Tyne Cot - The Dead of Passchedaele at the largest Commonwealth Graves Cemetery in the World

The largest Commonwealth Graves Cemetery in the World
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[@historyinyourhand1787]

A note for this one.. I recorded this video in November 2023. At the time my research all pointed towards Tyne Cot originating as an Advanced Dressing Station. Since then I've listened to Paul Reed's Old Front Line podcast where he presents evidence to suggest this actually wasn't an ADS. Check out the podcast for yourself and you can form an opinion of your own 👍

[@OldFrontLine]

Thanks for that mention, Rob. Enjoyed the video!

[@historyinyourhand1787]

@OldFrontLine Thanks Paul, glad you enjoyed it

[@davehilchey538]

I have visited Tyne Cot, where my grandfather fought with the 25th Battalion CEF in 1917. It may be impossible to comprehend how many dead it takes to add up to the one million Commonwealth soldier killed in the Great War, until you see how many headstones mark the 11,956 burials at Tyne Cot. It looks to be what must surely be one hundred thousand burials, yet this vast sea of headstones represents only a smidgen more than 1% of Commonwealth fatalities. It's an emotional visit that will leave very few with dry eyes and anything significant to say. Great job in capturing it, Rob

[@dp-sr1fd]

One million Commonwealth soldiers dead in the Great War???? Please check your statistics there.

[@Team-fabulous]

I was at Tyne Cot last year and will return again in September. Tyne Cot is a staggering cemetery and left me bewildered.

[@royphillips4751]

From Aus. My Grandfather Pvt. James Black is commemorated at Tyne Cot. My mother never met her father and I hope one day to stand before his name on that Memorial Wall.

[@KirstenBayes]

The definition of sobering. Thank you for this.

[@nnoddy8161]

Jefferies father, after the war, came from Australia to search for the body of his son. He never found him, however as you stated, his body was found in another cemetery and 'concentrated' into Tyne Cot. For so many Australian families, ours included, the loss of their sons so far from home, without a known grave was incomprehensible.

[@HistoryWarCinema]

Our visit there was one of the most impressive of our trip. Also, thanks for contributing to my video while we were there 👍🏻💪🏻

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@sbishop6450]

Another great video Rob. The loss of life was beyond comprehension. Each one someones son, brother, husband or father whatever their nationality. Mans inhumanity to man.

[@la_old_salt2241]

Thanks for sharing Rob. God bless, Rob, USNR 1987-1995

[@andrewmcfarlane5040]

Thanks for another great video, and for telling the stories of some of the men. I've been to Tyne Cot a couple of times and it is an overwhelming place. We will rember them.

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@thenoworriesnomad]

Great video Rob..👍👍. God Bless Them All

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Thanks 👍

[@VintageJohnstown1]

Interesting and great as usual!

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@StevenFrance-w1v]

Thank you for another very informative video

[@jackthebassman1]

I’ve visited several times, what always got to me was the girl’s voice on the mini speakers along the path to the visitor centre reading names and ages of those who gave their lives, truly sad.

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Yeah in hindsight I'm disappointed not to have captured that in the video

[@jackthebassman1]

@@historyinyourhand1787 Don’t beat yourself up, there’s so much history to see and hear on the battlefield, your series is excellent, humanly presented and has shown me many things that I would have missed. Thank you for everything you do.

[@historyinyourhand1787]

@@jackthebassman1 Thank you 👊

[@larry1824]

Only cemetery where I truly never felt alone

[@stuwhiteman3810]

Nice video Rob in the way you pay respect to the fallen and also the fact that you have done your research on the other Commonwealth soldiers who fought on the western front not just the British. I've read a lot about our Aussie soldiers in all the major wars and have a book on all our VC recipients so I have read about Captain Jeffries, so thank you for telling his story and the other soldiers as well. I'll have to look at some more of your channel 👍

[@historyinyourhand1787]

@@stuwhiteman3810 Thank you

[@philipryan25]

Thank you

[@alex4833]

