Gosselies Communal

Gosselies Communal Cemetery

History Information (Source: CWGC)

Second WW graves are to be found in a separate plot located left of the entrance, under the trees. First WW graves are located in a row in the east part of the cemetery. The personal memorial of Lieutenant John Edwin Pugh taking the main path from the entrance and then the fourth path on the left. The grave is marked by the tenth memorial on the left.

Served with

United Kingdom (77)
Canadian (31)
Australian (2)
New Zealand (2)

Served in

Air Force (103)
Army (9)

Buried in the family vault

Lieutenant John Edwin PUGH - 210th Sqdn. Royal Air Force

Died 13 November 1918 Age 19

Son of John Vernon Pugh, of Meriden House, Meriden, Warwickshire, and of Edith Georgina French (formerly Pugh), of Hertford House, Coventry.

Lt John Pugh learned to fly at Hendon and obtained aviators certificate 4076 in January 1917. One of his first assignments was to fly Sopwith Camels from a platform on the turret of the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Princess Royal. Then he was transferred to the continent where he flew with 210 Squadron at the end of the war.

On November 10, 1918, the eve of the armistice, he was engaged in ground punishment in Camel F8509 when he himself was hit and badly injured. He was able to make a crash landing and was found by Belgians and taken to a field hospital. The next day he was taken to the German hospital number 155 in Gosselies, but when it was evacuated on 11 November he had little chance. He died on November 12, 1918.

(Photo: Shrewsbury School)