Curious Grave Marker

The We Are The Dead ( @WeAreTheDead ) Twitter account unfailingly posts the names of Canadian Service Men and Women who gave the ultimate sacrifice. One such tweet got my attention as I check any of the tweets with Western Ontario Regiment to see if any of these soldier commemorated are from the 18th. In a recent tweet I found two. A Private  Frank William Mills Service No. 159148 and a Lieutenant Walter Frank Cole Service No. 53184.

There was one curious detail at the CVWM page for Private Mills. A picture of his headstone also has below his inscription that of Lieutenant Cole. I have never seen this type of commemoration before. It makes one wonder how common was it for two soldiers names to be put on one grave marker.

As gave be seen both were killed on the same day. Private Cole was killed on operations in the Vis-en-Artois area and died instantly from shrapnel wounds to his legs and body. Lieutenant Cole was originally reported missing but was reportedly killed by a shell in the same area of operations.

The War Diary tells of a terrible day:

SENSEE RIVER LINE

August 28th

zero hour for this days operation was set for 12:30 noon. Bn. was in support of 20th Bn. Heavy casualties were suffered in the advance to the slope of the SENSEE RIVER, machine gun nests and wire in the German line being equally heavy. Capt. MacKedie was shot through the head and instantly killed while rushing a German gun post; Lieut. Cole, shot through the eye, was afterwards found dead; Major Graham and Lts. Lawrence, Donaldson, and Krug were wounded. Under terrific fire the Bn. was compelled to temporarily withdraw and take up a line in the sunken roads fronting the German wire East of the SENSEE RIVER. 52 O.R.s arrived as reif. 3 O.R.s on leave. Approx. casualties all ranks 10 killed and 70 wounded.

Viewing the Circumstances of Death reveal a glimpse of the reported circumstances of these soldier’s deaths and the card for Lieutenant Cole indicates a different circumstance than that notated in the War Diary. The Diary states quite clearly he died that day and by what manner but the card indicates he was missing and killed by a shell and not a gun shot wound. The Diary does state he was found “afterward” but is that because the War Diary was not written daily? If not, then the discrepancy of the number of KIA (10 compared to the actual 34) would probably represent a higher number of men killed in action.

This day was particularly bloody for the C.E.F. with 504 recorded deaths. Sadly the war diarist was wrong. 34 18th Battalion soldiers died that day. The 18th Battalion suffered the following: