Page 73 - Who Was Sapper Brown

Royal Engineers Of the eight burials in Troodos Military Cemetery dating to that first summer of 1879,
five belong to young sappers or drivers in the Corps of Royal Engineers, and two are of infants born to

the wives of Royal Engineers. There are no later burials of Royal Engineers in this cemetery. The Corps
of Royal Engineers, with these five service graves, has a larger number of burials here than any other

regiment, (the Coldstream Guards are next with four burials, all in 1885, and several others have three
burials).

Memorial to the men and children of 31Fortress Company RE, erected over the grave of young Elizabeth S Walker,
st
who died on 7 August 1879 at the age of 1 year 7 months, buried in Plot 3. The dates given for Driver Mencey and

Driver White are wrong,10 possibly transcribed incorrectly in 1934 from the underlying memorial. 11The side-plaque
on this memorial also gives wrong dates for Sapper Simpson and Sapper Wood.12

10 War Office Muster Roll, 31 Company, Royal Engineers 1879 – 1880. Op Cit. This Muster Roll confirms that Driver William

Mencey died on 26 June 1879, and Driver John White on 30 August 1879. Their headstones and the burial register confirm
their date of burial only (a day later in each case), which is the usual situation in this cemetery.
11 The date of 1934 is inscribed at the entrance to the cemetery, on a stone plaque identical to the stone plaques at the base
of the Royal Engineers memorial. In the absence of any relevant records in the Troodos cemetery files, one must presume this

was when the cemetery was renovated.
12 The Muster Roll of 31 Fortress Company Royal Engineers confirms that Sapper W.R. Simpson died on 21 August 1879,
and Sapper George Wood on 26 May 1879, with the date of burial listed on their headstones and the burial register being one

day later. The memorial incorrectly lists them as 11 July and 10 June respectively.

63