BUXTON CEMETERY:
Buxton Cemetery was laid out in 1896 about one mile [1.6 kms.] south-east of the town as it then existed, on the London Road.
It covers 13 acres [5.26 Ha.] and had two mortuary chapels; one for the Church of England and one for non-conformists, though neither are currently in use.
The Cemetery is an official Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, containing its Cross of Sacrifice, along with the graves of local men who succumbed to their wounds away from the Battlefields, plus many who died in one of the many Hospitals housed in the town during both Wars. Many of these graves are Canadian soldiers, as the Devonshire Hospital and Empire Hotel were designated Canadian Hospitals.
The memorial consists of the Cross of Sacrifice on a hexagonal base, which bears an inscription referring to the 54 WW1 and 22 WW2 casualties in Buxton Cemetery, plus 15 in Fairfield Cemetery and 5 in Burbage. 
CWGC Records state that “Buxton Cemetery contains 54 scattered burials of the First World War, 29 of them Canadian; a Canadian special orthopaedic hospital was at Buxton in 1917-19 and the town was No 1 Canadian Discharge Depot. The cemetery also contains 22 Second World War burials, some of them made from the RAF station that was at Harpur Hill at this time.“
Whilst it is true that graves are scattered, there are two specific plots containing Commonwealth War Graves. In addition, burials are found in private graves, plus family graves with commemorative inscriptions.
Buxton Cemetery references can, therefore, be divided into a number of different categories:
- 1: Commonwealth War Grave Burials (Local and UK) : 18 men from the Buxton area died during The Great War, either at home or in English Hospitals, and were brought back to the town for burial. There are a further 12 Second World War burials, Army, Navy and Air Force, UK based.
- 2: Buxton Casualties Commemorations: a number of graves in the Cemetery have commemorative inscriptions for local men buried or commemorated in overseas theatres.
- 3: Canadian CWGC Casualties: in both World Wars Buxton served as a Hospital base, mainly for Canadian Forces. Thirty-six of these patients and staff succumbed to wounds or illness in the First World War and were laid to rest in Buxton Cemetery, and 7 more in World War 2, all from the Royal Canadian Air Force. There are, in addition, three Second World War burials from the Royal New Zealand Air Force. [On separate page]
- 4: Other Related Burials: including Marine Scott Taylor, killed in action in Afghanistan in 2010.
- 5: Buxton Hospitals: have an interesting background history, and so have been included here. [On separate page]
1. CWGC Burials – Local and UK Men:
Twelve of the men commemorated on Buxton Memorials are buried in Buxton Cemetery, having died at home in the town or in UK Hospitals and returned home for burial. Some have ‘official’ CWGC headstones; others were buried in private, ‘family’ graves.
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Gunner 35907 FINNEY, William Henry, Royal Field Artillery
- Sapper 71432 GARRICK, Lionel, Royal Engineers – photo right [top]
- Gunner 152357 GOODWIN, John, Royal Field Artillery
- Private 331224 HOLMES, Frederick, Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regt.)
Second Lieutenant HOWE, James Ashwell, Royal Flying Corps – photo right [centre]
- Private 60240 KIEL, John Hermann, West Yorkshire Regt. (Prince of Wales’s Own)
- Private H/24496 LEE, William Joseph, 11th (Prince Albert’s Own) Hussars
- Private 203590 LINDOP, Arthur Henry, Northumberland Fusiliers
Lieutenant NEEDHAM, Louis, Royal Naval Reserve
- Able Seaman 226286 OSMOND, Charles William, Royal Navy – photo right [bottom]
- Private 301865 WILSON, Tom Clarence, Manchester Regiment.
- Private 73809 WOOD, Joseph Henry, Royal Army Medical Corps.
CLICK the name above to go to each man’s page in this site to read more of his personal and service history:
Five other Buxton men, however, are buried in the Cemetery, yet are NOT Commemorated on any of the town’s War Memorials, some as their dates of death were after the closing dates for inclusion, and even after the Memorials were unveiled. There could have been personal or family reasons for others to be omitted.
These men’s Service histories can be accessed in the same way as above by CLICKING on the name below:
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- Sergeant Major 75011 William Henry CHAPPELL, Derbyshire Yeomanry, died 18th August 1920, aged 36.
- Private 123959 Bernard HARRISON, Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regt.), died 25th May 1921, aged 20
- Private 2580 John Henry LAKIN, Manchester Regiment, died 21st May 1918, aged 22.
- Private 123959 John Henry VAREY, Machine Gun Corps, died of wounds 24th April 1920, aged 21
- Lance Corporal 50620 James WILDS, Royal Defence Corps, died 10th February 1918, aged 31.
