Glasgow Civilian War Graves Riddrie Park Cemetery.

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Glasgow Civilian War Graves Riddrie Park Cemetery.

Postby browning » Mon Jun 08, 2015 9:18 pm

I have long tried to reason why 10 "unidentified persons" from the March 1941 Glasgow bombings are buried in Riddrie Park Cemetery. I noticed this single grave holding 10 civilians back in 1966. No internet back then...no means of easily researching.

My quandary is: why were these unfortunate souls buried there when there was no life-costing bombing (that I can establish in the East end) that caused 10 deaths. My present day research (see CWGC site) shows other civilian war grave locations in Glasgow that geographically relate to "nearby" bombing. IE: Western Necropolis, Eastwood New Cemetery... and perhaps others I have not yet found. Perhaps I'm being lazy, but I cannot reason their burial in this cemetery.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Many thanks,
Browning.
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Re: Glasgow Civilian War Graves Riddrie Park Cemetery.

Postby jock78 » Tue Jun 09, 2015 8:13 am

Hi Browning,
I find this post very interesting, both myself and my wife are from the east end, Dennistoun, and were alive in 1941 aged 5. had there been any local bombing we would almost certainly have known about it.
The fact that these victims are unidentified is also puzzling. I do know there was a RAF site in Bishopbriggs ( barrage balloons and light aircraft) maybe some accident happened there which was not made public domain?

John
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Re: Glasgow Civilian War Graves Riddrie Park Cemetery.

Postby amacke4344 » Wed Jun 10, 2015 8:35 pm

Just a thought but would it have been as a result of german bombings over Dalmarnock ie power station ?
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Re: Glasgow Civilian War Graves Riddrie Park Cemetery.

Postby Guacho » Wed Jun 10, 2015 10:32 pm

Sad they were unidentified. Could the authorities have been spreading out the burials, to hide the actual casualty numbers?
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Re: Glasgow Civilian War Graves Riddrie Park Cemetery.

Postby browning » Wed Jun 10, 2015 10:41 pm

Thanks for the replies. RAF Bishopbriggs wasn't ever bombed and wasn't in fact any kind of aerodrome. It was purely a barrage balloon maintainance unit. Also, the servicemen there (including the CO) did occasionally die from natural causes. They are buried in nearby Cadder Cemetery along with the crew of a Whitley bomber which crashed near Kippen in May 1944.
As for the Dalmarnock possibility, any bombing victims in that vicinity would surely have been interred in Dalbeth Cemetery or perhaps the Eastern Necropolis?
I can find no records of bombing casualties in Glasgows' east end throughout the entirety of WW2. The west end and city and of course Clydebank are a different matter. Please do correct me if I am wrong.
I suppose the biggest mystery on this topic is the fact that the CWGC headstone identifies these sad lost soles as being "unidentified". That would surely suggest that they perhaps died at the same location (?) and that individual identification was impossible(?)
Stobhill and Robroyston Hospitals were the nearest to the Cemetery at the time but again it would not be likely, surely, that they were given treatment there when they were "unidentified". Sadly, they would have been beyond help.
Perhaps the Riddrie Park Cemetery gatehouse with burial records may shed some light or Glasgow City Council.
My sincere thanks for replies.
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Re: Glasgow Civilian War Graves Riddrie Park Cemetery.

Postby amacke4344 » Fri Jun 12, 2015 1:57 pm

Browning,

I hope you dont mind but I took the liberty of asking someone I know at the CWGC about this.
This is the shortened version of the reply.

The CWGC maintains a large number of war graves in the above mentioned cemetery, however, all of the burials are identified. The unidentified graves you came across during your visit were presumably therefore civilians.

On 13th/14th March 1941 Glasgow suffered a particularly ferocious enemy attack and many civilians and servicemen were killed. I give links below to two independent websites which give more information about the attack and may therefore be useful for your research.

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/sco ... /index.asp

http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries ... fault.aspx

I dont know if this is correct or what you were looking for but I hope it helps
Allan
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Re: Glasgow Civilian War Graves Riddrie Park Cemetery.

Postby browning » Sat Jun 13, 2015 5:45 am

Thanks for your response. However,the links you kindly provided, don't link-up with this east end burial...which is the original mystery.
With apparently no east end casualties (ref: Mitchell Library) the reasoning as to their interment in Riddrie Park Cemetery remains unexplained.
Please do keep all suggestions coming.
Many thanks,
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Re: Glasgow Civilian War Graves Riddrie Park Cemetery.

Postby jock78 » Sat Jun 13, 2015 8:05 am

Anther possibility is that they are crew of a bomber brought down in the Campsies.
I recall seeing the fire to the north when living as a child of 5 in Robroyston.
The whole street was out and i learned some colourful language that night from the comments!

Obviously not civilians but the numbers are about right for a bomber crew and they would have been unidentified. The remains would have been a mess so relating this incident to them may have been missed at that confusing period for the emergency services.

John
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Re: Glasgow Civilian War Graves Riddrie Park Cemetery.

Postby browning » Mon Jun 15, 2015 9:58 pm

Thanks for your contribution John. Unfortunately, your comments are not connected to the civilian war graves at Riddrie Park Cemetery.
The aircraft crash you witnessed (probably) in May 1941 was a German JU88 bomber that crashed on Blairskaith Muir south of Lennoxtown. Of it's crew of 4, 2 bailed out and 2 were killed. The deceased were both buried in Lennoxtown cemetery. One still now remains there, whilst the other was later moved to the German War Graves Cemetery at Cannock Chase in Staffordshire.
The mystery goes on...
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Re: Glasgow Civilian War Graves Riddrie Park Cemetery.

Postby arthuy » Sun Jun 21, 2015 4:13 pm

Do you have a picture?

1941 the area would have looked very different. Before the Corpie housing sprouted up there was farms which would attract casual labourers so persons may not have been identifiable. There is also the canal which runs close so could have been connected, fire/drowning.

Bombs were dropping in Glasgow in March 1941, power stations like Dalmarnock were targets, these 10 poor souls may have been not news worthy enough to make the news reports having compete with others horrors stories particularly if they were viewed as some kind of 2nd class citizens. Sad fact of our past were equality wasn't what it is today.

Would there not be parish records or plot plans?

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