CWGC Grave.

[Ovenpaa]

Jenks, that is an outstanding job, a picture at the end of the year will be good to see how it has naturalised. The stone has come up very nicely.

[waterford103]

Out standing work ,done with a will ,not a push ,I salute you!

[Jenks]

Thanks for the kind words. I couldn't go to work today because of the rain (you can't paint masonry in the rain) So I decided to get my finger out and crack on and Finish Lancelot David Hilliers grave.. Anti weed membrane fitted. Blue Slate scalpings laid to a depth of three inches. The little flower pot up by the left hand corner I have planted with Common Poppy seed should look really nice if they grow. Scarified the ground around the grave and broadcast grass seed, perfect weather for that job. So thats it all done. I have to say that whilst it is not perfect I am quietly pleased with the results of my labour.. Now I have to see what I can to to make Walter Herbert Smiths grave a little tidier..


Before:



After




Jenks

[Doz]

Lovely job Jenks

[Jenks]

Started on the grave of L/Cpl Walter Herbert Smith today, not that I'm allowed to do much. Weeded and seeded. Not sure what I'm going to do with the earth surrounding the grave, leave it alone or plant it with another type of grass for the contrast.



The graveyard is in some serious need of attention, Looks like I'm going to have to buy a decent petrol engined strimmer!




Jenks

[Jenks]

I have found out a little more about Lancelot David Hiller. He was born in Codford Wiltshire. At the age of fourteen he was a domestic servant for a Doctor and his wife in Combe Down Somerset.

His attestation document shows that he joined the reserve battalion of the east Surrey Regiment. his place of residence on the document was Coombe Court Kingston Hill

http://lafayette.org.uk/gre5142.html

I think it fairly safe to say he was still a servant at that time.

He enlisted on 14th December 1914.

His battalion 1/5th moved from India to Mesopotamia. (Basra) 27 December 1919. I have read the battalion's war diary and can Find no mention of Sgt Hiller.

Having read the Dairy I think it fair to say that compared to life on the western front the battalion had it pretty cushy.

He died of influenza 1st March 1919 in The second general Hospital in Fulham.

I discovered quite by chance that his Father John Hiller is buried very close to Lancelot having died at the age of 55 in 1917. At the time of his death he was the landlord of The Plough Inn Barton Stacey.

http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/hampshire/b ... lough.html

The grass I planted on the grave of L/cpl walter Herbert Smith has started to grow I have done a little strimming near the grave but it still looks awful.





Just been down there to see if it will need watering this evening only to find that a cat had used it to bury its mess scattering sprouting grass seed all over the place....

Jenks

[Chuck]

Whatever you do, do not put paracetamol in their milk, someone says it's bad for them. Cats, dirty parasitic pets, hate them.

good work there nonetheless jenks, well done to you .

[Jenks]

Chuck...

I'm not going to get into the anti cat thing again, all I would say is if I could get to see and identify the culprit. I would be looking for it crossing the road!!! With regard to the state of the church yard. Well for whatever reason there is nobody being paid to look after it,at the moment, so it is left to a few parishioners who have the time, the energy,the equipment to do the job. Quite frankly whilst I might have the time and a good (recently bought strimmer) I lack the energy to commit to doing the necessary work on a regular basis. To be honest the church yard is in a disgraceful condition' there are more than a few headstones that have been pushed over because they were in danger of falling over , once they are over that's it, they are very quickly overgrown with weeds. It seems to me that nobody cares. OK a lot of them are very old and there are no relatives around to care. But does the parish not have a duty of care? They are all pleased enough to use the church for their weddings, christenings etc. Funny old world 'innit'.


Jenks

[Polchraine]

I have found out a little more about Lancelot David Hiller.

... ... ... ...

He died of influenza 1st March 1919 in The second general Hospital in Fulham.

That probably explains why he does not has a CWGC headstone. He may have been enlisted at the time but his death was not attributable to his military service. The Parish was right to include his name on the Memorial though.

My Grandafather was seriously wounded in the Great War - out in Palestine and finally died as a result of those wounds. My Grandmother was awarded a War Widow's pension because of it. However, because he died outside a specific time frame he is not considered a War Death! As a result, not listed on te CWGC roll, does not have a CWGC headstone or Crematorium plaque and is ommitted from our local War Memorial inscription.

[Jenks]

Polchraine..

Yes it is most definitely a private grave but this from the CWGC indicates that they are responsible at least for the legibility of the casualties name on the headstone..

This is from a response to an e-mail sent by the Parish council.

I can confirm that we are responsible for the two war graves mentioned.
Sergeant Hilliers grave is marked by a familly memorial. As we do not own the grave in question,we do not have the Authority to remove the private memorial and erect a war pattern headstone without the permission of the owner of the grave. As long as as the name of the war casualty is legible on the private memorial then, for our purposes the war casualty is adequately commemerated. Parts of the stone or kerbs on the grave may be damaged but it is not our responsibility to repair them.

I didn't see the original e-mail sent by the parish council to the CWGC but I'm pretty sure that they weren't asking for the headstone to be replaced. I had asked them. to contact the CWWC to see if they were prepared to refurbish or at least contribute to the cost of the refurbishment of Sgt. Hilliers grave. In the event the cost was negligible. I now wish that I had gone ahead with my plans for the grave of L/cpl Smith. That was to put a stone surround of the same colour of the Portland stone around the grave, and infil it with slate chippings of the kind I used on Sgt Hilliers grave. The Vicar wouldn't allow it but I wonder what he, or the CWGC would have done had I done so. Maybe a future project............ when the encumbant Vicar moves on




http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casua ... R,%20L%20D

Interestingly the house of his wife is still there surrounded by industrial estates, it can be easily identified on Google earth.


Jenks