Sapper Ballingham – sent in by Ian Davies I spent my teen years in Monmouth (1971 - 1979) and because my parents, Eric and Valerie Davies, were very active in the church I was there every Sunday. Some of the congregation still know me, as Mum and Dad came back to Monmouth and Mum was a regular until she died in 2016.
As a youth fellowship member in the days when Jennifer Copestake ran it, I sat in the pews by the brass plaque commemorating the death of Sapper Frederick Ballingham in 1918 when he was serving in the R.M.R.E. I always wondered what happened to him and I'm now on a road trip through France with my wife and decided to find his grave. It's in a small cemetery outside the tiny village of Ligny-St. Flochel not too far from Arras where there was a clearing station for wounded troops, I believe. According to the book at the cemetery he died of disease not wounds, but it doesn't give any details. Anyway, I thought that if anyone else was curious about his fate they might like to see the attached photos. The cemetery is beautifully kept and there was constant birdsong while we were there. A lovely place, but very sad.
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