Op Drum - Essex Farm

A visit to Essex Farm Cemetery. The CWGC lists 1,097 casualties, and given it's location adjacent to a dressing station many would have died from wounds.

It was in Essex Farm Cemetery that Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae of the Canadian Army Medical Corps wrote the poem ' In Flanders Fields' in May 1915.

CWGC Essex Farm Cemetery

Essex Farm Cemetery
Cross of Sacrifice

Essex Farm Cemetery

There is the too familiar site of the graves of Royal Artillery all together, that died on the same date or near.

The counter battery fire on the Salient could result in an entire gun detachment being killed in a single incident. With in the cemetery 5 Gunners from 261 Siege Battery are buried together, four lost on 10th August 1917, the remaining casualty recorded as 12th August 1917. The Battery was equipped with 6 inch Howitzers and in August 1917 was part of the 65th HAG.

 

Royal Garrison Artillery

261st Siege Battery

 

                                          Gnr GA Moore   Cpl T Teague    Gnr D Marnock     Gnr AW Dodd    Gnr LJ Drury

 

Rank	Initials	Surname	Age	Date of Death	Service No.	Grave Ref
Gunner	G A	MOORE	19	10/08/1917	296660	I. Q. 24.
Corporal	T	TEAGUE	24	10/08/1917	43943	I. Q. 25.
Gunner	D	MARNOCK	19	10/08/1917	344204	I. Q. 26.
Gunner	AW	DODD	31	10/08/1917	147759	I. Q. 27.
Gunner	L J	DRURY		12/08/1917	147756	I. Q. 28.