Hermies Hill British Cemetery, Pas de Calais

HERMIES HILL BRITISH CEMETERY

Pas De Calais

France

GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 50.11112, Longitude: 3.03185

Picture © Geerhard Joos

Location Information

Hermies is a town in the Department of the Pas-de-Calais, approximately 3.5 kilometres south of the road (D930) from Bapaume to Cambrai.

From the D930 take the D34 for 3.2 kilometres to its junction with the D5E where the first CWGC sign is situated. The Cemetery lies on the left side of the road, 150 metres from the junction.

Historical Information

Hermies was seized on the morning of the 9th April 1917, by a surprise attack of the 2nd and 3rd Australian Infantry Battalions. It was held against the advancing Germans on the 22nd March 1918, by the 17th Division, but evacuated on the following day; and it was retaken in September 1918. It was later "adopted", with Havrincourt, by the County Borough of Huddersfield.

The cemetery was begun in November 1917, and carried on by fighting units until March 1918, and further graves were added in the following September. These original burials comprise nearly the whole of Plot I; the remaining three Plots were added after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from a wide area round Hermies and from certain small cemeteries, including:-

DEMICOURT GERMAN CEMETERY, BOURSIES, at the North end of the hamlet of Demicourt, which contained about 100 German graves and those of 15 unidentified men of the 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

HAVRINCOURT COTTAGE GARDEN CEMETERY, made by the 47th (London) Division in the Southern part of the village, which contained the graves of 30 soldiers from the United Kingdom and 5 Germans who fell in the winter of 1917-1918.

HAVRINCOURT WOOD BRITISH CEMETERY, about 1 kilometre South-West of Havrincourt village. It contained the graves of 70 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell on the 20th November, 1917, the first day of the Battle of Cambrai, and all but 5 of whom belonged to the Infantry of the 62nd (West Riding) Division.

HERMIES AUSTRALIAN CEMETERY, on the North-West side of the village, which contained the graves of 1 officer and 20 N.C.O.s and men of the 2nd Australian Infantry Battalion, who fell on the 9th April 1917.

There are 1,039, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, 298 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 28 soldiers from the United Kingdom and 3 from Australia, known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 6 soldiers from the United Kingdom, buried in two German Cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire.

The cemetery covers an area of 3,629 square metres and is enclosed by a brick wall.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and Noel Ackroyd Rew

Total Burials: 1,039.

Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 692, Australia 39, New Zealand 7, Canada 3. Total 741.

Unidentified Casualties: 298.

Second Lieutenant, Frank Edward Young, V. C.
1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment
Killed in action on 18th September 1918 aged 23 years .
Plot III. B. 5.,

Son of Frank and Sarah Ellen Young, of 46, Wood Avenue, Folkestone, Kent.

His headstone bears the inscription "There Is No Gain Except By Loss There Is No Life Except By Death"

Citation

An extract from "The London Gazette" No. 31067, dated 13th Dec., 1918, records the following:-"For most conspicuous bravery, determination and exceptional devotion to duty on 18th September, 1918, south-east of Havrincourt, when during an enemy counter-attack and throughout an extremely intense enemy barrage he visited all posts, warned the garrisons and encouraged the men. In the early stages of the attack he rescued two of his men who had been captured, and bombed and silenced an enemy machine gun. Although surrounded by the enemy, 2nd Lt. Young fought his way back to the main barricade and drove out a party of the enemy who were assembling there. By his further exertions the battalion was able to maintain a line of great tactical value, the loss of which would have meant serious delay to future operations. Throughout four hours of intense hand-to-hand fighting 2nd Lt. Young displayed the utmost valour and devotion to duty, and set an example to which the company gallantly responded. He was last seen fighting hand to hand against a considerable number of the enemy."

Headstone

Picture © Geerhard Joos

Images in gallery below © Geerhard Joos

198776 Gunner (Signaller)
Frederick Ralph Beckley
42nd Bde. Royal Field Artillery
12th September 1918
Plot I. G. 3.

Lieutenant
Trevor Moutray Bennet, M. C.70th Sqdn. Royal Flying Corps and Royal Irish Rifles
10th November 1916, aged 19.
Plot I. A. 5.

Son of James Bennet, of 1, Chlorine Place, University Rd., Belfast.

His headstone bears the inscription; "Chlorine, Belfast Underneath Are The Everlasting Arms."

Second Lieutenant
Harvey Bryant, M. C.
2nd/4th Bn. Hampshire Regiment
12th September 1918, aged 28.
Plot II. D. 3.

Son of Wilfred and Martha Bryant, of "The Elms," Ashwell, Baldock, Herts.

His headstone bears the following inscription; "He Nobly Striving Nobly Fell."

Second Lieutenant
Alfred Robert Cassidy
1st Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
9th April 1917, aged 24.
Plot I. H. 35.

Son of Thomas Francis and Sarah Jane Cassidy, of 23, William St., Redfern, New South Wales. Born at St. Peters, New South Wales.

His headstone bears the following inscription; "The Lord Gave & The Lord Has Taken Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord." (From Job 1:21.)

