Nine Elms British Cemetery
- Admin
- Apr 19, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 24
The cemetery was begun and used by the 3rd Australian and 44th Casualty Clearing Stations when they moved to Poperinghe (now Poperinge), from Brandhoek and Lijssenthoek respectively, in September 1917. Nearly all the burials in Plots I to IX came from these Casualty Clearing Stations, whilst they operated in this area during the 1917 Battle of Ypres, up until December 1917. Plots X, XI, XIII, XIV and XV cover the dates between the beginning of March 1918 and the 12th October 1918, the period of the German offensive in Flanders, the British counter attacks and the final advance of August-September. The burials in these cases were carried out almost entirely by fighting units.
Lieutenant Colonel Alex Graham Scougal M.C., Commanding 17th Battalion Royal Scots (Rosebery’s Bantams), 106th Infantry Brigade, 35th Division. Killed 18 September 1918, age 30. Grave XV.C.25. Son of Andrew E. Scougal (H.M. Senior Chief Inspector of Training Colleges, Scotland), and Mrs. A. H. Scougal, 47 Braid Avenue, Edinburgh. The 17th Battalion Royal Scots was a Bantam Battalion and he was Battalion Commanding Officer, a Major acting as Lieutenant Colonel. By the 5th September the 35th Division had relieved the 30th American Division on the front Voormezeele - Zillebeke with 35th Divisional HQ located at Vogeltji Convent near Chateau Lovie north of Poperinghe. On the 16th September the 17th Royal Scots were in the line, the 106th Brigade now holding the whole divisional line. The Germans were engaged in artillery activity and during one of these bombardments Lieutenant Colonel Alec G Scougal MC was killed when being carried on a stretcher by Bo’ness man Private William Easton and Private David Torrance from Newmilns, Ayrshire, also killed. The incident was recounted in a letter by the Battalion Chaplain to William Easton’s wife, ‘You will probably have heard by now of your husband’s death… Our Colonel was wounded and your husband was carrying him in a stretcher along with another soldier, when a shell came over and killed all three…’ The three men are buried next to each other.
Bantam Battalions
The 17th Battalion Royal Scots was a Bantam Battalion. The War Office attempted to assert some form of control over the recruiting process by implementing new height requirements for those enlisting. The limit had previously been 5ft 3in on 8 August and this was raised to 5ft 6in. The age limit was also raised from nineteen to thirty years to a new upper limit of thirty five years. This change resulted in 10,000 men being rejected on arrival at their units and it is clear this had an effect on recruitment. In October the War Office lowered the height limit to 5ft 4in and further extended the age limit to thirty-eight years, and for former soldiers to forty-five years. In November, they dropped the height again this time to 5ft 3in and in July 1915 to 5ft 2in and extended the age limit to forty years. The first Bantam battalions began to appear in November 1914, one of which was the 17th Battalion, Royal Scots which was also one of the seven ’Pals’ Battalions recruited in Scotland.
Evacuating the Wounded and the hospital network
Read more here
2nd Battalion, Canadian Railway Troops
Buried in the cemetery is 1081351 Sergeant Walter James Hyett, 2nd Battalion, Canadian Railway Troops. Age 37. He was wounded by enemy shell fire and died of his wounds on 8 November 1917. Grave VIII.E.23. He was the husband of Eva Agnes Hyett, of Wiveliscombe, Somerset. He was a member of ‘D’ Company, 2nd Battalion, Canadian Railway Troops, they, and a party from the K.O.Y.L.I., were engaged in ditching work on the line known as Y8 to Pommern line when they were shelled. The battalion history records: ‘… Sgt W.J. Hyett was killed and Sprs. H. Siegel and O.G. Wright wounded, while the K.O.Y.L.I. had three other ranks killed and five wounded. The party was taken off for the rest of the shift. Sgt. Hyett was buried in the afternoon at the British Military Cemetery at Nine Elms with military honours.
