Quote:
Originally Posted by janwhin
It does look like the Drift Road, especially when compared to the one above. John@the drift will know better regarding the identity of the dead soldier but looking on CWG site there were 5 burials at Chevington cemetery. H Hebron we've discussed and he was a Togston man and then there is a RA Bell and J Brown with no more information. Two possibles are John George Stewart (NF)of 9 Simonside and Henry Whitfield (RFA) of 30 Hartside. The procession seems to be coming from the Drift.
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I was always led to believe this was the first of the WW1 funerals to come out of the Drift, in which case it would be the funeral of Robert Anderson Bell, 1/7th NF who died on 2nd April 1916 from wounds received at Second Ypres in April '15, if that makes sense? RA Bell was one of the Battalion's drummer and was possibly the very first casualty as he was struck by shrapnel whilst resting in Ypres town, the day before the famous charge of 25th April. Private Anderson was formerly a member of the Radcliffe Colliery Brass band and passed away in hospital at Herne Bay, Kent. He had never fully recovered from the head wound and subsequent trepanning.