The Scottish War Graves Project

apanderson · Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 6903 Location: Stirlingshire

No. of Identified Casualties: 593

CWGC Information:

La Chaudiere Military Cemetery is approximately 3 kilometres south of Lens and is situated on the north-western outskirts of Vimy.

Vimy Ridge was taken by the Canadian Corps in April 1917 in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, although the 25th and 47th (London) Divisions had also been involved in heavy fighting there in May 1916. The cemetery was made at the foot of the ridge, on the north-eastern side, next to a house which had contained a camouflaged German gun position. It remained very small until the summer of 1919, when graves were brought in from many other small cemeteries and isolated sites (some of these from the 1916 fighting) on or near the ridge. At this time, the cemetery was known as Vimy Canadian Cemetery No.1. There are now 907 servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 314 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to a number of casualties known to be buried among them. Other special memorials commemorate men whose graves in some of the concentrated cemeteries had been destroyed in subsequent fighting. The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

apanderson · Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 6903 Location: Stirlingshire

Photograph kindly supplied by War Graves Project Member 'Boyentrant'.

Name: LETFORD, WILLIAM ALEXANDRI
Initials: W A
Nationality: Canadian
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: Canadian Infantry (British Columbia Regiment)
Unit Text: 72nd Bn.
Age: 18
Date of Death: 01/05/1917
Service No: 219911
Additional information: Adopted son of Ellen Wright, of Frankville, Ontario.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: III. E. 14.
Cemetery: LA CHAUDIERE MILITARY CEMETERY, VIMY

Listed on Kirkintilloch Civic Memorial, see: http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=119&highlight=kirkintilloch&mforum=warmemscot