Background information Venray War Cemetery
“Served together, died together, buried together”
As early as the First World War, the British authorities had determined that the remains of the fallen were not to be repatriated. When the Imperial War Graves Commission, the predecessor of the current Commonwealth War Graves Commission, was established in 1917, it inherited this ban. However, the ban did fit in with an important principle of the Imperial War Graves Commission, namely equal treatment. Allowing repatriation would create inequality between the fallen from families who could afford the costs of repatriation and those whose families could not. The “rich” would go home, the “poor” would remain behind as a kind of “second-class” graves. The ban on repatriation did have a number of exceptions. For example, it only applied to subjects of the British Commonwealth. Military personnel of another nationality who were in the service of the British Commonwealth were allowed to be repatriated.
That does not alter the fact that the ban met with much resistance from the British public at the time. However, the Imperial War Graves Commission found the soldiers on their side. They expressed their preference to be buried next to their comrades under the motto: “served together, died together, buried together”.
The ban on repatriation remained in effect until the 1980s. Since then, survivors have been able to opt for repatriation.
Source: CWGC
Plot numbers, graves and tombstones
The cemetery contains the official number of 693 men. Over the years, a number of ashes have been scattered.
Despite this, the cemetery only has 683 gravestones. This is because the names of two soldiers are mentioned on ten gravestones. Plot numbers V.A.10-11 have four stones with eight names on them. Plot numbers V.C.5-8: six stones with two names.
The cemetery is divided into eight sections: I to VIII. The odd sections are on the left; the even sections on the right. Sections I to IV each have 6 rows (A to F) with 13 plot numbers each. Sections V to VII have 7 rows (A to G) with 13 plot numbers. The total number of plot numbers is 676. How does this number relate to the 683 gravestones?
This is first of all because the cemetery has two plot numbers (IV.C.10 and VII.C.4) where no one is buried. Here also a gravestone is missing. So there are 674 graves and 683 gravestones.
The difference of 9 is explained by the fact that a number of graves (plot numbers) have more than one gravestone. Plot numbers VII-D.9-10, V.A.10.11 and VII.B.1-2 have four stones at two graves/plot numbers. At V.C.5-8 there are 7 stones at 4 plot numbers. These graves are clearly visible in the cemetery because the gravestones there are closer together. These are also called the “collective” or “joint” graves.[1] mentioned. So for 10 graves there are 19 gravestones and that explains the difference of 674 graves versus 683 gravestones.
Location of field graves
Below is an overview of the locations from which the soldiers were transferred to Venray War Cemetery. This does not always mean that the soldiers died at those locations.
| Margraten | 165 |
| Venray | 131 |
| Maasbree | 68 |
| Helden | 43 |
| Meerlo | 29 |
| Ysselsteyn | 25 |
| Sevenum | 21 |
| Leunen | 18 |
| Heibloem | 16 |
| Heythuysen | 16 |
| Oostrum | 16 |
| Veulen | 15 |
| Düren (D) | 14 |
| Melderslo | 11 |
| Heide | 9 |
| Merselo | 8 |
| Overloon | 8 |
| Neerkant | 7 |
| Roggel | 7 |
| Wanssum | 7 |
| Lottum | 6 |
| Horst | 5 |
| Kessel | 5 |
| Deurne | 4 |
| Broekhuizen | 3 |
| Broekhuizenvorst | 3 |
| Meijel | 3 |
| Nunhem | 3 |
| Roermond | 3 |
| Grubbenvorst | 2 |
| Baarlo | 2 |
| Neer | 2 |
| St. Oedenrode | 2 |
| Tienray | 2 |
| Afferden | 1 |
| Baexem | 1 |
| Blitterswijck | 1 |
| Brumholt | 1 |
| Grubbenvorst | 1 |
| Haelen | 1 |
| Helenaveen | 1 |
| America | 1 |
| Griendtsveen | 1 |
| Meterik | 1 |
| Maasniel | 1 |
| Nederweert | 1 |
| Sittard | 1 |
| St. Odilienberg | 1 |
| 693 |
The soldiers who were transferred from Margraten were recovered by the American Graves Service and initially buried at the American cemetery there. In most cases their field graves were in Germany. Afterwards they were transferred to Venray by the British 55 Graves Concentration Unit.
Transmissions
Venray War Cemetery has two plot numbers (IV.C.10 and VII.C.4) that do not have a gravestone. No one is buried at these locations either. However, that was not always the case.
In the photo below the missing gravestones are clearly visible.
[1] In a joint grave, two soldiers share one grave; in a collective grave, three or more soldiers share one grave.
