Any ideas on who how to proceed?

[jim_davies]

Like many forum members I've been trying to research my (former) hometown's war dead. There are just shy of 300 men recorded on the various memorials in the town of which I'm having difficulties with 29.

Checked the following:

CWGC

SD

local papers

local rolls of honour

online MICs

various local archives-voters rolls, census etc

Tried various methods, knowing that the christian name on a memorial may not be correct but still can't reach a definitive answer on these 29 men.

For a couple of the men I have full name and regt and just can't find date of death (or service number) which was presumably after the war. Others are common names with no obvious SD or CWGC connections, whereas others (believe it or not) appear to have surname that account for not one single casualty during the war.

About a third of the 29 are only named on the town's private school memorial and thus cause their own issues of tracking likely having come from out of district.

Hoped some pals might be able to give some pointers or different ideas as to progression.

Thanks,

Jim

[rflory]

Jim: I would suggest putting the 29 names and any information you have on them on this thread and see if any of us can help identify your men. Regards. Dick

[Greenwoodman]

Hi Jim

For my local "private" school, I used the registration books held in the school archives. As it was a boarding school then, boys came from all over the NW. The only one I don't know much about is a chap whose name appears on the school memorial, but didn't in fact die! The School magazines were also helpful.

Parish magazines or church records (e.g. memorial services)

You don't mention it, but have you checked the period from the end of the war until the memorial was erected?

Have you placed an ad or a letter in the current local paper? Bet for at least a couple of them, someone in the area is sitting on a photo to go with the names.

If I think of any more I'll post them.

Good luck!

[Stephen Nulty]

Jim

I'd agree with Dick. You'll see any number of threads on the forum about cases where there has been transcription errors, mis-spelt surnames, simple omissions, etc.

Take half a dozen at a time and post them. The pals usually come up with the goods.

SN

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Jim - How about a visit to the PRO to check the microfiche MICs, which are complete, or better still the service records in WO 363/364.

Ian

[Derek Robertson]

Another possiblity is that you take a walk through the local cemeteries, it's amazing how much information is inscribed on headstones.

There should be a grave register at the local authority offices with details of where family lairs are.

[John_Hartley]

Jim

From my own experiences, your 10% "missings" may or may not be high. I suspect it depends on area - urban areas having a more transient population than villages. That could account for some that don't seem to be be related to your patch or why you can't find them in the local newspaper. It'll be the case that when the "local worthies" were getting the names together someone said "We better add that Fred Bloggs who worked for me for six months at the beginning of 1914"

In the case of those where you havnt found a single surname in, say, CWGC, I would try looking at spelling variations. You will find that CWGC has got it wrong in some cases - either when the original records were compiled or when they were scanned. There is also the difficulty that for some less literate families - spelling of the name may have varied between different branches.

There's also the strong likelihood that your man is on the memorial as Fred Bloggs, but is in CWGC/SDGW records by his full name of George Fred Bloggs. If you've only searched for F Bloggs, you won't find him.

You don't mention if you've looked at 1901 Census. Well worth trying for a smallish community. If the search facility will let you, then try to run it just on surname and location. Picked up a couple of mine like that.

After all that, you'll be left with a small number that you just can't identify. And it will irritate you for years to come - every single time you walk past the damn memorial. Take my word for it!

John

[J T Gray]

It's possible that people came from the postal district rather than the town. The Essex Regiment Museum's holding for my Grandfather records him as being from Braintree - in fact he was from Great Sampford which is a good ten miles away, though then in the same postal district.

I think everyone has the same few mysteries - I've done three village memorials and each one has a chap on whom I just can't find. We are also supposed to have two soldiers in the churchyard who are not recorded on CWGC or SWDITGW - I'm over there next week, must have a look in the burial ergister!

Adrian

[Doug Lewis]

After all that, you'll be left with a small number that you just can't identify. And it will irritate you for years to come - every single time you walk past the damn memorial. Take my word for it!

John

Jim

I totally agree with John. You will look at at every conceivable avenue and there will be some men that you will never identify. There has been good advice given regards spelling of names I found three men recently by rearranging names,some in very peculiar ways but it worked,you will be surprised.

Regards Doug

[Michael]

And it will irritate you for years to come - every single time you walk past the damn memorial. Take my word for it!

Oh yes indeed

[Sue Light]

And a few more suggestions:

Depending on how local you are now, have a look at the parish registers, which will be held on film or fiche at the local County Record Office, or local studies libraries. It's a very efficient way of trawling the burial registers. I feel almost sure that several of those men will be ones who were discharged during the course of the war, and then died of non attributable causes.

Make sure you search the Australian and Canadian archives, rather than relying on CWGC alone. I had a long search for one man, only to find he had emigrated before the war, been injured at Gallipoli, and then discharged during the war. He died just after the CWGC qualifying date, but his records came up immediately in the Australian on-line database.

