W Preston Ainley

[JohnBelcher]

On the war memorial in St Paul's church, Chippenham, Wiltshire is the name W Preston Ainley.

The closest match to him that I have been able to come up with so far is REV. F W AINLEY 5th December 1918.

A long shot I know but can anyone suggest who he was and any details on death etc?

Many thanks for any help

John

[sotonmate]

John

Your subject was a Chaplain 4th Class in the Army.

He is buried in the Terlincthun British Cemetery,Wimille,which is situated on the northern outskirts of Boulogne. His grave reference is XII B 23. This cemetary is said to have begun burials in June 1918,deceased coming from Base Hospitals in the vicinity.

Click on Commonwealth War Graves Commission and search for the man and the cemetery to get more detail.

Best wishes

Sotonmate

[HERITAGE PLUS]

John

It's good to see you on the forum. You will recall that some years ago I passed on my research material on Chippenham War Memorials to you when I left the town.

The following is from memory so please check for yourself locally.

The Rev. William Preston Ainley was a Curate at St.Andrews Church. He enlisted as a Private in the RAMC and if I recall correctly died of Spotted Fever (Menigitis) at Ripon Camp. Buried? St. Paul's Churchyard, Chippenham, private grave. I believe F.W. was his brother.

The following I can confirm:

He is named on the Memorial Tablet located near the entrance door to the ante-chapel in Jesus College Chapel Cambridge where he got his BA degree.

Dave

[Audax]

Medal card of Ainley, F W

Corps Regiment No Rank

Royal Army Chaplin's Department Reverend

Date 1914-1920

Catalogue reference WO 372/1

His Service Record :

WO 374/514

AINLEY, Capt (Chaplain) F W

1918-1919

W P Ainley's service record is here (unable to find his medal card)

WO 339/23832

AINLEY W, Revd

1915-1921

Also my posts here :

and this page here http://www.people.ex.ac.uk/mahigton/mike/papers/sermon.html

And the Memorial page here for F W Ainley in Lincs. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Lincolnshire...ryMemorial.html

[JohnBelcher]

Sotonmate

Thanks for the info on FW Ainley.

Audax

Many thanks for the links and details

Dave

Your research has come in very useful and thanks for the details. I will visit St Andrew's at the weekend and try and track the grave down.

I take it that William Preston isn't listed in Soldiers Died because he died after the war ended and after Soldeirs had been complied. But he isn't listed by the CWGC either.

Thanks again

John

[Audax]

Both the names of W P & F W appear amongst the names on the Memorial in the small village of Uffington, Near Stamford, Lincs. Perhaps this was their home? Can anyone help with census returns for 1901 etc.

John if you find the grave of W P; do you think you might be able to post a photograph on the forum please?

A

[Audax]

W P Ainley was commissioned in the Autumn of 1914. He served in the Aldershot area. Contracted 'Cebro Spinal ('spotted') 'Fever' ? (Meningitis??). Medically Boarded 1st August 1915

Interestingly, there is an entry for W P Ainley in the London Gazette for 10th September 1915, when he relinquished his Temporary Commission as a Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class.

Here : http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/archiveVi...;selHonourType=

He died 12th October 1915

[JohnBelcher]

Audax

Thanks for the additional details. If I manage to find his grave then I will put a phot here.

By the sound of it, he died after he was discharged (relinquished his commission), I wonder if the CWGC were not notified of his death....and therefore did not know to commemorate him. Or there again, although he appears on the war memorials was his death actually attributable to his service and therefore excluded him from commemoration?

[JohnBelcher]

I spent an hour or so on Fri and again on Sat looking for the grave at St Pauls churchyard but to no avail. It appears that his grave is either unmarked or is amongst those where the headstones have been laid flat and have weathered badly. Also there a number of graves marked with small (18 x 6 in) flat plaques which have been allowed to become overgrown by the grass making it difficult to find the graves (but easy to mow the grass!!)

I will try and contact the church office to see if they have a plot register or anything similar and keep you updated. Also will try the main town cemetery to see if they have anything on him there.

John

[JohnBelcher]

Have a had a reply from the church office - they have no trace of Ainley being buried at St Paul's church, Chippenham.

Will go to the Town cemetery and see if they have any record of him there but won't be for a few weeks.

The search continues......

[Audax]

John, thanks for the update. I do hope you are successfull in your search for his grave. I wonder if the local paper covered his funeral?

[JohnBelcher]

The local papers are something else I will check but I have already been right the way through the papers for the 1914 - 1920 getting details on the men on the Chippenham memorials. But now with a specific date, I will double check as I might well have missed it.

[JohnBelcher]

Managed to get to the library to check the local papers this afternoon. Although his funeral wasn't reported on there was an article about his death.

Death of Rev WP Ainley

To many of our readers especially in the St Paul’s district, The Rev WP Ainley will be remembered as a former curate of St Paul’s where he laboured for about 2 years and left last year with the intention of proceeding to the Mission Field in China. The outbreak of war led to a change in his plans and Mr Ainley became an Army chaplain at Aldershot where he unfortunately contracted spotted fever. He lay in a prostrate condition being affected mentally as well as physically but a change for the better came and it was hoped that the Rev gentleman would pull through. A change for the worse however set in and Mr Ainley passed away on Wednesday. (13 Oct 1915) The sad news was conveyed to his father the Rev FW Ainley vicar of Uffington, Lincs who at the time was at Bath taking part in a series of devotional meetings.

The Rev Ainley was much liked during his curacy at St Paul’s where he laboured with much acceptance and when he left the esteem of the parishioners was expressed in a presentation being made to him. The Rev gentleman was a keen supported of missionary work and he stated before leaving St Paul’s that his missionary spirit was intensified at an exhibition held in Chippenham about 3 years ago and it was then that he made the resolve to go to China. A resolve which death has now prevented being put into practice and all will regret the cutting short of a promising career

Wilts Times 16 October 1915

Will update when I get to the town cemetery and check there.

[Audax]

Well done and thanks John. Look forward to the next update from Wilts.

A

[JohnBelcher]

Made it to the Chippenham town cemetery this morning. The people there checked their records and Ainley is NOT buried there. So it seems that he is not buried in Chippenham at all.

My guess is that he is either in Aldershot or in Uffington.

Still thanks for everyones help on this thread as it has cleared up one more name on a war memorial in Chippenham for me.

[jonnyt19w]

@jonnyt19w

Dear all - it's a long time since this thread was begun, but I am adding to it that the Rev WP Ainsley is listed on the Roll of Honour at Merchant Taylors' School. He attended the School from 1901-06.