UPLANDS CEMETERY
Magny-La-Fosse
Aisne
France
GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 49.94423, Longitude: 3.28593
Location Information
Magny-la-Fosse is a village about 10 kilometres north of St Quentin, 2 kilometres east of the road from St Quentin to Cambrai. Uplands Cemetery is 2 kilometres north-east of the village on the road to Joncourt.
Historical Information
The Canal de St. Quentin passes under the village of Bellicourt in a tunnel five kilometres long, built under the orders of Napoleon I. The Hindenburg Line ran west of the village, and the barges in the tunnel were used to shelter German reserves. About five kilometres south of Bellicourt, where the canal is open, is the village of Bellenglise, where another great tunnel or dug-out was made by the Germans.
On 29 September - 2 October 1918, the Battle of the St. Quentin Canal was fought. The 46th (North Midland) Division stormed the Hindenburg Line at Bellenglise and captured 4,000 prisoners and 70 guns. The 30th United States Division captured Bellicourt and Nauroy, which were cleared by the 5th Australian Division.
The village of Magny-la-Fosse was taken by the 46th (North Midland) Division on 29 September 1918, after their capture of Bellenglise, but the cemetery belongs rather to the 32nd Division, who followed after them.
Uplands Cemetery contains 43 burials of the First World War, three of them unidentified.
Total Burials: 43.
Identified Casualties: United Kingdom 40.
The cemetery was designed by W H Cowlishaw.
235365 Corporal
William Carter Brockbank
15th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
30th September 1918, aged 30.
Row B. 2.
Picture courtesy of grandson, Alan Brockbank
William Carter Brockbank
15th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
30th September 1918, aged 30.
Row B. 2.
Picture courtesy of grandson, Alan Brockbank
37299 Private
Edward Lewis Parry
15th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
30th September 1918.
Row A. 29.
The information below supplied by 'The Ellesmerian Club', the alumni organisation for Ellesmere College where Edward was a pupil.
Edward Lewis Parry
15th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
30th September 1918.
Row A. 29.
The information below supplied by 'The Ellesmerian Club', the alumni organisation for Ellesmere College where Edward was a pupil.
Edward Lewis Parry was one of six men who lived in Water’s Upton, a small village in Shropshire, who died in the service of their country during the Great War. Exactly when he moved to the village is not known but the 1911 Census recorded that he was the sub-postmaster and lived there with his wife, Edith Mabel, and their three children Reginald, Dorothy and John.
Edward, born on 27th May 1878 in Shrewsbury, was the eldest child of Hugh, a grocer, and his wife Margaret. The 1881 Census recorded that his parents lived ‘above the shop’, quite literally, as Hugh ran “The Shop”, a village store, at Ercall Magna. The family grew in size with the subsequent births of Winifred, Edith, William and Harriet.
It is not known where Edward was educated but it is presumed he would have attended the local National School or similar. On 23rd January 1890, a few months before his twelfth birthday, he was one of thirty-two new boys admitted to Ellesmere College. He was allocated to the ‘Alfred’ dormitory and placed in Form Lower I under the tuition of Mr. W D Christmas, himself a Senior Ellesmerian who was gaining teaching experience under the ‘probationer’ scheme. Despite spending four terms at the college there is no mention of Edward in any sporting records and references to the academic side of life are minimal. All that is known in that he graduated up from Form Lower I to Upper I and Form Lower II by the time he left Ellesmere on 24th April 1891.
Similarly, nothing is known of Edward’s life over the next decade but it would not be unusual if he had worked for his father, learning the trade and there is some indication of this in that when he signed a set of Attestation Papers in Wellington on 23rd January 1910 he indicated he was a baker. He was a few months short of his 23rd birthday, single and wanted to serve his country in the Boer conflict in South Africa. He was deemed medically fit to serve and became Private Parry, Service No. 21556 in 1st Provisional Battalion, the Shropshire Yeomanry. He spent the next three weeks preparing for the voyage to Africa and left England on 17th February.
Although the Yeomanry were not intended for overseas or campaign service, such was the need for mounted forces during the Boer War (South Africa, 1899-1902) that the government allowed volunteers to serve in South Africa. In all some 40,000 men volunteered their services. Those drawn from the country's Yeomanry regiments were designated as Imperial Yeomanry and those from the Shropshire Yeomanry served as the 13th Company, 5th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry.
Volunteers were normally required only to serve abroad for one year. Two contingents of 13th Company, 5th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry. (with approx. 120 men in each) served in South Africa (1900-01 and 1901-02), with a third prepared for war but too late to see active service. They earned the first Shropshire Yeomanry battle-honour, "South Africa 1900-1902".
Exactly where Edward served or saw action is not known but he was awarded the South Africa Medal with the Cape Colony clasp. He arrived back in England on 6th May 1901 and was discharged, at his own request, a month later.
He married Edith Mabel Tompkin in Wellington in the summer of 1905 – they went on to have two sons and a daughter and by 1911 they were established at the Post Office, Waters Upton. Edward played cricket for the local team and was a member of the church bell ringing team – life, however, was not always that of a rural idyll. In 1907 he appeared before the local magistrates charged with assault but after hearing evidence from two witnesses the charges were dropped and the case against him was dismissed.
Edward’s military service records have not survived and the records available are few and far between. It is not known where or when he enlisted but it is likely to be after conscription was introduced in 1916 as he was posted to 15th Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers (the 1st Salford Pals). He had no known link to this regiment and with the introduction of conscription men were sent where they were needed on completion of their basic training rather than to local regiments of their own choice.
