Rinxent is a village in the department of Pas-de-Calais, France
Long: 1.721767 Lat: 50.812819
Although it was many miles from the trenches of the Western Front, Rinxent was of considerable importance for military operations. It was, and still is, the site of very large quarrying operations. During the war, stone from Rinxent was used for the laying and maintenance of roads and railways and as such was a key element in the logistic support for the British Army. The quarries were worked by a variety of civilian and military organisations, latterly the Quarry Companies of the Royal Engineers.
The quarries lay north and north east of the village, as can be seen in the aerial image above, and date back many centuries. The stone is recrystallized calcite, a hardened form of chalk, although it is often described as “marble”. The Mayor of Rinxent throughout the Great War period was Charles-Désiré Hénaux, a quarrying businessman.
Casualties
The war diary of the Calais base remarked on a German air raid on 24 September 1917, with bombs dropped on Rinxent at 9.27pm. Four men were reportedly killed and nine wounded. The following men are buried in adjacent graves at Les Baraques Military Cemetery at Sangatte, and although the date of death is given as 25 September 1917 I am inclined to believe they were victims of this air raid:
Spr 196244 Aubrey James Girdler, from Brixton in Surrey but a resident of Leicestershire. 199 Quarry Company. Grave I.B.6
Spr 196184 John Henry Pick, 30, from Mountsorrel in Leicestershire. 198 Quarry Company. Grave I.B.4
Spr 196206 Harry Slingsby, 43, also from Mountsorrel. 198 Quarry Company. Grave I.B.5
Spr 196247 Frank Taylor, from Huncote in Leicestershire. 198 Quarry Company. Grave I.B.7.
The following men are given with date of death 26 September 1917. They also appear to be victims of the raid:
Spr 196252 William Thomas Tite, 30, from Broughton Astley, Leicestershire. 198 Quarry Company. Died of wounds. Grave I.A.11
Spr 196157 Thomas Westwood, from Clee Hill, Shrosphire. 198 Quarry Company. Died of wounds. Grave I.A.10
Links
Gazetteer of the Western Front
Quarry Companies of the Royal Engineers