Pte Henry WILSON, 3 Border Regt, DoW 23.3.15

[Guest Pete Wood]

Pte Henry WILSON, 5166 3 Bn, Border Regt, who died on 23.03.15. Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France

Name: WILSON

Initials: H

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment: Border Regiment

Unit Text: 3rd Bn.

Date of Death: 23/03/1915

Service No: 5166

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: III. D. 56.

Cemetery: BOULOGNE EASTERN CEMETERY

SDGW states:

Born and resided in Harrington, Cumberland

Enlisted in Seaforth, Lancs

Died of Wounds

[Guest Pete Wood]

It is interesting to note that there is a discrepancy between CWGC and SDGW.

CWGC says our man was with 3 Bn Border Regiment, while SDGW says he was with 2 Bn.

Anyone know the correct answer....??

[Guest Pete Wood]

A quick look on SDGW shows that all 3 Bn casualties occurred in the UK. So I am very sure that our man was with 2 Bn Border regiment - and there were plenty of other casualties from this unit at this time.

[Guest Pete Wood]

I think I can narrow down our chap to one of four men:

Births Sep 1874

WILSON Henry - Whitehaven district

Births Mar 1877

Wilson Henry - Whitehaven

Births Jun 1879

Wilson Henry - Whitehaven

Births Sep 1889

Wilson Henry - Whitehaven

[CROONAERT]

CWGC says our man was with 3 Bn Border Regiment, while SDGW says he was with 2 Bn.

Anyone know the correct answer....??

The 3rd Bn was the Special reserve battalion.Originally a Militia battalion, it had served, prior to the outbreak of war , at the Regimental depot at Carlisle. It was mobilised on 5th August, went to Shoeburyness, then Conwy in 1915. Barrow-in-Furness in late 1915 untill early 1917 when it moved to Crosby near Liverpool. The battalion saw the war out here. February 1919, it was in Blackdown ,near Aldershot.

Seeing as the Bn never left England, it's almost certain that he was in the 2nd Bn., and that "Soldiers Died" has it correct on this occasion.

Dave.

[Stephen Nulty]

The 1891 census shows an enumeration district in Cumberland of "Carlisle Castle", and listed amongst thr troops stationed there on the night of 5th April 1891 is Henry Wilson, aged 18, a private in the Border regiment. He was born in Harrington, Cumberland. He would therefore have been born around 1873.

This could be our man, although it would see him being 42 when KIA.

Stephen

[RDB]

The 1901 Census shows the following:

Henry Wilson, aged 18, born Workington, Cumberland: Steel Worker

Henry Wilson, aged 23, born Workington, Cumberland: Blast Furnace Man.

Since he was born in Harrington and Harrington is in the registration district of Workington (its about 2 miles away), not of Whitehaven, I think the four possible candidates you mention in your posting at 16.59 on 23 March are unlikely and that the two above are more likely.

Wilson is the most common surname in Cumberland, which doesn't help but it was also the name of my paternal grandmother - so who knows the Henry Wilson you seek may be a distant relative of mine!

[Guest Pete Wood]

You may well be right, but the information I based my post on suggests that Harrington was in the regsitration district of Whitehaven:

Whitehaven

Created 1st July 1837.

Sub-districts : Egremont; Harrington; St. Bees; Whitehaven.

GRO volumes : XXV (1837-51); 10b (1852-1930).

Arlecdon, Beckermet, Cleator, Distington, Egremont, Ennerdale and Kinniside, Gosforth, Haile, Harrington, Hensingham, Lamplugh, Low Keekle, Lowside Quarter, Moresby, Nether Wasdale, Parton, Ponsonby, Preston Quarter, Rottington, St. Bees, Salter and Eskett, Seascale (1837-1901), Weddicar, Whitehaven.

Registers now divided between Whitehaven and Carlisle districts.

Perhaps you know when/if the district changes were made....??

[Will O'Brien]

Curious..............Can't add a great deal other than to confirm what RDB has said...............Harrington is situated in what would today be classified as Workington rather than Whitehaven..............Also noted Distington being mentioned which although not as close as Harrington is far closer to Workington than it is to Whitehaven

[RDB]

Mea culpa! Harrington was in the Registration of Whitehaven. I have checked the birth certificates of two of my forbears who were born in Harrington in the nineteenth century (one in 1846 and one in 1887) and both refer to the Sub District of Harrington and the Registration District of Whitehaven. Interestingly, the name of one of them was Wilson.

However, a trawl of the 1901 Census looking for Henry Wilsons born in Harrington of the appropriate age (I have checked from 0 to 45 years old in 1901) results in a nil return. Changing the place of birth to Workington results in the two names I have already provided, while changing it to Whitehaven also produces two names:

Henry Wilson, aged 33, born and living in Whitehaven

Henry Wilson, aged 44, born in Whitehaven and living in Houghton-le- Springs

Unfortunately, none of them tie in with the four whose births you identified.

I shall have to pursue it, but it may be that I can make no progress until I visit Cumbria again.