Bayeux War Cemetery and Memorial
Historical Information (Source: CWGC)
Bayeux War Cemetery, which was completed in 1952, contains 4,144 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 338 of them unidentified. There are also over 500 war graves of other nationalities, the majority German.
The Bayeux Memorial stands opposite the cemetery and bears the names of more than 1,800 men of the Commonwealth land forces who died in the early stages of the campaign and have no known grave. They died during the landings in Normandy, during the intense fighting in Normandy itself, and during the advance to the River Seine in August.
Cemetery
Served with
- Australian (17)
- Canadian (178)
- Czechoslovakian (2)
- German (414)
- Italian (2)
- New Zealand (8)
- Polish (25)
- Russian (7)
- South African (1)
- United Kingdom (3.604)
Served in
- Air Force (226)
- Army (3.756)
- Merchand Navy (8)
- Navy (268)
VICTORIA CROSS
Corporal SIDNEY BATES - 5779898 - 1st Bn. Royal Norfolk Regiment
Died 08 August 1944 Age 23
Country of Service: United Kingdom
Awards: Victoria Cross
Citation
The citation in the London Gazette of 2nd November, 1944, gives the following details :- In North-West Europe on 6th August, 1944, the position held by a battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment near Sourdeval was heavily attacked. Corporal Bates was commanding a forward section of the left forward company which suffered some casualties, so he decided to move the remnants of his section to an alternative position from which he could better counter the enemy thrust.
As the threat to this position became desperate, Corporal Bates seized a light machine-gun and charged, firing from the hip. He was almost immediately wounded and fell, but he got up and advanced again, though mortar bombs were falling all round him. He was hit a second time and more seriously wounded, but he went forward undaunted, firing constantly till the enemy started to fall back before him. Hit for the third time, he fell, but continued firing until his strength failed him. By then the enemy had withdrawn and Corporal Bates, by his supreme gallantry and self-sacrifice, had personally saved a critical situation. He died shortly afterwards of the wounds he had received.
Grave Reference: XX. E. 19.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Serjeant GORDON MAITLAND PICKFORD - 2609858
Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C. - "C" Sqn., 49th (West Riding) Regt.
Died 16 August 1944 Age 34
Gordon Pickford, born in 1909, joined the Grenadier Guards as a drummer and was one of 4 men who blew the silver bugles at the Menin Gate on 15 Sept 1929 when they were handed to the town of Ypres.
2 Czechs
Desatnik ALOIS HANUS - F.3330
Czechoslovakian Army - 1 Obrnena Brigada
Died 02 September 1944 Age 24
Vojin KURT STEINER - R.1614
Czechoslovakian Army - 1 Obrnena Brigada
Died 16 September 1944 Age 22
2 Italians
Soldato COSIMO TRIMARCHI - 0/5678
Italian Army
Died 02 July 1945
Caporale MARIO UMBERTO PANDOLFI
Italian Army
Died 28 April 1945
7 Russians
Soldier VASILY ISAKOW - Russian Army - Died 24 April 1945
Soldier KHASHIM KARESAYEV - Russian Army - Died 28 April 1945
Soldier SEEV ORINDYEKOV - Russian Army - Died 02 April 1945
Soldier PRASBI KUSCHANOW - 5701/2/31G - Russian Army - Died 15 April 1945
Soldier THEODOR SAMIETIS - Russian Army - Died 24 May 1945
Soldier DMITRY PODDUBUY - Russian Army - Died 07 July 1945
Soldier W BURKOTEHKO - Russian Army - Died 12 June 1945
