Canadian Pioneers killed at Spree Farm, 6 November 1917

A tragic incident so commonplace in 1917 that it would not merit a mention in any major history; it scarcely gets any coverage in the unit war diaries. I came across it when researching one of the men who died, and I found it to be a case study in understanding just how Canadian were these men of the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force, and how men who were killed together were not necessarily buried together.

Events

It concerns a working party, sent into the Ypres Salient to work on light railway tracks at the very end of the Third Battle of Ypres, came under heavy enemy shellfire at Spree Farm.

Imperial War Museum photograph Q35514, “Light railways. Clearing ground”. For illustration.

5th Army Troops Company Canadian Engineers

This company was supervising the work.

From the company war diary (UK National Archives WO95/239). Entry for 6 November 1917: “Nos 1, 3 and 4 Sections at work on Forward Light Railways [at] Spree Farm. No 2 Section at work assembling steel [at] RE Yard [at] Vlamertinghe. 2 officers and 200 other ranks from 124th Pioneer Battalion at work under this company on Forward Light Railways. 80 other ranks from 47th Infantry Battalion at work under this company on Forward Light Railways. … Casualties 5 ATCC 5 other ranks wounded; 47th Battn 17 other ranks killed and wounded; 124th Batt 8 killed and 40 other ranks wounded.”

The 124th Pioneer Battalion referred to in the war diary had previously been known as 124th (Governor General’s Body Guard) Battalion. It went to France in March 1917 and became a Pioneer Battalion, replacing the 67th under command of the 4th Canadian Division in May 1917.

From the battalion war diary (Libraries and Archives Canada). The battalion had been split, with a party sent for work on roads and another (as described) on light railways.

The 47th Battalion reported on 4 November 1917 that it was providing a working party of 2 officers and 100 men for “grading and repairing light railway.”

From the battalion war diary (Libraries and Archives Canada). Curiously, it makes no reference to casualties on 6 November 1917, and indeed later that day it moved out of the battle area to a rear area village. No deaths of men of this battalion on the day (with one exception who died of wounds, who may have been wounded earlier) are recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Location

A present day map. Many of the places shown are now spelled differently to the way they were shown on maps of the Great War period, due to the adoption of modern Flemish. The battlefield known as the Ypres Salient skirted the city on its southern, eastern, and northern sides, at distances from the city that fluctuated at times during the war. Note the location of the village of Sint-Juliaan called St. Julian at the time of the war), for it is a landmark of importance for describing these events of 6 November 1917.

A map from the British Official History of Military Operations describing progress on 31 July 1917, the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres. The furthest advance reached Spree Farm (highlighted). Note that it lies south of St. Julien and on the eastern bank of the River Steenbeek. During the wet periods of the offensive, the Steenbeek turned into a morass, tens of yards wide of deep mud

New Zealand Engineers resting in a large shell hole at Spree Farm. Photograph taken 12 October 1917 by Official New Zealand Expeditionary Force photographer Henry Armytage Sanders. Archives New Zealand Reference: IA 76/13/290. It will be appreciated that by the time the Canadian Engineers were working in this area, there was little recognisable trace of Spree Farm.

This British map of March 1918 shows the railways that had been constructed between the marshalling yard that had been built at Wieltje, and going up to Spree Farm (red X top right). The thinner dark blue lines were light railways, of the type that the working party had been sent to construct. Such railways were used to carry men, munitions, timber, rations and many other supplies as far forward as they could, to save on the enormous amount of labour and horse transport previously needed.

Deaths and burials

The information below is taken from the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, with additions from the men’s service records. They are all at rank of Private. The numbers/letters in parentheses are grave locations within a cemetery (plot, row, grave number). In some instances, I have corrected errors given in the cemetery register from details given in the men’s service records.

Most of the dead from this event (highlighted) were named as killed in action in the War Office daily casualty list of 23 November 1917.

Two men were initially posted as missing in action, in the same edition of the list.

Track X Cemetery

124th Battalion
- 754291 Omerod Ferguson, 19, son of George and Catherine Ferguson of 55 Breadalbane Street, Hamilton, Ontario. Native of Gore Bay, Ontario. (A.2). Enlisted 27 December 1915 under the forename of Omey. Trained with 119th Battalion and went to England with it in August 1916. To France with a draft for 124th Battalion 20 May 1917 and joined it five days later. Service record confirms he was killed in action on 6 November 1917, which conflicts with the ‘died of wounds’ given in the cemetery register.

