New CWGC Commemorations 15.09.15

[Terry Denham]

CWGC added the following WW1 casualties to its Casualty Database today.

ALEXANDER, Robert

Lance Corporal 6251

13 Bn, Royal Irish Rifles

Died 01.07.16 Age 20

Commemorated: Thiepval Memorial, France

BARRY, John Joseph

Colour Serjeant 5

1 Bn, Rhodesia Regiment

Died between 10.08.15 and 14.08.15 Age 43

Commemorated: South African Book of Remembrance

BLACKALL, George

Lance Corporal 477800

Labour Corps

Died 12.10.18 Age 39

Commemorated: United Kingdom Book of Remembrance

BROCK, Thomas

Private 266009

2 Bn, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry

Died 24.11.19 Age 29

Commemorated: United Kingdom Book of Remembrance

DAY, George Charles

Private 165769

North Somerset Yeomanry

Died 30.09.17 Age 27

Commemorated: United Kingdom Book of Remembrance

ELLIS, Robert

Gunner 136199

Royal Field Artillery

Died 24.11.18 Age 34

Commemorated: United Kingdom Book of Remembrance

FISHER, William Henry

Private 8617

2 Bn, Devonshire Regiment

Died 10.03.15 Age 25

Commemorated: Le Touret Memorial, France

GIBBONS, Charles Henry

Private 235225

Herefordshire Regiment

Died 25.01.19 Age 24

Commemorated: United Kingdom Book of Remembrance

HALSEY, William Thomas

Private 38386

52 Bn, Devonshire Regiment

Died 28.12.18 Age 18

Commemorated: United Kingdom Book of Remembrance

JONES, David Watkin

Serjeant W/25

13 Bn, Cheshire Regiment

Died 05.06.17 Age 28

Commemorated: United Kingdom Book of Remembrance

NEWTON, John

Private 4847

1 Bn, Northumberland Fusiliers

Died 16.06.15 Age 42

Commemorated: Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium

WETTON, Henry

Serjeant L/9133

2 Bn, Middlesex Regiment

Died between 10.03.15 and 14.03.15 Age 24

Commemorated: Le Touret Memorial, France

NOT FORGOTTEN

Several of the above were In From the Cold Project cases –

• C/Sjt Barry committed suicide (Volunteer: Terry Cawood)
• Pte Brock died post-discharge of paraplegia due to accident whilst PoW (Volunteer: June Underwood)
• Pte Day died post-discharge of tuberculosis (Volunteer: David Milborrow)
• Gnr Ellis died of heart disease (Volunteer: Richard Roberts)
• Pte Halsey was killed by an exploding signal maroon (Volunteer: Jon Walters)
• Sjt Jones died post-discharge of tuberculosis (Volunteer: Dave Horne)
• Pte Newton was killed in action (Volunteer: Adrian Wright)
• Sjt Wetton was killed in action (Volunteer: Margaret Cutress)

[chrisharley9]

May They Rest In Peace

[John Beech]

Hi

Congratulations on getting these men the recognition they deserve. I especially want to remember 4847 Private John Newton who was killed at Bellewaarde on 16th June 1915 and will now be remembered alongside his mates on the Menin Gate

Regards

John

[BillyH]

Sgt. David Watkin Jones - Died 5.6.17

BillyH.

[chrisharley9]

BROCK, THOMAS

Rank:PrivateService No:266009Date of Death:24/11/1919Age:29Regiment/Service:Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry 2nd Bn. Grave Reference:D.19Cemetery:STREATHAM CEMETERYAdditional Information:Son of Mr J Brock, of Buckingham.

N.B.

Recent research has shown that Private Brook is buried here. Arrangements are being made to add his name to the Screen Wall.

Commemoration Moved From UK BOR.

[chrisharley9]

JONES, DAVID WATKIN

Rank:SerjeantService No:W/25Date of Death:05/06/1917Age:28Regiment/Service:Cheshire Regiment 13th Bn. Grave Reference:Sec.13.G.Grave 397Cemetery:WALLASEY (RAKE LANE) CEMETERYAdditional Information:Son of William and Margaret Jones of Birkenhead, Cheshire.

N.B.

Recent research has shown that Serjeant Jones is buried here. The Commission is in the process of erecting a headstone to mark his grave.

Commemoration Moved From UK BOR.

[chrisharley9]

HALSEY, WILLIAM THOMAS

Rank:

Private

Service No:

38386

Date of Death:

28/12/1918

Age:

18

Regiment/Service:

Devonshire Regiment

52nd Bn.

Grave Reference:

Grave 455.

Cemetery:

IVINGHOE (ST. MARY) CHURCHYARD

Additional Information:

Son of William and Lottie Halsey of Ivinghoe, Bucks.

N.B.

Recent research has shown that Private Halsey is buried here. The Commission is in the process of producing a headstone to mark his grave.

Commemoration Moved From UK BOR.

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Well done for getting these men the remembrance that they deserve.

As someone who can only guess at the amount of hard work and research that goes into identifying each case, and barely understand the whole process, I still find it hard to believe that men who were killed in action (such as Newton and Wetton, above), had never been recorded on the CWGC database before!

[chrisharley9]

BLACKALL, GEORGE

Rank:

Lance Corporal

Service No:

477800

Date of Death:

12/10/1918

Age:

39

Regiment/Service:

Labour Corps

 

Northern C.L.C.

Grave Reference:

3. 197.

Cemetery:

HENLEY-ON-THAMES (FAIRMILE) CEMETERY

 

Additional Information:

Son of George and Ellen Blackall.

 

Commemoration Moved From UK BOR.

[William Shelford]

Pte. William Halsey of Ivinghoe was killed while on leave at home on 38th December 1918.

The Leighton Buzzard Observer of 7th January 1919 gives the following report on his inquest.

 

IVINGHOE
THE FATAL MAROON EXPLOSION
INQUEST ON YOUNG SOLIDER

An inquiry into the cause of the explosion at Ivinghoe, by which Pte. William Thomas Halsey, Devon Regt. Was killed, and this younger brother and three sisters were injured, was held at Aylesbury on Thursday [2/1/1919], by the Coroner (Mr. Wilkins). The evidence of the various witnesses showed (as reported last week) that a rusty canister, which was actually an unexploded maroon signal fired and lost by a military experimental party last September [1918], was found by the deceased’s younger brother and other boys. