Butte de Warlencourt

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Butte de Warlencourt

Warlencourt British Cemetery

Warlencourt British Cemetery. [DVA]

Just along the road from the Butte de Warlencourt, in the direction of Bapaume, is the Warlencourt British Cemetery. Warlencourt is not well known as an Australian cemetery, but 461 men of the AIF lie here. Most of the dates of death on their graves tell of the fighting north–east of Flers in the dying days of the Somme campaign in 1916, and of the casualties suffered during that long, cold Somme winter of 1916–17. Other dates tell of the lesser known Australian advance of late February and early March 1917, over this countryside lying north–east of the Butte de Warlencourt, across the main Albert–Bapaume road, up the slopes to Warlencourt village and beyond to Bois Loupart (Loupart Wood). German trenches just forward of the wood were stoutly defended by the German rearguard in the period of 27 February to 4 March 1917, and many Australian lives were lost in attacks on these positions. In Warlencourt British Cemetery, dates on individual headstones mark out a chronology of these assaults.

Headstone of Private Thomas Spillane, 17th Battalion (New South Wales), Warlencourt British Cemetery. [DVA]

On 27 February, the 17th Battalion (NSW) relieved the 18th Battalion in positions in Malt Trench, a few hundred metres along the road from the cemetery. One of the unit’s machine–gunners was Private Thomas Spillane, ‘Tom’ to his mates, an original in the battalion who had served at Gallipoli, and an employee of the Sydney Tramways Depot. As he was building a position for his gun ‘Tom’ Spillane was killed by a shell burst. He was buried on the spot, on the bank on the left–hand side of the road leading to Bapaume, and a cross was erected, on which were written his details. Everyone travelling along the road after the advance had gone beyond Bapaume would have seen the grave. After the war, Spillane was brought in to Plot IV, Row B, Grave 3.

Charles Bean watches the Australian advance near the Butte de Warlencourt, France, 27 February 1917. [AWM E00246]

Australian transport soldiers near a mine crater on the road (today the D929) between Le Sars and Bapaume, 19 March 1917. [AWM 00398]

For the next few days the fight continued for what was called the ‘Loupart Bastion’, the German trench system half a kilometre north–east of Warlencourt village, of which Malt Trench was a part. About 3 pm on 28 February, the 19th Battalion was fighting its way along Malt Trench and being held up by a strong German post. The Australian bombers had to work their way over an exposed area of ground, about 4 metres across, and here many were killed by sniper fire. Sergeant Davis of the 19th Battalion observed more than twelve dead heaped up in this area, and when he returned there later he discovered that they had all been buried in a mass grave. Whatever the story, one of those who died in this killing ground was Private Roy Cantrill, age 18, of Canowindra, New South Wales, described by Sergeant Davis as a ‘quiet man and much liked among the boys’. Roy’s remains, later recovered and identified, lie in Plot VI, Row H, Grave 19.

Warlencourt British Cemetery [DVA]

Headstone of Private Roy Cantrill, 19th Battalion (New South Wales), Warlencourt British Cemetery. [DVA]

A constant supply of food and ammunition is necessary on the battlefield. For the Australian attacks on the Loupart Bastion, supplies came forward on a light railway which ran along the right–hand side of the road to a railhead just before Le Sars village. From there they were carried up the line by so–called ‘fatigue’ parties. The railhead was called Horse Shoe Dump in Dead Mule Gully – names no longer on any map. A ration fatigue party from the 20th Battalion (New South Wales) was gathered here on the evening of 1 March 1917. A shell fell among them, killing nine men and wounding fourteen. One of the dead was Lance Corporal George Larkins, age 23, of Adaminaby, New South Wales, who now lies in Plot III, Row C, Grave 33. Records show that he was originally buried in what was described as an ‘isolated grave, S E of Le Sars’. George had served with the battalion for only two and a half months before being killed.

Headstone of Lance Corporal George Larkins, 20th Battalion (New South Wales), Warlencourt British Cemetery. [DVA]

Killed on 2 March 1917, and lying now in Plot VI, Row H, Grave 25, is Private Richard Wong of the 17th Battalion (New South Wales), age 29, of Beechworth, Victoria. Wong had spent very little time with the unit before his death, having joined them in the line on 18 December 1916. Described by Corporal Henry Savage, 17th Battalion, as ‘half a Chinaman to look at but a very decent fellow’, Wong was killed by a German barrage, heralding a counter–attack on Australian units, about 500 metres up the road from the cemetery. He was buried close to the Butte in a clearly marked grave and the body moved shortly after the war.

The ruins of Le Sars, May 1917. [AWM E00487]

Headstone of Private Richard Wong, 17th Battalion (New South Wales), Warlencourt British Cemetery. [DVA]

Butte de Warlencourt

Warlencourt British Cemetery

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