BRAY MILITARY CEMETERY
Somme
France
Location Information
Bray-sur-Somme is a village about 9 kilometres south-east of Albert. Bray Military Cemetery is north of the village, a little west of the road to Maricourt.
GPS CO-Ordinates:
Longitude: 2.71949
Latitude: 49.9472
Historical Information
The cemetery was begun in April 1916 by fighting units and field ambulances. In September 1916, the front line having been pushed further east, it was used by the XIV Corps Main Dressing Station and in 1917, the 5th, 38th and 48th Casualty Clearing Stations came forward and used it. In March 1918, the village and the cemetery fell into German hands, but were retaken by the 40th Australian Battalion on 24 August, and during the next few days the cemetery was used again.
After the Armistice graves were brought in to Plot I, Rows A1 and B1, and Plot II, Rows J and K, from the battlefields immediately north and south of the village and in 1924, further isolated graves (Plot III) were brought in.
Bray Military Cemetery now contains 874 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 127 of which are unidentified.
Casualty Details: UK 825, Canada 3, Australia 31, South Africa 2, India 13, Total Burials: 874
The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield
Dedications
R/38156 Rifleman Timothy Hennessey, 10th Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps. 10th April 1917, aged 35. Son of James and Julia Hennessey, of London.
Remembered with pride by his family, submitted by Patricia Darcy
Bray-sur-Somme is a village about 9 kilometres south-east of Albert. Bray Military Cemetery is north of the village, a little west of the road to Maricourt.
GPS CO-Ordinates:
Longitude: 2.71949
Latitude: 49.9472
Historical Information
The cemetery was begun in April 1916 by fighting units and field ambulances. In September 1916, the front line having been pushed further east, it was used by the XIV Corps Main Dressing Station and in 1917, the 5th, 38th and 48th Casualty Clearing Stations came forward and used it. In March 1918, the village and the cemetery fell into German hands, but were retaken by the 40th Australian Battalion on 24 August, and during the next few days the cemetery was used again.
After the Armistice graves were brought in to Plot I, Rows A1 and B1, and Plot II, Rows J and K, from the battlefields immediately north and south of the village and in 1924, further isolated graves (Plot III) were brought in.
Bray Military Cemetery now contains 874 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 127 of which are unidentified.
Casualty Details: UK 825, Canada 3, Australia 31, South Africa 2, India 13, Total Burials: 874
The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield
Dedications
R/38156 Rifleman Timothy Hennessey, 10th Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps. 10th April 1917, aged 35. Son of James and Julia Hennessey, of London.
Remembered with pride by his family, submitted by Patricia Darcy
3010 Private
Fred Cadwallader Allen
37th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
25th August 1918, aged 24.
Plot I. BI. 4.
Son of Robert and Sarah Ann Allen, of 6, Melbourne Rd., Geelong, Victoria. Native of Talbot, Victoria, Australia.
Killed while marching through Bray on the way to the front line when a High Explosive shell exploded amongst the column.
Fred Cadwallader Allen
37th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
25th August 1918, aged 24.
Plot I. BI. 4.
Son of Robert and Sarah Ann Allen, of 6, Melbourne Rd., Geelong, Victoria. Native of Talbot, Victoria, Australia.
Killed while marching through Bray on the way to the front line when a High Explosive shell exploded amongst the column.
Captain
John Archibald Field
92nd Field Coy. Royal Engineers
13th July 1916, aged 32.
Plot I. B. 7.
Son of Mrs. Field, of "Chellowdean," Woodside Green, South Norwood, London.
John Archibald Field
92nd Field Coy. Royal Engineers
13th July 1916, aged 32.
Plot I. B. 7.
Son of Mrs. Field, of "Chellowdean," Woodside Green, South Norwood, London.
Captain
Frank Woolfe Haldinstein
8th Signal Coy. Royal Engineers
7th March 1917, aged 22.
Plot II. D. 40.
Son of Alfred and Edith Haldinstein, of Thorpe Lodge, Norwich.