Bear in mind that your missing men could be missing women. Nurses and other military workers should come up in CWGC, but there were many women doing war work but whose deaths did not fit in with the commemoration criteria.

Set up a swear box, and put some money in it each time you are foiled. It will pay dividends.

Sue

[j.r.f]

JIM

I dont know what part of thU.K.you are in but there is on more suggestion that I can add.I do hope that he does not mind me giving out this information.TERRY DENHAM has a complete list of CWGC graves.OVER the last 20 or 30 years a lot of churches and capels have,for one reason or other,been closed and so the grave stones may no longer be easy to find.If you ask TERRY,for a small fee,he will,I am sure send you the relevent list for your county or area.I have done this and it does throw up people that would be difficult to find by other methods.With TERRYS help this might be worth persuing.

CHEERS.

JOHN.

[Guest Humphrey]

Your local genealogical society may be of help. They produce MI (Monumental Inscription- whats inscribed on a gravestone) booklets, which usually have a map.

H.

[jim_davies]

Wow!

Thanks for all of the great ideas. Its opened lots of avenues for me to explore, especially Sue's idea concerning the Aussie and Canadian archives (although the swear box would quickly bankrupt me!). Also by thinking a little laterally I think I've worked out a couple of guys this afternoon....

The main problem I'm facing is that I'm now located in the US, whereas the town I'm interested in is Stamford, Lincs. It's a regular market town with plenty of the men I'd identified being from local villages. Also compiling a list of men who from the newspaper records I'd expect to be commemorated but aren't, including a set of brothers one who is on several memorials in the town, the other isn't on a single one(?).

Whenever I get home (couple of times a year) I'm able to spend a while doing various parts research on the ground. My parents live closeby and have done much of the footwork for me, and I was able to reach an agreeable financial arrangement with the town's library and FHS to get copies of newspapers etc.

Couple of sources I forgot to mention in my initial post: local football team, schools and three great war employers still in business-each with varying degrees of success. Also emailed posters on various online family websites with my men's surnames and Stamford as a location. Managed to get in contact with several sets relatives as a result-very rewarding as I was able to give them a far amount of info on their relatives.

Anyway if you're ready here's my guys and what I know (or don't)

L/Cpl Herbert Bartholomew, ASC.

Pte C. Baxter, 4th Lincs-best match is 43015, L/Clp Charles Henry Baxter, 7th Lincs from Bourne, Lincs-but not definite.

Pte E. Butcher, 4th Middlesex. I also have a Charles Baxter, 4th Middlesex (dow 1 Oct 1915) on the memorial. Thinking these might be brothers.

Sgt E Cole, 1st Yorks. Possibly 28114 James Edward Cole, 11th E Yorks from Caistor Lincs

2nd Lt A. Evans. Have a A.C. Evans but he's already on the memorial and not an officer. And a Pte A Evans, 2nd Public Schools Batt, Royal Fusiliers from a 1914 roll of honour. From the online MIC think he later became 2nd Lt, Essex regt. And therefore, maybe... 2nd Lt A Evans, Essex Regt. KIA 18/10/16. Plenty of gaps in the chain of evidence there though!

Gnr F Foster, RFA. Known to be one of four brothers serving in the RFA in 1914 either regular or TF. There is one F Foster, RFA on SD but doesn't seem to match.

Pte Thomas Howard, 1st Northants.

Dvr G. W. Hudson, RFA. (town and school). Maybe 26527, George William Hudson, Royal Fusiliers or perhaps 34529 or 223141 Royal Field Artillery??

William A. Palmer. Lots of possibles leaning towards 40906 leics or 52333 Middlesex.

Pte Harry Smith, MGC

Pte H.E. Smith, 1/4th Lincs

Pte Robert Smith. Leaning towards 50154 Middlesex.

RSM Stephen Edward Smith, 11th W Yorks-think is CSM Stephen Smith, 10th W Yorks. KIA 1 Jul 1916.

Pte Herbert Stanley Swanson, 24th Royal Fusiliers.

Pte W.H. Tyson, Sherwood Foresters.

Sgt G.E. Walker

Names only on the Stamford School Memorial:

F J Camm-Think this is Capt Frederick Jackson Camm MC, Essex Regt. Able to see the progression of his career thru newspaper & LG. Assuming he died sometime after the war....

E.B. Carvath????? Spelling?.

A. Claydon.

F. M. Davis

V. Grivel????? Spelling?.

F. Healey

H. W. Jackson

P. Jennings

M. L. W. Westbrook.

Going to run the Schoolboys through the Aussie and Canadian records.

Anyway, thanks for all the great ideas-I'll let you know what I turn up.

Jim