Source: GWGC War Cemetery Adoption Graves Foundation
IV.C.10
On August 9, 1949, the remains of Lieutenant Jacques Denis Alexandre Lemoine were
herbegraven in plotnummer IV.C.10. Jacques Lemoine werd geboren op 22 september 1914 en was in dienst van het 2nd Bn South Wales Borderers. Hij sneuvelde op 23 november 1944. Zijn veldgraf bevond zich op de Korte Heide in Maasbree. De stoffelijke resten van Jacques Lemoine zijn op 16 augustus 1949 opgegraven en enkele dagen later overgebracht naar het Franse Ereveld in Kapelle. Omdat Lemoine de Franse nationaliteit had, was het verbod op repatriëring niet op hem van toepassing. Sindsdien is het plotnummer IV.C.10 “vacant”.
VII.C.4
In plot VII.C.4 werden op 22 november 1946 de stoffelijke resten van een onbekende piloot van de Royal Air Force begraven. Later wordt hij geïdentificeerd als Flying Officer Henri Huynen. Henri Huynen was een piloot in dienst van de Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve en had de Belgische nationaliteit. Op 22 maart 1945 werd zijn Mosquito neergehaald in de buurt van Keulen. Huynen (navigator) en zijn piloot Flight Lieutenant Walter Henri kwamen daarbij om het leven. De stoffelijke resten van Henri Huynen werden op 20 juni 1950 overgebracht naar het “Brussels Town Cemetery Belgian Airmen’s Field of Honour.” Hij rust daar naast Walter Henri. Sindsdien is ook plotnummer VII.C.4. “vacant”. Op de begraafplaats is nog steeds te zien dat in de rijen IV.C. en VII.C. een grafsteen ontbreekt. Er hebben echter ook overbrengingen plaatsgevonden die niet meer zichtbaar zijn.
VII.G.2.
On 1 April 1947, the remains of an unknown member of the Royal Air Force (designated X1288) are transferred from the American cemetery in Margraten to Venray. He is buried in VII.G.2. In May 1947, the exact date is not legible on the Grave Concentration Report, the unknown is “extracted to (illegible)”. According to a Graves Registration Report Form dated 27 January 1954, grave VII.G.2. is “vacant”.
In 2003, the remains of Warant Officer Evan Tom Davies were found in Broekhuizen.
He was reburied on 9 June 2004 in plot VII.G.2. Evan Davies is the last serviceman to be buried at Venray War Cemetery to date.
VII.D.12. and VII.D.13
On 25 March 1947, the remains of Pilot Officer Andrew Patrick Gilmour and Flight Lieutenant Robert Charles Platt were buried from the American cemetery in Margraten in plot numbers VII.D.12 and VII.D.13 respectively. Just over a month later, on 1 May 1947, they were reburied at the Overloon War Cemetery. There they were reunited with four other members of their crew who were also transferred from Margraten to Overloon on 1 May 1947. That same day, the remains of Walter Green and Patrick McGee were reburied from Margraten in the vacant graves VII.D.12 and V.D.13.
From IV.B.11 to VI.G.8.
Lance Corporal Albert Martin Baker is reburied on 6 September 1946 on plot number IV.B.11. His field grave was located in Oostrum. On 24 September 1946 his grave is moved from plot number IV.B.11. to plot number VI.G.8. The reasons for this are unknown. A little over a week later the remains of an unknown soldier are buried on plot number IV.B.11.
Closure
At present, 693 men rest at Venray War Cemetery. However, on 2 May 1947, this number was 695. On that date, the graves of Henri Huynen, Jacques Lemoine and the unknown in VII.G.2. were still in the cemetery, but Evan Davies had not yet been reburied here.
Other statistics
Military and civilians
Military | 692 |
Citizens | 1 |
693 |
Source: CWGC
The citizen is William Rippon (VIIIE.6). He was a war correspondent for the Peterborough Citizen & Advertiser. William Rippon died in a car accident near Venlo.
Country of service
United Kingdom | 661 |
Canadian | 22 |
Nieuw Zeeland | 5 |
Australian | 4 |
Polish | 1 |
693 |
Source: CWGC
In most cases, the soldiers also had the nationality of the country where they were serving and lived there. But there were exceptions.
Flying Officer Geoffrey Winslow (VII.F.6) lived in Canada, served in the Royal Canadian Air Force but had American nationality. Robert Stapley (VII.C.3) and Joseph Meilleur (III.D.4) had Canadian nationality but served in British units (respectively the Rifle Brigade and the King’s Own Scottish Borderers).
Flying Officer Louis Piché (I.E.13) was a Canadian national, also served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, but lived in the United States.
