Pond Farm Cemetery
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Pond Farm Cemetery, CWGC, Wulverghem (now Wulvergem), Ypres. Pond Farm was in the fields about 800 metres East of Packhorse Farm, and close to Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery, and on the North-West side of Pond Farm is the Cemetery. The cemetery was begun by the 3rd Rifle Brigade and the 8th Battalion The Buffs in July 1916 and it was used by fighting units and field ambulances until October 1917. Further burials were made in April and September 1918. Wulverghem (now Wulvergem) was the scene of a German gas attack on the night of 29-30 April 1916 which was repulsed by the 3rd and 24th Divisions. The village was captured by the Germans on 14 April 1918 and reoccupied by the 30th Division on the following 2 September.
Wulverghem (now Wulvergem)
There was a dressing station in the estimanet on the corner of the junction of the Neuve Eglise to Lindenhoek Road, the estimanet is still there today on the corner. Captain Henry Owens, a medical officer with the 3rd Cavalry Field Ambulance, 1st Cavalry Division records in his diary for 23 October 1914: ‘Hacked over with Irwin and Ward to the dressing station at Wulverghem…. Only 5 or 6 slight cases. Slept at Wulverghem.’ He was still there on 25 October when his unit got orders to move south with the 2nd Cavalry Brigade however, he was back in Wulverghem on 31 October writing in his diary ‘..About 12 went out to the Advanced Dressing Station at Wulverghem. Sent on a good many Indian troops.’ On 1 November he was sitting with his Field Ambulance on the Wulverghem to Neuve Eglise road and noted in his diary ‘..Began shelling Wulverghem just as they were coming through (this was some of his unit that had gone up to Messines to collect some wounded) Our men holding a line about half a mile beyond Wulverghem (towards Messines).’ He was back in the area in October 1917 and recorded in his diary: ‘One day I walked down to Wulverghem with Fry, the village where we had a dressing station on 1st November 1914 in a little estimanet. The pave road was still there, more or less intact, but every trace of the village and the houses had vanished. A few little bits of the walls of the church were still there and a few tombstones. I noticed a cross put up to Captain Macarthur-Onslow (16th Lancers), killed on 5th November 1914.’ This was Captain Arthur William Macarthur-Onslow, 16th (The Queen’s Lancers), killed in action on 5 November 1914, age 37. He is buried in Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery Grave III.C.4.
Pond Farm Cemetery, CWGC, Ypres is a short distance along the road from the Kruisstraat and Spanbroekmolen mine craters. On the 7 June 1917 the British Second Army launched its attack along the Messines Ridge with the detonation of nineteen mines comprised of one million pounds of ammonal explosive beneath the German defenders. The Battle of Messines was the most effective integration of mines with an infantry attack that was supported by an artillery barrage which stupefied the German defenders. The overall objectives of the British Second Army attack were to seize the villages of Wytschaete and Messines and to move beyond them to establish a line, the Black Line, just over the crest of the ridge. The first phase would see nine divisions move forward and had a series of subsidiary objectives to take supported by the fire of the artillery that lifted and moved forward at a precise time.
Royal Engineers
There are ten men from the Royal Engineers buried here. I have selected four.
Two Tunnellers from 171 tunnelling Company. This Company was formed in early 1915, they worked in the Ypres sector, their locations covered Spanbroekmolen, Ontario Farm, Petite Douve Farm (lost to German counter mining in August 1916), and Hill 60. They were Involved in mining preparations for the Spanbroekmolen and Kruisstraat mines. 104977 Sapper Tom Charnell, 171st Tunnelling Company. Killed in action 28 October 1916, age 37 Grave D.9. He was married to Emily and they lived with their daughter Ada at 19A Coshill Street, Atherstoue, Warwickshire. He was employed as a Miner when he enlisted on 10 August 1915 in the Royal Engineers with the rank of Sapper. He received an extra two pence per day as a Tunnellers Mate. He joined 171 Company on 27 August 1915. On the 28 October 1916, the Company were working on a Russian Sap at trench F4, this is a tunnel dug at a shallow depth towards an enemy position and allows attacking infantry to approach without being detected. The tunnel is opened and allows the infantry to attack the position at a comparatively short range. Tom was killed during this operation. 136286 Sapper John Thomas Swallow, 171st Tunnelling Company, Killed in action 25 April 1917, age 30. Grave M.12. Son of Henry and Emma Swallow, 36 Mexborough Road, Rotherham. The War Diary records that: ‘3 R&F died of Gas Poisoning, 2 R&F Wounded. 1 R&F Wounded died of wounds same date.’ John’s death is recorded in his records as died of wounds.
Chemical Warfare Pioneers
‘K’ Special Company was part of the 3rd Battalion, Special Brigade Royal Engineers, formed in January 1916 for chemical warfare during WWI. As a ‘cylinder company,’ it specialized in launching gas attacks. From 1917, they were equipped with the Livens Projector, a crude but effective mortar which fired chemical ammunition and oil bombs. The attack on 31 July 1917, the opening day of the Third Battle of Ypres, by the 51st
(Highland) Division at Hill Top Ridge was supported by Livens Projectors firing oil bombs. The company operated gas cylinders and later Livens Projectors to dispense chemical ammunition and oil bombs. Part of the reorganisation of gas services into the Special Brigade in January 1916. The 3rd Battalion consisted of J, K, L, and M Companies.
Often manned by soldiers transferred from infantry units. K Special Company was generally known to consist of sections 55 to 60. Read more about Gas and Chemical Warfare On the night of the 8/9 October 1916, ‘K’ Company were in the trench area held by the 36th Division and at 1.30am discharged gas cylinders containing ‘White Star’, this was a Phosgene-Chlorine mixture, towards the German trenches. The valves were open for 15 minutes and closed at 1.45am and raiding parties were to enter the German trenches. The raid was made by two officers and 15 men of the 10th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles with an NCO and pioneer of ‘K’ Company included. Three prisoners were taken and they were brought back by the two ‘K’ Company men. The War Diary records that the casualties were ‘2 men of the Special Company killed.’ The circumstances of how they died was not explained. 130251 Pioneer John Creswell, ‘K’ Company, 3rd Battalion, Special Brigade, Royal Engineers. Killed in action 8 October 1916, age 24. Grave A.9. Son of Andrew and Elizabeth Creswell, 33 Windmill Terrace, Londonderry. His brother William James also served. 113389 Corporal Stanley Hendrie Woods, ‘K’ Company, 3rd Battalion, Special Brigade, Royal Engineers. Killed in action 9 October 1916, age 21. Grave A.10. Son of Ellen Elizabeth Woods, 43 Blandford Square, Harewood Avenue, Marylebone, London.
10th Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment, 63rd Infantry Brigade, 37th Division
There are seventeen men from the Regiment buried here. Two men were killed in action on 17 July 1917. On this day the Battalion was occupying trenches east of Wytschaete with the 8th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry to their left and an Australian Battalion on their right. The War Diary records: ‘A Coy relieved B Coy in front line. Lt J Corban killed.’ There is no mention of Other Rank casualties. Lieutenant Joseph Corban, Killed in action 17 July 1917. Grave J.5. His sister Mary Corban, 28 Castle Street, Blackburn, was his next of kin. He was a regular serving with the 1st Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps as a Sergeant and then as Acting Warrant Officer. He was commissioned from the ranks and gazetted a Second Lieutenant and posted to the 10th Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment.
31979 Private Thomas Henry Elder, Killed in action 17 July 1917, age 25. Grave K.3. Son of James and Julia Elder, of Hunslet, Leeds.
