Colne Valley Cemetery
- Admin
- Dec 27, 2025
- 9 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Colne Valley Cemetery, CWGC, was once an isolated cemetery situated some five hundred yards from the Yser Canal and is a front-line cemetery, today, it is surrounded on three sides by the sprawling Boesinghe Industrial Estate that was developed in the 1990s. The cemetery is named after the Colne Valley Communication trench which went past Glimpse Cottage. Major Wynn Powell Wheldon D.S.O., 14th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 38th (Welsh) Division, when he was in this area, described Colne Valley trench as: ‘No place to stay in, with its broken dugouts and its problem never solved, namely how to get the water which gathered there to run out of the trench and its dugouts, and not always into the same.’ At one time the cemetery was prone to flooding, it was on a slope, in wet weather and this issue was resolved by the CWGC in the winter of 2015/16. For most of the First World War, the east side of the village of Boesinghe (now Boezinge) directly faced the German front line. Colne Valley, Skipton Road and Huddersfield Road were names given to trenches by the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Division. Colne Valley Cemetery, a little south of the German strong point shown on British trench maps as Caesar's Nose, was begun by Territorial Battalions of the Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment in July and August 1915. There are three Regiments represented in this cemetery Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, their dead are from July and August 1915, the Rifle Brigade, from December and January 1916, and the King’s Royal Rifle Corps from January to February 1916. The cemetery remained in use until February 1916.
Nearby is the repositioned North Zwanhof Farm now a free to enter exhibition and museum. It is also an excellent stop to take in the views of the old battlefield.
Behind the farm house is the preserved Yorkshire Trench. It was uncovered by the ‘Diggers’ in 1997 they were a remarkable group of amateur Belgian archaeologists who excavated this area ahead the industrial developments in 1997. They featured in a 2002 BBC television documentary entitled ‘The Forgotten Battlefield’ and they uncovered an astonishing profusion of artifacts including ammunition, dozens of human remains, some identified as British and German, trench railway, tools, and equipment. Some of these you can see in the museum at North Zwanhof Farm. Yorkshire Trench was dug by the British in 1915 and today what we see is a concrete sandbag replica that follows the route of the trench and incorporates the now flooded dugout that featured in the BBC television documentary.
1st/4th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment, 147th Infantry Brigade, 49th Division There is one officer and three Other Ranks from ‘A’ Company, Duke of Wellington’s Regiment who were killed in action on 14 August and one serving with the 1st/5th Battalion. All were killed in the same action.
Captain Maynard Percy Andrews Mentioned in Despatches, ‘A’ Company, 4th Battalion, Died of Wounds 15 August 1915, age 44. Grave C.7. Son of the Rev. Percy Andrews. He was married to Charlotte J. Andrews, Cricket Field Cottage, Harrow-on-the-Hill. They had three children. He was educated at Wem School, Shropshire, Oriel College, Oxford, and the Sorbonne in Paris. On leaving university, he studied modern language teaching in Germany and France before becoming a school master at Leicester, Bolton and at Lancing College from 1908 to 1910. While at Lancing he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Officer Training Corps on 29th October 1909. He moved to Yorkshire to take up the post of headmaster of Hipperholme Grammar School, Halifax from 1911 and joined the Territorial battalion in Halifax and was commissioned as a Lieutenant before being promoted to Captain in October 1914. He went with the Battalion to France on 14 April 1915. His epitaph reads PERSONNE NE PEUT AVOIR UN PLUS GRAND AMOUR QUE DE DONNER SA VIE POUR SES AMIS – No one can have a greater love than to give their life for their friends. 4/1166 Corporal Norman Hirst, Killed in action 14 August 1915, age 21. Grave C.9. Son of James Brearley Hirst and Fanny Hirst, 2 Forester's Terrace, Clifton, Brighouse, Yorkshire. They also had another older son and two daughters. Norman was an apprentice Colour Expert for a Carpet Manufacturer when he enlisted as a Territorial in 1912 then age 18. He was promoted to Corporal on 15 May 1915. 4/1442 L/Cpl James Riach, Killed in action 14 August 1915, age 43. Grave C.11. James was married to Ada and they lived at 11 Norwood Street, Bradford with their three children. He was employed as a Mechanic Labourer. James was a reservist, he had previous military service of 13 years prior to being called back to the colours on 13 March 1900 and saw service in the South African War. He was discharged on 24 June 1902 and continued as a reservist. 1st/5th Battalion, 4/2965 Private John Thomas Aked, Killed in action 14 August 1915, age 20. Grave C.13. Son of William and Eliza Aked, 12 Haigh Street, Pellon Lane, Halifax. He was working in a carpet mill in Halifax when he enlisted to serve in the Territorial Battalion. 4/1679 Private Charles Edward Lee, Killed in action 14 August 1915, age 19 Grave C.12. One of two sons and three daughters of Frederick and Martha Ann Lee, 29 Dickens Street, West Bowling, Bradford. He was working as a Cotton Knotter when he enlisted in the Territorial Battalion on 15 May 1914.
