Harry & Pals Final Resting Place
In Honour of Harry, Richard, Frederick and Raymond of the 4th Battalion Grenadier Guards who all died on 22 April 1918 during the Battle of the Lys. They currently rest side by side in Hazebrouck cemetery.
Left to right, Raymond, Harry, Frederick, Richard as pictured above.
Harry now rests in Cinq Rues British Cemetery, Hazebrouck, Flanders, Northern France. Hazebrouck is a town 13 miles east of St. Omer. Cinq Rues British Cemetery is 40 miles from Calais. From Hazebrouck follow the N42 in the direction of St. Omer. The cemetery lies directly on the right hand side of this road approximately 1.5 miles out of Hazebrouck.
Of the 225 graves in the cemetery there are only 4 Grenadier Guards.
The official 4th Btn 'Particulars of Casualties' for the period 17th to 25 April 1918 states the following;
Raymond Rolfe, Frederick Dean and Richard Dyer were killed in action on 22/04/18. Harry Hackett along with another colleague Second Lieutenant Raymond Driver Richardson, were wounded on 22/04/18. Harry died later the same day but RD Richardson died four days later at a casualty clearing station half way between St Omer and Hazebrouck known as Ebblinghem. He now rests in a war cemetary along with 447 other soldiers.
There were also nine further casualties as well as seventeen who had been gassed.
Lieutenant
Raymond Harold Rolfe
Born : unknown
Died : 22 April 1918 aged 21
From Woking, Surrey
Sargeant
Harry Hackett
Born : 3 Jan 1891
Died : 22 April 1918 aged 26
From Old Hill in the Black Country, West Midlands
Lance Corporal
Frederick John Dean MM
Born : unknown
Died : 22 April 1918 aged 21
Born at Ely, Cambridgeshire
Guardsman
Richard John Dyer
Born : 28 Dec 1897
Died : 22 April 1918 aged 20
From Broadwell in Gloucestershire small village in the Cotswolds
Son of Edwin and Harriett Rolfe from Aldershot.
Father, Edwin served in the Royal Engineers and in 1918 was a Major.
Brother Wilfred Edwin Rolfe was
2nd Lieutenant, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, Buckinghamshire Battalion (Territorial). He was killed in action on 22 Aug 1917. He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
It's understood that one of Raymond's other brothers (Lawrence) emigrated to the East (Japan) in the 1920's.
Exceprt from war diary. 22.04.18 FRONT LINE
Monday. Lieut ROLFE was killed by an enemy shell during the night. Heavy enemy bombardment with gas and HE. Bn relieved 12th KOYLI in front line. Dispositions as per map. Bn and Brigade Orders attached App 189 The composite Bn ceased to exist at 6pm and 4th Bn Grenadier Guards and 3rd Bn Coldstream Guards became separate Bns. Quiet relief but considerable shelling on both sides. Few casualties. Relief complete 11:30pm though impeded by gas shells. Weather fine
Son of Samuel and Maria Hackett. He was one of six brothers Thomas, Levi, Samuel, Josiah and George and had four sisters Annie, Edith, Myra and Alice
Family contact:
andyrudall@hotmail.com
Son of Joseph Lavender Dean and Alice Dean, of 2, Princess Avenue, Denton, Manchester. Born at Ely
Family contact:
steve.goddard3@virgin.net
Like Harry, Frederick was killed within a couple of weeks of returning to France. I guess they would have travelled together from England to the Front.
Son of William and Rachel Dyer and he had a younger sister Rose Marie May (nee Dyer).
Name on headstone is Richard John Dyer but name is actually John Richard Dyer. He was a gardener by trade.
He joined the Grenadier Guards on 22 may 1916 and after training was posted to the 4th Btn Grenadiers on 2 March 1917. His service number was 25892.
His military history sheet states he was wounded 'Gassed' on 25 July 1917. He spent 5 months in hospital recovering.
When Richard John Dyer was gassed he was part of the 4th Battalion of Grenadier Guards preparing for the start of the Battle of Passchedaele (Battle of Pilckem Ridge). In July of 1917 was the date of the first German attack of Mustard gas at Passchedaele so Richard John Dyer was probrably one of the first casualties of Mustard gas in the First World War.
Link to a War Memorial in Woking that bears Raymonds name.
Raymond his father and his brother were all involved in the military. They lived at Aldershot Military in Stanhope and Wellington Lines.
Row B, Grave 6
Row B, Grave 7
Row B, Grave 8
Row B, Grave 9
Not Forgotten......
If you have any more information regarding any of these men, it would be great to make contact. andyrudall@hotmail.com