Other UK Burials:
Eight of the burials in Buxton Cemetery are men from other parts of the U.K. who died in the town, of wounds or illness, but were not returned to their home for burial.
CLICK on their names below to read more about their lives and military careers:
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- Spr. 107946, Edward DICKINS, 283rd Army Troops Coy, Royal Engineers.
- Spr. 92866 George JENNINGS, 213th Army Troops Coy, Royal Engineers.
- Cpl. 260377 Francis LOCKARD, 323rd Quarrying Coy, Royal Engineers.
- Pte. 51796 William KNOTT, Royal Defence Corps, Fly: Pte. 4285, Cheshire Regt
- Pte. 16778 Joe PEARSON, 1st Battn, East Yorkshire Regt.
- Pte. G/784 Arthur SKAM, East Surrey Regt.
- Spr. 740 Benjamin SMITH, 2nd/1st North Midland Field Coy, Royal Engineers.
- Pte. 26894 Hugh THOMAS, 13th Battn, Lancashire Fusiliers
2. Buxton Casualty Commemorations:
Buxton Cemetery contains the family graves of many of those killed in action and buried near to where they fell or succumbed to their wounds.
The details of the following such commemorations can be accessed on their individual pages, by CLICKING the name on the list below:
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- 2nd Lt. Gerald Wallace ADAM, Leicestershire Regiment, commemorated on parents’ grave.
- L/Cpl. Harold Brookes DAWSON, 22nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment, commemorated on parents’ grave.
- L/Cpl. Thomas Henry FARLAM, 4th Battalion, Grenadier Guards, commemorated on parents’ grave, along with his brother.
- Captain Haddo DRUMMOND-FRASER, Cheshire Regiment – commemorated on parents’ grave, along with his brother.
- Private Ernest Edward (Edwin) HOLMES, 10th Battalion, East Yorks. Regiment, also on parents’ grave.
- L/Cpl. Percival INNES, 3rd Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, on mother’s grave; father interred later.
- Brothers Private Joseph KEELING, 8th Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment, and L/Cpl. Sydney Thomas KEELING, 13th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers are both named on their mother, Mary Emma’s, grave. Their father Joseph was buried in the same grave after his death in 1928.
- L/Cpl. William LUFF, 12th (Norfolk Yeomanry) Battalion, Norfolk Regiment, on his father’s grave.
- Sgt. Joseph Booth MILLWARD, 11th Battalion (‘C’ Company), Royal Fusiliers, on his parents’ grave.
- Pte. Charles MYCOCK, 1/5th Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment, on his parents’ grave.
- Pte. John Reginald NICHOLS, 1st/14th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders Regiment, on his parents’ grave.
- L/Cpl. Allen REDFERN, 1/6th Battalion, Sherwood Forester Regiment, also on his parents’ grave.
- Private Brian Haigh SMITH, 1/7th Battalion, King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, is commemorated on the grave of his brother, George Millward Smith, who died in 1930.
In addition:
Capt. Geoffrey Yates HEALD, 15th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, who was killed in action 1st July 1916, has no real link to the town but his commemorative cross is leaning against his family grave in Buxton Cemetery.
Lieut. Ernest Gilbert BULLARD, Indian Army Postal Service, had served with the Indian Army until the 24th June 1911. he was recalled in September 1914 and on the 3rd November appointed to the Postal Service. He died on the 1st August 1915 and is buried in Grave V.A.25, Merville Communal Cemetery.
3: Canadian CWGC Casualties:
In both World Wars Buxton served as a Hospital base, mainly for Canadian Forces. Thirty-six of these patients and staff succumbed to wounds or illness in the First World War and were laid to rest in Buxton Cemetery, and 7 more in World War 2, all from the Royal Canadian Air Force.
There are, in addition, three Second World War burials from the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Details of these losses have been moved to a separate page.
4: Other Related Burials:
In more recent times Scott Gregory Taylor joined the Marines in September 2007, aged 18, after completing his GCSEs and A-levels at Buxton Community School.
Scott died in an explosion on Sunday 30th May 2010 while on foot patrol near Sangin with Alpha Company, 40 Commando.
He was brought home and buried with full Military Honours. Thousands of local residents lined the route of his cortege and Scott now lies in Buxton Cemetery with the War Dead from earlier conflicts.
5: Buxton Military Hospitals:
In both World Wars Buxton served as a Hospital base, mainly for Canadian Forces, such as the Canadian Discharge Hospital, pictured right.
The stories of these Hospitals clearly have a bearing on the Cemetery.
Details of these hospitals have been moved to a separate page.
