Gnr
John Thomas Busby
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 21/12/1891 |
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Place of birth: Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Grocer |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Gunner |
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Service number: 131463 |
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Enlistment date: 07/04/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Field Artillery, 4th Div. Ammunition Col. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 21/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Langemarck, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 25 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 5A |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
In September 1917 the 4th Division was send to Flanders from France. The Division would attack just North of Poelcappelle on the 12th of October 1917. The attack was part of the First Battle of Passchendaele, which commenced on that same day. The Divisional Ammunition Column had entrained at Arras, in France, in conjunction with the 4th Divisional Artillery. They left Arras on the 13th of September and arrived the following day at the towns of Poperinghe and Proven. The Divisional Ammunition later went to bivouac at Welsh Farm, just southwest of the village of Elverdinghe.
John Thomas Busby was a Gunner in the Royal Field Artillery Divisional Ammunition Column of the 4th Division. The task of the Divisional Ammunition Column was to supply the artillery batteries closer to the frontlines with ammunition. They started delivering ammunition from the warehouses to the artillery batteries closer to the front on the 18th of September. The men, horses, mules and machines of the Divisional Ammunition Column were a constant target for the German artillery and the supply lines were subsequently regularly shelled. Casualties occurred on an almost daily basis, despite the fact that many ammunition runs were carried out at night.
In the night of the 21st and 22nd of October 1917 the Divisional Ammunition Column of the 4th Division, with Gunner John Thomas Busby, was delivering ammunition to forward artillery positions. While they were delivering ammunition they were targeted by German shellfire just southwest of the village of Langemarck at a crossing over the Steenbeek. Gunner John Thomas Busby was killed by a German shell and four of his comrades were wounded. Gunner Busby was buried next to the road where he fell at U28.a.3.2.
His grave got lost in a later phase of the war. We can’t exactly know how or why his grave got lost, but it’s highly probable his grave disappeared, due to the constant shelling on the village of Langemarck and the supply routes to the front or during the German Spring offensive of 1918.
John Thomas Busby was a Gunner in the Royal Field Artillery Divisional Ammunition Column of the 4th Division. The task of the Divisional Ammunition Column was to supply the artillery batteries closer to the frontlines with ammunition. They started delivering ammunition from the warehouses to the artillery batteries closer to the front on the 18th of September. The men, horses, mules and machines of the Divisional Ammunition Column were a constant target for the German artillery and the supply lines were subsequently regularly shelled. Casualties occurred on an almost daily basis, despite the fact that many ammunition runs were carried out at night.
In the night of the 21st and 22nd of October 1917 the Divisional Ammunition Column of the 4th Division, with Gunner John Thomas Busby, was delivering ammunition to forward artillery positions. While they were delivering ammunition they were targeted by German shellfire just southwest of the village of Langemarck at a crossing over the Steenbeek. Gunner John Thomas Busby was killed by a German shell and four of his comrades were wounded. Gunner Busby was buried next to the road where he fell at U28.a.3.2.
His grave got lost in a later phase of the war. We can’t exactly know how or why his grave got lost, but it’s highly probable his grave disappeared, due to the constant shelling on the village of Langemarck and the supply routes to the front or during the German Spring offensive of 1918.
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/843870 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=467aebb9-dd1d-4142-867c-3f0773122dde |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/673220 |