Tag Archives: memorials

Rhu War Memorial, Argyll & Bute

On a very sunny but chilly late November in 2010 we drove down the coast ending up in Helensburgh, but before we arrived there were a few little places to stop at on the way – Rhu being one of those places.

Rhu, had a population of 1,854 in the census of 2001

The village war memorial sits back from the road and just in front of the parish church and on a sunny day the memorial seems to shine. The memorial and the boundary wall are one of many listed buildings in the village of Rhu, including the Church,   graveyard  sundial and the boundary wall ; Glenarn House, coach house and garden house with the gate piers ;  Torwood Cottage + more.

Some of the names mentioned on the memorial are :-  J Maitland Downie ; William Limmond ; David Girvan ; Robert N K Barge ;  J D Oatts.

To have a look at the memorial transcription click here

Killearn War Memorial

Killearn is in the western district of Stirlingshire, formerly part of Lennox or Dunbartonshire.

In the mid 17oo’s the population was just under 1000 – fluctuating in the decades slightly up and down.  In 1831 the population was 1,206 and in the census of 1841 the village consisted of 1,187 souls  and again the population went up and down by about 20 people until in 1871 the number of people was 1,111. The 1911 census  the village had just over 1,000 with 583 males an 502 females.   In 2001 the number of people in the village was 1,781.

The village church, having close connections with the Orr-Ewing family  was opened in 1882 being in memory of Ella Orr-Ewing, who rests in the old kirkyard.

That’s a little bit about Killearn whose area boasts the most southerly Highland distillery at Drumgoyne – Glengoyne

Killearn War Memorial is set in a small grassed area on the corner of Main Street and Balfron Road.  The memorial is set on a risen plinth with a short run of steps leading up to the base and column.  The column is quite ornate and the whole memorial stands proud.

One of the names on the memorial has been mentioned on one of my memorial blog posts, Strathclyde, namely Wm G Edmonstone, who family owned Duntreath Castle and have done for many centuries.  Also mentioned is Hugh Lennie who served in the CEF.  Hugh was unusual as he was over 6′ tall and I can’t remember the last time I transcribed a name on a memorial to anyone who was over 5′ 10″.  He must have been a very strong young man.  And finally, there are the two McCuaig brothers.

You can visit the memorial and the young men by clicking here

Baldernock War Memorial

Just added the finishing touches to Baldernock War Memorial in Dunbartonshire.

We visited on an overcast day but managed to find a gap in the clouds and take the war memorial and a few headstones in the kirkyard.  In fact, I think we found the memorial by sheer fluke and that won’t be the first time that has happened.

It is a nice memorial, set on an island of grass and as it was a late November day there were poppy wreaths and a patch of poppy crosses.  To one side of the memorial is the old kirkyard and the other has a larger cemetery.

It’s funny, most of the time I quickly get out of the car, quickly take the memorial and the names in small sections to ease transcription, and then jump back in the car.  But, sometimes a memorial touches you in some small way, it could be where it is and the view is wonderful, it could be a name on the memorial or it could just be that the memorial feels good, nice and peaceful – Baldernock feels just like that!

Who is mentioned :- William B Tinto, HMS Defence ; Major  C E Higginbotham ; Andrew Douglas MacArthur Anderson of Tullichewan Castle and George Hannah, AIF to name just a few.

To visit Baldernock War Memorial click here

Strathblane War Memorial

As I have said in previous entries I can spot a war memorial at a few thousand paces and my family always make a joke that whenever I go anywhere, there always has to be an ulterior motive i.e. a memorial or a CWGC headstone.

Over the years I have uploaded a lot of transcribed headstone from all over the country including France and Belgium  and have still many, many more to start work on.

So, today I have transcribed Strathblane War Memorial and for the majority of men have given their entry extra information – you know who were their parents, where they lived and were they finally rest or are remembered.

Some of the men include :- John Y Barr who was the son of Prof. Archibald Blair ; Wilfred Blake Moyes the son of Rev. W B Moyes and his wife Clara who was educated at public school and later Oxford and William George Edmonstone the eldest son and heir to Sir Archibald Edmondstone.

There will be a few, well more than a few other memorials being uploaded within the next week or so all from around the Stirlingshire, Dunbartonshire, Fife and Argyll and Angus areas.

Have fun and happy hunting

A guide to finding a Regiment on a large War Memorial

On many of the large memorials there is an order in which the names and Regiments are listed – I din’t know either until a fellow member of the NVA (Normandy Veterans Assoc.) passed on the information.

Take for example you have a relative on the Thiepval Memorial – he is one of over 72,000 other casualties who were KIA and their final resting place is not known, being only remembered on a memorial far from home.

Edmund Hilton Dadd, M.C., Capt, Royal Welsh Fusiliers  died 1916;  Edward Davy Pain, Capt., Somerset Light Infantry and Edward Aubrey Jackson, Rifleman, KRRC.  Which Regiment is listed first, do you know ?

Firstly, you need to understand that the Command Staff are always first, mostly General, Colonels etc., then the regiments, the regiments that traditionally guarded the King, so we have the Life Guards.   Followed by the Dragoon, Hussars and Lancers, then the Royal Horse and Field Artillery, the Guards in their various forms.  With the other regiments following on, again in a strict order.

Back to our young men who are on the Thiepval Memorial – ~The Somersetshire LI (Prince Albert’s) Regt., is first being 13th after the Guards and Household Regiments who are not numbered.  The Royal Welsh Fusiliers are 23rd on the list and the King’s Royal Rifle Corps., are following on in 60th position.

