100 years ago today, 4 March 1917, Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Beckett, commanding officer of the 75th Battalion was laid to rest at Villers au Bois cemetery behind Vimy Ridge. Major J. Miles Langstaff and 16 other men who had been killed on the night of 28 February - 1 March during the disastrous trench (gas) raid were also buried on that day. The 75th casualties were 71 dead, 119 wounded and 31 missing, the remains of the latter were not found. Lieutenant Aysceau F. Swinnerton who was missing-presumed-killed that night is but one of the 250 names to 75th men commemorated on Walter Allward's Vimy Memorial.

 photo 1 - Lt. Col. Beckett as CO of the 9th Mississauga Horse 1914
photo 2- Lieutenant (Major) J. Miles Langstaff, 1914
photo 3 - Villers au Bois cemetery, originally called Villers Station because to the left of the cemetery there was a rail line during the war.
photo 4 - grave of Lt. Col. Beckett - next of kin had the option of having an inscription of their choosing at the bottom of the stone, sadly not in this case.

beckett

 langstaff

villers au bois cemetery

beckett grave

 

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