Husband and wife on the same CWGC headstone

[PaulC78]

Some more info to digest on these two...

This is Wilfred Blackburn on the Sabden War Memorial website, which I assume is the site Jim refers to above:

http://www.sabden.f2s.com/history/war_memorial/blackburn.htm

I was able to contact the author Simon Mount who kindly sent me the details from the Burnley Express which I've attached below. He also acknowledged that he may have made a few errors in what he wrote, e.g. that Wilfred was born and lived in Sabden. Simon's text is also used on the Burnley Roll of Honour website that was linked earlier, and looking again at that page I see that one of the images belongs to a different Wilfred Blackburn (Pte W Blackburn 38096 East Lancs, died 11 April 1918) who was from Trawden, another village in the Burnley area.

Our Wilfred was born in Barrowford according to SDGW, and the CWGC name his parents as Arthur & Selina Blackburn. This is Wilfred & family on the 1911 census:

1911 Census

2 Ryeburn Street, Oldham

Arthur Blackburn, head, 52, weaver, born Nelson, Lancs

Selina Blackburn, wife (married 21 yrs), 48, housewife, born Greengate, Yorks (presumably Greengates, Bradford?)

Wilfred Blackburn, son, 19, weaver, born Barrowford, Lancs

Nora Blackburn, daughter, 11, school, born Lowmore, Yorks (presumably Low Moor, Bradford?)

Herbert Carrington, boarder, 21, weaver, born Nelson, Lancs

This may be Wilfred on on the 1901 census, though I can't account for the discrepancy with his mother's name and place of birth, or why his sister Nora isn't recorded:

1901 Census

5 Back Sandy Lane, Barrowford

Arthur Blackburn, head, 42, cotton weaver, born Nelson, Lancs

Ann Blackburn, wife, 34, born Skipton, Yorks

Wilfred Blackburn, son, 9, born Barrowford, Lancs

Wilfred Blackburn is named on the war memorials at Barrowford and Sabden:

http://www.eastlancsmemorials.co.uk/a_b/barrowford/barrowford.htm

http://www.eastlancsmemorials.co.uk/o_w/sabden.htm

Marriage and death details for Wilfred & Elizabeth:

Marriage certificate

29 June 1915, Primitive Methodist Church, Church Street, Southport

Wilfred Blackburn, 23, bachelor, cotton doubler & Private 2nd/5th East Lancashire, 120 Newton Street Southport, son of Arthur Blackburn, weaver

Elizabeth Halsall, 21, spinster, 120 Newton Street Southport, daughter of Charles Halsall (deceased), gas engineer

married in the presence of George Ashton & Margaret E Aughton

Death certificate

14 February 1918, The War Hospital, Royds Hall, Lindley

Wilfred Blackburn, 26, Private 7th East Lancs Regt 240469 & cotton weaver

Cause of death: (1) tuberculous laryngitis (2) pulmonary tuberculosis

Informant: Herbert Brier, present at the death, The War Hospital, Royds Hall, Lindley

Death certificate

17 December 1918, 120 Newton Street, Southport

Elizabeth Blackburn, 24, widow of Wilfred Blackburn Private No. 240469 East Lancs Regiment & operative cotton spinner

Cause of death: (1) influenza (2) ac pneumonia

Informant: Sarah Halsall, sister, present at the death, 120 Newton Street, Southport

Strange that Elizabeth's death certificate does not mention her role with the WRAF, and it also doesn't help to identify Jim's "Mr H Halsall", however the sister's name does fit with the census record I posted above. I made some enquires with the North Meols FHS and there is another headstone at St Cuthberts for Elizabeth's twin Emma (died 1902) and their father Charles (died 1913):

http://postimg.org/image/5lzdtpmv5/

Not much else to add besides another funeral report for Wilfred from the Southport Guardian, although it doesn't really say anything different to the one from the Visiter.

[Jim Strawbridge]

I think that you may have cracked it.

[The Scorer]

I see that Elizabeth Blackburn is described on the headstone as "14900 Member E Blackburn, Women's Royal Air Force".

To satisfy my curiosity, what kind of rank is "Member", please?

[David_Underdown]

equivalent of private basically.

[The Scorer]

equivalent of private basically.

Ah, thanks - I see.

[PaulC78]

I posted a photo of the headstone on the CWGC's Facebook page and asked if there were any other husband & wife war graves, and this was their reply:

Hi Paul, this is the only one for as far as we know where a married couple are on a single headstone. There is a Canadian couple buried in adjoining graves in Holten War Cemetery, the Netherlands and Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford is buried next to his wife in Allemont Communal Cemetery, France. There are also cases of fathers and sons, brothers buried together. There's even a grave in Ranville where a dog handler and his dog are buried together.

If nothing else it looks like this grave could be unique!

Not quite so unique as the CWGC led me to believe, unless they were specifically refering to WW1. I recently came across this WW2 headstone in West Sussex: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3756820

[BereniceUK]

Not quite so unique as the CWGC led me to believe, unless they were specifically refering to WW1. I recently came across this WW2 headstone in West Sussex: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3756820

And they died on the same day. In a road accident? Air-raid?

[Scalyback]

And they died on the same day. In a road accident? Air-raid?

It gives the cause of death in the above link. Very tragic story.

[BereniceUK]

Oh wow, that's terrible.

(I'd neglected to scroll down further than the photo)