3902 Private John Clarkson, "A" Coy. 1st Bn., didn't witness Alfred Cassidy's death but saw the aftermath;

I saw his body lying part way up the bank of the Sunken Road going in to Demicourt on Easter Monday. He seemed to be damaged about the groin. Two other bodies were lying near, evidently killed by the same shell. It was about 10.a.m. I saw them, they had gone over at the same time as our company, namely 4.a.m. His body looked as though it had been blown up the bank by the shell."

4457 Private
William John Cook
2nd Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
9th April 1917, aged 30.
Plot III. D. 22.

Son of Thomas Henry and Sarah Jane Cook, of Meehan St., Granville, New South Wales. Born at Parramatta.

His headstone bears the following inscription; "He Died As He Lived Nobly Doing His Duty Greater Love Hath No Man."

Killed during the attack on Hermies at approximately 3.30.a.m on 9th April 1917, he was hit in the stomach by a Machine Gun bullet.

Captain
Henry Lancaster Nevil Dundas, M. C., and Bar.
1st Bn. Scots Guards.
27th September 1918, aged 21.
Plot I. H. 23.

Son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Nevill Dundas, of "Redhall," Slateford, Midlothian.

His headstone bears the following inscription; "I Thank My God On Every Remembrance Of You."

Lieutenant
Arthur Cyril Bruce Freeman
3rd (King's Own) Hussars and 2nd Bn. Royal Scots Fusiliers
27th September 1918, aged 22
Plot II. F. 3.

Son of Capt. Reginald Freeman (late 3rd King's Own Hussars) and Mrs. E. C. Freeman, of Wyndham House, Sloane Gardens, London. Joined 3rd Hussars from Sandhurst, 1914.

His headstone bears the following inscription; "The Peace of God."

39792 Serjeant
James Gaskell
12th (Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry) Bn. Manchester Regiment
26th January 1918
Plot I. F. 7.

2378 Private
Bert Harris
4th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
15th April 1917, aged 21.
Plot IV. B. 1.

Son of Henry George and Ida Harris, of Brungle, New South Wales. Born at Yarrangobilly, New South Wales.

A 19 year old station hand prior to enlisting on 8 June 1915, he embarked for overseas with the 7th Reinforcements from Sydney on 14 July 1915 aboard HMAT Orsova (A67). Pte Harris joined the 4th Battalion at Gallipoli and served there until the evacuation. He then went with the battalion to France where he was wounded in action. On recovering, he rejoined the battalion and served until he was killed in action at Demicourt on 15 April 1917.

Bert Harris was killed in the Sunken Road near to Demicourt. He was shot by a sniper as he made his way to an out post and buried close to where he was killed by 2086 Lance Corporal W. Mulligan of the 4th Bn.

6518 Private
Thomas Robert Harrison
2nd Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
9th April 1917, aged 22.
Plot III. D. 29.

A labourer prior to enlistment, Pte Harrison embarked on board HMAT Ceramic (A40) on 7 October 1916.

Killed instantly by Machine Gun fire at Hermies.

4196A Private
William Hornby
2nd Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
9th April 1917, aged 26.
Plot III. D. 20.

Son of William and Mary Jane Hornby, of 4, Wilson St., Hamilton, New South Wales. Born at Singleton, New South Wales.

His headstone bears the following inscription; "A Loving Son In God's Keeping."

A boilermaker prior to enlisting, he embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT Aeneas (A60) on 20 December 1915.

32723 Private
James Jesse Lyman, M. M.
2nd Bn. Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry
11th September 1918, aged 24.
Plot III. A. 38.

He was a resident of Gayhurst, Buckinghamshire.

63214 Bombardier
William Charles Ovenden
"C" Bty. 93rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
20th January 1918.
Plot I. F. 20.

Son of William Ovenden, of 35, Chandos Rd., Tunbridge Wells.

His headstone bears the following inscription; "At Peace With God."

"We never met
we never could,
because you were killed
before I stood"

Picture courtesy of nephew, Jim Christmas

57602 Private
Frederick James Pole
2nd/6th Bn. West Yorkshire Regiment, (Prince of Wales's Own)
20th November 1917, aged 31.
Plot IV. E. 27.

Son of James and Harriett Pole, of Belgrave, Leicester; husband of Susan Pole, of 11, Belgrave Avenue, Leicester.

His headstone bears the following inscription; "Deeply And Truly Mourned."

The image on the left shows Frederick's father at his son's grave, the other, group image shows Frederick, second from the left. If anyone has any further information on the men in this group it would be gratefully received by Roger, please contact us and we will pass the information on to him. God Bless always in our hearts from grandson Roger and Joy and all the Pole family

45685 Private
Joshua Smithson
2nd/4th Bn. South Lancashire Regiment
27th September 1918, aged 19.
Plot III. H. 11.

Son of Christopher and Ann Smithson, of 193, Blackburn Rd., Haslingden, Lancs.

His headstone bears the following inscription; "Gone But Not Forgotten."

28560 Corporal
Harry Thistlewaite
4th Bn. 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade
9th September 1918, aged 28.
Plot IV. C. 19.

Son of John and Alice Thistlewaite, of 36, Sirdar St., Edge Hill, Liverpool, England.

Captured German communication trench in foreground with a group of German prisoners standing on left. A slag heap is visible in the background. Near Hermies, 20 November 1917. © IWM (Q 3179)