Westoutre Churchyard and Extension
- Admin
- Jun 21, 2021
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 7
Westoutre Churchyard and Extension Cemetery, CWGC, is located in the village of Westoutre (now Westouter) which remained in Allied hands from the early months of the First World War to the Armistice. There were many camps in the area as this was predominantly a rest area. From the summer of 1918, after the Battles of the Lys, it was within 2.4 Kms of the front line. During First Ypres the 1st Battalion Black Watch had played their part in the fighting north of Langemark and on 24 October they were relieved by French troops near Kortekeer Cabaret. They headed south to the fighting on the Menin Road and to their stand at Nonne Bosschen and what became known as Black Watch Corner. On the 15 November 1914 as part of 1st Brigade they spent time in the peaceful village of Westoutre taking in much needed reinforcements, welcoming 300 men as replacements. The 3rd Division also spent time in Westoutre after First Ypres arriving in the village on 21 November. Billy Congreve recorded in his diary: ‘At last we are being relieved – by the French – and go off to rest and get up to strength again. I believe we go to Westoutre, half-way to Bailleul.’ The 3rd Division were in the village for four days resting and recuperating and they had their headquarters in the Mont Noir Chateau with the command post located on the Scherpenberg. He wrote: ‘We are going to keep the chateau as our night headquarters and use the Scherpenberg Hill as a day headquarters. This latter is a high conical hill with a windmill and farm on top of it, and one gets an excellent view of Wytschaete, Messines and Ypres. On a real clear day, one can even see as far as the sea somewhere near Ostend.’ The Royal Irish Rifles were in
billets in Westoutre in January 1915 and in his diary Gerald Burgoyne, Royal Irish Rifles, wrote about the church in Westoutre being used as a billet: ‘..It’s different when troops have to be billeted in a Church, as at West Outre, but even that I believe is unnecessary. Our RC Chaplain had to stop men billeted there smoking during Mass, which he says in the Chancel..’ He also recorded in his diary of two spies being caught in Westoutre: ‘Yesterday two spies were caught in West Outre, one in a sort of khaki uniform, and six spies were caught in Kemmel last week.’ The Westoutre Churchyard and Extension, CWGC, was used by field ambulances and fighting units at intervals from November 1914 to September 1918. The two plots of this cemetery are separated by a few yards, making them almost indistinguishable. Plot I contains twelve British burials and four Canadians and Plot II is the Extension.
Royal Engineers
Two men from 225th Field Company, 39th Division, one is a Falkirk District Man.
The Company was repairing dugouts on the Knoll Road near Hill 60. They were subjected to heavy shelling on route which resulted in casualties.
165193 Sapper David Jones, 225th Field Company, Killed in action 24 September 1917, age 36. Grave II.D.10. Son of Hugh and Elizabeth Jones, 3 Railway Terrace, Colwyn Bay; He was married to Catherine Jones, of "Oaklea", 27 Highfield Road, Colwyn Bay.
FALKIRK AND DISTRICT MEN BURIED HERE
Bonnybridge
225th Field Company, Royal Engineers
Age 34
24.9.17
II.D.9
Son of Robert & Mary Graham
170110 Sapper Albert (Bert) Boswell, 227th Field Company, 39th Division. Died of wounds 25 September 1917, age 30, Grave II.E.8. He was unmarried and listed his unmarried sister Agnes as his next of kin and she resided at 29 Bouverie Street, Northampton. The 1911 census records him working as a stone mason and living in a boarding house. On the 24 September 1917, No.’s 1 and 4 Sections of the Company, two officers and 35 Other Ranks attached from the infantry, left Spoil Bank and went out to work on a strong point at Tower Hamlets on the Gheluvelt plateau, this was during the phase of the Third Battle of Ypres known as the Battle of the Menin Road. On the way they ran into a barrage which lasted 45 minutes. One man, 107941 Sapper Shaw, was killed, and Albert was listed as wounded. On the 25 September the War Diary recorded: ‘…170110 Spr Boswell. A died of wounds at the Field Ambulance.’
Killed in Motor Cycle Accident
32016 Corporal Ivor Merlin Mead, 47th (1/2nd London) Signal Company HQ, 47th (London) Division. Killed in action 30 May 1917, age 33. Grave II.A.14. Son of John and Josephine Mead, Falmouth, Cornwall. He was employed as a Clerk when he enlisted on 8 September 1914. He held a qualification of ‘Motor Cyclist’ and joined the 47th Signal Company on 11 July 1915 with the rank of Corporal. He was killed in a motor cycle accident on 30 May 1917.
