Maple Copse Cemetery
- Admin
- Apr 27
- 16 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
This is a beautiful cemetery which is located in a quiet copse the name of which originates from the trees planted here rather than any Canadian connection. Sitting on the seat outside the cemetery you can see how important Hill 62, Tor Top, and Observatory Ridge were. You can usually see the Canadian Monument on Hill 62 and Sanctuary Wood. Being close to the front line there were Advance Dressing Stations located within the copse and the burials date from before and after the Battle of Mount Sorrell. The Copse now is to the south of the original, which was directly to the north and west of the cemetery.
In ‘The Unreturning Army’, Huntley Gordon, an officer serving with the 112th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, recounts his visit to an Observation Post at nearby Dormy House: ‘.. I was glad when we turned up an alley and passed through a low doorway into a large heap of brick rubble, which was Dormy House O.P. Here through a concrete slot I had my first long look through binoculars at the enemy trenches. The gunner subaltern on duty pointed out the various landmarks which were not easy to see in that monotonous landscape.’ He went onto describe the views of Sanctuary Wood, ‘not really a wood, only a wilderness of splintered tree-stumps..’ and Stirling Castle, Dumbarton Lakes, Tower Hamlets, Inverness Copse, Glencorse Wood and others. In his diary published under the title ‘A Tommy at Ypres’ Walter Williamson described Maple Copse: ‘Maple Copse perhaps had been a copse I suppose at some time, but at present it was just a little ravine running off at right angles to the track, and what trees there had been, were now stumps blasted and riven out all semblance of trees. The banks were honeycombed with little dugouts, and we were just stood about waiting to be detailed to various holes, when that confounded machine gun rapped out again, and whether by good luck or good management, he got a beautiful enfilade right along the front of the dugouts. We were billeted in a twinkling of an eye…’
Battle of Mount Sorrell
The attack here was launched by the Germans against the Canadians on the afternoon of 2 June 1916, the attack stretched from here to the Appendix in the north part of Sanctuary Wood near Hooge, with the Germans blowing several mines on Mount Sorrel and breaking through from Mount Sorrel to Tor Top and capturing several strong points. They came under heavy fire from Maple Copse however, the Canadians had to withdraw from around the Appendix on the left of the line in fear of being outflanked by the Germans. The Canadians did consolidate their line by clearing the enemy from the line Maple Copse to Rudkin House and the vital strong points on Observatory Ridge. The first Canadian counter-attack on 3 June was a failure and they and GHQ had a rethink. Killed in this action was Major General M.S. Mercer who commanded the 3rd (Canadian) Division. He and the commander of the Canadian 8 Brigade Brigadier-General Williams were caught in the German preliminary shell fire. Both had there ear drums shattered and took cover in the Tor Top tunnel were there was a Battalion HQ and an aid post. Mercer refused to stay in the tunnel and said he wanted to get back to his HQ and soon after leaving was hit in the leg by a bullet and was killed by shrapnel fire as he lay in the trench. His partially decomposed remains were recovered by a battlefield clearance party on 24 June and he is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. Williams was taken prisoner. Commanding the Canadian Corps was a British officer Lieutenant-General Sir Julian Byng and he decided to concentrate his next attack on Mount Sorrel and Tor Top. Concentrating some 218 guns to range on this narrow strip of ground and at 1.30am on 13 June the attack went in under torrential rain, the cover of smoke and a massive artillery barrage. The Germans were ejected from their gains.
Tunnellers Buried Here
There are five men from the 2nd Tunnelling Company, Canadian Engineers, and two men from 175th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers.
Canadian Engineers - All the men were killed in a fire in the dugout system on Mount Sorrell. The fire killed eleven men and injured one. Their cause of death noted in their records as ‘Died of Suffocation. Accidentally killed’ - 491259 Sapper William Flowers, 2nd Tunnelling Company, Canadian Engineers, Killed in action 15 February 1917, age 20. Grave Special Memorial E.14. Son of Mr and Mrs Frank Flowers, 97 Ashton Terrace, Swallow Nest, near Sheffield. William emigrated to Canada from Sheffield and was employed as a miner when he enlisted on 10 May 1915 and joined the 33rd Battalion and transferred to the 2nd Tunnelling Company on 26 June 1916 joining them in the field. 160764 Sapper Robert Llewellyn Edwards, 2nd Tunnelling Company, Canadian Engineers, Killed in action 15 February 1917, age 33 Grave Special Memorial E.1. Son of Thomas and Margaret Edwards, Centaur Cottage, Harthill, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He emigrated from Scotland to Canada and was employed as a miner when he enlisted on 20 October 1915, and joined the 62nd Battalion and transferred to the 2nd Tunnelling Company on 23 August 1916 joining them in the field. 163601 Sapper Enoch Hancock, 2nd Tunnelling Company, Canadian Engineers, Killed in action 15 February 1917, age 43 Grave Special Memorial C.6. Son of Enoch and Sarah Hancock. He was married to Mary Ann Hancock, 49 Sterling Street, West Hartlepool, England. Enoch was employed as a miner when he enlisted on 9 August 1915 in Toronto, Canada. He joined the 109th Regiment, 84th Battalion and was then transferred to the 37th Battalion before being transferred to the 2nd Tunnelling Company 28 April and went to France on 2 August 1916 and joined them in the field on 6 August. 159141 Sapper Thomas McLean, 2nd Tunnelling Company, Canadian Engineers, Killed in action 15 February 1917, age 37. Grave Special Memorial B.3. He was born in Campbell Town, Argyll, and emigrated to Canada. He was married to May and they lived at 311 Sackville Street, Toronto. He was employed as a miner when he enlisted on 20 September 1915, joining the 81st Battalion and transferring to the 2nd Tunnelling Company at Shorncliffe on 11 August 1916. He went to France on 28 August and joined them in the field on 2 September. 715978 Sapper James Smith, 2nd Tunnelling Company, Canadian Engineers, Killed in action 15 February 1917, age 27. Grave Special Memorial D.20. He was born in Gilford, England and was the foster-son of Mr and Mrs. Edward Doyle, Mabou Harbour Mouth, Inverness County, Nova Scotia. He was unmarried and employed as a miner when he enlisted on 13 March 1916 and joined the 106th Battalion Nova Scotia Rifles. He sailed for England on 15 July and transferred to the 40th Battalion and was then taken on the strength of the 2nd Tunnelling Company on 30 October 1916. He went to France on 19 January 1917 and joined them in the field.
Royal Engineers – 94283 L/Cpl Arthur Cupis, 175th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers, Killed in action 16 November 1915, age 46. Grave Special Memorial J.21. Husband of Emily Cupis, 11 Manor Park Road., East Finchley, London. They had five children Sidney, Charles, William, Albert, and Doris. He was employed as a general labourer when he enlisted and went to France on 27 April 1915. 112554 Sapper William Fellows, 175th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers, Killed in action 14 November 1915, age 29. Grave Special Memorial E.3. Son of John Fellows, Church Street, Bridgtown, Cannock, Staffs. Husband of Elizabeth Fellows, 41, East Street, Bridgtown. They had a son Harold.
On the 14 November a number of men from the Company had gathered at the field kitchen in Maple Copse when it was hit by a German shell. Four men were killed, 1 died of wounds, and 12 wounded. One of the wounded, Arthur Cupis, died of his wounds on 16 November.
Captain The Honourable Alfred Thomas Shaughnessy, ‘A’ Company 60th Battalion Canadian Infantry. Killed in action 31 March 1916, age 28. Grave Special Memorial D.11. Second son of Thomas George Shaughnessy, 1st Baron Shaughnessy of Montreal, Canada. He was President of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. Alfred was married to Sarah Polk Shaughnessy, they had three children. In 1920, she married Lieutenant Colonel The Honourable Sir Piers Walter Leigh. Alfred was employed in his father’s company before he joined the stockbrokers Charles Meredith & Co. He was serving in the 3rd Regiment, Victoria Rifles from 1910 when in June 1915 he volunteered in Montreal and was appointed Captain in the 60th Battalion. The Battalion arrived in France, via training in England, in February 1916 at Le Havre and went on to Poperinghe and from there to billets in Eecke. They went into billets at Locre before going into the trenches on 1 March at Kemmel for trench training and then into rest at Camp A at Brandhoek on 22 March. On the 28 March they went into the line at Sanctuary Wood. At 2.20pm on 31 March the Germans shelled the trenches and Alfred was killed by shrapnel. The War Diary recording that he was buried in Maple Copse. In a letter dated 10April1916, to Captain Shaughnessy's widow, Sarah, 60th Medical Officer Major Pavey wrote ‘...He was wounded by a shrapnel bullet close to the left shoulder blade. The bullet penetrated the heart and the end was peaceful and quiet. Poor Fred lost consciousness almost immediately. Everything possible was done. We have lost our most popular officer and all ranks mourn his death.’ Alfred was a cousin of the Grenfell’s and four of his cousins were also killed: Captain Riversdale Grenfell, 4 September 1914, buried in Vendresse Churchyard, 2nd Lieutenant The Honourable Gerald ‘Billy’ Grenfell, commemorated on the Menin Gate, Captain Julian Grenfell, buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, and Captain Francis Grenfell V.C. killed in action on 24 May 1915 and is buried in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery. Alfred’s son, also named Alfred and born on 19 May 1916, went on to be an actor and writer. He was most famous for writing the scripts for the TV series ‘Upstairs, Downstairs.’