Frank Woolfe Haldinstein
8th Signal Coy. Royal Engineers
7th March 1917, aged 22.
Plot II. D. 40.
Son of Alfred and Edith Haldinstein, of Thorpe Lodge, Norwich.
20927 Private
Charles Ford
1st Bn. Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
18th February 1917, aged 21.
Plot II. C. 52.
Son of Job and Kate Emily Ford, of 18, Clarence Terrace, West End, Willington, Co. Durham. Native of Oakenshaw, Willington.
Picture courtesy of Christopher Ecclestone, cousin, once removed
Charles Ford
1st Bn. Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
18th February 1917, aged 21.
Plot II. C. 52.
Son of Job and Kate Emily Ford, of 18, Clarence Terrace, West End, Willington, Co. Durham. Native of Oakenshaw, Willington.
Picture courtesy of Christopher Ecclestone, cousin, once removed
Second Lieutenant
Hubert Stephen Slepowron De Jastrzebski
24th Bn. London Regiment
5th April 1917, aged 22.
Plot II. H. 59.
Son of Thaddeus Theodore and Frances Elizabeth Slepowron de Jastrzebski, of "Kirklees," 102, Avondale Rd., South Croydon, Surrey.
Hubert Stephen Slepowron De Jastrzebski
24th Bn. London Regiment
5th April 1917, aged 22.
Plot II. H. 59.
Son of Thaddeus Theodore and Frances Elizabeth Slepowron de Jastrzebski, of "Kirklees," 102, Avondale Rd., South Croydon, Surrey.
3408 Private
Norman Leslie Wheaton
33rd Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
22nd August 1918, aged 22.
Plot II. I. 7.
Son of John and Elizabeth Wheaton, of Eumungerie, New South Wales. Native of South Australia.
A farmer and grazier prior to enlistment, Pte Wheaton embarked with the 8th Reinforcements, 33rd Battalion from Sydney on HMAT Port Melbourne (A16) on 16 July 1917. He was killed in action in France on 22 August 1918, aged 22.
Killed close to Bray-sur-Somme on the morning of 22nd August 1918, Private Wheaton had "Hopped over" into the attack at 4.20am and had gone only a few yards when he was hit in the chest by a machine gun bullet, killing him instantly.
Norman Leslie Wheaton
33rd Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
22nd August 1918, aged 22.
Plot II. I. 7.
Son of John and Elizabeth Wheaton, of Eumungerie, New South Wales. Native of South Australia.
A farmer and grazier prior to enlistment, Pte Wheaton embarked with the 8th Reinforcements, 33rd Battalion from Sydney on HMAT Port Melbourne (A16) on 16 July 1917. He was killed in action in France on 22 August 1918, aged 22.
Killed close to Bray-sur-Somme on the morning of 22nd August 1918, Private Wheaton had "Hopped over" into the attack at 4.20am and had gone only a few yards when he was hit in the chest by a machine gun bullet, killing him instantly.
Shot at Dawn
23972 Corporal Jesse Wilton. 15th Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment), executed for quitting his post on 17th August 1916, aged 40.Plot II. K. 11. Husband of Annie Elizabeth Wilton, of 17, Brooking Dunsaille, Doncaster, Yorks. His section occupied a forward position in no-man’s-land near Guillemont, dangerously exposed, under heavy fire & without rations for 3 days. 6 hours short of the allotted time, Wilton took it upon himself to order evacuation — for which he was later tried & sentenced. (Putkowski, pp. 101-102)
23972 Corporal Jesse Wilton. 15th Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment), executed for quitting his post on 17th August 1916, aged 40.Plot II. K. 11. Husband of Annie Elizabeth Wilton, of 17, Brooking Dunsaille, Doncaster, Yorks. His section occupied a forward position in no-man’s-land near Guillemont, dangerously exposed, under heavy fire & without rations for 3 days. 6 hours short of the allotted time, Wilton took it upon himself to order evacuation — for which he was later tried & sentenced. (Putkowski, pp. 101-102)
Picture © Geerhard Joos
September 1918. A recaptured tank near Bray, on the Somme.
