-born cartoonist and author George du Maurier (whose novel ‘Trilby’ inspired Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel ‘Phantom of the Opera’), and their five sons: George, John, Peter, Michael, and Nicholas.

Wiggling ears and eyebrows Barrie became acquainted with the Llewelyn Davies family in 1897, meeting George and John, and baby Peter, with their nurse Mary Hodgson in London’s Kensington Gardens. He lived nearby and often walked his Saint Bernard dog Porthos in the park. The author entertained the boys regularly with his ability to wiggle his ears and eyebrows, and with his stories. He did not meet Sylvia until a chance encounter at a dinner party in December.

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ple, in response to Barrie’s oral tales about babies who died and went to live in Neverland, George reportedly exclaimed ‘To die will be an awfully big adventure!’. This became one of Peter Pan’s most memorable lines.

George Llewelyn Davies attended Eton College, where he excelled at sports (especially cricket) and was elected to the elite social club Pop while still an underclassman.

He later attended Trinity College, Cambridge, where he joined the Amateur Dramatic Club, following in the footsteps of both his uncle and his dramatist guardian.

George remained very close with Barrie, with the two exchanging letters regularly. Following the UK’s entry into World War I, George Llewelyn Davies and his brother Peter volunteered for service. George received a commission as a second lieutenant in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, and served in the trenches in Flanders. He died of a gunshot to the head at the age of 21. As yet unmarried, the young Llewelyn Davies left no children. photos

Sir James Matthew Barrie, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. George Llewelyn Davies ! in his last year at Eton in 1912, 19 years old. Three years later, he served in the trenches in Flanders and died of a gunshot to the head.

Peter Pan @, or ‘The Boy who wouldn’t grow up’.

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voor m ezel e enc los u r e no. 3 | v

VOORMEZELE ENCLOSURE NO. 3

She told Barrie that Peter had been named after the title character in her father’s play ‘Peter Ibbetson’. He became a regular visitor at the Davies household and a common companion to the woman and her boys, despite the fact that he and she were each married. In 1901, he invited the Davies family to Black Lake Cottage, where he produced an album of captioned photographs of the boys acting out a pirate adventure, entitled ‘The Boy Castaways of Black Lake Island’. Barrie had two copies made, one of which he gave to Arthur, who misplaced it on a train. The only surviving copy is held at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.

——Voormezele (Ypres) Voormezele Enclosure No. 3, the largest of these three burial grounds, was started by the Princess’s Light Infantry in February 1915. They buried their men in what is now Plot 3, the other plots from 1-9 are the work of other units or pairs of units, and they also include a few burials from October 1918. Plots 10 and 12 are of more general character, whilst Plots 13-16 were made after the Armistice.

Private Frank Harris Butcher, 7th Bn Northamptonshire Regiment, died on October 15 1915, aged 24. He was killed by a trench mortar at St. Eloi, and had only been in Belgium for a month. (Location of his grave: Plot VIII B2).

The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up Arthur Llewelyn Davies died in 1907, and ‘Uncle Jim’ became even more involved with the Davies family, providing financial support for them, even more so after the death of their mother in 1910. Years before, the character of Peter Pan was invented by Barrie to entertain George and John. Barrie would say, to amuse them, that their little brother could fly. He claimed that babies were birds before they were born; parents put bars on nursey windows to keep the little ones from flying away. This grew into a tale of a baby who did fly away. In the 1904 play ‘Peter Pan’, or ‘The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up’, Peter Pan is roughly 10, the same age that George Llewelyn Davies was when Barrie began writing the play in 1903.

Barrie reported taking important elements of the characterization of Peter and individual ‘Lost Boys’ from things George and his younger brothers said or did. For exam-

George Llewelyn Davies: the proud soldier who as a boy inspired Sir James Barrie’s ‘Peter Pan’ ‘To die will be an awfully big adventure!’

The most famous person buried in Voormezele Enclosure No. 3, although for a very special reason, is Second Lieutenant George Llewelyn Davies, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, who died on March 15 1915, aged 21. The location of his grave at Voormezele Enclosure No. 3: Plot II E2.

As a boy, George Llewelyn Davies was the main inspiration for Sir James Barrie’s ‘Peter Pan’. The Scottish author, novelist and playwright Sir James Matthew Barrie is best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The Arthur Llewelyn Davies family played an important part in Barrie’s literary and personal life. The family con-

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sisted of the parents Arthur (1863-1907) and Sylvia (18661910), daughter of the French-born cartoonist and author George du Maurier (whose novel ‘Trilby’ inspired Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel ‘Phantom of the Opera’), and their five sons: George, John, Peter, Michael, and Nicholas.

Wiggling ears and eyebrows Barrie became acquainted with the Llewelyn Davies family in 1897, meeting George and John, and baby Peter, with their nurse Mary Hodgson in London’s Kensington Gardens. He lived nearby and often walked his Saint Bernard dog Porthos in the park. The author entertained the boys regularly with his ability to wiggle his ears and eyebrows, and with his stories. He did not meet Sylvia until a chance encounter at a dinner party in December.

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ple, in response to Barrie’s oral tales about babies who died and went to live in Neverland, George reportedly exclaimed ‘To die will be an awfully big adventure!’. This became one of Peter Pan’s most memorable lines.

George Llewelyn Davies attended Eton College, where he excelled at sports (especially cricket) and was elected to the elite social club Pop while still an underclassman.

He later attended Trinity College, Cambridge, where he joined the Amateur Dramatic Club, following in the footsteps of both his uncle and his dramatist guardian.

George remained very close with Barrie, with the two exchanging letters regularly. Following the UK’s entry into World War I, George Llewelyn Davies and his brother Peter volunteered for service. George received a commission as a second lieutenant in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, and served in the trenches in Flanders. He died of a gunshot to the head at the age of 21. As yet unmarried, the young Llewelyn Davies left no children. photos

Sir James Matthew Barrie, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. George Llewelyn Davies ! in his last year at Eton in 1912, 19 years old. Three years later, he served in the trenches in Flanders and died of a gunshot to the head.

Peter Pan @, or ‘The Boy who wouldn’t grow up’.