With nothing much else to do, this afternoon we took a walk around Brookside Cemetery in Bridgewater.
Back in my
early days in Scotland, wandering around church graveyards or cemeteries was something I occasionally did with my dad. Graves in Scotland can often go
back centuries, so it was always a challenge to go to such places and find the oldest
grave and piece together some history of the location.
The earliest grave in the Brookside Cemetery dates back to 1860 in what is an attractive park like location with natural lily pond, well-kept graves on terraced hillsides surrounded by large mature maple trees.
Within the cemetery, there are
six graves under the perpetual care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), five from WWI and one from WWII, this being the
only CWGC grave I could find today.
It is the
resting place of ~
Corporal Arlington
Walter Mailman,
Royal
Canadian Air Force,
Service
Number R/88159
Died 14
June 1945, aged 46
Son of
James N. Mailman and Martha M. Mailman; brother of Ruby Mailman, of
Bridgewater.
According
to some quick research Corporal Arlington Walter Mailman died from injuries
sustained after being hit by a truck at WWII RCAF Dartmouth.
Below are
photos of his grave at Brookside Cemetery and two others from his funeral on
June 19th, 1945 with a RCAF honour guard. It is interesting to note when comparing today's photos to those from 1945, his parent’s gravestone at that time was located just to the right side, while now
what appears to be a newer gravestone is located behind that of Arlington’s.
I have also
included a newspaper clipping and related documents about Arlington’s death and
burial.
Another
grave of some historical interest is that of Lee Nutting, a Civil War recipient of the
Medal of Honor. This medal is the United States Armed Forces' highest military
decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines,
airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts
of valor. The medal is normally awarded by the president of the United States,
the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and is presented "in the name
of the United States Congress.”
Lee Nutting
was born 14 October 1837 in Orange County, New York, he served as a Captain of
Company C, 61st New York Infantry, Union Army. In actions at Todds Tavern,
Virginia, May 8, 1864, Captain Nutting led the regiment in charge at a critical
moment under heavy Confederate fire until he fell wounded. For courage in the
face of the enemy, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on August 21, 1893. He
died in Bridgewater during July, 1908 and buried beside his wife. Note that on his original gravestone his date of death is July 9 while the more modern plaque has it as July 11, sources on the inter-web also have July 11.
The
official citation issued August 21st, 1893 ~
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Captain Lee Nutting, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 8 May 1864, while serving with Company C, 61st New York Infantry, in action at Todds Tavern, Virginia. Captain Nutting led the regiment in charge at a critical moment under a murderous fire until he fell desperately wounded.
Below are
photos of Lee Nutting and his grave in Brookside Cemetery.
