On Wednesday 10 June 2026 a burial service took plase at Tyne Cot Cemtery at Passendale and this for the following soldiers:

• Private Horace Frederick Cook
• Private Frederick Martin
• Private Thomas Redvers Whitaker
• Private Courtney Darvill Hart
• Private Joseph Turnley
• Private Charles Richard Russell

all of 2/4 Battalion Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment.

The service was conducted by Reverend (Major) Adéle Rees CF, Chaplain to 1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.

The recovery

In the summer of 2020 a piece of agricultural land near Geluwe in Belgium was being excavated prior to the commencement of a construction project. The archaeologists expected to find Roman artefacts, which they did, but they also found evidence that the ground had more recently been disturbed - likely during the removal of ammunition and unexploded ordinance left behind after this area was fought over during the First World War. Soon, more traces of the war emerged, and on 27 August, human remains were discovered in a shell crater below the surface of the field. Over the course of the next week these remains were carefully recovered by a skilled team of archaeologists.

The remains themselves, and the artefacts found alongside them were meticulously recorded, and some initial research and anthropological work was carried out before the case was passed over to the Ministry of Defence late 2024. It was determined that the remains of six men had been recovered from the trench, and that they had likely died as result of a shell strike.

The artefacts found with the men indicated that they had served with the Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, and that they had most likely died sometime after 1917. Remains of a tool bag containing kit for repairing a Lewis Guyn indicated that they might have been a gun crew.

The research & identification

Study of war diaries, trench maps, casualty lists and previous recovery of human remains in this area revealed that the six men had probably died in late September or October 1918 - and that at that time, several different battalions of the Queen's were in the general area. Only three battalions still had men missing from that period though - 2/4 Battalion, 10 Battalion and 11 Battalion.

The war diaries for these battalions were scoured, and in diary for 2/4 Battalion on 6 October recorded: "In the early hours of the morning ... the battalion came under heavy trench mortar fire. This resulted in a direct hit on a Lewis Gun team of 6 who were occupying a small trench, killing the whole team and blowing up the gun."

Puzzlingly there were no recorded deaths on 6 October on the CWGC Casualty database, though four men of 2/4 Battalion were recorded as missing, assumed killed on 8 October. Further research revealed the names of a further two men who had died on 8 October, but whose dates of death were mis-recorded in the CWGC-list - making a total of 6 missing men to investigate. Family trees were built for each of these men, and suitable candidates for DNA matching were identified and contacted.

In this way it was possible to proved the identities of the six men found in Gheluwe as Private Horace Frederick Cook, Private Frederick Martin, Private Thomas Redvers Whitaker, Private Courtney Darvill Hart, Private Joseph Turnley and Private Charles Richard Russell.

Some 108 years after their deaths, they received the dignified burial they were denied all those years ago, in the presence of their descendants and with the support of their military family.

Private Horace Frederick Cook
1899 - 8 October 1918

Horace was born in 1899 in Matching, Essex, to Frederick and Jane Cook. He had one older sister called Doris. Horace's father was a horseman on a nearby farm, and both he, and Horace's mother, came from long lines of agricultural workers.

Private Frederick Martin
1895 - 8 October 1918

Frederick was born in Wandsworth in 1895 - one of nine children born to Henry Martin and his two wives Barbara Lewis and Ada Wallage. Henry was a 'Carman', a general contractor and dustman and by 1911 Frederick was out at work too - a fishmonger's errand boy. Several of Frederick's brothers also saw service in the war. Tragically his brother Albert died just three days after him on 11 October 1918, at Terhand - a few kilometres north where Frederick died - Albert is named on the Tyne Cot Memorial just as his brother was.

Private Charles Richard Russell
23 October 1898 - 8 October 1918

Charles was born in 1898 in Rotherhithe, the son of Catherine Russell. Sadly Charles' father, Eugene Russell, had died 6 months before his son was born. Charles had five older brothers - William, Alfred, Frederick, Percy and Walter. All six brothers saw service in the war, and unfortunately William and Alfred also died - Alfred died in January 1917 and is buried at Laventie Military Cemetery in France, whilst William died in July 1917 and is named on the Nieuport Memorial in Belgium.

Charles originally enlisted with the Hertfordshire Yeomanry under number 20553, before being transferred to the Queens Royal West Surreys prior to going overseas.

Private Thomas Redvers Whitaker
January 1900 - 8 October 1918



Thomas was born in 1900 in Bradford, the son of William and Edith Whitaker. He had one younger brother, Walter. Thomas and Walter's father was a grocer's assistant. On the 1901 census William is living with his maternal grandparents at 875 Bolton Road, Bradford - his parents were living at no. 132-134 Bolton Road. By the 1911 census Thomas and Walter were living with both their parents, plus Edith's father and brother as well as one of William's sisters. At some point between 1911 and his enlistment in the army Thomas moved to Newmarket where he became a groom at the stables. He enlisted at Ipswhich.

Private Courtney Darvill Hart
January 1900 - 8 October 1918



Courtney - known at home as Jim - was born in 1900 in Northampton, the son of William and Sarah Heart. He had four older sisters - Phyllis, Gladys, Katherine and Grace, and their father was employed in the leather trade. Courtney was educated at Eaglehurst College, and whilst there he had joined the OTC for the Royal Flying Corps. Unfortunately, Courtney did not pass the final medical examination for the RFC and so he transferred to the Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment instead. He was described as a first-class shot and Lewis Gunner, and prior to his army service he had been a Scout on the East Coast of England. He had been in France for around 2 months at the time of his death.

Private Joseph Turnley
1899 - 8 October 1918

Joseph Turnley was born in Wales, the son of Joseph and Franchetta (Fanny) Turnley. He had one older brother, George. Joseph & George's father was a commercial traveller selling starch and blue, as well as black lead, and by the time of the 1901 census the family were living in Bristol. Joseph enlisted in Bristol, having some early training with the Hertfordshire Yeomanry Dragoons, before being transferred to the 2/4 Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment.
 


























































  Page made by WO1.be / Greatwar.be - Foto's/Pictures Eric Compernolle.