RENINGHELST NEW MILITARY CEMETERY

Reninghelst New Military Cemetery. Authors image

The village of Reninghelst never fell to the Germans and was the location for many Field Ambulances. The cemetery was opened in November 1915, after the Churchyard and Extension could no longer cope with the number of dead from the surrounding Field Ambulances. The area was the location for many gun positions and the dead in the cemetery reflect this with 275 men from artillery units.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

Cemetery Location

Reninghelst New Military Cemetery is located 9.5 Kms south west of Ieper (formerly Ypres) town centre, in the village of Reningelst (formerly Reninghelst), on a road leading from the N308 Poperingseweg. From Ieper town centre the Poperingseweg (N308), is reached via Elverdingsestraat then directly over two small roundabouts in the J. Capronstraat. The Poperingseweg is a continuation of the J. Capronstraat and begins after a prominent railway level crossing. On reaching the main crossroads in the village of Vlamertinge take the left hand turning onto the Bellestraat. After crossing the N38 Ieper Poperinge road, the village of Reningelst lies 6 Kms beyond Vlamertinge. On reaching the village, turn right onto the Zevekotestraatand continue to the Reningelstplein where the churchyard is clearly visible. The Baljuwstraat leads from the Reningelstplein and the cemetery is 500 metres along this road on the left hand side.

Shot at Dawn

There are three men buried here who were shot at dawn.

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1731 Private Robert Loveless Barker, Age 21, Grave II.E.15 1/6th (London Rifles) Londons, 140th Brigade, 47th (2nd London) Division. He was already under a suspended sentence of death. He was charged with cowardice after his battalion was almost annihilated during the Battle of Flers - Courcelette on the Somme. The battalion went the attack in four waves and suffered heavy losses and the remnants of the battalion, two officers and 100 men occupied a position known as the ‘Cough Drop’. They remained in the front line for five days and events were too much for Barker who was charged with cowardice. He was court martialled when the remnants of his battalion moved to the Salient. It took 36 days for his sentence to be confirmed by Sir Douglas Haig. He was executed on 4 November 1916.

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683458 Private Frederick Loader, Grave III.B.14 1/22nd (The Queen’s) Londons, 142nd Brigade, 47th (2nd London) Division. There is little known about he life of Frederick Loader before he was conscripted in 1916 other than that he was born in London between 1897 and 1898, he was small in stature, and had very poor eyesight that meant he had to wear spectacles. He was already under a suspended sentence of death from a previous charge of desertion. On 6 June 1917, his Battalion was in the line at the Bluff and preparing for the opening assault of the Battle of Messines on 7 June. Sometime during the evening of 6 June he deserted. He was defended at his FGCM in Poperinghe on 3 July by an experienced 'prisoner's friend' in an officer from his Battalion 2nd Lieutenant Alexander Paterson who himself had lived and worked in working class communities in the East End before he enlisted, initially refusing a commission. The decision, on 10 July, was ten years penal servitude postponed until after the war. Loader was bullied, derided, and ridiculed by those in his company, they had given him the nickname of 'Fritz' and he had no real friends. On the occasion of his second desertion a few days after his trial, he had gone to the canteen to get cigarettes and things from the canteen being asked by others to get them these items. Had he not returned with the items or the money he would have received rough treatment from them. He deserted again and was caught near Abeele. He was tried again at a FGCM, again defended by Paterson. There was no mercy. He was executed on Sunday 19 August 1917 at 4.40am.

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204455 Private William Smith, Age 20, Grave IV.B.28 Son of Robert and Ada Smith, of 16 Lord Street., Pendleton, Manchester. 3/5th Lancashire Fusiliers, 197th Brigade, 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division. He deserted with two others, Private Brookes and North, during the Battle of Poelcappelle on 4 October 1917. They gave themselves up three days later at one of the Channel ports however, Smith was the only one to be executed. He faced a firing squad from his own battalion. He was shot at dawn on 14 November 1917. His execution was witnessed by Pastor Achiel Van Walleghem who recorded in his diary 'In the morning an English soldier is shot against the convent wall here (Reninghelst) for refusing to go into the trenches. It was his own comrades who were appointed to the firing squad. Many of the soldiers have already spoken of how painful this is to them. Some of them weep with remorse.' Quoted from '1917 The Passchendaele Year, The British Army in Flanders. The Diary of Achiel Van Walleghem' Why Smith was singled out is unknown. As for Brookes and North, they were kept waiting for 12 days to find out their fate which was that both their death sentences had been commuted to 15 years’ penal servitude suspended.