It dosn’t work out that if your regiment had a regal connection i.e. King’s, Prince or Princess in their name.  Putting it simply, as I like to do most of the time, the more traditionally connected to looking after the monarch the higher up the list you are.

Saying that, it is still confusing and sometimes you are best looking straight at a list of the regiments.  The Corps of Royal Engineers is listed after the Royal Horse and Field Artillery, but before the Grenadier Guards, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards.  The listings don’t work on how new the regiments were i.e. the Welsh Guards were only formed in 1915.  The Guards Machine Gun Regiment raised in 1917 is listed after the Welsh Guards but the Machien Gun Corps raised in 1916 follows on near the end of the list.

Before you get totally confused and end up at a memorial looking for your great uncle take a look at the list, it may help shed a smattering of light on the subject.

Oh! before I forget, there is also within the Regimental order an order for the Commonwealth Forces – have fun !!

The Order of Regiments can be found by clicking here

South African Campaign of 1877-79

Casualty Rolls of the South African Campaign of 1877 – 79 (The Zulu Wars)

This Casualty Roll is not as easy to read as the previous blog entry but is still informative, especially if a member of your family served in the Zulu Wars.

If you have ever watched Zulu or Zulu Dawn, as I have many times – you can’t beat a good film, can you ? You will know of places such as Isandhlwana and Rorke’s Drift, but you may not know where they are.

It was at Rorke’s Drift where 150 soldiers defended a supply station against thousands of Zulu warriors and 11 of those very brave soldiers were awarded Britain’s most highest military decoration – The Victoria Cross, awarded for valour ‘in the face of the enemy’.

The information contained within the Roll is :- Army number (if applicable – Officers have no number) ; Rank ; Name ; Regiment ; Action i.e. KIA, Wounded, followed by place and date.

You may be familiar with such names as – 1373 Private Alfred Henry Hook, 2nd Btn 24th Foot, wounded at Rorke’s Drift on 23 January 1879, or 1362 Private Frederick Hitch, also from the 24th Foot, he was also wounded on 23 Janaury at Rorke’s Drift or even, 623 Sergeant Robert Maxfield again of the 24th Foot and KIA on 23 January.

The Casualty Rolls for the Zulu Wars can be found here

Afghan Campaign 1878-1880

The cd, Soldiers who died in The Great War is a good source for finding a soldier who was KIA or DoW in WW1.  Recently its counterpart for WW2 was also published  also on cd.  Both of these fantastic resources are now on pay per view sites and compliment the entries on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission with giving places of enlistment and cause of death i.e. Killed in Action or Died of Wounds.

But what do you do if your family member died in other conflicts.

I was recently sent a link to a very good site for the Afghan Campaign 1878-1880.  The information on the site gives the following information :-

Service number, rank, surname and christian name, regiment, how died or severity of wounds, place, date and remarks.  It is the remarks that are interesting.

For example, Captain Seymour Dun Barrow of the 10th Bengal Lancers was severely wounded at Patkao Shana on 1 July 1880, the remarks saying ‘ Incision to right forearm and left hand in a personal encounter with a nephew of Sultan Mahomed’.

Another entry for Lance Sergeant, 1583, William Cameron, 72nd Foot (Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders, KIA at Kandahar on 1st September 1880, the remarks state ‘Gunshot abdomen. ‘A grand specimen of a Highland soldier’.

Major John Cook, 5th Gurkha Regiment, Danger Wound, at Kabul on 12 December 1879, the remarks go on to say ‘Gunshot left leg. Awarded V.C. for Peiwar Kotal, 02 December 1878. Died of Wounds 19 December  1878’.

Or, 514 Colour Sergeant  Ge Jacobs, 72nd Foot (Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders), severely wounded at Kandahar on 1st September 1880.  He was awarded the DCM for Kabul, got a gunshot in the groin and was awarded bar to DCM.

Or, Private Jonathan Longworth, 32B/104, 1st Bn 12th Foot who was severely wounded at Besud on 19th May 1880.  He had a very deep knife wound, back of left shoulder with deep muscles severed.  He was awarded the DCM.

The detail about each soldier is concise but very informative and well worth a visit just to see what has been put in the remarks column, as there are a couple of V.C’s mentioned.

The information can be found here

War Memorials Wanted !!!

If you have ever visited my website or read previous blog entries you will be aware that I collect, transcribe and add information about those whose names are carved in stone or wood, cast in metal or written in a book and then add to my websites for all to view.

Do you have access to a digital camera, know of any war memorials from any conflict.  I have 100’s of memorials transcribe and many more to do, but there are 1,000’s of village memorials, company memorials and private memorials still out there waiting a visitor with a camera who would pass the photographed memorial over to me for the transcription process.

All I would as that you do is photograph the whole memorial – it’s always nice to see the actual memorial.  Then all you have to do is photograph the names so that they can be transcribed.  If the names are in panels, I normally photograph the whole panel, then photograph sections within the panel – making for a good image when transcribing.

For this you will get my thanks and your name put to the photograph used and a note saying that you were the person who made the transcription possible.

You can contact me at memorials@wakefieldfhs.org.uk for further information or to see if I already have your village, town or company memorial.

Memorials for the Wakefield area can be found here

and those from everywhere else can be found here simply click on the county or country link.

So, if you are from the UK, Eire, Europe, America, Canada, Australia or any where else, please contact me with your war memorials from any conflict.


Very much looking forward to hearing from you all.