548804 Sapper Gerhard Engelbert Kaemena of the 212th Field Company, Royal Engineers was killed in action on this day, 5th September, 1917. He enlisted under the Derby Scheme on 11th December 1915 and was called up four months later on the 17th April 1916.
Thirty one pages of Gerhard's service record survive in the WO 363 series at the National Archives and from these we can see that he was 37 years and 10 months old when he attested, and he was a carpenter and joiner by trade. He indicated at the time of attestation that he would prefer to join the Corps of Engineers.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commision notes that he was the son of Gerhard and Amelia Kaemena of London, and his attestation papers give his address as 33 Thornhill Road in Leyton. Gerhard senior had certainly died some years before as the 1901 census records 50 year old Amelia as a widow and the head of the household (at 33 Thornhill Road). She is recorded as having been born in Whitechapel - as are the three sons and two daughters living with her. Her husband though, a licensed victualler at the time the 1881 census was taken, was German and had been born in Bremen. Although he could quite possibly lay claim to being a cockney, one wonders how many eyebrows were raised when Gerhard, clad in khaki, mentioned his name.
Gerhard is buried in Birr Cross Roads Cemetery, three miles east of Ypres town centre.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
Sources:
Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, WO 363 Service Record, 1881 and 1901 census)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Birr Cross Roads Cemetery photo from WW1 Battlefields
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