Category Archives: News

D-Day 6th June – 80 Years On

D-Day 6th June – 80 Years On

On this day 80 years ago today, 1,534 British soldiers lost their lives.  Out of those 1,534 casualties, 1,244 died in France.  Out of those 1,244, the Green Howards lost 29 men.  My father served with the Green Howards; how many of those aged between 18 and 36 years would he have known?

My father was to land on the Normandy beaches on D-Day +3.  He left the landing craft on D-Day + 1 hour (60 Mins).  You can read the transcribed highlights of his 1944 diary here.

Serjeant, 5045632, Samuel L Wright, son of Samuel and Bridget, served with the Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment) 7th Bn.  He was 36 when he died on that memorable day in history.  He rests in Ryes War Cemetery, Bazenville, France, some 17 miles northwest of Caen.  ‘Duty Done RIP’.

Two 18-year-olds served with the Green Howards and died on the 6th.  Bernard Sidebottom, 14672954 and Jack Donohue, 14666034; one 19-year-old, 14612515, Derrick Beckwith, and some with no age included in their CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) entry.  Young men but still ‘boys’ in their mother’s eyes – not even old enough to vote for their country but old enough to die for it.

Did these young men look towards their older comrades for reassurance as they boarded their transport on the 5th and made their way down the Solent, heading for Gold Beach.

The war diary of the 6th Green Howards can be viewed here 

The war diary of the 7th Green Howards can be viewed here

The Green Howards Museum has a great deal of information about the events that occurred on that day 80 years ago.

Victoria Cross

At the Seige of Lucknow (Indian Mutiny), 24 Victoria Crosses were won, a testament to the bravery of our soldiers.  On D-Day 80 years ago, only one Victoria Cross was awarded—to a Green Howard man—CSM Stanley Hollis.  During his service, Stanley was wounded twice and was a true hero.

Back to one of the young men, Private 14672954 Bernard Sidebottom rests in Bayeux War Cemetery with over 4,000 other identified casualties.

Bernard was born on 27th August 1925 in Methley to George and Lily Sidebottom.  George worked as a hewer at one of the local mines.

His parents had inscribed on his CWGC headstone, ‘Treasured Memories of Bernard, Killed On ‘D’ Day RIP.  To have this on their son’s headstone, they were either very proud of their son and wanted all who came after to see, or they were very bitter and wanted all to see their sacrifice.

 

 

UK, Royal Mail Pension and Gratuity Records, 1860-1970

UK, Royal Mail Pension and Gratuity Records, 1860-1970

I am always pleased when Ancestry of FindMyPast add new collections to their portfolio, and their latest is quite interesting. Like many other researchers, I always put my family names in the surname search area to see who can be found in their index. This new collection was no exception. I searched for the surnames Riach and Siddle and came up with only a few Riach people, but more Siddle’s – more research is needed.

What is this collection? The UK, Royal Mail Pension and Gratuity Records, 1860-1970. The record set covers a good number of years, and you will be able to find a surname of interest.

A young man named Frederick Bartholomew Rabey (Ancestry have him indexed as Rahey – when you look at the typed original document, the bottom part of the ‘b’ has not scanned well).

The document is headed ‘Application for Gratuity to the Legal Personal Representatives of a Deceased Civil Servant Under Section 2 (1) of the Superannuation Act. 1909. ‘ From that heading, you can deduce that Frederick Bartholomew Rabey has died. According to FreeBMD, he died on March ¼, 1918, in Wakefield, aged 31.

According to the scanned image, Frederick was born on 22 July 1886 and worked as a postman for seven years and two months with a salary/wage of 27/- per week (70 8s 6d per annum). He had a boot allowance of £1 1s. His uniform was valued (estimate) at £2 7s 6d, and Sunday pay worked out on average at £5 10s 7d. Totalling £79 7s 7d on which the gratuity is based.

The reverse side of the document tells that Frederick was appointed to the Post Office in 1909 and worked in Rotherham (30 March 1910). And for the London Postal Service (8 January 1915) and Wakefield (26 March 1916).

More helpful information included on the form is that Frederick received an Army Pension of 16/6 a week. So, he served in the Army for some time. That information will wait for a moment. He died on the 7th of January 1918 as a result of Pneumonia. The Post Office statement said that Frederick discharged his duties with diligence and fidelity to the satisfaction of his superior officers by command of the Postmaster General.

And so, on March 4, 1918, John Bradbury (of the Treasury Department) signed a document to give Frederick’s legal personal representatives a gratuity of £79 7s 7d.

Although he made Wakefield his home, Frederick was born in Smithfield, London. He attended several schools but was removed from education after his mother died in 1899.

When Frederick enlisted in the Dorsetshire Regiment at age 18 in 1904, he listed his occupation as a Pawnbroker’s assistant.

