Bardsey War Memorial
While writing another article for a family history society, I remembered visiting Bardsey Church a few years ago. While clicking and searching through some pictures I had taken that morning, I found one: a photo of a memorial plaque.
What do we know about this young man from the plaque on the church’s wall?
Someone called William Harold Ryder, the third son of Charles Foster and Anna Ryder. Another question arises: who are they, as there is also a memorial for them?
But back to William, he served during WW1 as a lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps and fell whilst serving in France on July 6th, 1917, at age 20. He rests in Warloy Baillon some 21km north east of Amiens. The cemetery is an extension to the local cemetery. The first Commonwealth burial took place in the communal cemetery in October 1915 and the last on 1 July 1916. By that date, field ambulances had come to the village in readiness for the attack on the German front line eight kilometres away, and the extension was begun on the eastern side of the cemetery. The fighting from July to November 1916 on the northern part of the Somme front accounts for the majority of the burials in the extension, but some are from the German attack in the spring of 1918. The extension contains 1,331 First World War Commonwealth burials and two from the Second World War. There are also 18 German war graves in the extension. The communal cemetery contains 46 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 158 French war graves.
William’s memorial plaque C Sklinar 2007
The information on the memorial inside the church gives a good start to finding out more about William.
William, as we know, was the son of Charles Foster Ryder and his wife Anna. Anna died in 1907, and a memorial in the church informs everyone that Charles Foster had the church floor restored to its original level in 1914 in memory of his wife.
Charles F Ryder married Anna Potter on February 7th 1888, at Christ Church, Lancaster Gate. Charles was aged 32, a bachelor of Chapel Allerton, and the son of Charles Ryder was a brewer. While his new wife was aged 25, a spinster with no occupation living at 48 Cleveland Square, the son of William Potter (deceased), a merchant. Witness to this joyful event was Anna(?) L Ross and W Henderson.
In the census of 1881, Anna was living with her father, William, and mother, Agnes (both from Manchester), at 48 Cleveland Square. William described his occupation as an East India Merchant. The household also included the parents, Anna and her brother, and seven servants.
In the census of 1901, Charles F, a brewer, is living on Leeds Road, Scarcroft, with his children – Daniel G, aged 8, Agnes L, aged 6, and Wm H, aged 4, Rosamund aged two and Marion E, Harrison a visitor – Anna is not with her husband in the census. But a search for Anna, born in 1863 in Little Missenden, finds an Anna Ryder living as the married Head of The Hall, Little Thurlow, Suffolk. With Anna is Georgina M Bryant, a 25-year-old trained hospital nurse, and other staff – could Anna have been sickly and lived in the country for her health?
By 1911, Charles is a Brewery Director, more than likely Tetley’s Brewery, and living at The Grange, Scarcroft. On the census for The Grange are Charles F, Agnes Louisa, Rosamund Daphne and 7 servants. The Grange was a 20-roomed property with 10 people living within its walls. William, now aged 14, was a boarder at Uppingham, one of England’s Public Schools. The school sees many people pass through its doors who have now become well known including:- 5 Victoria Cross recipients; Richard Thorp, actor; John Suchet, journalist and broadcaster; Phil Spencer, property expert; C R W Nevison, Official War Artist in both World Wars; Sir Donald Campbell; Sir Malcolm Campbell and William Henry Pratt aka Boris Karloff to name just a few.
William served in the RFC, and his medal card states that he had served as a lieutenant in the Yorks Hussars. However, there is no mention of any medals awarded in his name, but his date of death is recorded in the remarks section.
William died on July 6th 1917, and Probate was granted in London on June 8th, 1918, to Charles Foster Ryder, a gentleman.