Far From Home (FFH)

The following, by Glenn Wright, reports on a recent memorable visit to Great Britain.

A 25 April blog post, and links therein, described the FFH project initiated by Diana Beaupré and Adrian Watkinson of Canterbury, England, to identify, research, visit and photograph every gravesite of the men and women who served in the CEF, the Royal Flying Corps, the Merchant Navy as well as the Newfoundland Forestry Corps and who died and are buried in the United Kingdom. Over the course of twelve years and several extensive road trips, they have visited all but two of the 3902 casualties in 872 cemeteries and graveyards throughout Great Britain. The final road trip took place in early September with visits to sixteen cemeteries, one in England, the remainder in Scotland. More than twenty gravesites of Canadians and Newfoundlanders were visited.

The objective of the trip was to lay a commemorative plaque to all those who served with the Canadians and Newfoundland forces in the Great War who are buried in the UK. Inspiration for the commemoration was found in the brief life of Antonio Hébert (2228381), a 22-year-old soldier with the Canadian Forestry Corps who deserted in April 1918 from Sluie Camp, located on the Darnaway Estate near Forres, Scotland. Soon after, he hanged himself, but his remains were not discovered until May 1921. Pvt Hébert is buried in Cluny Hill Cemetery, Forres.
On researching his service, Diana and Adrian felt that Hébert and his fate as a soldier were representative of all Canadians and Newfoundlanders who suffered and died in the Great War, especially those whose final resting place is in Great Britain.

On Wednesday, September 17, a solemn event was held deep in the woods, close to a cliff overlooking the Findhorn River that flows through the Darnaway Estate. A small group of witnesses consisting of Diana and Adrian, Dan Black and Glenn Wright from Canada, several members of the local Western Front Association and the Estate’s retired forester, made the long trek into the woods to a location thought to be close to where Antonio Hébert took his own life. After Diana and Adrian placed their memorial stone in the heather, a ceremony of remembrance was held: Hébert’s life and service were recalled, excerpts from Siegfried Sassoon’s poem “The Death Bed”, the Last Post was played, the Act of Remembrance read and one minute silence followed by Reveille and the Lament. It was a fitting commemoration of all Canadians and Newfoundlanders whose final resting place is far from home.

The Far From Home archives, consisting of research notes, documents and photographs relating to all 3902 individuals buried in Great Britain will be deposited in the Canadian War Museum in the coming months.