With a fresh complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair, would you recognise the 5′ 5½” tall Frederick as he walked down the street? He was placed on the Army Reserve list in 1907 and discharged in 1914 as ‘physically fit for War Service’.

In 1912, Frederick married Annie Brooks in The Congregational Church, The Green, Ossett, and they made their home in Ossett.

Frederick was taken off the Reserve List and became part of the British Expeditionary Force, entering France on the 16th of August 1914 and saw action in the Battle of Aisne when he received a shrapnel wound to the left elbow. He returned to England to be hospitalised (possibly Netley Hospital), which resulted in his left arm being amputated. As he was no longer physically fit, he was given a Silver War Badge to show the public that he had been a soldier and was discharged due to illness or disability. Along with his SWB, he was entitled to the 1914 Star and the British and Victory Medals.

His wife, Annie, lived at 1 Storrs Hill Road, and after Frederick’s death, she received half of his military pension.

Annie married for the second time in June 1920 – in the same church- to Ewart Brook, a 29-year-old widower who worked as a farm labourer. Annie’s re-marrying would mean losing her first husband’s Military Pension.

Annie died in 1962, followed by Ewart in 1973.

Ancestry also has the UK Postal Service Appointment Books, 1737-1969, which may also be worth examining.

Another Walk Around Sugar Lane Cemetery – Horsfall

Another Walk Around Sugar Lane Cemetery – Horsfall

When taking you on a walk around one of Wakefield’s cemeteries, I often wonder what I will find.  Will I be surprised when I see their occupation or where they lived?  Where will my little walk take me this time?

Who will get their chance today?

A granite memorial in shades of pink, white and grey – a solid structure yet simple in its design and wording ‘In Affectionate Remembrance of Henry Horsfall, Surgeon Wakefield. Born August 20th 1817. Died March 13th 1898.’

The first workable census to look for Henry is 1851. He lives at ‘Manor House’ in the All Saints Ecclesiastical District. A single man, he tells the enumerator he had been born in Wragby. His occupation fills his section and encroaches into the line below ‘General Practitioner of the Royal College of Surgeons & Pharmacists (?) of Apothecaries Hall, London’. Joseph Balmford was born in Wakefield 16 years earlier and was a medical pupil under the tutelage of Henry. Also in the male household was 25-year-old Ann Pickersgill, a servant.

Twenty years later, Henry is still a single man. His housekeeper (Domestic) is now Featherstone-born Jane Earnshaw (aged 48). Not only has he changed his housekeeper, but he has also now changed his address to Southgate. A few houses away is another surgeon, John Whiteley – a General Practitioner and a Royal College of Surgeons member.

By 1881, there has been another change in housekeepers (Jane Beckett) from Featherstone. Is this the same Jane with a name change, even though she’s saying she is single in the 1871 and 1881 census, or is she just stretching the truth a little? Henry has also been on the move again; he now lives in Burton St, St John’s.

The census of 1891 gives a house number for Henry’s house in Burton Street – six. A new general servant looks after Henry, Stanley, born Kate Wilkinson, aged 20. Kate also looks after Sarah Whiteley, aged 53, his niece. Do you remember the surname Whiteley? Dr Whiteley lived a few doors away from Henry in the 1871 census – could there be a family connection or just a coincidence?

We know a little about Henry from his census entries, but who were his parents? On the 28th of December 1817, John Horsfall, a farmer of Hill Top, Wragby and his wife Sarah, took their young son to St Micheals Church, Wragby, to be christened by J (?) Morville, Curate. John, of Hill Top, died at 50 in 1823.

John of Wragby and Sarah (Smirthwaite) are found in Pallot’s Marriage Index, 1780-1837, as being married by License in 1796. Pallot’s Marriage Index includes over 1.5 million marriages in England (three million people) from 1780 until the beginning of Civil Registration in 1837. The Boyd’s Marriage Index includes over 3.5 million marriages, kept by the Society of Genealogists and goes back to 1538 up to 1837. Both marriage indexes have been transcribed and are now available online.

What kind of person was Henry in his professional capacity? The Editor’s Letter Box of 1853, page 225 of the Association Medical Journal, exact date unknown, includes a letter dated February 19th 1853. ‘Memorial, From Medical Practitioners In Wakefield and Its Vicinity To the Royal Colleg Of Surgeons’ was signed by over 20 General Practitioners and Surgeons from Wakefield, except one from Redcar. What was Henry and his fellows up in arms about? These men, members of the Royal College of Surgeons, felt a little put out that women could be granted a Licenciate qualification in Midwifery. These men were greatly concerned that they had undergone much training over several years. Their concerns also went on to say that they felt their hard-earned qualification would be regarded less by the local people. They also thought that the College would be introducing an inferior class of practitioners into their midst. Could this annoyance also be fuelled by the fact that these midwives could take away some of the general practitioners’ and surgeons’ trade? But they did sign, ‘We have the honour to be, Gentlemen, Your obedient servants. Henry gave his address as Kirkgate – could this be the Manor House address? Other names included Benjamin Walker, Westgate End; Ebenezer Walker, sen., Wakefield; Benjamin Kemp, Westgate End; William Wood, Cheapside; and S Holdsworth of Grove House, Wakefield.