Alias Buried Here
24463 Private Thomas Charles Brookes, 13th Battalion, Royal Highlanders of Canada, Canadian Infantry. Killed in action 13 May 1916, age 29 Grave Special Memorial J.14. His real name was Cooke and served as Brookes. He was born in Kidderminster, England and listed his father Thomas, who lived at 7 York Street, Kidderminster as his next of kin. Before enlisting on 25 September 1914, he was employed as a boilermaker. He was unmarried. Thomas did not take well to army discipline he was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment commuted to 56 days Field Punishment No.1. His disciplinary record makes for interesting reading. From 9 to 17 May the Battalion was in the line at Square Wood and Armagh Wood with their left flank on the high ground known as Mount Sorrel and their right on Hill 60. The trench line was in poor condition and they provided night working parties for the Engineers which involved working out in the open and the Battalion suffered ‘one or two casualties’ during this work. The Battalion history paints a rather picturesque scene: ‘The reserve trenches in Armagh Wood and Square Wood were in better condition, while in many places the long grass and the bright scarlet of the famous Flanders poppies made the scene not altogether unattractive.’
Royal Scots four killed
14933 Corporal James Henderson, 12th Battalion Royal Scots, 27th Infantry Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division. Killed in action 19 December 1915. Grave Special Memorial H.18. James was from Glasgow and enlisted in Edinburgh. During November and December the Battalion was in and out of the line at Sanctuary Wood with the Battalion opposite the German position known as the Bird Cage which was some twenty yards from the British line. The War Diary records that on the 19 December the Germans shelled Battalion HQ and the southern edge of Sanctuary Wood with 4.5’s however little damage was done to the Battalion trenches. 20295 Private Thomas Clark Dewar, ‘C’ Company 12th Battalion Royal Scots, 27th Infantry Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division. He was the second son of Alexander and Bella Dewar, 41 Nasmyth Place, Kelty, Fife. He was employed as a miner before he enlisted on 21 January 1915. He trained as a signaller and went to France as part of a draft on 10 October 1915 joining the Battalion in the field. His Company commanding officer wrote to his parents: ‘Last Sunday morning, about 5.45am, we were submitted to a severe shelling, concurrently with a gas attack delivered on our left. Private Dewar and another man were standing speaking to one of my officers. A shell burst amongst them, and Private Dewar and the other man were killed, the officer having his right arm blown off. I regret the casualty very much, as Private Dewar was a most promising man and one who gave no trouble, and was of exemplary conduct.’ Casualties were recorded as ‘4 killed, 1 wounded, 1 missing. One officer wounded.’ 12365 Private Thomas Lynch, 12th Battalion Royal Scots, 27th Infantry Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division. Killed in action 19 December 1915, age 28. Grave Special Memorial H.16. The 1901 Census has him living with his grandparents at 41 Union Street, St Andrews, age 15 and employed as a Jute Preparer. They later moved to 129 Hilltown, Dundee. Son of Thomas and Patricia Lynch, 20 Tobago Street, Calton, Glasgow. He joined the 42nd Foot (Black Watch) Militia in 1902 and was serving in the Territorial Regiment Black Watch as Private 9362. He enlisted in the Royal Scots 24 August 1914 in Dundee listing his trade as a labourer. On 6 May 1915, he was arrested under Section 33 of the Army Act as he was already serving as Private 9362 in the Black Watch when he enlisted in 1914. However, no action was taken and his papers were returned to the Royal Scots. The fourth to be killed on 19 December was 23009 Private Daniel Alderwood Ferguson see Boy Soldiers below.
Highland Light Infantry
1713 Private David Bruce, 10th Battalion Highland Light Infantry, 28th Infantry Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division. Killed in action 26 November 1915. Grave Special Memorial J.5. David was from Dunnichan near Forfar and was unmarried. The Battalion was in the line at Sanctuary Wood and were undertaking trench repairs with the War Diary recording that two men were wounded and subsequently died of their wounds.