Artillery
‘Y’ Company 37th Trench Mortar Battery, Royal Field Artillery, 37th Division. The ‘Y’ prefix denotes that this was a medium trench mortar battery. Each infantry division had three Medium Trench Mortar Batteries, which carried the divisional number prefixed X/, Y/ and Z/. So, X/37, Y/37 and Z/37 were all in 37th Division. Lieutenant Frederick Arthur Newman, Mentioned in Despatches, attached ‘Y’ Company 37th Trench Mortar Battery, Royal Field Artillery, 37th Division. Killed in action 31 July 1917, age 24. Grave D.5. Son of Frank B. and Esther Newman, of Lewisham, London. The Battery was east of Wytschaete in the Wambeke area and were shelling the German positions around Rifle Farm and Beek Farm. The War Diary records: ‘1pm Lieut F A Newton (OC Y/37) shot through the head by rifle or MG bullet.’
7th Battalion Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians), 47th Infantry Brigade, 16th (Irish) Division.
The Leinsters home depot was Birr Barracks in Birr and the Regiment recruited mainly in the County of Leinster, Ireland. After Irish independence the Regiment was disbanded. Birr Crossroads Cemetery on the Menin Road was named by the 1st Battalion Leinsters, after their depot in Ireland, when they occupied this area in 1915. There are twenty five men from the Leinster Regiment buried at Pond Farm Cemetery. Listed here are a selection from the ten men from the 7th Battalion killed in action. One man killed on 7
March 1917 and four men killed on 8 March 1917. Second William Nagle Creagh, 7th Battalion, Killed in action 7 March, age 36. Grave K.15. Son of William and Emma Creagh, of Mallow, Co. Cork. He was married to Christina and they lived at 3 Cornwall Terrace, Regent's Park, London. The CWGC record incorrectly lists him as 3rd Battalion. The Battalion was in the line in front of Spanbroekmolen having relieved the 1st Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers in the right sub section. The War Diary records what happened to William: ‘2nd Lt W Creag was severely wounded on the morning of the 7th at 4am & died at 7am. He was buried that day at 5pm at Pond Farm.’ On the 8 March the Battalion front line positions were heavily shelled from 3.30pm until 6pm and then with salvoes every quarter of an hour until 3am. The War Diary records: ‘Captain G.A. Read was killed on this day. Total casualties 1 officer (Captain Read) & 11 Other Ranks killed and 22 Other Ranks wounded. One of these has since died.’ Captain George Averil Read, 7th Battalion attached 11th Battalion, Killed in action 8 March 1917, age 30. Grave K.14. Son of Turner O. and Emily M. Read, of Dungar, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary. The CWGC record incorrectly lists him as 3rd Battalion. 5247 Corporal Patrick Daly, ‘B’ Company, 7th Battalion, Killed in action 8 March 1917, age 25. Grave K.8. Son of John and Margaret Daly, of Gaulmilestown, Knockdrin, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. 1655 Serjeant WJP Morgan, Killed in action 8 March 1917, age Grave K.9. 5147 Corporal Michael Hickey, 7th Battalion, Killed in action 8 March 1917, age 22. Grave K.10. Son of John and Johanna Hickey, 7 St. Mary's Place, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Location
Pond Farm Cemetery is located south-west of Ieper near the village of Wulvergem. From Ieper town centre follow the Rijselstraat to the roundabout at the ring road; go straight over the roundabout and follow direction for Armentieres. In the next village at the roundabout bear right in the direction of Mesen. Follow the main road straight through Wijtschate and onto Mesen. On reaching the village of Mesen, turn right at the crossroads in the direction of Wulvergem. At the crossroads in Wulvergem by the church turn right in the direction of Wijtschate. Follow this road for a short distance then take the first turning left into Vrooilandstraat. The cemetery is along here on the left.
The cemetery was designed by Charles Holden.
Burials
There are now 297 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery, including special memorials to three casualties of the 1st/7th Battalion, Cheshires, buried here early in September 1918, whose graves could not be found. The cemetery also contains five German war graves.
UK – 293
Unnamed – 4
German - 5
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