Children Named After The War

[Magnumbellum]

There are 41 Europeans. It started in August 1914 and finished in 1916. I wonder what put a stop to that notion?

.

My speculation is that this very odd use of an adjective as a personal name had nothing to do with aspirations of European unity but was short for the original name of the war - the 'European War'. By 1916 it was no longer solely European.

[IPT]

My speculation is that this very odd use of an adjective as a personal name had nothing to do with aspirations of European unity but was short for the original name of the war - the 'European War'. By 1916 it was no longer solely European.

I think that makes sense.

I had assumed that it was something to do with popular culture, and I suppose if the newspapers stopped using the term, then it would have slipped from the national consciousness.

[centurion]

My speculation is that this very odd use of an adjective as a personal name had nothing to do with aspirations of European unity but was short for the original name of the war - the 'European War'. By 1916 it was no longer solely European.

The European War was a particularly American phrase (shorthand for 'nothing to do with us'). In fact it had ceased to be purely European almost from the start. The phrase Great War came in quite early.

[IPT]

My other thought was that it stopped occurring as the Somme casualties mounted and people became war-weary.

However, that doesn't explain the fact that the name came into existance as soon as the war began.

[sjustice]

In a British literary context the term 'European War' - sometimes prefixed with 'Great' - may be eponymous with the later usage of 'Western Front'. The latter supplanted the former in general usage around 1921-2. This is certainly the case with military writing and history.

Cheers,

Simon

[jacksdad]

On WW2 names

Probably everyone in New Zealand went to school with a girl called 'Alamein' at some point.

a few decades ago one even made it into politics

[IPT]

Probably everyone in New Zealand went to school with a girl called 'Alamein' at some point.

Not the same girl?

[Old Cove]

In my local churchyard there is a headstone commemorating the life of Violet Mons B**** born 1915. I did a quick search on FreeBMD and found Mons used twice as a first name in the period 1900-1914 and four times in the 1920's but eighteen times in the last quarter of 1914. I just wondered if anyone is aware of other battles being used as given names in this way?

Roger

[Chris_Baker]

Through work, I met an English chap named Verdun. This must have been in the 1980s. He did not strike me as being born much before say 1930 (and that may be doing him a terrible injustice).

[Eggs a Cook]

SGT Noel Messines Toohill

Father served with 52nd Bn, AIF. His son, Noel, joined the RAAF and was killed when his Manchester bomber from 207 SQN crashed on 9 January 1942 during an attack on the Scharnhorst and Gneissnau.

His body was never recovered and his name is recorded on the Memorial to the Missing in Runnymede, England.

[RaySearching]

Here is one of many

Florence Somme Longfellow

1916-1939

Her father Arthur Longfellow' killed on the Somme in 1917

a quick search of Ancestry with Somme as first name

surprisingly shows quite a few results the majority born from around 1916

So I think it may have been a common practice at the time

Regards Ray

[frev]

Many children were born in Australia during & after the war with the name Anzac included in their forenames – 95 were registered in Sth Australia alone, b/w 1915 & 1928 (the majority in 1915 & 16)

Some of special interest are:

Birdwood Anzac NEILSON (known as Birdie) b.25/4/1916 (1^st Anniv of Gallipoli landing) Glanville Blocks, SA – daughter of Alexander NEILSON & Hulda Selina FOSTER

Alexander Neilson was a 34 yr old Seaman, married with 2 children, enlisted 26/8/1915, Pte 1786, 32^nd Bn Reinf – 48^th Bn (Leane’s Bn), Emb 11/1/1916 – arriving Suez 9/2/16 & TOS 48^th Bn 9/3/16, landed France Jun 1916, shell wounds head & hand 5/8/16 when the Bn were taking over the front line at Pozieres – went through hospital system & finally RTA 4/5/1917 – discharged 13/8/1917 MU

Dardanella Anzac COX b.14/5/1916 Kooringa, SA – daughter of Robert COX & Louisa Jane HIGHETT

Robert doesn’t appear to have served

Anzac Lemnos Armour REESE – b.8/3/1916 Port Pirie West, SA – son of James Allen REESE & Annie Mary ARMOUR

