Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Dominion Cemetery Hendecourt-Les-Cagnicourt | II. B. 7. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.127 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 17D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Military Cross Distinguished Conduct Medal 1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal | ||
Family :
Son of Apothecary Krenchel and Anna Krenchel, of St. Thomas Alle 311, Copenhagen, Denmark.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 13/Canadian Infantry (Quebec Regiment) |
| Action : The Second Battles of Arras 1918 |
26 August - 3 September 1918. In a replica of the experience on the Somme which was happening concurrently a few miles further south, the old battlefields around Arras, so bitterly fought over in 1917 were taken and the Germans challenged on the Hindenburg Line. The Drocourt-Queant sector, which had proven such an obstacle in previous years was taken by the 3rd September and with the Hindenburg line broken in the sector the advance was again possible.
Detail :
24142, Corporal Otto Bertel, 13th Battalion Canadian Infantry (Quebec Regiment). Served in the Danish Army (Royal Life Guards).
DCM Citation (London Gazette 10th March, 1916): 24142 Corporal 0. Kranchel, 17th Canadian Infantry Battalion formerly 13th Battalion). For conspicuous gallantry in saving a machine-gun. Later, when his section was in a most exposed position, he held on with great bravery for forty-eight hours after his battalion had been relieved, and until the relieving battalion had been able to replace him.
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29503/supplements/2741
MC Citation (London Gazette 10th January, 1919): Lt. Otto Bertel Krenchel, D.C.M., 13th Bn., Can. Infy., Quebec Regt. During an attack on a village he led his platoon with great determination on a flank, and by good tactical handling overcame several strong points, which enabled the rest of the company to advance. At one point, with three men, he charged a machine gun, and, although these men were all wounded, he rushed the post alone, taking two prisoners and killing the remainder of the crew. He afterwards made a very daring reconnaissance and brought back valuable information.
His burial records show he was "Killed in Action - Otto was killed instantaneously by a splinter from an enemy shell, during an attack on the Drocourt-Queant line, in the vicinity of Cagnicourt."
http://www.inmemories.com/Cemeteries/dominion.htm His father was in the 1930's one of the founders of the "Marselisborg Memorial to the fallen soldiers of World War One in Århus, Denmark. Photo from: http://www.inmemories.com/Cemeteries/dominion.htm
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Lord Warden No. 1096 E.C. | East Kent |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
1st February 1916 | - | - |
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