Henry and Ebenezer Walker, both members of influential surgical families, were medical officers at the Wakefield Medical District and Workhouse. Henry was also a surgeon at the headquarters of the West Riding Constabulary and a medical officer at Hatfield Colleries. Henry’s brothers John and Francis were also doctors and this family were the forerunners to one of the towns existing surgeries. Between these brothers they called the great and good of the town their patients, including Squire Warterton. Henry and Francis were the first surgeons in the North Riding to perform a Tracheostomy. The London and Provincial Medical Directory of 1850 shows Henry living and working in premises adjoining the Market Cocoa and Coffee Tavern in Manor Courtyard. He later, as we know, had premises in Southgate – does this sound familiar to those who live locally? Mr Whiteley also joined the surgery.

During the 1849 cholera epidemic, Mr Waterton distributed his own Waterton’s Pills. Henry and Waterton had a verbal conflict following the death of a patient who had been relying on Waterton’s Pills. Henry vigorously attacked Waterton for his lack of medical knowledge and interference. Henry ate humble pie and apologised to save a legal suit. Waterton had both wealth and standing in the community – Walton Hall.

The Wakefield Microscopic Society was founded by Henry and six other doctors who could vote on other people to join at the cost of 2/6d, and they must own a ‘good’ achromatic microscope. Several more doctors joined in the following years, with others attending occasional meetings.

So Henry had an interesting life. He died in March 1898 and rests, as we know, in Sugar Lane Cemetery. The Probate for his estate was granted to John Horsfall and Frederick Wilson Horsfall, both farmers, the following month. His estate had been re-sworn in September, and the amount had been increased slightly to £113,277 17s 7d. Frederick Wilson Horsfall moved to Potto Grange, Northallerton and lived on private means. When he died in 1920, he left just over £16,000.

Find My Past New Collections

Find My Past New Collections

Findmypast has added Lincolnshire Baptisms, with 216,638 new and unique records joining the FMP collection. These records cover 269 churches ranging in years from 1754 – 1812. The records include information about Alfred Tennyson and Sir John Franklin.

Joining Lincolnshire’s baptisms are 52,387 marriages from the Suffolk Marriage Index collection. These additions cover the years 1813 – 1837 and 500 churches.

For something new from West Yorkshire – the National School Admissions Register. So, if your family has connections to Halifax you may be in luck. Records being added to the existing collection, which includes pupils of both school-age and adults (up to the age of 45), covering the years 1867 – 1927.

There have recently been quite a few new collections and updates to many existing military records. A completely new collection is bound to be of interest to many of us. This collection is the British Army, Local Armed Forces’ Enrolment Forms Anglo-Boer War 1899 – 1902. The amount of information is mainly dependent on the type of form used but mainly contains the soldier’s usual information – name, age, nationality and trade of soldier as well as the usual regiment, regimental number and place of enlistment. A physical description can make these men come to life.

When I find a new collection, I, probably like many of us, add a family name to the surname search. Well, I had a little surprise when I added Riach to the Boer Enrolment collection – not many results, three in total, but something to get my teeth into later. I was a little disappointed with the result from Arthur Riach, who was born in 1868 and enlisted in 1900 in Port Elizabeth into Brabant’s Horse. Lucky enough for me, Arthur has two records with much more information. Arthur was 30 years old, and his mother lived at 53 Bassett Road, North Kensington, London.

David MacKinlay Potter Riach was born in 1876 and enlisted in Cape Town in July 1901. He served in the Civil Service Company Cape T Guard C. D. F. David had previously served in the W. P. M. Rifles. In his civilian life, he had been a Civil Engineer in the Civil Service. His next of kin was his father, Revd. W. .L. Riach of 3 Tipperlinn Road, Edinburgh.

I searched for another of my family’s names but found nothing. I tried a few surnames I know the group has a connection to but found nothing. One last name was included before I gave up on the collection. I tried Officer – a surname which I have in my tree from Wakefield. And there was one entry. William Officer, born in 1861, was 40 when he enlisted in August of 1901 in Durban. He served as 2813 in the Railway Pioneer Regiment, having previously served in the Wrafekaig Town Guard S. L. H. for 15 months. William was married to Ida, his next of kin, who lived in Colesberg. One other snippet of information on his record was that he was a Presbyterian.

Sadly, the transcribed records I looked at had limited information, but probably enough get an idea of the man at that time in his life.

Last collection I found very interesting – a set of 12,000 commemorative plaques – you know the ones, Blue Plaques you see up and down many towns, although some of the plaques in the collection are not necessarily ‘blue’. The information is limited, but there is a bonus of having a picture.