On Saturday 14 August the Battalion was in the Glimpse Cottage area trenches E.28 to E.26 with three companies holding the front line, with the fourth in the reserve trench, the Germans were shelling the 1st/4th Duke of Wellington’s trenches when at 4.45pm a shell burst amongst a party of six men from ‘A’ Company and burying them in a dugout, killing three men outright and severely wounding a fourth Private Charles Lee. Due to the narrowness of the trench, it was found necessary to carry Private Lee over the top of the trench and over open ground in full view of the enemy and to the Communication Trench at Colne Valley. Captain Andrews volunteered to accompany the rescue team – which included stretcher bearers Private John Shelley, Lance-Corporal Charles Wood, and Private G. Holt – over the open ground. The enemy spotted them and opened fire. Captain Andrews was hit by a bullet in the throat and died shortly afterwards. Shelley, Wood and Holt were recommended for an award for distinguished service. An officer wrote to Captain Andrews wife: ‘Your husband was heroically helping to carry some of his wounded over a very exposed piece of ground when he was shot in the head and died shortly afterwards. He need not have been doing it, but he went because he would not send another on so dangerous a task. It was an act of magnificent, calculated bravery, but it was to be expected of him, for he has acted so ever since he came out here. Both as a soldier and a friend he has set a standard which we can only set before ourselves as an ideal. That is the legacy he has left us and it shows to you in some small way what lengths he went to in serving his country, and how nobly he played his part.’ The four men Hirst, Riach, Aked, and Lee were all killed in the trench by shrapnel. On the 15 August Captain Andrews and the four men were buried in the cemetery behind Battalion HQ, now Colne Valley, and the General Officer commanding the Brigade and the Chaplain attended. All five were killed on 14 August and only Captain Andrews is listed in the CWGC records as killed on 15 August, the date of his burial. Another CWGC anomaly.
1st/7th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment), 147th Infantry Brigade, 49th Division One officer and four Other Ranks killed in action on 8 August 1915. Three are buried at Colne Valley Cemetery and one at Bard Cottage Cemetery, and one at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. The three buried at Colne Valley Cemetery are:
2nd Lieutenant Arthur Lionel Gibson, age 24. Grave D.5. Son of Joseph and Mabel Gibson, of "Winterton," 33 Ripon Road., Harrogate. His epitaph reads DEVOTED SON STAUNCH LOVER, TRUE FRIEND AU REVOIR. He was employed by John V Godwin and Company of Bradford before he enlisted in the 1st West Riding Field Ambulance as a Private on 14 September 1914 and was commissioned in the 1st/7th Battalion as 2nd Lieutenant on 16 March 1915 and went to France with the Battalion in April 1915.
