Moonraker Posted 5 March , 2015 Share Posted 5 March , 2015 Walking through the village (hamlet?) of Little Wittenham close to the Thames in Oxfordshire, I spotted a war memorial with just one name on it: photograph (The 2001 population was just 87 souls, and it was probably around this a century ago.) I wonder if there are many other comparable examples of village memorial crosses with one name on them? (I stress "village memorial crosses" as there must be a number of other types of memorial dedicated to one person.) Moonraker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 5 March , 2015 Share Posted 5 March , 2015 There must be a story in there, Moonraker. That memorial will have cost a fair few quid and I sort of don't see the community coughing up for it as you might with other more "normal" memorials. I wonder if he was the local toff and the family paid for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenmorrison Posted 5 March , 2015 Share Posted 5 March , 2015 Is this the man? GREEN, CHARLES THOMAS Rank:Private Service No:5365 Date of Death:26/11/1916 Age:20 Regiment/Service:Royal Berkshire Regiment 2nd/4th Bn. Panel Reference:Pier and Face 11 D. Memorial:THIEPVAL MEMORIAL Additional Information:Son of Thomas and Lizzie Green, of Little Wittenham, Abingdon, Berks. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenmorrison Posted 5 March , 2015 Share Posted 5 March , 2015 By inserting "whittenham" into additional Information you get 12 hits. Only one other is a "Little" person (Atkins W H C d.14/3/1915) the others are "Long" people including the wonderfully named Kenneth Bumpass Rank:Private Service No:203357 Date of Death:15/06/1918 Age:19 Regiment/Service:Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry "A" Coy. 1st/4th Bn. Grave Reference:Plot 3. Row B. Grave 3. Cemetery:BOSCON BRITISH CEMETERY Additional Information:Son of Edward and Mary Bumpass, of Long Wittenham, Abingdon, Berkshire. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMarsdin Posted 5 March , 2015 Share Posted 5 March , 2015 I wonder if he was the local toff and the family paid for it. It appears his parents were farm labourers so that discounts that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjustinhayward Posted 5 March , 2015 Share Posted 5 March , 2015 Goodness me, been through there so many times and never looked at the war memorial Will do so now Justin H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 5 March , 2015 Author Share Posted 5 March , 2015 There's a bit about the Green family here and I see my question has been asked in passing before, in 2009 here (post 12) though in a thread about "most amount of names on town memorial". Moonraker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalyback Posted 5 March , 2015 Share Posted 5 March , 2015 I'm aware of one with 2 on. The village at the time had far less than 87 I'm sure. Will check numbers on weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purley Posted 5 March , 2015 Share Posted 5 March , 2015 There is another in Dedworth, also Berkshire to a Canadian with no Known connections to the area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 6 March , 2015 Share Posted 6 March , 2015 Goodness me, been through there so many times and never looked at the war memorial Nor did I in all the childhood years of playing on the 'Clumps' and on odd passes through the Wittenham's since then... Deserves a look next time I am back in the region! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 6 March , 2015 Author Share Posted 6 March , 2015 Must confess I've walked through Little Wittenham a dozen times in the past 10 years and this was the first time I'd noticed the memorial. Moonraker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinBattle Posted 6 March , 2015 Share Posted 6 March , 2015 From reading the above, it seems there'll soon be hordes of GWF addicts swarming around the pubs there! For what it's worth, the CWGC lists these men from tha area, there may well be more without Additional Info details, but may be of interest to all those heading there! GREEN, CHARLES THOMAS. Rank: Private. Service No: 5365. Date of Death: 26/11/1916. Age: 20. Regiment/Service: Royal Berkshire Regiment 2nd/4th Bn. Panel Reference: Pier and Face 11 D. Memorial: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL. Additional Information: Son of Thomas and Lizzie Green, of Little Wittenham, Abingdon, Berks. Name: Charles Thomas Green. Residence: Little Wittenham, Berks. Death Date: 26 Nov 1916. Enlistment Place: Reading. Rank: Private. Regiment: Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire) Regiment. Battalion: 2/4th Battalion Regimental Number: 5365. Type of Casualty: Killed in action and this chap isn't mentioned... ATKINS, W H C. Rank: Chief Engine Room Artificer 1st Class. Service No: 145696. Date of Death: 14/03/1915. Age: 49. Regiment/Service: Royal Navy H.M.S. "Victory" Grave Reference: Rand's. 6. 