Ancestry has recently added the following to its ever-growing collection.

The county of Berkshire has done well with this recent update with the Berkshire WW2 Evacuation Records 1939 – 1945; Home Guard 1943 – 1958; Civil Defence 1939 – 1945 and WW2 Related Miscellaneous Records 1939 – 1971.

Another new addition is Scotland, Burial Monument Inscriptions 1507 – 2019.

This link is not new but may be of interest to some of you. The Public Record Office Victoria (Australia) has uploaded information, links and images of Convict Registers. The images of the Register of Convicts include – name, ship, arrival date, sentence, ticket of leave (date and number) and occupation and remarks.

I hope that this information has given you something to get your teeth into on a rainy day.

Another Walk Around Sugar Lane – Wales

Another Walk around Sugar Lane

In 1922 A E Wales erected a memorial to his wife. The words were carved into a large stone which had a flat surface at the front to show his words to anyone who passed by, it was topped with a cross carved to resemble branches of a tree. Neatly carved stone forms a boundary for the memorial. A E Wales’ words ‘This cross is erected by A E Wales in sweet memory of his wife Belle who died 3rd May 1922.’

The unusual memorial tells the passer-by who rests beneath, but like many memorials, it brings to the fore many questions. Who was A E Wales? Where did the couple live? Was Belle a nickname? Let me see if I can answer some of those questions, and I hope no more arise during the hunt!

Mr and Mrs Wales certainly led me on a journey with very little information on the headstone. My first port of call was Ancestry with a very vague search of A E Wales with a wife of Belle. Nothing seemed to jump out as the right family, but after a few search variations, there was an Arthur Edley Wales from Sheffield. I had a starting point. When I’d viewed a few of the links Arthur Edley didn’t seem to have a wife with any name that could be adapted to Belle. The next port of call was FreeBMD, again using a vague search and still with Arthur Edley in mind – nothing. I even viewed the 1921 census for any hints it might give, and again no results. It was time to change tactics. Could A E Wales have used a familiar name for his wife but her burial record may, just may have her ‘Sunday’ name – Wakefield.gov.uk here I come and she was there in full Sunday glory – Isabel Annie. This wonderful resource also told me she was 50 years of age and had lived at Probate House, King Street, Wakefield. I also now knew that she had been laid to rest three days after her demise and that F Stoke was the officiating minister. I had gained quite a bit of information so it was time to go back to my original sources and look for a marriage to a Wales. There they were. Arthur Edley was a false lead, but I now had. Isabel Annie Danson married to Albert Edward Wales.

Isabel was born in 1867 to Edmund Dawson and his wife Mary. Edmund was employed as a Colliery Manager. Edmund and all of his children seemed to have been born around Ingleton. Following the census through the years, Isabel, before her marriage, worked as a certificated schoolmistress. And in 1901, she was a lodger in a house on Bright Street, Swinton, near Wath. Two years later in 1903, Isabel and A E Wales married in the Settle Registration District. It makes me wonder how the couple met, he was in Wakefield, and Isabel was in Wath. But they did!

Was life good for the couple? The 1911 census can give an insight into that question. Well, it seems there is a little question mark over the age of Isabel, who by now had been married seven years. The union at that time had not blessed them with children. So, home for them was Glen(?) Marsh, Bradford Road, Wakefield, which they shared with two visitors -.Frances and Selina Hague were both head teachers from Swinton. Albert Edward was a Government employee; he was the District Probate Registry Clerk.

A quick look at the 1921 census has an Isabel Annie Wales born in Ingleton in Scarborough but it seems no Albert Edward – could Isabel have been there for health reasons or to visit friends or family? But as we know, she had died by early May of the following year. Now to Probate. She has a Probate entry, but I was wondering if Albert would have processed the probate for his wife. If he did or not, it seemed to progress quite quickly as on the 19th of May, her monies, the sum of £1314 5s 1d, was to go to A E.

Another question now arose. Is Albert Edward resting with his Belle? It is a very simple answer – No.

In the summer of July 1923, A E married Isabel Hartley sum ten years his junior, in Belper, Derbyshire. Following the couple in the 1939 Register (which confirms I had the correct couple) they are living at Woodencroft(?), Alfreton, where A E said he was a Chief Clerk, Probate, Retired. A E again had a childless marriage.

Albert Edward Wales of Wodencroft (correct name from Probate Registry), Derby Road, Swanwick, died on the 20th of July 1946 at Kings College Hospital, Lambeth, London. Probate Nottingham 31 August to Isabel Wales widow. Effects £844 5s 4d. Isabel Wales of 126 Derby Road, Swanwick, died 30 May 1971. Probate London 28 June 1971. Effects £3117.

How convenient that both wives were called Isabel, it must have saved some upsetting moments.

