Research by David O'Mara, Croonaert Research Services.
17th December 1914
739 Cpl. Pétrus Bonnetin, 51e BCA. Born at Amplejuis, Loire on 19th February 1888, Pétrus was living at 35, rue Lachaize, Roanne at the time of he enlistment. A recalled reservist, he enlisted into the 51e BCA at Roanne on August 4th 1914 and fought in the Vosges, the Somme and at Ypres before partaking in the 2nd Battle of the Yser (November - Dec 1914). Pétrus was wounded in action on the Yser front in mid -December 1914 and died in hospital. He is buried in the military section of the communal cemetery at Juvisy sur Orge
18th December 1918
Smn. Charles Elmer Orsborn, US Navy. Born in McLean County , Illinois on November 6th 1896, Charles was originally surnamed Cirinovitch but, upon the death of both his parents before the age of 4, he was adopted by John W.Orsborn. Joining the US Navy in 1912, he served 4 years before returning to civilian life. He re-enlisted in December 1917 at Cincinnati , Ohio and became a wireless operator on the USS Dretcherland. Charles died of pneumonia at St.Nazaire, France on 18th December 1918 and was repatriated to the USA.
15th December 1918
114275 Pte, Percy Beaumont Midgeley , 17th Bn Kings (Liverpool) Regt. Born in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Percy was a painter and decorator at Crosshills, Yorkshire at the time of his enlistment. Enlisting in January 1915, Percy was wounded in action in 1917 and spent some time recovering in England before returning to active service. Whilst part of the Russian Expeditionary Force, he contracted pneumonia and died of this at Pless, Russia on 15th December 1918. His grave being lost, Percy is commemorated on the Archangel Memorial, Russia.
16th December 1918
1st Lieut. Benjamin Logan Englerth, US Army Medical Corps. From Honey Creek, Henry County, USA, Benjamin was born on January 2nd 1892. The son of a doctor, he wished to follow in his father's footsteps and graduated from the Eclectic Medical School of Cincinnatti in 1915 before enlisting into the Army medical services in 1917. Seeing service on the Western Front from early 1918, Benjamin contracted pneumonia and died, in Base Hospital Nr.101 at St.Nazaire on 16th December 1918. Initially buried in the US Cemetery at St.Nazaire, Benjamin's body was repatriated in the 1920's.
13th December 1914
1195 Cpl. Jean Corraud, 168 RI Born at Sarry, Saonne-et-Loire on 29th March 1875, Jean was a member of the territorials at the time of the outbreak of war. Transferred to the 168th Regiment d'infanterie at some point between the 3rd and 18th August 1914, Jean served for his whole war on the Argonne front as from September 1914. As part of the 2nd Battalion, he was killed in action during an attack in the Bois de Mort-Mare on 13th December 1914 and is now buried in the Necropole Nationale at Flirey.
14th December 1916
135170 Pte. Harry Reginald Jackson, 52nd Battalion CEF. Born in Sunderland, England on May 31st 1877, Harry's home address was in Leeds, Yorkshire. He was, however, working as a rubber worker at the Toronto branch of Dunlops at the time of the outbreak of war (he had been renting a residence along with his wife and son for nearly four years ). Enlisting at Toronto on 28th July 1915, Harry arrived on the western front in the early summer of 1916. After only a few weeks in the trenches, he was slightly wounded by a rifle bullet to the head and spent a week in hospital recovering before returning to the frontline near Hill 60. On August 17th 1916, Harry was hit in the left hand side of his chest with the bullet passing through his spine paralising him from the chest down. Evacuated back to the UK, Harry had to spend weeks lying with a rubber ring under his back in an effort to relieve the pressure on his wound. He eventually died of his wounds in the Ontario Military Hospital at Orpington on 14th December 1916 and is now buried in Lawns Wood Cemetery, Leeds, Yorkshire.
10 December 1917
267904 Pte. William Robert Simons, 2/6th Bn Duke of Wellington's (W.Rising) Regt) William was born at South Wigston, Leicestershire in 1892. Moving to Sutton-in-Craven, Yorkshire, he was employed as a spinning overlooker and was a keen member of a local brass band.He enlisted in the local territorials (with whom he was a member of the regimental band) and was sent to France in about March 1917. On May 3rd 1917, William was posted as missing but it later transpired that he had been wounded and captured. Held in a German PoW camp (initially in the camp hospital) at Ingolstadt, Bavaria, William died of his injuries here on 10th December 1917 and was buried on December 13th. He is now buried in Niederzwehren Cemetery, Hessen.
