St Williams Catholic Reformatory

[Holmeboy]

I've currently been researching men from Holme upon Spalding Moor who fell and those who returned, however within the Parish there was at the time a reformatory school called St Williams run by the Catholic Church.

I've come across the odd reference regarding boys who joined up, usually thou it never gives their full name, and in the Parish magazine of the time it just says 70 boys from the school are currently serving. I would think most would be in the East Yorkshire Regiment joining up at either Hull or Beverley.

Does anyone have any more information?

Chris

[SteveMarsdin]

Hi Chris,

Here's the press cutting I promised you (from June 26 1915 edition of the Hull Daily Mail) - in 4 photos:

and

and

and

[Holmeboy]

That's Fantastic Steve many many thanks, I'll let you have any info we find out about them if your interested.

Chris

[Holmeboy]

Hi Steve,

I noticed your doing articles for the Pocklington Post, are you covering St.Williams ? We've found quite abit of stuff on them and during the war if your interested.

Chris

[SteveMarsdin]

Hi Chris,

Thanks, I might take you up on that !

The articles are going to be spread over several months (Whether they'll stretch to 2018 I don't know !). I'm going to focus articles on certain names on the memorial and the background to them, e.g one who went from Wolds Wagoner to tunneller, the first catholic chaplain killed, two brothers killed the same day.... The paper are trying to encourage feedback from readers with their own WW1 stories in general and I am trying to stimulate those with information on the Market Weighton memorial to come forward.

There is one name, a Wolds Wagoner and Mons Star holder, who isn't on the CGWC database and died in 1917 at Beverley. I think he was an orphan and/or itinerant worker who may have first come to the area to St William's, several years earlier. I'm going to get his death certificate as there's a chance he died from war-related injuries or illness and I might be able to get him recognised by the CWGC.