12 1/2. Cemetery: PORTSMOUTH (KINGSTON) CEMETERY. Additional Information: Son of John and Jane Cooper. Born at Little Wittenham, Berks. and the neighbouring hamlet has... BECKETT, PERCY. Rank: Lance Corporal. Service No: 11453. Date of Death: 14/04/1917. Age: 21. Regiment/Service: Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) 8th Coy. Grave Reference: III. J. 39. Cemetery: DUISANS BRITISH CEMETERY, ETRUN. Additional Information: Son of Mrs. F. J. Beckett, of Long Wittenham, Abingdon, Berks, and the late Mr. F. J. Beckett. BIDMEAD, CHARLES HUGH. Rank: Lieutenant. Date of Death: 10/11/1916. Age: 27. Regiment/Service: Royal Flying Corps 25th Sqdn. and General List Grave Reference: II. G. 1. Cemetery: LAPUGNOY MILITARY CEMETERY. Additional Information: Son of Charles Azel Bidmead and Marion Bidmead, of Long Wittenham, Abingdon, Berks. (Service records survive) BUMPASS, KENNETH. Rank: Private. Service No: 203357. Date of Death: 15/06/1918. Age: 19. Regiment/Service: Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry "A" Coy. 1st/4th Bn. Grave Reference: Plot 3. Row B. Grave 3. Cemetery: BOSCON BRITISH CEMETERY. Additional Information: Son of Edward and Mary Bumpass, of Long Wittenham, Abingdon, Berkshire. CHAMBERS, ALEC CURTIS. Rank: Corporal. Service No: 96062. Date of Death: 22/11/1917. Age: 21. Regiment/Service:Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) 17th Sqdn. Awards: D C M and Bar Grave Reference: Q. 8. Cemetery: JERUSALEM WAR CEMETERY. Additional Information: Son of Annie Chambers, of Plough Inn, Long Wittenham, Abingdon, Berks, and the late Charles W. Chambers. (Service records survive) EASON, ALAN. Rank: Second Lieutenant. Date of Death: 20/01/1916. Age: 18. Regiment/Service: Royal Berkshire Regiment 9th Bn. Grave Reference: In west part. Cemetery: LONG WITTENHAM (ST. MARY) CHURCHYARD. Additional Information: Son of Tom and Edith Mary Eason, of Long Wittenham. HERMON, WILLIAM EDWARD. Rank: Private. Service No: 20384. Date of Death: 13/04/1918. Age: 20. Regiment/Service: Coldstream Guards No. 4 Coy. 3rd Bn. Panel Reference: Panel 1. Memorial: PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL. Additional Information: Son of Charles Henry and Mary Ann Hermon, of Long Wittenham, Abingdon, Berks. HOPKYNS, THOMAS GRAY. Rank: Private. Service No: 14724. Date of Death: 20/09/1917. Age: 35. Regiment/Service: South African Infantry 1st Regt. Grave Reference: III. J. 2. Cemetery: WHITE HOUSE CEMETERY, ST. JEAN-LES-YPRES. Additional Information: Son of Thomas Daniel and Katharine Mary Hopkyns, of Long Wittenham Vicarage, Abingdon, Berks, England. Born at Chichester, England. M.A. Brasenose College, Oxford, Vicar of Randfontein, Transvaal, South Africa. Formerly Chaplain to the South African Church Railway Mission. LAMBOLL, F. Rank: Private. Service No: 7813. Date of Death: 21/10/1918. Age: 35. Regiment/Service: Dorsetshire Regiment 1st Bn. Grave Reference: VI. A. 4. Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY. Additional Information: Son of Thomas and Alice Lamboll, of Long Wittenham, Abingdon, Berks. Born at Haslemere, Surrey. Name: Frank Lamboll. Birth Place: Haslemere, Surrey. Residence: Oxford. Death Date: 21 Oct 1918. Enlistment Place: Dorchester, Dorset. Rank: Private. Regiment: Dorsetshire Regiment. Battalion: 1st Battalion. Regimental Number: 7813. Type of Casualty: Died (PoW in Germany). LAMBOLL, FREDERICK JOHN. Rank: Private. Service No: 18702. Date of Death: 04/05/1917. Age: 26. Regiment/Service: Royal Warwickshire Regiment 2nd Bn. Panel Reference: Bay 3. Memorial: ARRAS MEMORIAL. Additional Information: Son of Mrs. Alice Elizabeth Lamboll, of Long Wittenham, Abingdon, Berks. Name: Frederick John Lamboll. Birth Place: Haslemere, Surrey. Death Date: 4 May 1917. Enlistment Place: Ringwood, Hants. Rank: Private. Regiment: Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Battalion: 2nd Battalion. Regimental Number: 18702. Type of Casualty: Killed in action. Comments: Formerly 24701, Som. L.I. (I've given up trying to work out if men should or should not be mentioned on permanent War Memorials. I'm not for rewriting the past, simply that men that DO have an apparent connection with a location are remembered)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapper5 Posted 20 November , 2019 Share Posted 20 November , 2019 It is amazing how many different bits of information one can obtain from different sources. For example, re: HOPKYNS, THOMAS GRAY. Rank: Private. Service No: 14724. Date of Death: 20/09/1917. Age: 35. Regiment/Service: South African Infantry 1st Regt. Grave Reference: III. J. 2. Cemetery: WHITE HOUSE CEMETERY, ST. JEAN-LES-YPRES. Additional Information: Son of Thomas Daniel and Katharine Mary Hopkyns, of Long Wittenham Vicarage, Abingdon, Berks, England. Born at Chichester, England. M.A. Brasenose College, Oxford, Vicar of Randfontein, Transvaal, South Africa. Formerly Chaplain to the South African Church Railway Mission. The above information is as you have presented it from the CWGC. From the Oxford Record of Service he is shown as a Sergeant in the South African Medical Corps. The Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register shows him as a Priest and Chaplain with the "South Africa Infantry - 1st Regiment" One wonders which is correct??? I have his brother's medals in my collection. I am searching for his 1914-15 Star. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BereniceUK Posted 21 November , 2019 Share Posted 21 November , 2019 The Coldmeece, Staffs., memorial is dedicated to all those who gave their lives for King and country, and it was "erected by the parents of one who fell in action at the battle of Neuve Chapelle in France on the 11th March 1915." As the memorial is adjacent to Meece House, he has to have been Captain Charles Edmund Wood, 1st Royal Welsh Fusiliers, son of Edward John Wedge Wood and Lettice Wood, of Meece House. The population of Coldmeece in the early 1870s was just less than 50, so Captain Wood may have been the only casualty from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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