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12th December 1914
1507 Sgt. Emile Roux, 286 RI. A postman from Mazet Ste Foy, Loire, Emile was born on 20th February 1888. A recalled reservist upon the outbreak of war, he saw service in Alsace and the Battle of the Woevre before being killed in action during an assault at Ste.Baussant (Moselle). He has no known grave.
8 December 1914
1452 Capl. Jean -Marie Vèrichon, 321 RI. Born at Ste.Maurice-sur-Loire on 5th July 1887, Jean-Marie had completed his compulsory military service in 1911 with 121 RI. A recalled reservist, he re-entered the army on 4th August 1914 and, with the 321 RI (the reserve regiment of the 121st), fought at the Battle of the Aisne. Falling ill towards the end of 1914, Jean-Marie was evacuated from the frontline and died in the auxiliary hospital at Levallois-Perret on 8th December 1914. His place of burial is unrecorded but it is likely that he is buried in his home-town.
9 December 1915
Ldst.Jäger Josef Böhler, 3. Rgt. d. Tir. K.J.. A farmer from Wolfurt, Austria, Josef was born on 16th October 1874. Taken prisoner by the Italians in the Autumn of 1915, he died in captivity at Naldobbiandene, Italy on 9th December 1915. Josef's burial details are unknown.
6th December 1918
R.O. Thomas Melvyn DeWitt, U.S.Navy. Born in Chicago, Illinois on December 18th 1895, Thomas moved to Muncie, Indiana, where he became the advertising manager for the local newspaper, the Muncie Star. On November 14th 1917, he enlisted into the radio department of the US Naval Reserves at the Great Lakes Training Station, Chicago where he was assigned to work as a 3rd Class Radio Operator and trained at Harvard University and New London, Conneticut. Thomas was drowned on 6th December 1918 off Tangier, Morrocco. His body was repatriated to the USA.
7th December 1914
1180 Sdt.2e Cl. Eugène Joyeux, 7 Régiment de Zouaves. Born on 9th February 1894 (and resident at 15, rue Centrale, Roanne, Loire), Eugene was called up to military service immediately upon the outbreak of war. Seeing his first actions at the Battle of the Aisne, his unit moved to the Artois front. Eugene was killed in action in the vicinity of Ecurie/Roclincourt (at the location that was, in the near future, to be known as the ‘Labyrinthe') on 7th December 1914 and has no known grave.
3rd December 1918
2nd Lt. William Goodwin, US Aviation Service. From Chicago, Illinois, William was born on July 21st 1892. After working as a painter in Blackford County, he enlisted into the US Aviation Service in December 1916 at Columbus Barracks, Ohio and was trained at San Antonio, Texas and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Whilst stationed at San Diego, California, William was killed in a plane crash during a test flight on 3rd December 1918. He is buried in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
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4th December 1916
Patrouilleführer Josef Gmeiner, 4. Rgt. d. Tir. K.J. Born at Mellau, Austria on 17th July 1880, Josef was a labourer in civilian life. Though enlisted in late 1914, he didn't see frontline service until mid 1916. Wounded in action in November 1916, Josef died of his injuries in the Military Hospital at Dornbirn, Austria on 4t December 1916. He is buried in the military plot in Dornbirn cemetery.
5th December 1918
Cpl. Everett Guy Mitchell, Co.D, 809th Pioneer Infantry, US Army. A farmer from Union County, Everett was born on August 5th 1894. He was drafted into service at Liberty, Indiana on August 22nd 1918 and sent to Camp Dodge with the 163rd Depot Bde. After serving in France since September 23rd 1918, Everett died of pneumonia at Nantes on December 5th 1918 and was buried in the city. His body was relocated post-war to the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery at Fere-en-Tardenois (Plot C, Row 16, Grave 18).
1st December 1915
Zugsführer Franz Josef Heinzle, KuK L.I.R. Nr.1. Born at Laterns, Austria on 7th December 1874, Franz was a labourer in civilian life. Serving in Austria throughout 1914 and most of 1915, he was wounded in action in Serbia in November 1915 and evacuated back to Austria. Franz died in the garrison hospital at Innsbruck on 1st December 1915 and is still buried nearby.
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2nd December 1915
405 Sdt.2e Cl. Jean Berry, 354 RI Born at St.Just-la-Pendue, Loire on 3rd November 1876 (residing at 5, rue de la Livatte, Roanne in 1914), Jean had completed his pre-war full time service at the end of the 19th Century . As part of the 98e Regiment d'Infanterie Territoriale at the time of the outbreak of war, he was immediately mobilised in August 1914 and soon transferred into the recently formed reserve regiment of the 154e RI - the 354th. With his new regiment, Jean saw action at the Ourcq and in the Champagne. He was killed in action near Souain on 2nd December 1915 and has no known grave.
