18th (Service)
Bn
The XX Lancashire Fusiliers (2nd South-East Lancashire) |
Lieutenant G Hurst - Greaves
serving with the 18th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, and seated on his charger Pickles , dated Oct 1915. |
Private Tom Hamilton Stansfield
18th Lancashire Fusiliers. Private Tom H. Stansfield, of the Lancashire Fusiliers,
was killed in action on March 26th, 1918 Private Stansfield has no known grave, and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France. |
A rededication ceremony was yesterday(25 July 2017)held
at Commonwealth War Graves Commission Harlebeke New British Cemetery,
#Belgium for a First World War servicemen.
2nd Lieutenant Bertie Swallow was attached to the 18th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers when he was wounded and died on 31 October 1918. When the remains of an unknown officer of the Lancashire Fusiliers were uncovered, they were found buried very close to 13 other soldiers of the 18th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers who were all known to have died on 31 October. There were 79 Lancashire Fusiliers officers who are
listed as missing on memorials in Belgium. Of these 79, only
2 Lt Swallow died on or after 31 October 1918. As 2 Lt Swallow is the
only officer listed as missing on/after this date, it was concluded that
he lies in Plot ii.A.11 of Harlebeke New British Cemetery 2Lt Swallow, of 18th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers was killed in action leading his platoon into an attack following the Battle of Courtrai on 31st October 1918 near the Belgian village of Kloosterhoek. When his remains were exhumed from the battlefield in the early 1920s they were identified only as an Unknown Officer of the Lancashire Fusiliers. Joint research undertaken by an Australian historian and the MOD took into account the location in which these were found, and indicated by a process of elimination the remains could only be those of 2Lt Swallow. Of the 32 other officers and soldiers of 18th Lancashire Fusiliers who died that day, thirteen rest alongside him in Harelbeke. His new headstone, which has formally identified him for the first time in almost 99 years, was installed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and will commemorate his final resting place in perpetuity. Bertie Swallow was aged 33 when he lost his life. Originally born in Leeds, he lived in Blackpool and was employed as a Bank Clerk prior to joining up. He had served for two years on the Salonika front prior to commissioning into the Lancashire Fusiliers. He had only been with the 18th Battalion for a matter of days prior to his death. He left behind his wife Katherine. Lest we Forget. #OAFAAF
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