Hi Rob, how are you? Wow, I didn't know the bunkers were still there. It's sad how there are so many graves, including ones close to the advanced dressing stations. Great overview of how the area during the Spring Offensive. I didn't know that some men were brought from other battlefields. It's sad that so many men are unidentified :(. Heartbreaking how some graves were destroyed. Also sad how some graves were lost. The music throughout is somber and great. Good point that it would take tons of hours to make a video about just a small fraction of the men buried at Tyne Cot. I appreciate the stories that you share. I learn a lot from your channel. It's sad how Clarence Jeffries' troops were forced to leave him and other troops behind. I'm glad that his body was found though. He was courageous and strategic. James Peter Robertson was brave. What he did took a lot of courage too. The third bunker is maintained well. It's a beautiful memorial. I didn't expect to see German graves. It makes sense that they'd be there since you mentioned they may have been treated in a advanced dressing station. Wow. 35,000. That is staggering. Hard to process how so many are missing. Ernest Seaman was so courageous too. I definitely want to visit Tyne Cot. I think I'd learn a lot from it and I think it's important to learn about the cost of wars, like WWI. With how war is glorified in games, movies, etc., it's important to learn about its costs. Wonderful video, Rob. Take care and thank you for sharing the stories of several of the men buried at Tyne Cot.

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Cheers Alex

[@alex4833]

@@historyinyourhand1787 No problem, Rob :) Hope you're having a nice weekend.

[@Jeffybonbon]

Little is ever mentioned about a mother who arranged the removal of her son from Tyne Cot The guys who were paid to repatriate the body back to England were caught and the Body is now i believe near Calais has anyone got more info on this Topic

[@jamesross1799]

When I visited Tyne cot it was possibly the wall that I found most moving the sheer number of names 😢

[@jammyscouser2583]

On the NZ memorial to the missing is the name Evers-Swindell, a famous rowing family. His military file states he is buried in section 7c Zonnebeke cemetery. I do wonder in this is Tyne Cot cemetery, i can find no photos of row 7c to see if there are unknown NZers buried there. If there are, it may be his resting place.

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Interesting - it could be, there are some other Cemeteries around Zonnebeke too though

[@HistoryWarCinema]

@@jammyscouser2583 this is what I found about a NZ soldier of that name: PRIVATE ERNEST FREDERICK EVERS-SWINDELL Service Number: 10/2597 Regiment & Unit/Ship Wellington Regiment, N.Z.E.F. 1st Bn. Date of Death Died 04 October 1917 Age 22 years old Buried or commemorated at TYNE COT MEMORIAL N.Z. Apse, Panel 6. Belgium So according to the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission there is no grave, only his name remembered on a panel of the missing.

[@jammyscouser2583]

@@HistoryWarCinema that's him, his file is available on ArchivesNZ, that's where his grave is noted. Written in red marker, which was normally used for post war Court of Inquiry findings. The action in which he died is noted in the Wellington Battalion official history where he is referred to as "another man" when Pvt. Thomas Geange and himself were recommended for DCMs. He was originally buried where he fell during the attack on Gravenstafel Spur. That may be the grave reference in his file, but I don't know

[@michaeldenesyk3195]

Great video, Thank you. A question, The panels of the missing at Tyne Cot, why aren't they commemorated at the Menin Gate?

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Casualties prior to 16th August 1917 are on Menin Gate and then Casualties beyond that are on Tyne Cot Memorial

[@brianearley5965]

I was there in May 2023 😮 i was shocked by the size of it.

[@brianearley5965]

I have my own Utube account, which has my war Travels has well.

[@kyledunn6853]

Tell the tale of Passchaendalle

[@ncwoodworker]

It amazes me in a sad way they fought this war. The callousness of the superior officers was just horrible. The total disregard of the lives of the front line solders was tragic. I have read that once the American solders joined the war this frontal attacks in face of machine gun fire was stopped.

[@stuwhiteman3810]

The Americans fought exactly the same way as everybody else, so not sure who would have written that? Unless they may have been writing about the action below which was a tactic by an Australian commander which changed the minds of the British high command some American troops took part in that battle. If you read the link below from the Australian War Memorial site it talks about the Battle of Hamel on July 4th 1918 when Australian and American soldiers first fought side by side under Australian commander Major General Sir John Monash and won that battle. www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/1918/battles/hamel

[@dp-sr1fd]

Calling it the largest Commonwealth cemetery is a bit misleading, as I understand it two thirds of the soldiers buried or commemorated there are British. Is this correct?

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Not sure it's misleading? It is the largest Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in the world, about three quarters of the burials are British and then others from various Commonwealth nations but a lot from Australia and Canada

[@EGSBiographies-om1wb]

46th

[@bgroovin1343]

"Recipient" not "winner". It's not a contest.

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Glad you enjoyed the video

[@bgroovin1343]

@@historyinyourhand1787 that came off a bit harsh, sorry. Just a pet peeve of mine. I appreciate your videos.