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Soldiers of the Farndon War Memorial
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Private James Weaver James Weaver lived in Barton Wells in the hamlet of Barton, a mile or so east of Farndon village. Situated on the sharp rise near the Cock o' Barton Inn, he lived there with his parents, Thomas and Margaret Weaver. When James signed on for the Cheshires he went into a different unit from his older brother Thomas, who was posted to the 2nd Battalion. He may not have seen his brother again as Thomas was killed the previous year on 17 February 1915 near Ypres. His brother's body was never found and he is recorded on the Menin Gate in Ypres. Thomas is also on the Farndon War Memorial. The 13th Battalion was unoffially known as the Wirral Battalion, having been originally raised in the Wirral - many of the original men coming from the Port Sunlight Works of William Lever, where it was formed on 1 September 1914 by Gershom Stewart, MP. The 'W' in James service number refers to the Wirral. The Battalion then moved to Chester before being attached to the 74th Brigade in 25th Division in October 1914. By December 1914 they were in billets in Bournemouth, then moved to Aldershot in May 1915 for further training. On 25 September 1915 they landed in France on their way to the front.
Barton hamlet in relation to Farndon (modern O.S.) Ecoivres, near Arras, France It is likely that James lost his life during the May 1916 battle on Vimy Ridge to the north east of Arras. (Cheshire Regiment War Diaries have yet to be consulted regarding this). He is buried in Ecoivres Military Cemetery, around 4 miles north west of Arras in France. Today Ecoivres is a pretty hamlet nestling below the ruins of the nearby Abbey of Mont St Eloi. It is difficult to imagine the horrors of the battles fought around this picturesque area.
A Cheshire Regiment dressing station in a old German gun pit, Vimy Ridge
Abbey of Mont St Eloi
Commonwealth War Graves Map showing No.34 - Ecoivres Military Cemetery to the north west of Arras. Vimy is to the top of the map
Ecoivres Military Cemetery, Mont St Eloi This cemetery is really the extension of the communal cemetery, were the French army had buried over 1,000 men. The 46th (North Midland) Division took over the extension with this part of the line in March 1916, and their graves are in Rows A to F of Plot I. Successive divisions used the French military tramway to bring their dead in from the front line trenches and, from the first row to the last, burials were made almost exactly in the order of date of death. The attack of the 25th Division on Vimy Ridge in May 1916 is recalled in Plots I and II. The 47th (London) Division burials (July to October 1916) are in Plot III, Rows A to H, and Canadian graves are an overwhelming majority in the rest of the cemetery, Plots V and VI containing the graves of men killed in the capture of Vimy Ridge in April 1917 After the Armistice, the graves of eight men of the 51st (Highland) Division were brought in to Plot VIII, Row A, from nearby Bray Military Cemetery. Ecoivres Military Cemetery contains 1,728 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. There are also 786 French and four German war graves. The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield. Number of identified casualties : 2502. (photos Mike Royden, cemetery visited August 2007)
James Weaver - Commonwealth War Graves Commission Record
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