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Images: Courtesy of WW1 Cemeteries
H.A.C. Cemetery, Ecoust-St. Mein
Pas de Calais, France
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"The enemy positions from Doignies to Henin-sur-Cojeul, including the village of Ecoust, were captured on 2 April 1917 by the 4th Australian and 7th Divisions. This cemetery was begun by the 7th Division after the battle, when 27 of the 2nd H.A.C., who fell (with one exception) on the 31st March or the 1st April, were buried in what is now Plot I, Row A. After the German counter-attack near Lagnicourt on the 15th April, twelve Australian gunners were buried in the same row. Rows B, C and part of D were made in August and September 1918, when the ground had been recaptured by the 3rd Division after five months enemy occupation. The 120 graves thus made were the original H.A.C. Cemetery; but after the Armistice graves were added from the battlefields of Bullecourt and Ecoust and from a number of smaller burial grounds, including:-"
- Barastre Communal Cemetery German Extension
which contained 284 German graves, 46 French, and those of 39 soldiers from the United Kingdom, 4 from New Zealand and 1 from Australia
- Bullecourt Churchyard
which contained the graves of 2 airmen from the United Kingdom
- Bullcourt German Cemetery
where 200 German soldiers and 30 from the United Kingdom were buried. Bullecourt was the scene of very fierce fighting from the 3rd to the 17th May 1917, on the 21st March 1918, and on the 31st August and the 1st September 1918.
- Cagnicourt Communal Cemetery German Extension
contained 333 German and 6 Russian graves, 17 soldiers from the United Kingdom and 1 from Australia.
- Croisilles German Cemeteries
contained the graves of 505 German soldiers,1 French, and 11 from the United Kingdom.
- Epinoy Churchyard
contained the graves of 3 airmen from the United Kingdom and 1 from Canada, as well as 136 German graves. The church was destroyed in the War.
- Imperial Cemetery
contained the graves of 10 soldiers and 2 sailors from the United Kingdom and 7 Canadian soldiers, who fell in August-September 1918.
- Inchy-en-Artois Churchyard
contained the grave of one R.N.A.S. officer.
Flight Lieutenant Harry Redmond Wambolt Died 04/03/1917 aged 24 - Son of Richard L. and Emma E. Wambolt, of Portland St., Dartmouth, Halifax Co., Nova Scotia, Canada.
- Lecluse Churchard
contained the grave of one R.F.C. officer.
- L'Homme Mort Cemetery No.2 Ecoust-St.Mein
contained the graves of 19 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in August-September 1918.
- Marquion German Cemetery
contained the graves of 211 German soldiers, 8 Russian, and 17 from the United Kingdom.
- Mory-Ecoust Road Cemeteries Bo. 1 and No. 2, Ecoust-St.Mein
made in March, April and May 1917; contained the graves of 63 soldiers from the United Kingdom (almost all 8th and 9th Devons and R.F.A.) and 1 from Australia.
- Queant German Cemetery
contained the graves of 22 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in March, 1918.
- Villers-les-Cagnicourt Communal Cemetery
contained the graves of 25 German soldiers and 2 from the United Kingdom.
There are nearly 2,000, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Over half are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 17 soldiers from the United Kingdom and 14 from Australia, known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 34 soldiers from the United Kingdom, buried in other cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire. There are no WW2 casualties commemorated.
The cemetery covers an area of 5,801 square metres and is enclosed by a low red brick wall.
Royal Flying Corps members
- Allen Albert Alexander 11/10/17 Second Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps 46th Sqdn. France VIII. A. 42.
- Bowman William Powell 22 17/10/16 Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps 11th Sqdn. France VIII. C. 7.
- Clayton George 23 17/10/16 Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps 11th Sqdn. France VIII. C. 7.
- Cooper John Stephen 25 25/03/17 Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps 70th Sqdn. France VIII. C. 15.
- Dodd Walter De Courcey 21 31/10/17 Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps France VIII. A. 46.
- Gosnay Hubert Victor 22 24/03/17 Air Mechanic 2nd Class Royal Flying Corps 11th Sqdn. France '618702' VIII. A. 20.
- Herbert Auberon Thomas 40 03/11/16 Captain Royal Flying Corps 22nd Sqdn. France VIII. C. 17.
- Kent Peter Francis 19 06/02/18 Second Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps 3rd Sqdn. France VIII. D. 13.
- Lloyd David Rhys Cadwgan 20 16/06/17 Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps France VIII. B. 8.
- Macqueen Alexander Norman 21 25/03/17 Second Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps France VIII. C. 16.
- Randall S W 31/10/17 Second Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps 11th Sqdn. France VIII. A. 45.
- Waldron Francis Fitzgerald 29 Twice Mentioned in Despatches 03/07/16 Major Royal Flying Corps 60th Sqdn. France VIII. A. 26.
- Walker John Campbell 19 12/04/17 Air Mechanic 2nd Class Royal Flying Corps 18th Sqdn. France '28707' VIII. A. 28.
- Walton Oswald Thomas 24 12/04/17 Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps 18th Sqdn. France VIII. A. 27.
- Shot at Dawn:
- * R/15325 Rifleman John Woodhouse, 12th King's Royal Rifle Corps, executed for desertion on 04/10/1917. Plot VIII. C. 23. Husband of Amy Woodhouse, of 30, Wellington St., Winson Green, Birmingham.
H.A.C. - Honourable Artillery Company Men of the Honourable Artillery Company buried in HAC Cemetery, Ecoust-St-Mein (31)
Reference - Out of the Noise of Battle
26th February 1917
- Private Henry Arnold Beaumont (I.A.27)
31st March 1917
- Second Lieutenant Arthur William Jones (I.A.15)
- Lance Corporal Samuel Francis Hutchinson (I.A.21)
- Lance Corporal Ernest James Knight (I.A.20)
- Private William Charles Brooks (I.A.22)
- Private William Clemishaw (I.A.31)
- Private Edward Ralph Cooke (I.A.28)
- Private E H E Lawrance (I.A.29)
- Private Frederick George Pilcher (I.A.25)
- Private Walter Walford Rainer (IV.D.27)
- Private Cyril Valentine Smethurst (I.A.19)
- Private John Leslie Sworder (I.A.24)
- Private Arthur George Taylor (I.A.26)
- Private Henry Charles Trinder (I.A.23)
- Private Edwin Arthur West (I.A.30)
1st April 1917
- Second Lieutenant Ewart Stanley Brass (I.A.14)
- Second Lieutenant Frederick Hodskinson Gray (I.A.16)
- Lance Corporal Alan Edgar Livett (I.A.18)
- Private Frank Parry Amor (I.A.36)
- Private Bertie Horace Britton (I.A.37)
- Private William Bentley Buck (I.A.40)
- Private Reginald Edward Clubb (I.A.35)
- Private William Hart Davidson (I.A.17)
- Private Cyril Leonard Doughty (I.A.32)
- Private Frederick Henry Masham (I.A.34)
- Private Leonard George Moss (I.A.33)
- Private William Guest Walton (I.A.38)
- Private Kenelm John Sharland Zealley (I.A.39)
15th May 1917
- Lieutenant John Harold Pritchard (II.AA.6)*
- Private Christopher Douglas Elphick (II.AA.8.)*
- Private Henry Ribstein (III.K.18)
- The bodies of Lieutenant John Pritchard and Private Christopher Elphick were found in 2009. They were reburied with full military honours on 23rd April 2013. Further information can be obtained from the website of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission CWGC.