Thundersley, Essex, New War Memorial

[KevinBattle]

OK, that's more than my 58, so I do want to see what others you have that I missed!!

Once you reply, you should be able to use the Personal Message facility, or at least send me an email and we can compare Lists!

Cheers!

[Semele]

Great. I'll send it over to you. Hopefully it helps.

[KevinBattle]

Just a public "Thank you" Annette.

Your List did contain WW2 but we've since properly identified one casualty from HMS Calcutta, agreed on a headstone transcription error, and got responses from St Peters, who may be checking the details of their parishioners who made the ultimate Sacrifice....

Also a correction made to the UKNIWM database, so all good progress.

Now up to 59 WW1 and 47 WW2 (slightly higher than the ratio I seem to recall from my Hockley RBL Roll of Honour stats).... 106 in total, any more for anymore?

[stiletto_33853]

Kevin,

Only had a brief look at this but willing to go and look at the local newspapers for you, the library with microfilm of the local papers is not far away.

From some of the information given here, some of the men listed according to the papers have little link with Thundersley and appear on other memorials around the town i.e.

Sapper Stanley Ellison, 22421, 56th Kent Fortress Cot., R.E., Born at Enfield, Sapper Ellison was the son of Mr & Mrs Ellison of 'The Rosary', South Benfleet, and was serving at the outbresk, having enlisted in 1912. He was killed in action at Nimee, Belgium on 23rd August 1914 aged 21. Writing from a German POW Camp, Sapper E. Hargreaves told his mother: "On 23rd August your son went into action with me as a cyclist signaller at a place called Nimee near Mons, and at 10 a.m. received a bullet through the head, death being instantaneous. I was myself severly wounded at the same time and place but I am now well again. The sad newsI give you with great reluctance and I trust that you may bear up under the shock." His name appears on the South Benfleet War Memorial. Southend Standard 21/10/15 for obit: 20/1/16 for photograph.

Private Frederick James Cable, 8704, 2nd Essex Regiment. Private Cable was born in Rayleigh and was formerly a postman at Leigh-on-Sea, being called up with the reserve in August 1914. He was killed in action at La Gheer on 2st October 1914 aged 26. His name was displayed on the Post Office Roll of Honour in Southern Post Office in 1915.

Southend Standard 17/12/14 for obit.

Andy

[KevinBattle]

Andy, thanks for the offer. I'll email you so I can send the draft RoH for you to work with, if that's OK?

As regards whether they are Thundersley or not, the Names I have were extracted from CWGC or Soldiers Died in the Great War, using "Thundersley" as the Search Field.

Other Names come from the St Peter Memorial Boards in the Church, as well as the Congregational Church Roll of Honour. I'm not intending to get involved in any selection (or deselection) process, that's for the locals to decide. To me, if the chap has known links as having been born, resided or worked there, or surviving family, that's good enough for me.

It's up to others to decide who to include or not. My main "concern" is that a man should be remembered in "his" locality.

If he appears on other Memorials, it doesn't exclude him, in my opinion. As long as none are "forgotten" then that's fair enough for me.

I know the main campaigner has a List of 67 or so, yet a quick trawl exceeded that number, hence my reason for being involved, to ensure that all entitled to be on the Memorial are put forward for consideration. Nothing worse than having a Memorial carved and unveiled for someone to immediately come forward with forgotten men.

Thanks again, if you're OK about looking at the Standard, Pictorial etc archives!

Regards, Kevin

[stiletto_33853]

Kevin,

Not a problem, tend to agree with you in many respects. If you would care to send me what you have I will spend some time in the library going through the microfilms for you to see what we can gather from them.

Andy

[susanhemmings]

Hi Kevin,

Not sure if you are interested but I have begun to look into those who fell and were born / lived in Pitsea, Basildon, Laindon, Vange areas of Essex. I have also noted (to my disgust) that there are no names on the Laindon War Memorial and as far as I can gather the only reference made to any names are in a park in Pitsea. I will be checking this out over the next week.

I am now on a mission to find out about these chaps and have so far gathered approximately 51 men who ought to be fully recognised and have their names inscribed for eternity.

I came across the following chap who was born in Benfleet (near Thundersley as someone else mentioned). Having noted your thread I am not sure if you will include him.

Charles Polley born Benfleet lived Pitsea Enlisted Warley Killed 4.8.17 Royal Garrison Artillery Gunner 119652 KIA F & F

At the moment I am compiling a word document with each man's name, birth location, residence, enlistment area, date of death, regiment, rank and number, "type" of death and location. I will also be checking to see if there is any service / pension files for these chaps.

Once I have finished compiling this list I will pass the information to the local British Legion and go knocking on our local paper's door to join the campaign (started by the local British Legion)for this. The current memorial is a black marbel one with no names engraved which I feel is so sad. Although poppies are left each year and are never disturbed it would add the final respect to have their names displayed.

Susan

[stephen p nunn]

Hi Kevin,

Not sure if you are interested but I have begun to look into those who fell and were born / lived in Pitsea, Basildon, Laindon, Vange areas of Essex. I have also noted (to my disgust) that there are no names on the Laindon War Memorial and as far as I can gather the only reference made to any names are in a park in Pitsea. I will be checking this out over the next week.

I am now on a mission to find out about these chaps and have so far gathered approximately 51 men who ought to be fully recognised and have their names inscribed for eternity.

