Family :

Education & Career :

Ashton Grammar School (now Byrchall High School)

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

12 September - 12 October 1918. As the momentum of the British advance continued it was clear that the Hindenburg Line defences offered the greatest threat to further advances. It was highly likely that the magnificently engineered defence system would re-establish the status quo of static trench warfare. However a series of magnificent actions at Havrincourt and Epehy paved the way for dramatic crossings of the Canal du Nord and the St Quentin Canal by early October. Both canals had been integrated into the Hindenburg Line system and their capture effectively broke the defensive capability of the system. Soon afterwards the British were attacking at Cambrai (again) and then by mid October were pursuing the Germans to the River Selle.

Detail :

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA COUNTY BOROUGH WAR MEMORIAL http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=93930&hl=Cansdale IX Corps were detailed to attack works north of Bellinglise the 46th Division leading with the 32nd Division to pass through them when the former had reached a line about five hundred yards east of Lehaucourt- Magny la Fosse The Dorsets became involved at 11.45am. The Battalion crossed the canal by the bridge at Bellenglise which was under fairly heavy shell fire and incurred a few casualties. Over the bridge machine gun snipers were busy from the high ground on the right. From the Green Line (not explained where that is) A and C Companies attacked La Fleche Wood with the HLI advancing on their right. D Company reached the high ground to the south of Levergies but it was then 8.30pm and they were forced to withdraw to await daylight. La Fleche Wood yielded 380 prisoners 3 12in howitzers 5 4.2 field guns and 5 machine guns. Two of the howitzers are now in front of the depot gates at Dorchester the field guns and over 100 prisoners were taken by A Company under Lt CJ Lonsdale Casualties 2nd Lt L Cansdale killed 4 other officers and 16 other ranks were wounded The fighting continued the next day The account seems to imply that all the casualties apart from Cansdale were wounded which seems mighty odd but it's possible it's referring to the La Fleche action and not the rest of the fighting so a little unclear I'm afraid.

Gravestone: "In Memory of Lionel Cansdale. My Dearly Loved Son - who was kill in action in France 30th September 1918"

Masonic :

Register of the Lodge shows "Died 10/10/1918" which suggests the news travelled slowly to Poona.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley