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Yorkshire
Regiment War Graves, - Pieta Military Cemetery, Malta |
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Pieta
Military Cemetery, Malta
Photo : Commonwealth
War Graves Commission
From the spring of 1915, the hospitals and convalescent depots established on the islands of Malta and Gozo dealt with over 135,000 sick and wounded, chiefly from the campaigns in Gallipoli and Salonika, although increased submarine activity in the Mediterranean meant that fewer hospital ships were sent to the island from May 1917.
During the Second World War, Malta's position in the Mediterranean was of enormous Allied strategic importance. Heavily fortified, the island was never invaded, but was subjected to continual bombardment and blockade between Italy's entry into the war in June 1940 and the Axis defeat at El Alamein in November 1942. At the height of Axis attempts to break Malta's resistance in April 1942, the island and her people were awarded the George Cross by King George VI.
Malta's defence relied upon a combined operation in which the contributions made by the three branches of the armed forces and Merchant Navy were equally crucial. Although heavily pressed in defence, offensive raids launched from the island by air and sea had a crippling effect on the Axis lines of communication with North Africa, and played a vital part in the eventual Allied success there.
There are 1,303 Commonwealth casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated at Pieta Military Cemetery, including 20 Indian servicemen who were cremated at Lazaretto Cemetery. Second World War burials number 166. The Commission also cares for 772 non-war graves in the cemetery and 15 war graves of other nationalities.
The earth is shallow on Malta and during both wars, many joint or collective burials were made as graves had to be cut into the underlying rock. During the Second World War, such work was particularly hazardous because of air raids. Most of these graves are marked by recumbent markers on which several inscriptions could be carved, and for the sake of uniformity, the same type of marker was used for single graves.
7 soldiers who served with the Yorkshire Regiment are buried in this cemetery.
Photos of their headstones have been kindly provided by Valerie Warren and Retired QA. To view a larger sized image which opens in a new window of a headstone, select the thumbnail.
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Private David William Forbes. 11153. 6th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment. Son of James and Julia Forbes, of 5, Pensher St., Sunderland. Killed 6 September 1915. Aged 21. Born Hendon (Sunderland), Enlisted Sunderland. |
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Private Alan Christopher Grounds.
18437. 6th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, formerly 19700 K O Y L I. Killed 7 December 1915. Born Doncaster, Enlisted Doncaster, Resided Oldcoates (Rotherham). |
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Private Percy Lawty. 18490. 6th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Killed 29 December 1915. Born Hunmanby (Yorks), Enlisted Scarborough. |
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Private William Mansfield. 10643. 6th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of John Christopher and Caroline Mansfield. Killed 3 September 1915. Aged 20. Born Scarborough, Enlisted Scarborough. |
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Private Thomas Peverley. 10919. 6th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment. Killed 11 October 1915. Born Sunderland, Enlisted Sunderland. |
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Private Harold Newsham Ridsdale. 25102.
1st Garrison Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, formerly 26280 Yorkshire Regiment. Stepson of Mr. C. E. Whaley, of 12, Brereton Avenue, Cleethorpes, Lincs. Killed 3 March 1918. Aged 25. Born Thornaby (Yorks), Enlisted Middlesbrough. Photo : Retired QA |
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Major Archibald Roberts. 6th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment. Formerly 95th Russell's Infantry. Son of Maj. A. H. Roberts (Madras Artillery); husband of M. Ferguson (formerly Roberts), of The Beeches, Cirencester, Glos. Educated at Cheltenham College and Sandhurst. Died 22 August 1915. Aged 47. |
Pieta
Military Cemetery, Malta
Photo : Valerie Warren