King’s Shropshire Light Infantry
16305 Private John Cooper, 7th Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, 8th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Division. Killed in action 16 October 1915, age 18. Grave Special Memorial J.23. Son of Thomas and Hannah Cooper, 61 Homend Street, Ledbury, Herefordshire.
The Battalion was in the line at Sanctuary Wood and Maple Copse and were receiving instruction from 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders. The War Diary records that the Battalion trenches were shelled daily and they record that two men were killed and eight wounded during the period 11 October to 22 October when they were relieved.
Boy Soldiers
In the Ypres Salient, we are drawn to the graves of 6322 Private John Condon, 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, killed in action in May 1915, age 14 and the youngest known battle casualty of the war, although this is now questioned, and the grave of 5750 Valentine Strudwick, 8th Rifle Brigade, killed in action in January 1916, age 15. Strudwicks grave attracts a great deal of attention because of its location at Essex Farm and that locations association with Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae and the poem ‘In Flanders Fields.’ There are many more ‘Boy Soldiers’ buried across the Salient and who are not remembered in the same way and these include three from Falkirk District Private William Jamieson, age 17, Private James Duchart, age 16, and Private Herbert Richmond, age 17, There were many reasons why underage boys enlisted in 1914 and 1915 boredom with their jobs, looking for adventure, and escaping family pressures. The checks on age and qualification to enlist were more relaxed than later in the war. The army preferred younger recruits, there was a history of boy soldiers in the army going back over one hundred years. At Waterloo the army had a number of boy soldiers in their ranks. The army preferred younger recruits as they would follow orders and accept discipline more readily than older men. The boys had a belief in their own indestructibility and were prepared to take more risks. We tend to also forget the number of boys who served in the Royal Navy and we do not seem to have the same passionate response to their service as we do those who fought on the Western Front. With regards to army, the difference was the sheer number who served on the Western Front and there were more boy soldiers in 1915 than served in Wellington’s army at Waterloo. For further reading on this subject I recommend Richard Van Emden’s excellent book Boy Soldiers of the Great War.
There are six boy soldiers buried in Maple Copse Cemetery, three Canadians and three British. Of the six, one is aged 15, and the others are aged 17. Canadian – 478051 Private F Laing, Royal Canadian Regiment. Killed in action 11 May 1916, age 15. Grave Special Memorial C.25. Son of Mrs. M. E. Laing, 193 Beech Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the late Freeman Laing. Frederick’s route into the Canadian forces is certainly an interesting one. The Battalion returned to Canada from Bermuda, from where it had been on service, in August 1915 and after a short leave embarked for England on 25 August. Meanwhile Frederick, who had volunteered and was Private 20265 in the Halifax depot, had stowed away on board, gave himself up to the authorities on board on the 27 August. He was not returned to Canada but rather was placed in ‘A’ Company and underwent training at Shorncliffe until 31 October when they entrained for Southampton and from here to France landing in Boulogne on the evening of 1 November. At this point Frederick was transferred to the 11th Battalion due to his age and he rejoined the Battalion when they were in Camp C at Busseboom in March 1916. From the 25 to 29 March they were in the line at Maple Copse and then after a period of rest were in Zillebeke Dugouts and remained here until 22 April when they went back to Camp E near Brandhoek. While here the Battalion was caught in a German air attack that killed four and wounded thirty, six later died of their wounds. On the 7 May the Battalion went into the line at Maple Copse and Frederick was killed by shell fire on 11 May when at Border Dugouts. 431142 Private Raymond Clifford Burton, Eatons Machine Gun Brigade, 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade. Killed in action 13 June 1916, age 17. Grave Special Memorial J.15. Son of Annie Maude Brown (formerly Burton), 423 Helmcken Street, Victoria, British Columbia, and the late Frank Burton. He had formerly served in the Militia and was employed as a painter before he volunteered on 11 June 1915 listing his date of birth as 24 September 1897. The Brigade was formed in Toronto in July 1915 and later became part of ‘D’ Battery of the 1st Canadian Machine Gun Brigade after reorganisation in August 1916. Eatons was established in Canada by an Irishman from Ballymena, Timothy Eaton, in the 1800s as a department store. It was an institution across Canada. In the First World War 3,327 Eaton men enlisted for military