No.493887, Private, Herbert ASHLEY
Aged 22
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Herbert Ashley was born in Brandon (Thetford Q1-1896 4B:362), son of Jesse and Emma ASHLEY (née WHARF). 1901 census...Aged 5, he was at ? Row, Bury Road, Brandon with his father Jesse ASHLEY [31], bricklayer's labourer; his mother Emma [30] and sister Mabel [6]. All were born in Brandon. 1911 census...Aged 15, farm hand, he was at No 2, Mile End, Brandon with his parents; sister Mabel, Lily [10] and Milli [4] both born in Brandon. The pension card has his mother at 154 London Road, Brandon. |
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Enlisted in Norwich. He was posted to France/Flanders on 30th June 1916.
"Brandon at War" has :- " Sometime in 1916 he was wounded in the neck and arm and by October that year he had recovered enough to write home to his mother to tell her he was in hospital. He was still in hospital when another Brandon lad, Private Musket Field, wrote home to his own mother to tell her that he too was in hospital recovering from gunshot wounds and he had seen Herbert there." The war diary takes several pages to cover just 7 hours, but in summary the Battalion advancing from Epinoy, assembled for an attack along the railway line just south of Fressies at 05:15. The objective was to clear Fressies and reach the Canal de la Sensee. Despite enemy machine gun fire, and an attack by enemy aircraft, the first objectives were all reached by around 08:15. By 10:40 a post had been established by the bridge and artillery and Lewis guns were dealing with enemy machine guns on the north bank of the canal. These they silenced by noon and a post was set up to guard a footbridge about 300 yards west of the present day bridge. Casualties were recorded as O.R 3 killed, 12 wounded, prisoners 2 office, 45 OR (no indication as whether these were enemy or our men), Machine guns captured 13.. CWGC records also show 3 killed of the 13th Londons. It is not known if Herbert was found alive or dead by the Germans, he does not appear on the International Red Cross prisoner of war rolls, but he was buried in the German extension of the Abancourt Communal Cemetery and in September 1920, together with another 37, he was re-interred the other side of Cambrai at his current resting place. He had been buried in the same grave as an unknown British soldier, the grave marked with a cross with his name on it. His chums who fell are buried miles away, one in Bucquoy Road, the other was found buried in Fressies and later removed to Naves. click here to go to the Brandon at War website for more information
Herbert is commemorated on the headstone of his parents in Brandon Herbert was first buried in the Abancourt Communal Cemetery German Extension and moved in 1920 about 14 miles to Flesquieres, photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |
