255428 Pte. Albert Burnley British Army 240th Coy. Machine Gun Corps from:Kirkheaton, Huddersfield (d.16th Sep 1917) In 2016 my daughter travelled to the Battlefields on a school History trip. Her teacher asked all the pupils to check with older members of the family to see if there were any relatives who might be buried in the cemeteries they were due to visit.
I was given a vague indication that my great uncle might have died on the WW1 Battlefields so I registered on a family history website and began to work backwards from my mother. It took several late nights to discover that it was in fact my great grandfather who had fought and died in action.
Unfortunately my daughter was unable to visit his grave on her school trip as Albert Burnley was buried, along with 11 other UK citizens and 2 Australians in a communal cemetery in Hesbecourt and this was too far from their planned route.
I do not know why my great grandfather was buried here though I understand that the cemetery was used by German medical units. I have looked at the Church on Google street view and seen photos of the well tended graves there. I hope that one day I'll be able to personally visit.
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