A Walk around Sugar Lane Cemetery – Thomas C Greenwood

A Walk around Sugar Lane Cemetery – Thomas C Greenwood

In the 1861 census for Liverpool, there is an entry for a five-year-old boy named Thomas C Greenwood. He is living at the Forge public house, Lime Street, Liverpool with his parents, Joshua T and Catherine, his father is the publican. Thomas was not their only child, he had two younger siblings. All the children had been born in Liverpool, while Joshua was from Lincoln and Catherine was from Wales.

By 1871 Joshua is now a General Agent and Collector and he and his wife had another addition to the family. If you are looking for Thomas C in the census you might find that a bit of a task if using Ancestry as his surname has been transcribed as Greenwald.

In the following years, Joshua and Catherine went on to have over six children. Catherine died in 1874 and the following year the children had a stepmother, Rebecca Bannister later Sewell.

While living in Liverpool, Thomas Collingwood Greenwood met a young lady named Margaret Ann Fairclough and on the 25th of December 1875, the couple tied the knot in a ceremony in St Silas Church, Liverpool. Thomas told the minister that he worked as an ‘Agent’, the same as his father. The minister, John Harrison, earned his wage on the 25th of December as there were five weddings that day, well five weddings in that register. The wedding of Thomas Collingwood and Margaret was the second entry in the new Register.

In the following years Thomas Collingwood returned to education and in 1879 was Ordained at Chester Cathedral after studying at St Aidan’s College, Birkenhead and licenced to St Columba’s, Liverpool. His entry in the Clergy List for 1897 confirms him being curate of All Saints’ Rainford, 1879-1881, followed by two years in Blackpool. In 1883, he crosses the border and is at Sowerby Bridge. He then moves to All Souls, Halifax from 1887 to 1891. All Saints Salterhebble is his next parish and during his time there Thomas Collingwood and his family live at 12 Ventnor Terrace, The Heath, Halifax.

While at Rainford he was mentioned in The Ormskirk Advertiser for 22nd September 1881. ‘Presentation to the Rev T C Greenwood, of Rainford. On Thursday evening last the Rev T C Greenwood was presented with an elegantly bound musical album by the Young Men’s Bible Class connected with All Saints’ Church, Rainford, and with a purse of gold containing £22, which had been subscribed for by the parishioners, in consequence of his giving up the curacy of Rainford. The members of the Bible class were entertained by the rev. gentleman and his wife at his house, and Mr G Robinson, in a few well chosen words, presented the album. He said that it had always been a great pleasure for them to meet Mr Greenwood, and he felt sure none would miss him more that the Bible class’. They hoped, however, that his future life would be happy and prosperous. They could assure him that they felt greatly indebted to him for his past services, and they trusted that when he left it would be a kind remembrance of his connection with the Young Men’s Bible Class.

The first page of the album contained the following inscription:- ‘Presented to the Rev. Thomas Collingwood Greenwood by the members of the Young Men’s Bible Class, September 15, 1881, in token of their appreciation of his services to the class as a teacher, and also as a testimony of their good wishes for his future prosperity, together with their prayers that he may long be spared to carry on the good work so ably begun in this parish.’

The newspaper column continues with Thomas Collingwood finding great difficulty in finding the words to convey his thanks and gratitude for the presentation. Mr Robinson then went on to present the gold bag containing £22 on behalf of parishioners and again thanks were prolific from both parties and that they would always have fond memories of times in Rainford.

In 1900 the Greenwood family, Thomas Collingwood, Margaret and six children move a little farther away than they have done since their move from Rainford, this time they move to Wakefield where Thomas Collingwood become the vicar of St Mary’s Church, Primrose Hill. The next census, 1911, gives more information than the previous with the inclusion of length of marriage and number of children. Thomas Collingwood and Margaret had been married 36 years and had eight children in total thankfully all were alive at the time but not all were living at home.

I’d seen examples of Thomas Collingwood’s signature on his marriage entry but with maturity and possibly his position within the community his hand had developed a flourish. A kind signature, one devoid of arrogance. Even his everyday writing seems to be of a man that cares – it is clear, easy to read and thoughtful in its manner.

The signature of Thomas Collingwood Greenwood as seen in the 1911 census

Thomas Collingwood could still be found at St Mary’s in 1921. The following year life would take a turn for the worst as on the 18th December 1922, just days before her wedding anniversary, Margaret died.

Thomas Collingwood continued his service to the parish of St Mary’s until his death in the vicarage on January 25th 1927 and he rests with his Margaret in Sugar Lane Cemetery.

The monument remembering Thomas Collingwood Greenwood and his wife

According to the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer dated the 2nd of July 1930 The Bishop of Wakefield, Dr J B Seaton dedicated two memorials in St Mary’s Church. The first was erected to the memory of Thomas Collingwood Greenwood who had been the vicar of the parish for 27 years – he must have enjoyed the area and felt at home there. The second was to Margaret Greenwood. The Greenwood family gave an oak Communion table in remembrance of their parents while parishioners and friends gave a ‘fine’ oak pulpit. As I lived as a child in Hardy Croft, and attended St Andrew’s Sunday School and church, on occasions we went to St Mary’s so I must have seen the Communion table and pulpit. Little did I know that one day I would be telling you all about the vicar who was held in great stead by his family, parishioners and friends.

This year has been a landmark in British history with the Jubilee celebrations but before we say goodbye to Thomas Collingwood and Margaret I would like to tell you about his early years in Wakefield.

Wakefield and West Riding Herald 13 Aug 1904. ‘Monday, the 29th of this month will bring about the jubilee of the consecration of St Mary’s Church, Wakefield and the vicar and Churchwardens are making the necessary arrangements for the celebrating of the jubilee in a manner worthy of the occasion.’ Special services were held and the 110-foot spire was to be examined. Which resulted in it being practically rebuilt. A Mr Thicket, who was regarded as a spire specialist as he had worked on the City Cemetery Chapel previously, was put forward for the task of repairing the 50-year-old spire, which upon examination had tons of dust from the crumbled into the belfry, with some places being no more than a skeleton. The school also needed an amount of work to be done. So an appeal was put in place and fundraisers were organised. All in all the church spire was rebuilt, and the body of the church was repointed. The pews, some of which were uncovered were now furnished throughout with the addition of kneelers. The brass eagle lectern which was tarnished was now lacquered. A new Communion table, coverings and carpets were installed. It was thought that this would mark the 50 years in a suitable fashion. Little did the communion know that in just over two decades there would be a new lectern!

Back to the article ‘The Rev. Thomas Collingwood Greenwood, the present Vicar, who was appointed soon after Mr Parrish’s death, has proved himself an energetic and hard-working clergyman. In fact, he has to be, for having to work the parish single-handed, as he has done for the past twelve months, including Sunday afternoon services at the Chantry-on-the-Bridge, attended to the Workhouse, and the Parochial Mission Room, it is doubtful if a busier clergyman can be found in the city, His loyally supported by his churchwardens and parishioners…The coming jubilee celebration will, we doubt not, mark a new era in the church, educational and social life of St Mary’s.

I wonder what happened to the Greenwood Communion table, the lectern and the two memorials? Lost in the demolition no doubt! Unless someone knows otherwise.

Two Soldiers of Bleue Maison

Two Soldiers of Bleue Maison

Bleue Maison CWGC © C Sklinar 2022

While on a long-awaited visit to my beloved ‘bolt hole’ in France I took another walk – a ten-minute walk down the road to the CWGC Bleue Maison near the Commune of Eperlecque. I’d been there many times and at one time had photographed all the headstones and later blogged about some of the young men who rest there.

This time though, I’d left the hard drive with all my photographs at home but the short walk down the road on a nice day was very pleasant.

In the cemetery are quite a few Royal Engineers and Cameron Highlanders with the odd other regiments and Canadians thrown in for good measure.

The cemetery covers the period 1918-1919 and sits between the main road through one of the centre villages and the back road to the main village. 

On this visit, I only photographed a few of the headstones – one with an unusual name or something that I thought would make research easy. A Canadian headstone would certainly do that but there was one British grave that stood out not only by the surname but by the regiment. One soldier, a captain by the name of Ronald Newton Caws of the Gloucester Regiment had been awarded the Military Cross but due to his rank I knew his service record would be only accessible via the National Archives, I gave him a miss and settled on E E Setchfield, Private SE/7275 in the Royal Army Vet. Corps., who died on the 19th of September 1917. The date I noticed was before the date carved into the boundary wall of the cemetery.

E E Sketchfield’s CWGC headstone © C Sklinar 2022

Anyway, back to E E Setchfield. I like to add meat to bones and find out who these men were before they served their King and Country. The Forces-war-records website has three entries, each providing a little more information as to E E’s full name. It is the latter of these that not only give a full name – Edward Ernest Setchfield but also additional information that could help find him in the census and other records.

Edward, according to the record, was born around 1980 in Emneth, Norfolk and served in the No. 2 Mobile Vet Section. 

In 1901, Edward was 20 years old and living with his parents, George and Mary and a younger sister, Maud. There is quite a gap between Edward’s and Mary’s age, so there may have been other children in between. Edward was working as a bricklayer at this time. Later this year Edward married a young lady called Rose Adamson in the Wisbech Registration District, but probably in Walsoken, Norfolk – where he is living in the census.

Ten years later Edward and Rose are living at 40 Elizabeth Terrace, Wolsoken. Rose and their two children, Hilda and Mabel, were all born in Wolsoken but Edward seems to change his place of birth on each document. Now he either didn’t understand the question or maybe it was ‘where are you from?’ This could mean the last place he lived or where he was born depending on how the question was understood. If the question had been ‘where were you born?’ this could have been the actual place. But all the documents seem to have listed his previous village as a place of birth. A tad confusing for those new to research.

Edward enlisted in the county town of Norfolk, Norwich and by May 1915 was in France. With only doing a quick search I can’t seem to find much about the No. 2 Mobile Section but at some time they must have been around the St. Omer region of France. The area has vast tracks of canals that were dug out many, many years ago and are known as the Marais. A wonderful place to visit and enjoy a guided tour on an electric boat – a slow tour as there is a strict limit on boat speeds. In the clear water, there is plenty of fish. and the air is countless dragonflies and birds. Ernest, as we know died on the 19th of September 1917 – he was not KIA as his entry simply states DIED. How did he die? His pension card indicates he drowned by accident while on AS. I can be a little more specific in this as the Roll of Honour website tells that Edward drowned whilst fishing. Could he have been fishing in the wide canal at Watten or one of the sections that are more like a maze where you could easily get lost? 

It took a week for the notification of his death to be received by the authorities and even longer for Rose to get the money from the Army. Rose also was to receive money for two children – Hilda Mary born 31 July 1902 and Herbert Edward born 8th of February 1913. There is no mention of Mabel who was a month old in 1911.

Rose never remarried and died in 1964 aged 86.

F S Stewart CWGC headstone. © C Sklinar 2022

In total contrast to Edward, the second soldier to be named in my ramblings is F S Stewart of the Canadian Army Service Corps, 2nd Canadian Aux. HT Coy. According to the CWGC F S Stewart is Fred Sidney Stewart served as Driver 2114941 and died on the 9th of September, 1918 aged 22 years of age.

Fred was the son of Adela and Donald Stewart of 38 Toronto Road, Buckland, Portsmouth. He enlisted in Calgary. Canada on the 4th of January 1917. And unlike many of the British WW1 Service Records the ones for Australia and in this case, Canada have survived. There is so much information to be learnt from such records including wills, soldiers’ movements and something I find most fascinating – a description. So the 38 pages can tell a great deal.

At the time of his enlistment, Fred was born on the 31st of March 1896, giving his address as Gen. Den. Calgary. His family were living in Portsmouth, Hampshire and from passenger records, Fred, a teamster, could have travelled to Canada around 1915-1916.

At 5’7½” in height, Fred was reasonably tall for the time. He had a fair complexion, hazel eyes, and black hair and weighed in at 138lbs.

On the 26th of March 1917, Fred left Canada and disembarked in Liverpool on the 7th of April from SS Metagama and was taken on strength at Shorncliffe. On the 9th of August, he left the UK and arrived in Le Havre the following day as a reinforcement. The following months are detailed as to his whereabouts including 14 days’ leave on the 2nd of March 1918. Rejoining at Caestre (between Hazebrouck and Steenvoorde). At midnight on the 27-28th May 1918, his status was changed to No2 Canadian Army Aux. (Horse) Coy. 

On the 9th of September 1918, Fred was admitted to 36 CCS and died the same day of Phthisis due to active service conditions. Currently, Edward and 58 others rest in Bleue Maison CWGC in the Commune of Eperlecque. 

The base of Fred’s headstone says ‘Until we Meet’.

Bleue Maison entrance gate © C Sklinar

A Headstone in St Ninian’s, Enzie, Banffshire

A Headstone in St Ninian’s, Enzie, Banffshire

During the night the 1911 was taken, 14-year-old William Spence Kerr lived at 2 Old Town, Keith. Also in the house was his father, Alexander, the caretaker of the local cemetery; his mother, Jessie who worked as a baker. William, who worked in the local grocers had three siblings – Charles, Winifred and George, the youngest aged just two.

Alexander had been born in Keith. Jessie (nee Spence) came from Boharm. William had been born in Enzie, while his siblings came from Huntly and Keith. They moved about a bit, didn’t they?

In 1915 William was serving in the Gordon Highlanders after enlisting in Keith. His Medal Card has information about William being awarded the 1915 Star. He entered the regiment with the rank of private and service number 1661/6, which was amended to 266003 later during his service.

William Spence Kerr.
Newspaper source unknown but acknowledged

William served in the 1/6th (Banff and Donside) Battalion Territorial Force. In early August 1914, the regiment was stationed at Keith, then moved south to Bedford. After transferring to the 7th Division, the mostly young soldiers took part in various actions on the Western Front, including in December the Christmas Truce.

In 1915 the Gordon Highlanders took part in the battles of Neuve Capelle, Aubers, the Second action of Givenchy, Loos before being moved to defend the communication lines. In 1916 they saw more action on the Western Front after being transferred to the 51st Division, including High Wood and Ancre. The division was becoming a force to be reckoned with and was handed more difficult assignments, including assaults on Arras throughout the year and in November the assault on Cambrai. By 1918 the division was well below strength due to their huge losses in 1917. The 51st, low in numbers managed to hold back the enemy as the front moved back and forth.

