48th Highlanders of Canada
Lance Corporal George Boone a harness maker from St John, New Brunswick. Next of kin parents Westley M and Fannie Boone of 143 Wright Street, St John.
Enlistment of Private George Boone
Private George W Boone 22713 enlisted 28 September 1914 in Valcartier, Quebec, Lt Col H McLeod Approving Officer. George 22 years, 7 months of age standing 5′ 5″ tall at this time with dark complexion, brown eyes and hair.
Pte George Boone transferred to 14th Reserve Battalion, Shorncliffe on 29 May 1915. Granted sick leave from battalion, 9 September 1915, returning 16 September. Private George Boone 7 Days CB Absent from parade, 14 October 1915.
George transferred to the 43rd Battalion, East Sandling, 25 October 1915. His days with the battalion rather short, and later transferred to 15th Battalion on 19 January 1916.
15th Battalion Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regiment)
Organized in Valcartier Camp September 1914 composed of recruits from Toronto area and initially commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel J A Currie (Commanding Officer of the 48th Highlanders of Canada at the outbreak of the war). Embarked Quebec 3 October 1914 aboard MEGANTIC, and later disembarked in England 14 October 1914 with a strength of 46 officers, 1109 other ranks. Disembarked in France 14 February 1915 with the 1st Canadian Division, 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade, and later reinforced by 5th Canadian Reserve Battalion.
Private George Boone joined his unit in the field on 4 February 1916.
Private George Boone Wounded
Pte George Boone GSW Left ear admitted to No 3 Canadian Field Ambulance, 12 May 1916. To No 17 Casualty Clearing Station and finally to No 3 Canadian General Hospital. Private George Boone eventually discharged 5 June 1916. Examined at SSGH Southmead Bristol, GSW head, deafness left ear (no treatment available), 12 June 1915.
Promotion of Private George Boone
Private George Boone rejoined unit 17 June 1916. To be Lance Corporal in the Field, 23 June 1916.
Battle of Thiepval Ridge
The Canadian victory at Courcelette earlier in September pushed the Corps up several hundred metres to new lines just after the village. Several weeks later, as part of Haig’s bite and hold plan, the 1st and 2nd Divisions would be jumping off from the new Canadian lines to take Thiepval Ridge, some 1 000 metres north west of their current position. The divisions would be covering fully half of the 6 000 yards of front planned for the attack, and would be advancing in broad daylight towards the Germans’ elevated position on top of the ridge.
Thiepval aerial images
Note the chalk substrate of the trenches still visible from the air over a hundred years following the Great War.
Bombardment
After a three day bombardment, the 1st and 2nd Divisions attacked at 12h35 on 26 September. The Canadian bombardment able to keep the frontline trenches from functioning, but could not knock out the guns further back. The enemy also rained shells onto the battalions trying to cross the open ground to their objectives. Both divisions successfully moved across No Mans Land, though at high loss of life, and crashed into the trenches opposite, over running most over the course of a 3 hour struggle. The battalions holding parts of Hessian, Kenora and also Zollern Graben and struggled to hold them against multiple counter attacks.
Regina Trench
By the end of the day, the trench systems at the ridge still not fully captured. Then the British commander of the operation, Hubert Gough, called the attack off for the night, and planned to begin again in the morning. However, the German regiments pulled out during the night. Consolidating in the fortified Regina Trench system at the top of the ridge. Then some effort made to probe Regina trench, and the Canadian Divisions continued to skirmish around Kenora trench. But, the large scale battle for Thiepval over. Finally, Canadian losses for the day extremely heavy, total Allied losses for Thiepval over 12 000.
Lance Corporal George Boone Missing
Lance Corporal George Boone Wounded – reported missing 26 September 1916. Four days later, Boone believed to be among the dead.
The 742 Canadian casualties of 6 September 1916 found in over 30 nearby cemeteries, or listed on the Vimy Memorial. Only one other identified Canadian lies buried with Lance Corporal George Boon at Warlencourt British Cemetery. Finally, 99 men of the 15th Battalion died on 26 September 1916 in the storming of Regina Trench.
Butte de Warlencourt
Between Lance Corporal George Boone’s initial and final resting places lies la Butte de Warlencourt.
Lance Corporal George Boone exhumed from a solitary grave at 57c.M.24.d.1.8. Moved north to Warlencourt, 57c.M.11.d.15.90 southwest of Bapaume on 24 November 1920. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade along Kenora Trench from 57d.R.23.b.9.1 to 57d.R.23.a.9.5 at 19h00 on 26 September 1916.
Earlier at 14h00, six German waggons seen headed to Irles, perhaps carrying a wounded Lance Corporal George Boone to a Casualty Clearing Station.
Boone’s initial battlefield burial location well behind enemy lines, likely by a German Regimental Aid Post or Casualty Clearing Station. The British only reach Le Sars by 7 October 1916.
First burial of Lance Corporal George Boone
Thousands of Canadian soldiers like Lance Corporal George Boone initially buried by the German Army in communal or makeshift battlefield cemeteries. Likewise, thousands of German soldiers buried by the Allies during, and after the Great War.
Those buried in communal cemeteries behind the lines had little chance of being lost. The same cannot be said of battlefield graves, subject to shelling throughout the war. Also contributing to the number of Missing, that had received a burial, the lack of a graves registration process in the first two years of the war.
Warlencourt British Cemetery
The village of Warlencourt lies just off and to the west of the D929, Bapaume to Albert road. Some 5 kilometres south-west of Bapaume. WARLENCOURT BRITISH CEMETERY lies on the east side of the D929. To the south east of Warlencourt village and 5 kilometres south-west of Bapaume. CWGC signposts on the D929 give advance warning of arrival at the Cemetery.
Warlencourt, the Butte de Warlencourt and Eaucourt-L’Abbaye the scene of very fierce fighting in 1916. Eaucourt taken by the 47th (London) Division early in October. The Butte (a Roman mound of excavated chalk, about 17 metres high, once covered with pines) attacked by that and other divisions. But, not relinquished by the Germans until the following 26 February 1917, when they withdrew to the Hindenburg Line.
The 51st (Highland) Division fought a delaying action here on 25 March 1918 during the great German advance, and the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division recaptured the ground on 25 August 1918.
Hexham Road Cemetery
The cemetery made late in 1919 when graves brought in from small cemeteries and the battlefields of Warlencourt and Le Sars. The largest burial ground moved into this cemetery HEXHAM ROAD CEMETERY, LE SARS, on the West side of the Abbey grounds. (Hexham Road was the name given to the road leading from Warlencourt to Eaucourt. Le Sars captured by the 23rd Division on 7 October 1916, and then again by the Third Army on 25 August 1918.) This cemetery used from November 1916 to October 1917. It contained the graves of 17 soldiers from the United Kingdom and 13 from Australia.
Warlencourt cemetery now contains 3,505 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the Great War. A staggering 1,823 of the burials unidentified – special memorials to 55 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials commemorate 15 casualties buried in Hexham Road Cemetery, whose graves destroyed by shell fire.
Durham Light Infantry Memorial, Butte de Warlencourt, Le Sars
15th Bn Canadian Infantry Courcelette Memorial
This commemorative plaque unveiled on the 28 September 2013. Presided by Canadian and French dignitaries and also by members of the 15th Battalion Memorial Project.
The regiment has demonstrated its continuing interest in commemorating its Great War combatants by the raising of several plaques across the Western Front.
Grave of Lance Corporal George W Boone