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 seven Boy Soldiers buried here. One aged 15, two aged 16, and four aged 17. - 832241 Private Clifford Robinson Oulton, 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion. Died 1 November 1917, age 15. Grave VIII.F.15. Son of Dora and the late George Oulton, Coverdale, Albert Co., New Brunswick. 50273 Rifleman Edward J Lindow, 1st/5th Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire) Regiment. Died 19 September 1917, age 16. Grave I.A.10. Adopted son of Edward and Annie Evans, of 3, Adelaide Place, Bute Docks, Cardiff. 715500 Private Robert Routledge, Royal Canadian Regiment. Died 19 November 1917, age 16. Grave IX.F.3. He was an American citizen who volunteered to fight in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Son of Harry Routledge, of Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A. 302534 Private John Jones DCM, 2nd/8th Battalion Manchester Regiment. Died of wounds 13 October 1917, age 17. Grave V.B.17. Son of William and Margaret Jones, Gwalchmai, Cerrigydruidion, Anglesey, North Wales. 2025179 Private Willard Perry Simpson, 47th Battalion Canadian Infantry. Died of wounds 30 October 1917, age 17. Grave VIII.A.5. He served under an alias of Sutherland. Son of John C. Simpson, 273, Graham Avenue, Winnipeg. Born Climax Springs, Camden County, Missouri, U.S.A. 46471 Private Francis Sweeney, 6th Battalion Connaught Rangers. Died of wounds 16 October 1917, age 17. Grave IV.C.11. Son of John and Mary Sweeney, of Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo. He was transferred to the Labour Corps 421297 188th Company, Labour Corps. In 1919 it was decided that the headstone of a member of the Labour Corps, who previously served in any other unit, should record his connection with his previous regiment. 12290 Private Jack Lawther, 'A' Company, 1st Regiment, South African Infantry. Died of wounds 20 September 1917, age 17. Grave I.B.4. Son of Mr. J. and Mrs. E. Lawther, of Belfast, Ireland.
Shot at Dawn
There are two men buried here who were shot at dawn. 265427 Private John McFarlane, 4th Battalion, The King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, 98th Brigade, 33rd Division. Age 27. Shot for desertion on 22 May 1918. Grave XI.A.2 The son of William and Margaret McFarlane, of 14, Gerard Street, Byrom Street, Liverpool. 11682 Private Joseph Nisbet, 1st Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, 71st Brigade, 6th Division. Grave XV.C.21 He was already under a suspended sentence of death for a previous desertion attempt. He deserted again and was shot on 23 August 1918. Read more about the Shot at Dawn buried or commemorated in the Salient
Dugouts and Bunkers
American: Nine Elms Bunker. This bunker is located some 500 metres west of Nine Elms British Cemetery. This was built by the 105th Engineers, US 30th Division and it formed part of the West Poperinge Line defence system. Read more here
FALKIRK AND DISTRICT MEN BURIED HERE
There are six men buried here
Falkirk
1st Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
26.3.18
XIII.D.17
Camelon
75th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
Age 21
1.5.18
XI.B.7
Son of Robert & Isabella Dickson Cruickshanks, Summerford
2nd Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
Age 33
2.4.18
XIV.B.15
Husband of Jeanie McNaught, 31 Sunnyside Street
Slamannan
174326 Gunner Malcolm John Campbell
352 Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery
Age 19
14.10.17
V.F.4
Son of Malcolm & Christina Campbell, late of Treasland, Skye
Grangemouth
16th Company, 1st Battalion Auckland Regiment, NZEF
Age 24
5.10.17
II.C.6
Son of William and Helen Clark
Bo’ness
17th Battalion, Royal Scots
Age 36
18.9.18
XV.C.24
Husband of Elizabeth Easton & they had one child. Kirkwoods Close, North Street, Bo’ness
The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.
Cemetery Location
Nine Elms British Cemetery is located west of Poperinge on the Helleketelweg, a road leading from the N33 Poperinge ring road. From Ieper follow the signs to Poperinge. At the traffic lights at the end of the expressway turn left onto the Poperinge ring road, the Europalaan. Follow the ring road to the roundabout and take the second exit. At the next roundabout take the second exit, follow the ring road and take the first turning on the left, the Helleketelweg. The cemetery is along here on the left. There is a German Plot containing the graves of prisoners of war who died from September 1917 to March 1918.
Burials
The cemetery contains 1,556 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 37 German war graves from this period. There are also 22 Second World War burials in the cemetery, all dating from the Allied retreat to Dunkirk in 1940.
UK – 955
Australian – 149
New Zealand – 118
Canadian – 289
New Foundland – 7
South African – 26
British West Indies – 2
Bermuda – 1
India – 1
Guernsey – 8
German – 37
There are 22 World War Two graves.
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