TROIS ARBRES CEMETERY
Steenwerck
Nord
France
GPS Coordinates Latitude: 50.70412 Longitude: 2.80315
Roll of Honour
Listed by Surname
Location Information
Steenwerck is a village on the D77 about 6 kilometres south-east of Bailleul, and to the east of the road from Bailleul to Estaires. The Cemetery is situated to the north-east midway between the village and the main road from Bailleul to Armentieres and north of the recently built motorway.
Visiting Information
Wheelchair access to this cemetery is possible, but may be by an alternative entrance.
Historical Information
Steenwerck village remained untouched for much of the First World War, but on 10 April 1918 it was captured by the Germans and remained in their possession until the beginning of October. Trois-Arbres passed into German hands a day later than Steenwerck, after a rearguard defence by the 34th Division.
The site for Trois Arbres Cemetery was chosen for the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station in July 1916, and Plot 1 and the earlier rows of Plot II, were made and used by that hospital until April 1918. A few further burials were made in the cemetery after the German withdrawal at the end of 1918 and after the Armistice, over 700 graves were brought into it from the battlefields of Steenwerck, Nieppe, Bailleul and Neuve-Eglise.
Graves from the following graveyards were concentrated into Trois-Arbres Cemetery:-.
DOUANE CEMETERY, NEUVE-EGLISE, at the Custom House on the road from Neuve-Eglise to Nieppe, contained the graves of 15 soldiers from Canada and four from the United Kingdom who fell in 1915-16.
FORTRIE FARM CEMETERY, NEUVE-EGLISE, 1.6Kms West of the hamlet of Le Romarin, contained the graves of 27 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in November and December 1914.
LINEN FACTORY CEMETERY, BAC-ST. MAUR. This was a row of graves in Steenwerck commune, in the angle formed by the river Lys, the road from Bac-St. Maur to Croix-du-Bac, and Edwards's Linen Factory. In it were buried 20 soldiers from the United Kingdom, one from India and seven Germans.
There are now 1,704 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 428 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to ten casualties known or believed to be buried among them.
Total Burials: 1,704.
Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 571, Australia 470, New Zealand 212, Canada 21, India 1, South Africa 1. Total 1,276.
Unidentified Casualties: 428
The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and Noel Ackroyd Rew
Dedications
15238 Private James Scott Rarity, 2nd Bn, Otago Regiment. N. Z. E. F., 11th August 1917, aged 31. Son of Thomas and Margaret Scott Rarity, of Kaitangata, Otago, New Zealand.
Steenwerck is a village on the D77 about 6 kilometres south-east of Bailleul, and to the east of the road from Bailleul to Estaires. The Cemetery is situated to the north-east midway between the village and the main road from Bailleul to Armentieres and north of the recently built motorway.
Visiting Information
Wheelchair access to this cemetery is possible, but may be by an alternative entrance.
Historical Information
Steenwerck village remained untouched for much of the First World War, but on 10 April 1918 it was captured by the Germans and remained in their possession until the beginning of October. Trois-Arbres passed into German hands a day later than Steenwerck, after a rearguard defence by the 34th Division.
The site for Trois Arbres Cemetery was chosen for the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station in July 1916, and Plot 1 and the earlier rows of Plot II, were made and used by that hospital until April 1918. A few further burials were made in the cemetery after the German withdrawal at the end of 1918 and after the Armistice, over 700 graves were brought into it from the battlefields of Steenwerck, Nieppe, Bailleul and Neuve-Eglise.
Graves from the following graveyards were concentrated into Trois-Arbres Cemetery:-.
DOUANE CEMETERY, NEUVE-EGLISE, at the Custom House on the road from Neuve-Eglise to Nieppe, contained the graves of 15 soldiers from Canada and four from the United Kingdom who fell in 1915-16.
FORTRIE FARM CEMETERY, NEUVE-EGLISE, 1.6Kms West of the hamlet of Le Romarin, contained the graves of 27 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in November and December 1914.
LINEN FACTORY CEMETERY, BAC-ST. MAUR. This was a row of graves in Steenwerck commune, in the angle formed by the river Lys, the road from Bac-St. Maur to Croix-du-Bac, and Edwards's Linen Factory. In it were buried 20 soldiers from the United Kingdom, one from India and seven Germans.
There are now 1,704 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 428 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to ten casualties known or believed to be buried among them.
Total Burials: 1,704.
Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 571, Australia 470, New Zealand 212, Canada 21, India 1, South Africa 1. Total 1,276.
Unidentified Casualties: 428
The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and Noel Ackroyd Rew
Dedications
15238 Private James Scott Rarity, 2nd Bn, Otago Regiment. N. Z. E. F., 11th August 1917, aged 31. Son of Thomas and Margaret Scott Rarity, of Kaitangata, Otago, New Zealand.
Images in this gallery © Geerhard Joos
Images in this gallery © Werner Van Caneghem
Shot at Dawn
23621 Private Fortunat Auger, 14th Bn. Canadian Infantry, executed for desertion, 26th March 1916, aged 25. Plot III. H. 5.
A French Canadian from amongst the earliest volunteers, he was in February 1915 in the first Canadian division to land in France. Auger went absent 3 times in 1915,on one occasion receiving a suspended sentence of imprisonment; & in 1916, twice evaded duty in the trenches. He was the first Canadian to be executed during the war. (Putkowski, pp 74-75)
6744 Private Peter Black, 1st/7th Bn. Black Watch (Royal Highlanders), executed for desertion 18th September 1916. Plot I. B. 1.
He seems to have enlisted pre-war & had served in France since April 1915, fighting in the battles of Neuve Chapelle, Aubers Ridge, Loos & the Somme. He deserted prior to going into the trenches — & remained absent for over a month. He was already subject to a suspended sentence of death imposed for a previous offence of desertion. (Putkowski, p.114). His name was included on the war memorial in his home town of Newport-on-Tay (Fife), but only after considerable local controversy.
