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Étaples Military Cemetery
Étaples Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Étaples, near Boulogne on the north-west coast of France. The cemetery holds over 11,500 dead from both World War I and World War II. History Étaples was the scene of much Allied activity during World War I due to its safety from attack by enemy land forces and the existence of railway connections with both the northern and southern battlefields. The town was home to 16 hospitals and a convalescent depot, in addition to a number of reinforcement camps for Commonwealth soldiers and general barracks for the French Army. Of more than 11,500 soldiers interred in Étaples Military Cemetery, over 10,000 of these men were casualties of World War I who died in Étaples or the surrounding area. The abundance of military infrastructure in Étaples gave the town a capacity of around 100,000 troops in World War I and made the area a serious target for German aerial bombing raids, from which the town suffered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars. The commission is also responsible for commemorating Commonwealth civilians who died as a result of enemy action during the Second World War. The commission was founded by Fabian Ware, Sir Fabian Ware and constituted through royal charter in 1917 as the Imperial War Graves Commission. The change to the present name took place in 1960. The commission, as part of its mandate, is responsible for commemorating all Commonwealth war dead individually and equally. To this end, the war dead are commemorated by a name on a headstone, at an identified site of a burial, or on a memorial. War dead are commemorated uniformly and equally, irrespective of military or civil rank, race or creed. The co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allies Of World War II
The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international Coalition#Military, military coalition formed during World War II (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers. Its principal members were the "Four Policemen, Big Four" – the United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, and Republic of China (1912–1949), China. Membership in the Allies varied during the course of the war. When the conflict broke out on 1 September 1939, the Allied coalition consisted of the United Kingdom, French Third Republic, France, and Second Polish Republic, Poland, as well as their respective Dependent territory, dependencies, such as British Raj, British India. They were joined by the independent dominions of the British Commonwealth: Canada, Australia, Dominion of New Zealand, New Zealand and Union of South Africa, South Africa. Consequently, the initial alliance resembled Allies of World War I, that of the First World War. As Axis forces began German invasion of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Tank Regiment
The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the World War I, First World War. Today, it is an Armoured warfare, armoured regiment equipped with Challenger 2 main battle tanks and structured under 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom), 12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team. Formerly known as the Tank Corps and the Royal Tank Corps, it is part of the Royal Armoured Corps. History First World War The formation of the Royal Tank Regiment followed the invention of the tank. Tanks were first used at the Battle of Flers–Courcelette in September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme in the World War I, First World War. They were at first considered artillery, and crews received artillery pay. At that time the six tank companies were grouped as the Heavy Section of the Machine Gun Corps (MGC). In November 1916 the eight companies then in existence were each expanded to form battalions (still identified by the le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noel Forbes Humphreys
Noel Forbes Humphreys (1 December 1890 – 27 March 1918) was a Welsh rugby union international who was part of the first official British and Irish Lions team that toured South Africa in 1910. He was killed in action in the First World War. Early life Noel Forbes Humphreys was born in 1891 in Llangan Rectory, Bridgend, Wales. He was the son of Henry James Humphreys and Sydney (née Williams) and one of at least six children. His family moved from Wales to northern England as his father's profession within the Church dictated. By the time Humphreys began playing rugby at club level the family had passed through Cheshire and had settled at Thornley Vicarage, Tow Law, Co. Durham. He attended St Chad's College, Denstone and went on to Durham School. Rugby career Humphreys played for Tynedale R.F.C. in what has been termed their Golden Years. During the decade up to the outbreak of the First World War Tynedale won no fewer than 15 trophies, including the Senior Cup on three occas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal West Kent Regiment
The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army based in the county of Kent in existence from 1881 to 1961. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, originally as the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), by the amalgamation of the 50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot and the 97th (The Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot. In January 1921, the regiment was renamed the Royal West Kent Regiment (Queen's Own) and, in April of the same year, was again renamed, this time as the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment. After distinguished service in the Second Boer War, along with both the First and the Second World Wars, on 1 March 1961, the regiment was amalgamated with the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) to form the Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment, which was destined to be short-lived. On 31 December 1966, the Queen's Own Buffs was merged with the other regiments of the Home Counties Brigade—the Queen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Robert Aufrere Dawson
William Robert Aufrère "Bob" Dawson, (23 June 1891 – 3 December 1918) was a British Army officer in the First World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on four occasions for his actions in command of the 6th (Service) Battalion, Queen's Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment from 1916 to his death in 1918, and Mentioned in Despatches at least five times. He was wounded in action at least seven times. Early life Dawson was the son of William and Ethel Dawson, of Cold Ash near Newbury, Berkshire. His father was a lawyer, and his mother also became a solicitor. His grandfather Henry Hill Dawson had served as a captain in the 19th Regiment of Foot. He was the brother of Colin Aufrère Dawson, who served as a Lieutenant in the mechanical transport section of the Royal Army Service Corps, and was the last solicitor at the family firm, Dawsons, that traced its history to Edward Woodcock, the first solicitor to register in March 1729. The first Dawson in the firm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edgar William Cox
Brigadier-General Edgar William Cox (9 May 1882 – 26 August 1918) was a senior intelligence officer on the British General Staff throughout most of the First World War. He drowned in suspicious circumstances whilst swimming in August 1918 shortly after the German successes in the Spring Offensive, which drove the allied armies back a large distance. Although officially an accident, suspicions of suicide surrounded his death. Early career Born to George and Louisa Cox of Islington, Middlesex, in North London on 9 May 1882, Edgar Cox was educated at Christ's Hospital in Newgate and on 21 December 1900 was commissioned as a junior officer into the Royal Engineers. He came head of his class at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and received several awards, both there and at the School of Military Engineering. After graduation he was in December 1902 sent to the British colony of Sierra Leone to help delineate the boundary with neighbouring Liberia, with the local rank of lieut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elijah Carey
Elijah John Carey (20 August 1876 – 14 October 1916) was a New Zealand waiter, trade unionist and soldier. Biography Early life He was born in Gympie, Queensland, Australia on 20 August 1876. After originally working as a miner, he became an apprentice printer, picking up press skills he would use later in life, before leaving to travel abroad. Carey travelled through Europe, the United States and South America where he worked as a steward on steamships and as a waiter in several hotels. In the early 1890s he returned to Australia and became involved in the Labour movement. Moving to Western Australia, once again he had little success in mining, but became involved in trade unionism there, serving on the Coolgardie Trades Council. By 1902 Carey was living in Sydney working as a waiter where he was active in Australian Labour politics and he is said to have even been a personal friend of both Andrew Fisher and Billy Hughes. Around 1904 Carey moved to New Zealand, settling in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Bonella
James Henry Bonella (17 December 1884 – 24 May 1918) was an Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...er who played with Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL), under the name of Jim Bonelli. He died of gunshot wounds received whilst on active service in France during World War I. Family The son of Pietro Egidio "Peter" Bonelli (1844–1888), and Margaret Bonelli (1850–1928), née Williams, James Henry Bonelli, also known as Bonella, was born at Maldon, Victoria on 17 December 1884. He married Eliza Puncher (1885–1968) in 1912. They had one son, James Avenel Bonella (1913–2002). Eliza's brother, Jim's brother-in-law, Private Joseph Samuel Puncher (also known as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