I came across the following chap who was born in Benfleet (near Thundersley as someone else mentioned). Having noted your thread I am not sure if you will include him.

Charles Polley born Benfleet lived Pitsea Enlisted Warley Killed 4.8.17 Royal Garrison Artillery Gunner 119652 KIA F & F

At the moment I am compiling a word document with each man's name, birth location, residence, enlistment area, date of death, regiment, rank and number, "type" of death and location. I will also be checking to see if there is any service / pension files for these chaps.

Once I have finished compiling this list I will pass the information to the local British Legion and go knocking on our local paper's door to join the campaign (started by the local British Legion)for this. The current memorial is a black marbel one with no names engraved which I feel is so sad. Although poppies are left each year and are never disturbed it would add the final respect to have their names displayed.

Susan

Sounds great Susan - all power to you. Please do keep us all informed of progress.

Best wishes.

SPN

Maldon

[KevinBattle]

Just an update:-

Now have 58 Names with apparent Thundersley links plus a further 55 for WW2, making 113 in total.

Still haven't had any response from the chap who was mentioned in the Southend Evening Echo as being the instigator for the Thundersley War Memorial.

St Peters Church and the Echo have details of the draft Thundersley Roll of Honour, but at 149 kb it's too large to attach here.

Thing is, if they don't start engraving soon, it won't be available by November which would seem the most appropriate date to unveil any new Memorial.

I do hope they aren't just sticking with the 67 or so Names already collected. Still, not my decision, it may be that those are the only ones with genuine connections..

Thanks for all your help. Should anyone wish, please PM me and I can provide it via email.

I now see that the Echo reports that the Hadleigh RBL Club was broken into by vandals, throwing paint etc around and generally trashing the place...

So much for some peoples idea of "Respect"....

[Boreenatra]

Sue

Charles Polley is commemorated on a small memorial in St.Margaret of Antioch Church at Bowers Gifford along with 6 others

Regards Steve

[susanhemmings]

Thanks Steve,

Another Church to visit.

Was only there a while ago looking for something completely different.

Susan

[corisande]

I came across this thread while research the Headford Ambush in Ireland on 21 Mar 1921.Details on this link

One of the men on your list, Sgt Brundish was one of those killed that day. 8 out of the 28 Royal Fusiliers died in the ambush

I am still working on Brundish, but let me know if you have anything on him.

[KevinBattle]

Thanks, corisande, I'd already spotted him when the Headford ambush thread resurfaced.

Name: BRUNDISH. Initials: G. Rank:Serjeant. Regiment/Service: Royal Fusiliers. Unit Text: 1st Bn. Age: 31.Date ofDeath: 21/03/1921.

Service No: 6446503. Grave/Memorial Reference: In North-Eastcorner. Cemetery: Thundersley (St. Peter) Churchyard.

No corresponding SDGW or MIC entries for that Regimental Number, but possibly..

Name: George Brundish. Rank: Private. Regiment or Corps:GS/2551 Royal Fusiliers, then 45674 King's Shropshire Light Infantry, andGS/134572 Royal Fusiliers. Entitled to British War and Victory medals.

Killed in IRA ambush, at Headford Junction, of an Army rations party returning to barracks. At least 6 other soldiers, 3 IRA and 3 civilians also died.

Much appreciate you taking the trouble to post this up!

If you have more details, then I'd appreciate it.

At least I now know the circumstances, as previously I thought it was a death from wounds in WW1.

SDGW doesn't give details for men much after 11/11/1918

[IPT]

Kevin,

Did you ever hear anything back regarding Johnson/Robey?

I'm still intrigued.

[KevinBattle]

Thanks for asking!

Yes, I had posted on WW2Talk as well and got a Visitor message as follows:-

Greetings KEVINW4,

I discovered WW2Talk by chance, and great shock to see my name" I am the "man" who got the ball rolling for a Thundersley memorial [no reporter informed me]. .,an elderly man lives near by who's brother was KIA J.G. Faux RAF [WW2]. He was upset that his brother had no local memorial, in addittion my own grandfather, E. Monk [my mothers dad] is buried in C W G C [WW1] in St Peters and has no memorial.that has spurred me on,when I saw your efforts.

it was my birthday & Christmas all at once, Truly Pandora's box

One more favour, have got a update on WW1 list for Thundersley?

Finally a Thousand thanks.

I replied giving my email address so that I could send the draft Rolls of Honour for both Wars but as yet have not had a response to that.

WW2Talk has virtually the same info as here, so he could simply cut and paste from the messages in the threads if he so wished...

So, obviously, "Thanks" to all of you who stepped in to help, maybe at some stage I'll hear from him further.

The main thing is he knows of the additional Names if he copied them from the Thread.

[Guest]

Hi,

 

Thundersley Congregational Church will, on November the 10th 2018 be hosting a special remembrance event. We will have the 'D Day Darlings (third place in this year's Britain's Got Talent) and the Essex Police Band, and hopefully a Royal Marine Bugler if we can get one. We will definitely have a bugler to play last post and reveille. We will also be publishing a booklet to go alongside the event. 

I notice that you have done a lot of work establishing a roll of honour through this forum. I would liek to include a roll of honour in the booklet, but in reading through the forum I realise that you have as full a list as possible from various sites. Can I use your list please? Also, is there a way of getting the roll of honour just for WW1 this year. If it is a successful event, then I would imagine that we would do a similar event for WW2 in the future.

 

Thanks