The battalion arrived in France in November 1915 and their first taste of action was at Thiepval Ridge on the Somme on 1st July 1916 – the day three Old Ellesmerians died on active service. This action saw the battalion almost wiped out. It was reinforced and went on to see action throughout the war.
Exactly where Edward served or saw action is not known but as he died on 29th September 1918 and is buried at Uplands Cemetery, Magny-la-Fosse, France it is most likely that he was killed at the Battle of St. Quentin Canal, Bellincourt.
The canal passes under the village of Bellicourt through a five kilometre long tunnel that provided the Germans with shelter for their reserves. They went on to construct a further such tunnel near the village of Bellenglise. The Battle of St. Quentin Canal took place between 29th September – 2nd October 1918. The 30th US Division captured Bellicourt and Nauroy whilst the 46th (North Midland) Division stormed the Hindenburg Line at Bellenglise. The Division took the village of Magny-la-Fosse on 29th September.
Edward’s life and service is commemorated on the memorial inside St. Michael’s Church, Waters Upton and, in 2017, his name was engraved on the memorial at Ellesmere College.
Edward, born on 27th May 1878 in Shrewsbury, was the eldest child of Hugh, a grocer, and his wife Margaret. The 1881 Census recorded that his parents lived ‘above the shop’, quite literally, as Hugh ran “The Shop”, a village store, at Ercall Magna. The family grew in size with the subsequent births of Winifred, Edith, William and Harriet.
It is not known where Edward was educated but it is presumed he would have attended the local National School or similar. On 23rd January 1890, a few months before his twelfth birthday, he was one of thirty-two new boys admitted to Ellesmere College. He was allocated to the ‘Alfred’ dormitory and placed in Form Lower I under the tuition of Mr. W D Christmas, himself a Senior Ellesmerian who was gaining teaching experience under the ‘probationer’ scheme. Despite spending four terms at the college there is no mention of Edward in any sporting records and references to the academic side of life are minimal. All that is known in that he graduated up from Form Lower I to Upper I and Form Lower II by the time he left Ellesmere on 24th April 1891.
Similarly, nothing is known of Edward’s life over the next decade but it would not be unusual if he had worked for his father, learning the trade and there is some indication of this in that when he signed a set of Attestation Papers in Wellington on 23rd January 1910 he indicated he was a baker. He was a few months short of his 23rd birthday, single and wanted to serve his country in the Boer conflict in South Africa. He was deemed medically fit to serve and became Private Parry, Service No. 21556 in 1st Provisional Battalion, the Shropshire Yeomanry. He spent the next three weeks preparing for the voyage to Africa and left England on 17th February.
Although the Yeomanry were not intended for overseas or campaign service, such was the need for mounted forces during the Boer War (South Africa, 1899-1902) that the government allowed volunteers to serve in South Africa. In all some 40,000 men volunteered their services. Those drawn from the country's Yeomanry regiments were designated as Imperial Yeomanry and those from the Shropshire Yeomanry served as the 13th Company, 5th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry.
Volunteers were normally required only to serve abroad for one year. Two contingents of 13th Company, 5th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry. (with approx. 120 men in each) served in South Africa (1900-01 and 1901-02), with a third prepared for war but too late to see active service. They earned the first Shropshire Yeomanry battle-honour, "South Africa 1900-1902".
Exactly where Edward served or saw action is not known but he was awarded the South Africa Medal with the Cape Colony clasp. He arrived back in England on 6th May 1901 and was discharged, at his own request, a month later.
He married Edith Mabel Tompkin in Wellington in the summer of 1905 – they went on to have two sons and a daughter and by 1911 they were established at the Post Office, Waters Upton. Edward played cricket for the local team and was a member of the church bell ringing team – life, however, was not always that of a rural idyll. In 1907 he appeared before the local magistrates charged with assault but after hearing evidence from two witnesses the charges were dropped and the case against him was dismissed.
Edward’s military service records have not survived and the records available are few and far between. It is not known where or when he enlisted but it is likely to be after conscription was introduced in 1916 as he was posted to 15th Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers (the 1st Salford Pals). He had no known link to this regiment and with the introduction of conscription men were sent where they were needed on completion of their basic training rather than to local regiments of their own choice.
The battalion arrived in France in November 1915 and their first taste of action was at Thiepval Ridge on the Somme on 1st July 1916 – the day three Old Ellesmerians died on active service. This action saw the battalion almost wiped out. It was reinforced and went on to see action throughout the war.
Exactly where Edward served or saw action is not known but as he died on 29th September 1918 and is buried at Uplands Cemetery, Magny-la-Fosse, France it is most likely that he was killed at the Battle of St. Quentin Canal, Bellincourt.
The canal passes under the village of Bellicourt through a five kilometre long tunnel that provided the Germans with shelter for their reserves. They went on to construct a further such tunnel near the village of Bellenglise. The Battle of St. Quentin Canal took place between 29th September – 2nd October 1918. The 30th US Division captured Bellicourt and Nauroy whilst the 46th (North Midland) Division stormed the Hindenburg Line at Bellenglise. The Division took the village of Magny-la-Fosse on 29th September.
Edward’s life and service is commemorated on the memorial inside St. Michael’s Church, Waters Upton and, in 2017, his name was engraved on the memorial at Ellesmere College.
