Robert Graves/Cambrin Wood

[Everett Sharp]

In his poem 'When I'm Killed' of July 1916 Graves writes of him 'Buried there in Cambrin Wood'

 

Cambrin is a rather samll place, way beyond St Quintin and at this time deep within German occupied France. 

 

Can anyone tell me why this location?

[zac191418]

[DJ]

In 1915 the Royal Welch Fusiliers were entrenched to to the North of
Cambrin Wood. To their rear was a church, and, presumably a graveyard.
See JC Dunn's "The War The Infantry Knew", 1938. Second edition Ed K
Simpson , 1989... A very handy book when reading the poems of Graves
and Sassoon..................

[Peter]

On May 4, 4:09 am, "Everett Sharp" <everett.sh...@oucs.ox.ac.uk>
wrote:

> In his poem 'When I'm Killed' of July 1916 Graves writes of him 'Buried there in Cambrin Wood'
>
> Cambrin is a rather samll place, way beyond St Quintin and at this time deep within German occupied France.
>
> Can anyone tell me why this location?

Why not?

Cambrin wood was very much the front line in 1916. The Germans blow up
a mine under the British Trench at Cambrin in March of that
year(1916). That explosion buried a few British soldiers, including
Private Hart. Private Hart was shot was later shot for, I think
desertion. Graves, as has been mentioned was there in 1915. Not sure
if the church, with or without a graveyard, is relevant. Everywhere
that there was fighting had a graveyard afterwards.

[Ahmad Fattah]

was Siegfried Sassoon ther with Graves? or was he already in the military hospital?