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CWGC - headstone with 2 names

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Cheryl

Cheryl Report 27 Dec 2010 20:57

Hi all,

My hubby has asked if anyone can help solve a mystery. In Peterborough cemetery there is a war grave with 2 names, from 2 different nationalities and of airmen that died 1 year apart.

We have looked on the CWGC site, hoping for answers and found none.

Does anyone know of a reason for this.

They do not appear to be related either.

Thanks

Cheryl

jansmith

jansmith Report 27 Dec 2010 21:35

could you post names?

Cheryl

Cheryl Report 27 Dec 2010 22:05

Would you believe it - my hubby has fallen asleep and the names are on his mobile. He took a pic of the headstone. I don't know how to find thing on his phone so I will have to get back to you with the names when he wakes up.
Typical

mgnv

mgnv Report 27 Dec 2010 23:18

I can't explain it. I thought maybe they were tankers - I saw a TV show where a guy on graves detail went over some brewed-up tanks - he said from some of them you could collect all the remains from the whole crew in a single mess tin, and bury that.

However, that doesn't seem to be the case here - I see no connection between most gravemates, neither by service nor d.o.d.

You didn't identify which Peterborough Cemetery you were on about - there's multiple Peterborough cemeteries in multiple countries.
I looked at this one, and found Joint graves and Cons. graves which I presume are consolidated graves.
In most cases, I didn't see any connection between the gravemates.
The exception was 2 pairs of joint graves occupied by 4 Czech squadron-mates who all died on the same day in the latter stages of the Battle of Britain.

Cemetery: PETERBOROUGH (EASTFIELD) CEMETERY



Name: DUBOCK, CLARENCE
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Joint grave 6360.
Name: BINNS, THOMAS WILLIAM
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6361.
Name: DOWSE, STANLEY
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6362.

Name: BLADES, RONALD EDWARD FRANK
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6368.
Name: CUNNINGTON, JIM
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6369.
Name: HARDY, JOHN
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6370.
Name: McALPINE, ROBERT HENRY
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6371.
Name: REA, GORDON THOMAS
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6372.
Name: JONES, RONALD ARTHUR
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6373.

Name: JONES, THOMAS
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 4. Joint grave 702.
Name: CULLEY, EDWARD GEORGE
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 4. Joint grave 1702.
[It looks like a typo here - I presume 702 & 1702 refer to the same grave]

Name: BURGESS, FREDERICK JAMES
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 4. Joint grave 1617.
Name: WALLACE, HARRY JAMES
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 4. Joint grave 1617.

Name: YOUNG, ARTHUR
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6316.
Name: STEWARD, KENNETH
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6317.
Name: PEARCE, GORDON
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6318.
Name: NORRIS, FREDERICK WILLIAM
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 16. Cons. Grave 6319.

Name: SKUTIL, JAROSLAV
Initials: J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Pilot Officer
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 311 (Czech) Sqdn.
Age: 30
Date of Death: 01/10/1940
Service No: 82529
Additional information: Of Czechoslovakia.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 9. R.C. Joint grave 165.
Name: SLOVAK, JOSEF
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 9. R.C. Joint grave 165.

Name: VALOSEK, OSKAR
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 9. R.C. Joint grave 174.
Name: KOUKOL, FRANTISEK
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. 4. Block 9. R.C. Joint grave 174.

Cheryl

Cheryl Report 27 Dec 2010 23:47

Hi,

Thanks for that.
It is Eastfield cemetery and it is Jones and Culley.
We can't figure out why they were buried together.

cheryl

Cheryl

Cheryl Report 28 Dec 2010 10:00

I will contact CWGC.
I know they are very helpful, as last year we planned a 2 day trip to belgium and france to visit 2 cemeteries. One grave was in a municipal cemetery which just happened to be closed to the public on the day we were there. The lady from CWGC emailed their belgium office who got permission from Brussels town hall for us to gain entry.
The cemetery was over a mile long and half a mile wide and we had it ourself. Without them we would have had a wasted trip.

Thanks to everyone for their help

Cheryl

Cheryl Report 28 Dec 2010 21:02

Thanks Frank,

I wonder why they were buried together. Strange eh!

Cheryl

Cheryl Report 29 Dec 2010 15:48

I have seen them where more than one is buried together that have died the same day. Sometimes they could not distinguish between body parts if they were in an explosion etc so they buried all together, but this just struck me as odd as these 2 chaps did not serve together, were from different countries and died a year apart.

I will contact CWGC and maybe they have an answer.