William, however, never had the chance to see the end of the war as he died of wounds on the 17th of February 1917 around Arras. He rests in Maroeul British Cemetery, about 6km northwest of Arras, between Houdain and Aubigny. The cemetery begun by the 51st (Highland) Division, was in Arras from March 1916. Almost half of the graves are those of the Highlanders. The London Territorials also have a number of soldiers buried there. Over 25 officers and men of the Royal Engineers who died in a mine explosion. All in all the cemetery contains 563 Commonwealth graves from the First World War and 11 German soldiers who also lost their lives during this time.

Back to William. In March 1917 his death is recorded in a local newspaper, followed by his obituary in August. By 1920 his mother had been awarded all monies due from the Army.

The Kerr family headstone in St Ninian’s Catholic Cemetery© C Sklinar 2021

In the small Catholic cemetery of St Ninian’s, Braes of Enzie stands the Kerr family headstone.

‘In loving memory of Jessie Spence beloved wife of Alexander Kerr. Died at Keith 24th May 1933 aged 63. And their family. William Fell in Action 17th Feb. 1917. Aged 20. Interred in British Cemetery, Maroeuil France. Allan, Mary and James died in infancy. Also their grandchild Magaret Kerr Grant daughter of Andrew and Winifred Grant. Died at Rothes 13th Dec. 1948 aged 8 years. And Alexander Kerr beloved husband of the said Jessie Spence. Died at Rothes 26th Sept. 1953 aged 83. R.I.P.’

Book Review – Fred’s Letters by Jo Fox

Book Review –  Fred’s Letters by Jo Fox

Towards the end of 2021, the 11th of November to be precise, I was invited by a WFA (Western Front Association) friend to a book launch taking place at Elland Road. I didn’t know the author, but we did, however, all share a common interest in World War 1. My particular interest is in the soldiers, not the battles. So this book was right up my street.

Fred's Letters book cover

Fred’s Letters book cover

The book – Fred’s Letters by Jo Fox is an insight into the war of Fred Emms, a Leeds man who wrote to his sister from January 1915 to August 1918.

Jo tells the story through Fred’s letter and includes photographs, information on how the soldiers spent their days – either passing time or during battles. Jo in telling Fred’s story includes details on events at the time Fred’s letters were sent to his sister.

Not only do the 10 letters give an insight into a soldier’s war but also tell the reader how life and events carried on at home – home being the Holbeck area of Leeds.

To me, the battles, important to many WW1 researchers, are not as important as the men who fought. No matter what their rank or their status they were all part of a family loved by someone and part of a community that cared.

Jo Fox cares deeply that her great uncle Fred should not be forgotten. This book completes her task, Fred will not be forgotten.

If you have family who lived in and around the Holbeck area of Leeds or is just interested in soldiers’ lives and times in the 1914-1918 time frame, give Jo’s book a try – you will not be disappointed.

Fred’s Letters is £10 and is available from:
Etsy or searching Fred’s Letters

ISBN978-1-3999-0930-3

Little Wooden Cross

Little Wooden Cross

As I’ve said before, family history friends are the best. Not forgetting the family of family history friends! I was recently given a little wooden cross by one of these friends. It is nothing extraordinary to look at. It does, however, become two separate sections – the cross detaches from the tiered base. Was it meant to be portable? Or, has it over time become two pieces?

Hartlepool Wooden Cross © 2022 C Sklinar

This item is supposed to have been made from debris wood as the result of the Hartlepool Bombardment. It was said to be from World War 1. Was there a bombardment during this time? I know from my family history that Scarborough was bombed in the later war, WW2 – close relatives of mine were killed as a result of a direct hit on their house. The house was destroyed. My dad used to tell me that he cycled from Wakefield to the Scarborough house to watch cricket from one of their bedroom windows as it overlooked the cricket ground.

Anyway, back to the little cross and Hartlepool.

Who made the cross and why is this unknown but the story of the bombing and the impact it had on the area is documented.

On the 16th of December 1914, roundabout breakfast time 130 people were either killed or injured in forty horrific minutes when it is reported that over 1000 shells were directed at the town from a German warship. During the same day, Whitby and Scarborough were also the targets of enemy warships. As I’ve said, I knew about Scarborough during the 1939-1945 war but, in 1914, that was all new!

In 2020 found in a box of broken cameras and lenses was a short newsreel showing the aftermath of the bombardment and photographs taken at the time showing the damage and the people of Hartlepool getting on with their lives.

To see the newsreel and read about the events of the day click on the following links

March 2020 BBC News

The Newsreel on the Yorkshire Film Archive

When Germany Bombarded Hartlepool December 2014

Wikipedia’s information on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby