Ernst is buried in Ebblinghem , a village halfway between St. Omer and Hazebrouck in the German plot in EBBLINGHEM MILITARY CEMETERY.
That German plot contains 10 graves , 9 died between 22/04/1918 and 16/06/1918 one is a 1917 casualty
The 2nd Casualty Clearing Station, came to Ebblinghem at the 11 of April 1918 the 15th CCS was already there by the 20th of September 1917. Ernst Died at the 6th of June 1918 he was RIR13 part of the 5the company. Every CCS had an admission register so had every field ambulance , only to find them in the national archives has been without success so far.
WO162 -341 in the national archives contains 90 pages and on the last one dated 20/06/1918 I found his name. the effects he had on him were : a 50 mark note, 5 mark silver, a wallet, a purse, 2 religious books, pocket knife, infantry disc, photo’s, 2 notebooks, a pay book and miscellaneous correspondence. The German ehrentafel gives his dead as 05/06/1918 at Merris . Merris lays between Hazebrouck and Bailleul .Let’s see what happens early June Near Merris
The position at Merris was the westernmost point to which the 4th Army had advanced in the offensive of the 9th of April. On the night of the 2 to the 3 June, the II Bn. RIR 13 took over the fighting position from the III Battalion. Immediately after the relief at 2 o’clock in the morning, the continuous and usually hostile artillery fire suddenly swelled to an unbelievable intensity, especially on the left wing of reserve 39 and on the right wing were RIR 13 was. The enemy artillery fire caused a break through , the enemy infantry got into the first line where the 5th and 7th company were, 6thand a platoon of the 8th company were in the second line at the edge of the village ( Merris). In the main line of resistance , bloody after fights developed. Only lt. Buschaus and a few men were trying to hold the spot against the superior enemy . 700 meters of terrain was lost, 9 men wounded and a 127 missing. Amongst them Lt. Buschaus, Stratmann and Koch. As a result of the heavy losses two companies each of the I and III battalion were formed into one.
Australians in the Merris sector
The 10th Battalion involved in minor operation to be carried out by 11th Battalion on the night of 2nd/3rd. The flanks were pushed forward. Three German machine guns and 21 prisoners were captured by a platoon on the right flank and 5 machine guns and 10 prisoners by a platoon on the left flank.
Source : Das Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 13 im Weltkriege Autor Krome, Hermann
CWGC , national Archives WO 162 – 341
Images : Photo grave by Guy Remy from site find a grave
Map national library of Scotland