service. Of this number, 2,200 were from the Toronto Store and Factories, 1,101 were from the Winnipeg Store, and 26 from the Foreign Offices. Of the 741 Casualties, 238 were killed in action or died of wounds, 470 were wounded, and 41 taken prisoners of war. Raymond landed in England in July 1915 and was in training at Shorncliffe in Kent. He spent two spells in hospital with venereal disease the last being in January 1916. He went to France on 17 May 1916 and joined the Battalion in the field on 6 June. He died of wounds received on 13 June. 113508 Private Charles Lewis Ratchford, 4th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles Killed in action 23 March 1916, age 17. Grave Special Memorial A.8. Son of Charles and Louisa Ratchford, 70 Seaford Road, West Ealing, London. Charles enlisted on 19 August 1915 when in Peterborough, Ontario and gave his age as 18 and that he was employed as a labourer. He undertook his initial training in Canada and this was continued in England and he joined the Battalion with a reinforcement draft of three hundred men on 8 February 1916. The Battalion was in the line from 19 to 21 February when they went back to rest at Kortepyp Huts were they rested, refitted and visited the Divisional Baths. On the 18 March the Battalion was in Camp B at Brandhoek before they moved to Zillebeke Huts and from here went into the line on 20 March at Sanctuary Wood. Charles was shot and killed by a sniper on 23 March 1916. The pain of his loss is shown in his mother’s inscription on his headstone
SLEEP ON MY LOVELY BOY SO BRAVE MOTHER'S THOUGHTS ARE EVER AT THY GRAVE
British – 23009 Private Daniel Alderwood Ferguson, 12th Battalion Royal Scots, 27th Infantry Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division. Killed in action 19 December 1915, age 17. Grave Special Memorial H.17. Son of John and Rosa Ferguson, Glenkinchie, Pencaitland, East Lothian. He went to France with a draft on 2 October 1915 and joined them in the field near Zillebeke. During November and December the Battalion was in and out of the line at Sanctuary Wood with the Battalion opposite the German position known as the Bird Cage which was some twenty yards from the British line. The War Diary records that on the 19 December the Germans shelled Battalion HQ and the south edge of Sanctuary Wood with 4.5’s however little damage was done to the Battalion trenches. Casualties were recorded as ‘4 killed, 1 wounded, 1 missing. One officer wounded.’ Daniel was one of the killed. 18360 Private Joseph William Lumsdon, ‘B’ Company 9th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), 27th Infantry Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division. Killed in action 26 November 1915, age 17. Grave Special Memorial H.14. Son of William and Sarah Elizabeth Lumsdon, 65 Craddock Street, Spennymoor, County Durham. He went to France with a draft on 27 July 1915 and joined the Battalion in the field at Festubert. He took part in the Battle of Loos in September 1915 when the Division and the Battalion had heavy casualties. They were relieved on 29 September and went to Ypres sector. On the 26 November the Battalion was in the line at Sanctuary Wood with the War Diary recording that at about 3.30pm the Germans shelled the support trenches with over sixty 7.7cm H.E. shells that resulted in two casualties one of whom was Joseph. The War Diary also recorded that Maple Copse was heavily shelled. 1251 Driver John Wilfred Randles, 6th Staffordshire Battery, 3rd North Midland Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. Killed in action 13 July 1915, age 17. Grave Special Memorial B.17. Son of George and Emma Randles, 18 Railway Street, Stafford. He enlisted shortly after the war was declared and went to France in February 1915. He was killed by counter battery fire.
Location of the Cemetery
Maple Copse Cemetery is located 5 Kms south-east of Ieper town centre, a road leading from the Meenseweg (N8), connecting Ieper to Menen. From Ieper town centre the Meenseweg is located via Torhoutstraat and right onto Basculestraat. Basculestraat ends at a main cross roads, directly over which begins the Meenseweg. 2.5 Kms along the Meenseweg shortly after Birr Cross Roads Cemetery, lies the right hand turning onto Wulvestraat. 1 Km along the Wulvestraat is the left hand turning onto Schachteweidestraat. The cemetery itself is located 2 Kms along the Schachteweidestraat on the right hand side of the road.
The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens
Burials
The burials in the original cemetery were destroyed during the fighting of June 1916 and later fighting. Burials took place both before and after the Battle of Mount Sorrell. Today, the cemetery contains three hundred and nine burials and commemorations of WW1. Of the seventy-eight burials that could be located, only twenty-six could be identified and special memorials commemorate two hundred and thirty graves within the cemetery that had been destroyed.
UK – 115
Canadian – 143
Unnamed – 40 UK & 12 Canadian Special Memorials - 230
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