Suffolk Regiment
Major Henry Evan Thomas attached 25th Battalion (Tyneside Irish) Northumberland Fusiliers, 102nd Infantry Brigade, 34th Division. Killed in action 18 April 1918, age 39. Grave II.G.3. One of two sons and two daughters of Dr. John Lewis Thomas and Fanny Louisa Thomas, of Harefield, Bitterne, Hants. She was his second wife they married in 1901, his first wife Clara died in 1891. Henry was commissioned Second Lieutenant on 17 February 1900 and joined the 4th Suffolk Regiment and was later promoted to Lieutenant and then to Captain. He was married to Beatrice Muriel Thomas, her address given at the time was 4 Vereker Road, West Kensington, they married in Fulham on 30 June 1917. Beatrice had joined the QAIMNS as a member of the regular service in 1907. She was serving in Egypt at the outbreak of war, but happened to be in England on leave, and was retained in the UK for service in France - she went out in November 1914. She was in the UK on sick leave in the summer of 1917 when she married Henry Thomas on 30th June. Although marriage was allowed to a certain extent during wartime, that didn't extend to 'regular' members of QAIMNS, who had to get official permission to marry, and were then obliged to resign their permanent position, although allowed to continue to serve on the QAIMNS Reserve for the duration of the war. Beatrice Nye didn't ask permission, and at the end of her sick leave returned to France as though nothing had happened. She continued to serve under her maiden name, and no-one was aware that she had married and she was still working as a 'single woman' in France, at No.24 General Hospital, Etaples. On the 7th June 1918 she was listed as sick, due to debility, and it seems that it was then that her status became common knowledge. She was returned to the UK, and on 11th June she wrote to the Matron-in-Chief: ‘Madam, I beg to inform you that I was married to Major H. E. Thomas, Suffolk Regiment, June 30th 1917, and have recently received news that he was killed in action last April 18th. I much regretted asking your permission to marry at the time, but there were reasons over which I had no control, which prevented me from doing so. I know I have committed a great breach of discipline, but I assure you that under the circumstances it was quite unavoidable.’ She resigned on 18 December 1918 and retired to Bayfield House, Shanklin, Isle of Wight, she never remarried. She was granted the rare honour of being allowed to retain her silver service badge after twelve years’ service - usually reserved for those women serving in excess of twenty years. Henry’s brother, Richard, age 37, was a Captain serving with the Welsh Horse Yeomanry and was Assistant Provost-Marshal of 54th Division. He was killed in action on 21 August 1917 and is buried in Deir El Belah War Cemetery, Grave A.234. On the 18 April 1918 the Battalion was in the line at the junction of the Mont Noir – Bailleul Road. The Germans shelled their positions intermittently throughout the day and low flying enemy aircraft machine gunned their lines.
Tank Corps
‘A’ Company, Heavy Branch Machine Gun Corps, the forerunner of the 1st Battalion, was formed under Major C M Tippetts, South Wales Borderers, at Elvesdon, Norfolk and moved under his command to France in October 1916. At the end of the year the expanded Company became ‘A’ Battalion. For his gallantry at Ypres in October 1917 Captain C Robertson was posthumously awarded the first Victoria Cross for the Tank Corps. 'A' Battalion, attached to the 4th Tank Brigade, was heavily involved in the operations around Poelkapelle in October 1917. 95104 Gunner William Tyrie, Killed in action 1 October 1917, age 20. Grave II.F.15. Son of James and Margaret Tyrie, 17 North Street, Forfar. 95214 Gunner Albert Myers, ‘A’ Battalion, Killed in action 1 October 1917, age 24. Grave II.F.16. Son of Henry and Mary Ann Myers, 95 Darncombe Street, Moss Side, Manchester. 95685 Gunner Wilfred Rhodes, ‘A’ Battalion, Killed in action 1 October 1917, age Grave II.F.14. Son of William Rhodes, West Street, Alford, Lincolnshire. Wilfred enlisted in the Lincolnshire Regiment and later transferred to the Tank Corps.
Canadian
There are 18 Canadians buried here.
Two men who were part of a working party engaged in trench construction on the afternoon of 8 October in the Petit Bois area and were killed or wounded by the delayed explosion of a dud shell. Private Smith had his right leg blown off, and Corporal Taylor had his left leg blown off. Both men died of their wounds at No.4 Canadian Field Ambulance. 65904 Private Frank Joseph Smith, 24th Battalion (Victoria Rifles), 5th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division. Died of wounds 8 October 1915, age 27. Grave I.B.2. He was married to Anne and they lived at 39 Coursol Street, Montreal. He was employed as a Brakesman when he enlisted on the 10 November 1914. 65963 Corporal George Grant Rutlidge Taylor, 24th Battalion (Victoria Rifles), 5th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division. Died of wounds 8 October 1915, age 26. Grave I.B.1. He was living with his mother, Lilly, at 133 King Street, Kingston, Ontario. He was employed at the Bank of Montreal when he enlisted on the 26 October 1914. 65183 Private Hugh Charles Clendenning, ‘C’ Company, 24th Battalion (Victoria Rifles), 5th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division. Killed in action 29 December 1915, age 22. Grave II.C.5. He was single and living with his parents at 325 Colbroke Avenue, Montreal. He was employed as a Cashier when he enlisted on the 2 November 1914. He spent 12 September 1915 to 4 October 1915 in hospital with VD. While in the front line he was shot by a sniper.
Cemetery Location
Westouter Churchyard and Extension is located 12 Kms south-west of Ieper town centre, on a road leading from the N375 Dikkebusseweg. From Ieper town centre the Dikkebusseweg (N375) is located via Elverdingsestraat, straight over a roundabout onto J.Capronstraat (for 30 metres), then left along M.Fochlaan. Immediately after the train station, the first right hand turning is the Dikkebusseweg. 10 Kms along the Dikkebusseweg after passing through the villages of Dikkebus and De Klijte, lies the right hand turning onto the N315 Sulferbergstraat. 2.5 Kms along the N315 lies the village of Westouter. The churchyard is located in the centre of the village and the Commission plot is located on the far right hand side of the cemetery after entering the site.
Burials
It contains 98 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and three German graves.
UK – 77 (includes 1 unnamed)
Australian – 1
New Zealand – 1
Canadian – 18
German – 1
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