Tyne Cot Cemetery (post-war battlefield clearance)

124th Battalion
- 725087 James Patrick Goggin, 27. Born in Bradford, Yorkshire in England but enlisted in Lindsay, Ontario on 30 December 1915. Trained with 109th Battalion and went to England with it in July 1916. To France with 124th Battalion March 1917. Had only rejoined it on 29 October 1917 after a period in hospital. Initially reported as missing in action 6 November 1917 but amended to killed in action 19 November 1917 (see O’Sullivan). (XV.F.18)
- 724029 Arthur Richard Smith, 28, son of Frederick and Jane Smith of Ivy Cottage, Kerry Road, Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales but enlisted in Lindsay, Ontario on 26 February 1916. Trained with 109th Battalion and went to England with it in July 1916. To France with 124th Battalion March 1917. (XV.D.23)
- 769677 John William Smith, 44, born in St. Albans in England but now husband of Mrs. Eliza Smith of 31 Macaulay Avenue, Toronto. Had previously served for 16 months with the Home Guards when enlisting in Toronto in January 1916. Trained with “D” Company of the battalion and went with it to France in March 1917. (XV.D.22)
- 769288 George O’Sullivan, 27, born in Dublin in Ireland but now a resident of Toronto. Son of Mrs Mary O’Sullivan of 17 Railway Road, Dalkey, Ireland. Enlisted 29 December 1915. Said he had served 2.5 years with “Imperial Volunteers”(?) in London. was Acting Armourer-Sergeant for a while while in England. Unusually, he had been granted ten days leave to visit Lourdes in August 1917 but was found in Paris and deprived of being a Lance-Corporal at a result. Initially reported as missing in action 6 November 1917 but amended to killed in action 19 November 1917 (see Goggin). (XV.F.19).

Grid location Sheet 28NW D16 B.40.40 highlighted. It is not far from the Tyne Cot Cemetery in which these men were reburied.

Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery

124th Battalion
- 670139 George Stocks, 27, son of Robert and Martha Stocks, born in Sheffield in England but now of 25 Raybould Avenue, West Toronto, Ontario. Enlisted 14 July 1916 and trained with 166th Battalion. Went to England with it in October 1916. Transferred to 124th Battalion and to France with it March 1917. Died of wounds while in hands of 1st Canadian Field Ambulance. (IX.d.18).

White House Cemetery

124th Battalion
- 23468 Charles Pritchard, 39, born at Callaughton, Shropshire in England. Enlisted at Valcartier Camp 20 September 1914, initially with 12th Battalion. Transferred to Ordnance Corps in May 1915. Married Edith Sarah Ross in Ashford in Kent in March 1917. Only joined 124th Battalion on 29 October 1917, a few days after finally landing in France. (II.C.16).
- 163151 Albert Edward Smith, 26, son of Mrs. A. Smith and born in St. Albans in England; husband of Lucy May Smith of 839 Hibbard Avenue, Jackson, Michigan, U.S.A (his service record makes no mention of this, but gives one address in Toronto and another in Leamore, Walsall, Staffordshire in England). Had previously served with the 4th Bedfordshire Regiment when he enlisted in Toronto in September 1915. Trained with 84th Battalion but went to France with 124th in March 1917. Only rejoined battalion on 29 October 1917, after a period in hospital with trench fever. (II.C.17) [I wonder whether he was related to John William Smith, above, but have not researched this any further]
- 669469 Arthur John Wingrove, 31, born in Northamptonshire in England and husband on Lily May Wingrove of 1125 College Street in Toronto. Enlisted in the city in January 1916 and trained with 166th Battalion but went to France with 124th in March 1917. (II.C.18)
- 103411 Frederick Charles Webb, born in Dublin in Ireland, his father being a soldier of the British Army. Enlisted into Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a boy soldier aged 15, and served for 12 years, mainly in India and in the Sudan campaign. Veteran of battles of Atabara and Omdurman. Re-enlisted in Victoria, British Columbia, in December 1915. Trained with 103rd battalion but went to France with 67th Battalion in August 1916. Transferred to 124th in May 1917. (II.C.19)

Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (men without known graves)

124th Battalion
- 1096217 Pankov, 26, born in Russia (actually in Ukraine) but now a naturalised Canadian living at 113 Peter Street in Toronto. Enlisted in the city 3 March 1917 under the name Bell Benkook. Trained with 255th Battalion and only joined 124th as part of a draft of 29 October 1917.

Records only give this man’s name as V. Pankov, but this is how he signed his will. (Libraries and Archives Canada). What a terrible shame that he is not appropriately commemorated.

Other cemeteries

Three three transport men of 47th Battalion who died on 5 November are buried in Plot I, row C at Potijze Chateau Grounds Cemetery. One man of the same battalion who died of wounds on 6 November 1917 is buried in Mendinghem Military Cemetery, but it is not clear whether he was wounded on that day.