James doesn’t appear to have served

John Verdun Anzac POYNER – b.30/5/1915 Solomontown, SA – son of Charles POYNER & Esther Lovell BLIGHT

Charles doesn’t appear to have served

And 144 children were born in Sth Australia b/w 1915 & 1923 with the name Verdun included in their given names (most of these in 1916)

The only one born in 1915, was Howard Verdun Lemnos CATCHLOVE, b.19/10/1915 New Parkside, SA – son of Ernest William CATCHLOVE & Esther May COATS

2 others of further interest:

Verdun Lemnos MELLOW b.4/5/1916 Seton Park, SA – son of Clifford Aubury Symons MELLOW & Ruby Lucy DOBSON

Clem Kitchener Verdun HALL b.1/6/1916 Mallala, SA – son of Charles Enos HALL & Henrietta Grace Rosedew TILL

[tharkin56]

I met a lady born in 1914 called Louvain after the belgian town

[Magnumbellum]

Old habits die hard. In my childhood Alma was a popular name for girls, dating back to the Cnmean War, and my grandmother recalled in Edwardian times meeting a girl called Maggie - "Oh, that's nice, short for Margaret, of course". "No, Magyersfontein, me uncle was wounded there". She also recalled a baby being named Jellicoe "because it sounds nice" - the mother had no idea who Jellicoe was.

[asanewt]

Our small area had John Verdun E......., Mrs Ypres D..........., Calais and Mons J........., Louvain J......, and Lorrain

[jdoyle]

I've come across an Inkerman Shepley in my searches re the surname Shepley. A quick search on Ancestry gives 25 service records where Inkerman is a first or middle name; 7 WW1 deaths listed with Inkerman as first or middle name.

Presume the trend of giving battle names to children started long before WW1. Waterloo appears in the births registers (and in 2 WW1 MICs)

[bill24chev]

There is a Mons Trussler mentioned a number of times in DUNKIRK by Robert Jackson

[John(txic)]

J. Loos Festubert Guest is on Quarry Bank's 1939-45 War Memorial.

[researchingreg]

Old habits die hard. In my childhood Alma was a popular name for girls, dating back to the Cnmean War, and my grandmother recalled in Edwardian times meeting a girl called Maggie - "Oh, that's nice, short for Margaret, of course". "No, Magyersfontein, me uncle was wounded there". She also recalled a baby being named Jellicoe "because it sounds nice" - the mother had no idea who Jellicoe was.

My mother who was born 27 October 1918 was called Alma, we think it was because her great grand father was in 3rd Bn Grenadier Guards in the Crimean War. But even stranger one of my daughters partners 2nd great grandfather who was born 30 Aug 1855 was named Alma Jacob Inkerman Ford and called one of his sons Alma Ford (born 1891) who was in the 9 Bn Yorkshire Regiment all through WW1. And finally my grand daughter born in 2014 is called Alma. So that battle has been commemorated through the generations.

[mancpal]

I always felt sorry for a boy in my class, fancy being christened Relief Of Mafeking Shufflebottom ☺

[Coldstreamer]

My grandfather had the middle name Mons - apparently that was where ggdad was when he was born, proven to be un true 100 years later - my son has this as his middle name

had I a daughter I was going to have Landrecies as a middle name

[Derek Black]

Scotlands People records between 1914 and 1950 this many people were given the following first/middle names:

83 Verdun
55 Mons

52 Loos

51 Arras

48 Somme
32 Ypres

21 Marne

16 Cambrai

9 Festubert

5 Anzac

5 Liege

5 Neuve

4 Messines

4 Chapelle

1 Auber

1 Doiran

1 Kut

[Khaki]

I met a man overseas whose first two names were Mississippi River XXXXXX, possibly named after the home locale of a US soldier?

khaki

[rksimpson]

My wife's side of the family had an Edna Dardanella Kingston, born in 1915.

[clive_hughes]

In taking war grave photos near Wrexham lately, I came across one to a WW1 RE soldier, in the same grave plot as his ?son, who had the middle name Carnoy.

Clive