7/2024 L/Cpl Gilbert Shaw, age 31 Grave D.4 (Coll.). Oldest of two sons and three daughters of Joshua and Clara Shaw, 5 Frame View, Mossley, Lancashire. He was unmarried and working in a cotton mill as a cotton piercer when he enlisted in the Territorial Battalion.7/1856 Private Fred Cox, age 24. Grave D.4 (Coll.). Son of Robert and Mary Cox. He was married to Annie Swindells (formerly Cox), 1354 Ashton Old Road, Higher Openshaw, Manchester. They had one son also named Frederick who was born on 20 September 1915 and Fred never knew. His wife remarried. He was employed as a joiner when he enlisted in the Territorial Battalion on 15 August 1914 and went with the Battalion to France in April 1915. D.4 (Coll.) means the individual is buried in location D.4 of the cemetery, having been concentrated there from their initial place of burial and placed in a collective grave. The War Diary records that at 6.30pm the German line was bombarded by the British artillery for two hours as a demonstration prior to the attack by the 6th Division on the German trenches near Hooge. The Germans retaliated by heavily shelling the Battalions trenches and inflicted considerable damage on the parapet especially in that part of the trench held by ‘C’ Company. The Casualties were five killed and 15 wounded. The War Diary also records an outbreak of sickness at 2.30am amongst the men of ‘C’ Company who were then relieved by ‘B’ Company who also came down with sickness and had to be relieved by two companies from the 1st/4th West Riding Regiment. They put the sickness outbreak down to bad meat.
1st/6th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment), 147th Infantry Brigade, 49th Division
On the 5 August 1915, the Battalion were in the line with ‘A’ Company occupying the centre section of the line between E.29 to F.30, opposite the German salient known as Caesars Nose. The War Diary records that the Germans shelled the trenches and the neighbourhood of the Battalion HQ and damaged the communication trench between ‘A’ Company and Battalion HQ. They recorded that the Germans had put a notice up over their trench that read ‘Warsaw has been conquered’ 3318 Private Norman Smith, ‘A’ Company, was killed at 4am by a bomb, grenade, in the trenches. The War Diary recording his burial place at Colne Valley Cemetery. He was aged 25, and the son of John and Mary Smith, 20 Greenfield Street, Broughton Road., Skipton, Yorkshire. Grave C.3. On 22 August the Battalion was relieving the 1st/7th Battalion with ‘C’ Company on the left, ‘D’ Company in the centre, ‘A’ Company
on the right, and ‘B’ Company in reserve. 2619 L/Cpl John Middleton Morphet, ‘C’ Company, age 37. Grave C.5. He was killed at 10.50pm by a rifle bullet through the heart while in the trenches. The son of Thomas and Alice Morphet, Gawthorpe Hall, Sedburgh. John had two brothers and three sisters. He lived at 2 Mayville Terrace, Settle and was employed as a School Attendance Officer. He was unmarried when he enlisted in the Territorial Battalion on 8 September 1914 and was promoted to Lance Corporal on 14 April 1915. On the 27 August there was heavy rifle fire between both sides before the Battalion was relieved by the 5th Battalion King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry the relief taking place between 10.30am and 5pm. The War Diary recorded three men killed and three
wounded. 2563 Private Fred Young, ‘C’ Company, age 25. Grave C.2. Son of Ben Lister Young and Maria Young, 8 Springbank Terrace, Guiseley, Leeds. Killed by a rifle bullet to the head at 12.05am. 2400 Private Joseph Henry Stewart, ‘A’ Company, age 20. Grave C.6. He was one of five sons and three daughters of Arthur and Jane Stewart, 24 Rowland Street, Skipton. He was employed as an Apprentice in a cotton mill when he enlisted. He was killed by a rifle bullet to the head at 4.30am. 1300 Private Richard Dent, age 22. Grave C.1. One of five sons and three daughters of Charles and Edith Dent, 30 Hebble Row, Oakworth, Keighley. He enlisted in the Territorial Battalion at age 17 on 3 February 1910 and was employed as an Apprentice Mechanic. Killed by rifle bullet to the head 9.10am.
Location
Boezinge is located north of the town of Ieper on the N369 road direction Diksmuide. The Cemetery is located in Kleinepoezelstraat East of the village. From the N369 turn right into Brugstraat, over the bridge and bear right into Langemarkseweg. Carry onto the crossroads and turn right into Kleinepoezelstraat. Carry straight on and the cemetery is on the right-hand side 500 metres along this road.
The cemetery was designed by W C Von Berg.
Burials
The cemetery contains 47 First World War burials. 30 of the graves are of officers and men of the West Riding Regiment.
UK – 47
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