6/1598 Private John King, 1st Bn. Canterbury Regiment, N. Z. E. F. executed for desertion 19th August 1917, aged 32. Plot I. Z. 23.
An Australian miner & father of 3 children, who served under this false name, he should perhaps never have been passed as fit for service, or — subsequently — should have been discharged as unfit.
In May 1915 King landed in Gallipoli, but after 3 months was invalided to Egypt with a crushed finger & other medical problems. After training there, he went absent in May 1916 & — seemingly unpunished —landed in France in July. Soon after arrival at the Depot at Etaples, he was taken ill again, with dysentery. Returned to his unit in September,
King went missing 10 days later & 20 days’ Field Punishment No 2 was imposed, half-way through which he went absent again (for 20 minutes),his punishment being doubled. Shortly after completing this sentence, he fell ill with influenza; recovered in 10 days; was returned to his battalion; but 2 days before Christmas, got drunk & deserted.
King was tried in January 1917, & once again after an absence in April, & an escape from arrest leading to a further absence of 9 days. 12 months’ imprisonment with hard labour was imposed on May 22, which 3 days later was suspended — seemingly in error. 5 days later, King deserted, to be arrested on July 23.
Tried finally in August, he related that he had spent all the period of absence drinking. The almost inevitable sentence of death was confirmed by Haig 3 days later. (Putkowski,pp.184-186)
2267 Corporal George W. Latham, 2nd Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers, executed for desertion 22nd January 1915, aged 23. Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Latham, of Islington, London; husband of Elizabeth Mary Latham, of 5/69, Great Lister St., Nechells, Birmingham. Plot II. F. 17.
A married Regular, he was absent from roll-call at Le Cateau on 27 August 1914, & managed to stay somewhere behind the lines till the night of 6-7 Nov when he was arrested. Latham slipped his guards, & by Nov 23 had found shelter in the house of a woman in Nieppe — & apparently walked around the town in uniform. It seems likely that he transferred his affections to another woman in the same street — & she ‘shopped’ him to the military police at the Divisional HQ in the town, leading to his arrest on Dec 21. At trial, he gave an elaborate & bizarre of account of how he ended up in Nieppe — which availed him nothing. (Corns, pp120-122)
Shot at Dawn pictures © Werner Van Caneghem
23621 Private Fortunat Auger, 14th Bn. Canadian Infantry, executed for desertion, 26th March 1916, aged 25. Plot III. H. 5.
A French Canadian from amongst the earliest volunteers, he was in February 1915 in the first Canadian division to land in France. Auger went absent 3 times in 1915,on one occasion receiving a suspended sentence of imprisonment; & in 1916, twice evaded duty in the trenches. He was the first Canadian to be executed during the war. (Putkowski, pp 74-75)
6744 Private Peter Black, 1st/7th Bn. Black Watch (Royal Highlanders), executed for desertion 18th September 1916. Plot I. B. 1.
He seems to have enlisted pre-war & had served in France since April 1915, fighting in the battles of Neuve Chapelle, Aubers Ridge, Loos & the Somme. He deserted prior to going into the trenches — & remained absent for over a month. He was already subject to a suspended sentence of death imposed for a previous offence of desertion. (Putkowski, p.114). His name was included on the war memorial in his home town of Newport-on-Tay (Fife), but only after considerable local controversy.
6/1598 Private John King, 1st Bn. Canterbury Regiment, N. Z. E. F. executed for desertion 19th August 1917, aged 32. Plot I. Z. 23.
An Australian miner & father of 3 children, who served under this false name, he should perhaps never have been passed as fit for service, or — subsequently — should have been discharged as unfit.
In May 1915 King landed in Gallipoli, but after 3 months was invalided to Egypt with a crushed finger & other medical problems. After training there, he went absent in May 1916 & — seemingly unpunished —landed in France in July. Soon after arrival at the Depot at Etaples, he was taken ill again, with dysentery. Returned to his unit in September,
King went missing 10 days later & 20 days’ Field Punishment No 2 was imposed, half-way through which he went absent again (for 20 minutes),his punishment being doubled. Shortly after completing this sentence, he fell ill with influenza; recovered in 10 days; was returned to his battalion; but 2 days before Christmas, got drunk & deserted.
King was tried in January 1917, & once again after an absence in April, & an escape from arrest leading to a further absence of 9 days. 12 months’ imprisonment with hard labour was imposed on May 22, which 3 days later was suspended — seemingly in error. 5 days later, King deserted, to be arrested on July 23.
Tried finally in August, he related that he had spent all the period of absence drinking. The almost inevitable sentence of death was confirmed by Haig 3 days later. (Putkowski,pp.184-186)
2267 Corporal George W. Latham, 2nd Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers, executed for desertion 22nd January 1915, aged 23. Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Latham, of Islington, London; husband of Elizabeth Mary Latham, of 5/69, Great Lister St., Nechells, Birmingham. Plot II. F. 17.
A married Regular, he was absent from roll-call at Le Cateau on 27 August 1914, & managed to stay somewhere behind the lines till the night of 6-7 Nov when he was arrested. Latham slipped his guards, & by Nov 23 had found shelter in the house of a woman in Nieppe — & apparently walked around the town in uniform. It seems likely that he transferred his affections to another woman in the same street — & she ‘shopped’ him to the military police at the Divisional HQ in the town, leading to his arrest on Dec 21. At trial, he gave an elaborate & bizarre of account of how he ended up in Nieppe — which availed him nothing. (Corns, pp120-122)
Shot at Dawn pictures © Werner Van Caneghem