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MILITARY RECORDS
RIFLEMAN ALEXANDER MILNE
DEBT OF HONOUR REGISTER
In Memory of
ALEXANDER MILNE
Rifleman
27717
1st. Bn. 3rd, N.Z. Rifle Brigade
who died on
Thursday 16 August 1917 . Age 22 .
Additional Information:
Son of William Dawson and Isabella Milne,
of Gore, New Zealand.
Cemetery:
ABBEVILLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION Somme, France
Grave or Reference Panel Number:
III. C. 2.
Location:
The town of Abbeville is on the main road from Paris to Boulogne (N1),
about 80 kilometres south of Boulogne. The communal cemetery and communal
cemetery extension are located on the left hand side of the road when
leaving the town in a north-east direction for Drucat. CWGC direction
signs will be found within the cemetery. Enter the Communal Cemetery by
the left hand side main gate and follow CWGC signs within the Cemetery.
The extension may be entered from the communal cemetery or from the side
lane.
Historical Information:
For much of the First World War, Abbeville was headquarters of the Commonwealth
lines of communication and No 3 BRCS, No 5 and No 2 Stationary Hospitals
were stationed there variously from October 1914 to January 1920. The
communal cemetery was used for burials from November 1914 to September
1916, the earliest being made among the French military graves. The extension
was begun in September 1916. During the early part of the Second World
War, Abbeville was a major operational aerodrome, but the town fell to
the Germans at the end of May 1940. On 4 June, an attempt was made by
the 51st Division, in conjunction with the French, to break the German
bridgehead, but without success. Towards the end of 1943, eight large
ski shaped buildings appeared near Abbeville. These proved to be storage
units for flying bomb components an they were heavily bombed by Commonwealth
air forces. Abbeville was retaken on 4 September 1944 by Canadian and
Polish units. Abbeville Communal Cemetery contains 774 Commonwealth burials
of First World War and 30 from the Second. The Extension contains 1,754
First World War burials and 348 from the Second. The Commonwealth sections
of both cemetery and extension were designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.
IN MEMORY OF
RIFLEMAN ALEXANDER MILNE
27717, 1ST. BN. 3RD, N.Z. RIFLE BRIGADE
WHO DIED AGE 22
ON THURSDAY 16 AUGUST 1917.
RIFLEMAN MILNE, SON OF WILLIAM DAWSON AND ISABELLA MILNE, OF GORE, NEW
ZEALAND.
REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR
ABBEVILLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION
COMMEMORATED IN PERPETUITY BY
THE COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION
©2000-2002 The Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
All Rights Reserved.
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