The nationality of the thirty unknown soldiers is not known at all.
Age structure
Van 663 mannen is de leeftijd bekend.
Age | Number |
17 | 1 |
18 | 39 |
19 | 48 |
20 | 48 |
21 | 67 |
≤25 | 371 |
≤30 | 546 |
≤35 | 638 |
≤40 | 658 |
41 | 1 |
42 | 3 |
57 | 1 |
Source: CWGC/Foundation Adoption Graves CWGC Venray War Cemetery
De jongste militair is George Laurie (VIII.D.5); de oudste William Rippon (VII.F.6). De gemiddelde leeftijd bedraagt 25 jaar en 4 maanden.
Military units
It is known to which military unit 678 men belonged. In total, this concerns 74 different units
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve | 85 |
Royal Artillery | 41 |
Royal Ulster Rifles | 39 |
King’s Shropshire Light Infantry | 38 |
Royal Armoured Corps | 35 |
Royal Engineers | 30 |
King’s Own Scottish Borderers | 21 |
Royal Canadian Air Force | 20 |
Suffolk Regiment | 20 |
South Lancashire Regiment | 18 |
Royal Air Force | 18 |
Gordon Highlanders | 17 |
Monmouthshire Regiment | 17 |
Royal Scots | 17 |
Seaforth Highlanders | 17 |
Royal Warwickshire Regiment | 17 |
Royal Corps of Signals | 12 |
Royal Norfolk Regiment | 11 |
Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) | 10 |
East Yorkshire Regiment | 10 |
Lincolnshire Regiment | 10 |
Rifle Brigade | 10 |
Royal Army Service Corps | 10 |
The Parachute Regiment, A.A.C. | 9 |
Pioneer Corps | 8 |
King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry | 7 |
Royal Tank Regiment, R.A.C. | 7 |
South Wales Borderers | 7 |
Dorsetshire Regiment | 6 |
Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry | 6 |
Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C. | 6 |
Royal Scots Fusiliers | 6 |
Essex Regiment | 5 |
Gloucestershire Regiment | 5 |
Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) | 5 |
York and Lancaster Regiment | 5 |
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders | 4 |
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) | 4 |
Coldstream Guards | 4 |
Middlesex Regiment | 4 |
Royal Australian Air Force | 4 |
Royal New Zealand Air Force | 4 |
Scots Guards | 4 |
Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry | 4 |
Cheshire Regiment | 2 |
Corps of Military Police | 2 |
Durham Light Infantry | 2 |
Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment) | 2 |
King’s Royal Rifle Corps | 2 |
Northamptonshire Regiment | 2 |
Royal Berkshire Regiment | 2 |
Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) | 2 |
Royal Marines | 2 |
Royal Welch Fusiliers | 2 |
Welsh Guards | 2 |
1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, R.C.I.C. | 1 |
Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment) | 1 |
General List | 1 |
Irish Guards | 1 |
Manchester Regiment | 1 |
New Zealand Machine Gun Battalion | 1 |
Polish Air Force | 1 |
Royal Air Force (Auxiliary Air Force) | 1 |
Royal Army Medical Corps | 1 |
Royal Canadian Infantry Corps | 1 |
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers | 1 |
Royal Horse Artillery | 1 |
Royal Irish Fusiliers | 1 |
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers | 1 |
Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) | 1 |
The Glider Pilot Regiment, A.A.C. | 1 |
The Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey) | 1 |
War Correspondent | 1 |
Welch Regiment | 1 |
678 |
Source: CWGC
Ranks
The rank of 665 men is known.
Private | 216 |
Serjeant | 72 |
Lance Corporal | 52 |
Corporal | 46 |
Rifleman | 40 |
Trooper | 27 |
Flight Sergeant | 24 |
Flying Officer | 23 |
Gunner | 21 |
Lieutenant | 21 |
Sapper | 17 |
Captain | 13 |
Driver | 11 |
Pilot Officer | 11 |
Flight Lieutenant | 9 |
Lance Serjeant | 9 |
Fusilier | 8 |
Bombardier | 7 |
Guardsman | 7 |
Warrant Officer | 7 |
Lance Bombardier | 3 |
Major | 3 |
Signalman | 3 |
Warrant Officer Class II | 3 |
Second Lieutenant | 2 |
Company Quartermaster Serjeant | 1 |
Craftsman | 1 |
Kapral | 1 |
Leading Aircraftman | 1 |
Lieutenant Colonel | 1 |
Marine | 1 |
Piper | 1 |
Reporter | 1 |
Squadron Leader | 1 |
Staff Serjeant | 1 |
665 |
Source: CWGC