Another memorial mystery

[Desmond7]

Another one for the Taggarts and Frosts of the forum. See below:-

THE name of Charles Sinclair represents the biggest mystery on Ballymena Borough’s Great War Memorial.

It is carved in stone and to remove it would be foolhardy, but hours and hours of patient and sometimes

infuriating research can find no trace of this man’s death.

Nothing on the massive Commonwealth Graves Site remotely matches the details we have for Sinclair.

In the lengthy and painstaking ‘trawl’ of the local newspaper records, we first find mention of the name Charles

Sinclair in the March, 24, 1916 edition of the Ballymena Observer.

PTE Charles Sinclair, 8th R.Innis. Fusiliers (Ulster Division), who is a son of the late Mr. Andrew Sinclair, Railway

Street and a nephew of Mr. Charles Sinclair, James Street, has been wounded in an engagement in France. Pte

Sinclair, who only celebrated his sixteenth birthday last Sunday, was an employee of the Braidwater Spinning

Company. He joined the army in 1914 and went to the front with the Ulster Division last autumn.

Ballymena Observer, March 24, 1916

It is certain that THIS Charles Sinclair existed. Yet the gaps in his story are something of a mystery in themselves.

A swift study of the clipping above reveals that Fusilier Sinclair was just sixteen when wounded ... yet he had joined

the army in 1914 making him a 14-year-old at time of enlistment!

This may explain why he joined the 8th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers rather than the locally recruited 12th Royal irish

Rifles. Perhaps he could not bluff his way past the recruiting sergeant in the presence of so many of his workmates?

May be had tried but had been rejected because of his age.

In any case, he would have been forced to travel some distance to enlist in the 8th Skins. as they were formed at

Omagh in October 1914.

Interestingly, the 8th R. Innis. Fus. never served with the 36th (Ulster) Division. Indeed the unit served throughout

the war with the 16th (Irish) Division. (see below)

8th (Service) Battalion Formed at Omagh, October 1914, as part of K2. October 1914 : attached to 49th Brigade,

16th (Irish) Division. 23 August 1917 : amalgamated with 7th Bn to become 7/8th Bn.

It is entirely possible that Sinclair was wounded during this period as the 8th R.Innis. Fus. were in France and had

seen some harsh combat. How the report’s claims that the 8th Inniskillings were in the Ulster Division is a matter for

conjecture. Perhaps reporter error is the simplest solution.

There is nothing more about FUSILIER Sinclair until immediately after the German March Offensive of 1918 when

the following notice and a picture of the young man, appears in the local press.

Mrs. Getty, of 3 James Street, Ballymena, has received information that her nephew Pte. Charles Sinclair,

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, is a prisoner of war. Pte. Sinclair was reported to be a prisoner of war about the

end of last year but subsequently returned home on leave. Previous to joining up he was employed in the

Braidwater Spinning Mill.

The Medal Index Cards held by the National Archives in London list a Private Charles Sinclair, Royal Inniskilling

Fusiliers. His army number is 26238. .

Thus we can remove Fusilier Sinclair from the ‘possibles’ list for the name on the War Memorial.

Now we turn to what would seem to be the most likely candidate - Rifleman Charles Sinclair of the Royal Irish Rifles.

Strangely, there is but one mention of a Rfn. Charles Sinclair in the ‘Ballymena Observer’ of the period. (see below)

Rifleman Charles Sinclair

Rfn. Charles Sinclair, Royal Irish Rifles, who has been killed in action, was a native of Kirkinriola, Ballymena, and a

son of Mrs. Catherine Sinclair.

Ballymena Observer, September 7, 1917

An extensive search of Commonwealth War Graves and the vast database of ‘Soldiers Who Died In The Great War’

reveal no records of any Royal Irish Rifleman of that name being killed in the relevant time period.

Nor is there any mention of a Rifleman Charles Sinclair in the Medal Index at the National Archives.

Could Mrs. Catherine have been told by ‘word of mouth’ that her boy had been killed. There are examples of

men writing hom to the parents of supposed fatal casualties only for the deceased to turn up in a hospital or

POW camp.

What we can say is that there is no record of a correction. And from previous experience the discovery that a

loved-one is actually still in the land of the living is heralded as nothing short of a miracle by the local press and

public.

So if Rifleman Charles Sinclair did NOT die ... what could have happened?

Is it possible that Rfn. Charles Sinclair is one and the same as Fusilier Charles Sinclair? Is it possible that Mrs.

Catherine Sinclair was the widow of ‘the late Mr. Andrew Sinclair’, named as the father of our equally mysterious

Inniskilling Fusilier?

This theory does require a leap of faith. For one thing a grieving mother is hardly likely to mistake her belovwed son’s

regimental details. But there is one detail which is intriguing - the fact that FUSILIER Charles Sinclair was reported

as a prisoner ‘around the end of 1917’ and then suddenly re-appears ... only to be reallty captured in March of 1918.

Could rumours of captivity have been accompanied by reports of death? Is it possible that confusion reigned to such

an extent?

And then there is a third Charles Sinclair. He is, it would seem, the Uncle of ‘Fusilier’ Sinclair but he only joins the

army - and the Royal Engineers at that - in September/October of 1917.

He seems to survive the war and of him we hear no more.

But perhaps the most mysterious angle of this whole confusing trail was brought to my attention by a research

colleague who was noting the names on the Borough War Memorial when he was approached by a ‘little old lady’

who seemed interested in his work.

“That boy Sinclair arrived home after the war,” she told my colleague. “He wasn’t dead at all.”

Footnote: Me old mum (84) remembers a Sinclair family in Harryville, pronounced in the local vernacular as 'Sinkler'!!!

Any ideas? Publish and be damned? Say nowt?

Des

[John_Hartley]

Des

I suspect the main reason why folk are on memorials but not on CWGC is that they died after the war and the information was not not given to or known by the regiment/commission. Or that the actual cause of death was not deemed to be war related by the commission (I certainly got one of them on a local memorial - I've seen the letters from his GP pleading the war related case to the War Office.

However, I've never been a great believer in conspiracies (except, of course, Kennedy's assasination, Elvis' whereabouts and the little green men from outer space who live amongst us). I tend to look for the simple solution - this being the story told to your colleague. He wasn't dead!

Next recommended step, assuming they exist locally, is to look up electoral rolls for early/mid 1920s are see wot's wot.

John

[Desmond7]

Good thinking ... have to try that one!

Des Oswald of Martian Villas, Graceland.

[BeppoSapone]

Ciao Des

Have you tried asking some questions on the Sinclair Family Discussion List?

http://sinclair.quarterman.org/archive/2001/12/maillist.html

Tanti saluti

[Desmond7]

Tony - it's worth a try!

Thanks for that one ..

Des