villersstation

graves

IN MEMORy by Pierre Vandervelden

The visit of Commonwealth graves in Communals Cemeteries & Churchyards in Belgium & France

VILLERS STATION Cemetery (Villers Au Bois) (Pas de Calais France)

Page 1 The Pictures

Page 2 List of Casualties

Photo courtesy Philip Gunyon (Can)

Lt Norman Eden Walker 13/04/1917 aged 20
For Philip & Eva Gunyon (Bracebridge Can.)

France, July 10th (1917)
...When I was up there I met a Lt. Wood who was slightly wounded by the same shell that killed poor Eden so I got the exact story. I will repeat it as he told it.
He (Wood) had been laying out Eden’s party to clean out a trench and was returning along the top of the trench with another Engineer officer towards the front line to look over another job when a whizz-bang (small H. Velocity shell) hit near them. He took no notice of it but went on and another hit a little bit closer. He then spoke to the other officer and they got down into the trench where they found Eden, Watson and an officer of another unit. He stayed there and the other officer went on. Several more shells came over so they got down as low as possible but one struck the side of the trench killing Eden instantly and wounding the other three. This was the last shell fired. He was only slightly wounded while the officer of the other unit died the next day. These are the exact details...

(extract of a letter of Philip Williams to his mother, Philip and Eden were close friends who lived near one another in Toronto and went to the same school.
Philip survived his time in the trenches, transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in later November 1917 after the Passchendaele battle, trained as a pilot in England and Canada and then died of Spanish influenza in October 1918.)

Pte Johan Stjerme Clemmensen 14/04/1917 aged 19
Johan was Born in Trandberg on the island of Samsø, Denmark on 26/01/1898 and KiA Vimy Ridge.
His epitaph in Danish: "Vor kære søn født i Thorup Tranbjerg, Danmark. Elsket Savnet "
means Our loving son born in Thorup Tranbjerg, Danmark. Beloved Missed.
for Jørgen Flintholm (Copenhagen DK)


Lt David Jellett Barker 31/10/1878 - 27/09/1917 He was born in Picton, Ontario, he joigned the staff of the Bank of Montreal in 1896, where he was appointed Assistant to the General Manager in 1912. He enlisted in Montreal 04/07/1916 and went to France in 08/1917. David was killed by a trench mortar shell in Avion, near Lens. He was unmared and only son of D. J. Barker, sheriff of Prince Edward County. The beautiful stained glass window that was donated by his parents, in his memory. The window is at St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church, Picton, Ontario, Canada. The title of the window is 'The Crusader' and the image of the face of the crusader is thought to be that of Lieutenant Barker. for Shirley Stone and the people of Picton

Pte Charles Walter Jones 06/06/1888 - KiA 09/06/1917
Charles, son of William and Lizzie Jones of Picton, Ontario was born in Brandon, Suffolk, England, he wasformer chauffeur and enlisted 13/01/1916 in Toronto.
His brother, Harry Edward Jones, served with the Royal Flying Corps., died 12/10/1917, aged 18 and buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, England.
Charles was also member of St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church.
for Shirley Stone and the people of Picton

Pte Milton O. Clarke 01/12/1916 aged 20
He enlisted in the 92nd (48th Highlanders) Bn, 19/08/1915.
He was single, former an Electrical Engineer, who had worked at the Big Chute Plant, then went to Toronto, where he worked at a Hydro station.
Born in Burks Falls, in 1896, a son of Charles William Clarke & Daisy Dean Leake. The Clarke family moved to Mara (Brechin) to assist Charles' ailing father who ran a hardware store in Brechin, in the early 1900's.
After training in Toronto and England as a Signaller, Milton was assigned to the 13th (Royal Highlanders) Bn, also known as the Canadian Black Watch.
He was transferred to France on 11/1916.
His name is listed on the Mara Cenotaph, located in front of the Brechin Legion, 4th Concession, Brechin.
The following is the 01/12/1916, entry in the 13th Battalion War Diary: " Zouave Valley, the weather in the morning was very cold and dull, and towards mid-day it also became very misty.
There was a considerable amount of activity on both sides during the forenoon, but mainly from Trench Artillery, i.e. Mortars, Stokes Guns, etc. About 5.00 p.m. a few rifle Grenades fell near the head of Chalk St., but owing to the mist, it was impossible to ascertain where they came from.
About 6.00 p.m. the enemy started to bombard our frontage, between 5.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. a large number of both heavy and light Trench Mortars were used, and a great deal of damage was done to our trenches.
The enemy also snipped two of our Bombers, near B. 5 Saps, one last night and one early this morning. Owing to the mist it was impossible to make any observations during the day.
About 6.15 p.m. after the enemy bombardment had ceased, an enemy patrol of about twelve men were seen advancing towards 13 .8. Saps, one of our Lewis Guns opened on it, and men fell and were seen no more."
for the Ramara Historical Society http://ramarahistoricalsociety.net/

Pte Angus Joseph Bethune 18/11/1917 aged 29
He enlisted in the 162nd (Parry Sound) Bn, in Powassan, 11/01/1916. He was single, a Farmer, living in Powassan, Parry Sound District.
Angus was born in Rama, in 1888, a son of Fergus Bethune & Catherine McDonald.
In the late 1890's, Fergus, a teamster, moved his family to the Powassan area, as lumbering in Rama was on the decline.
Overseas, Angus joined the 4th(Can. Mounted Rifles) Bn,and participated in the Battle of Passchendaele, Oct. 26 & 27, 1917.
He was wounded in the legs by an enemy shell while on duty at a strong point on the Lens Road. He received immediate attention, but died shortly after while on the way to the Dressing Station.
for the Ramara Historical Society http://ramarahistoricalsociety.net/

Sjt Percy Frederick Llewellyn 09/047/1917 aged 25
Percy enlisted at Birmingham in 1904 in the Royal Warwickshire Rgt and saw service in Malta, Belgium and France.
He then resided at 31, Little Bloxwich, Leamore with his wife and daughter.
Transferring to the Royal Engineers, Percy served in a ‘special company’, which had the responsibility of storing and releasing poisonous gas, and was killed in the fighting around Arras.
for Graeme Clarke and the people of Walsall


L/Cpl John William Grocott 13/10/1916 aged 24 for his niece Valerie Mosel


Pte Percy Thomas Conrad 09/05/1917 aged 22 He was born on 26/04/1895, son of John and Eleanor Conrad, of 288, Oxford St., Halifax (Nova Scotia). for Mark Dinan

1 194 casualties

IF You have a casualty picture, please send me a copy, I'll be glad to show it on this page.

IF You want a king size copy of this picture (300/900 ko - 2592/1944 pixels) please e-mail me.

Casualties informations come usualy from Commonwealth War Graves Commission, see links for more informations