Ham British Cemetery, Muille-Villette, France
History of the Cemetery (From Commonwealth War Graves Commission website)
In January, February and March 1918, the 61st (South Midland) Casualty Clearing Station was posted at Ham, but on the 23rd March the Germans, in their advance towards Amiens, crossed the Somme at Ham, and the town remained in German hands until the French First Army re-entered it on the following 6th September. Ham British Cemetery was begun in January-March 1918 as an extension of MUILLE-VILLETTE GERMAN CEMETERY, made by the Casualty Clearing Station. In 1919 these graves were regrouped and others were added from the German cemetery and from the following:- CROIX-MOLIGNAUX GERMAN CEMETERY (March and April 1918) ; ESMERY HALLON CHURCHYARD; VILLERS ST. CHRISTOPHE CHURCHYARD (March 1918); EPPEVILLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION (March 1918); and ST. SULPICE COMMUNAL CEMETERY. Ham British Cemetery contains 485 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 218 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 14 soldiers, believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 39 casualties known to have been buried in other cemeteries whose graves were not found.
Gwynnyd McRae is buried at this Commonwealth War Grave, his grave can be found by the Cemetery/memorial reference: I. B. 24. and using the cemetery reference plan.
The cemetery was re-captured by the Germans shortly after Gwynnd's mother wrote these lines.
His grave is far from his kindred,
Yet only marked with a wooden cross ;
Yet only marked with a wooden cross ;