Over There!
By Michael P. Kelsey
I wrote this as part of a newsletter for my family after my visit to England this past January to the grave of my great-uncle, Patrick Gosson. I was off to visit some of the places my paternal grandmother, Mary Gosson lived when she went to be with her brother, Patrick Gosson, who,suffering from disease, was evacuated from the front in France.
Patrick Gosson died in 1918, and was buried in Orpington in the county of Kent, approximately 20 miles south-east of London. The original hospital buildings still exist and have been actively in use until recently .
Hospital
At the Hospital, our plan was to show ourselves around the grounds. Upon entering the Hospital grounds, you are at the base of a hill with a gradual upward slope. Immediately on the left, begins a series of long narrow one story buildings, in pairs, marching up the slope. Like rungs on a ladder, the buildings were laid out crossways on up the hill. Of course, these structures have been modernized since 1918, and have been in use until very recently.
On the right, is the new Hospital with a recent addition, called the “Canada” wing. Obvious evidence of a connection to the origins of the facility. Although I have not, as yet, researched the Hospital’s history, we know from Mary Gosson’s autobiography, that it was built during the First World War and treated mainly Canadian troops, sick and wounded. While walking through the grounds, the sound of the Chunnel or “Eurostar” trains could be heard and the trains visible as the tracks run near the border of the grounds. The Hospital most likely was located here since it was near the existing train line which ran up to London from the channel ports closest to France.
Mary Gosson writes that she boarded across the road from the Hospital. Today, the housing that exists across the road is of post WWII. From the Hospital, it is a 15 minute walk into the business district of Orpington. Once in the center of town, it is a short walk to All Saint’s Church and “Canadian Corner”.
Canadian Corner
In the church yard of All Saint’s, one corner is reserved as the final resting place of those Commonwealth soldiers who died in the military hospital at Orpington. The overwhelming majority of the military dead are Canadians. There are some Australians and British soldiers and sailors including those buried as late as the latter years of the 1920’s. Hence the nickname “Canadian Corner”. The “Corner” is well cared for by the British War Graves Commision and by the British Legion.
The “Corner” is entered through a gate. A large stone memorial in the shape of a cross faced with a bronze sword pointing earthward is placed at the front facing the headstones. The headstones are arranged in ranks, uniformly, the grounds meticulously groomed. When facing the troops, one can find Patrick Gosson’s place in the third rank, second column from the right. The head of the stone is engraved with a medallion of the Canadian Maple Leaf. Underneath is the following inscription:
305520 Driver
P. Gosson
Canadian Field Artillery
7th August 1918
To my knowledge, no relatives have visited the grave of Patrick Gosson since Mary Gosson Kelsey, daughter, Joan Kelsey, and son, Robert G. Kelsey, in 1964. Let him not be forgotten.
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