Books photos about executed POWS June 1944

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally posted by Vets Dottir
Pauline, your Uncle Alfie and my Uncle Ed are at rest in the same section at Beny Sur Mer Cemetery. In the photo of the cemetery plan, the lowest far right corner is where both our Uncle's are.

My Uncles grave is X111. F. 10
Alfies grave is X111. F. 09

I don't know if the "09" and "10" mean "row" or "grave number". If grave number, then your Uncle is right next to mine! Geoff should be able to tell us whether they mean row or grave number, as he was there and visited my Uncles gravesite. I hope he'll jump in here and comment

They are indeed buried side-by-side. Section XIII (13), Row F, Graves 9 & 10.

Just an aside, but every effort was made to bury the Fallen with other members of their regiments; this was comparatively easy when the bodies were recovered from the immediate area of a single action, but bodies moved from other, temporary burial locations were usually reinterred on a space-available basis. Smith and Peterson's remains would have been recovered at the same time with other such victims, hence their relative locations.

And yes, Pauline, it's almost guaranteed that they knew each other, although how well is anyone's guess. The Regiment was one large family.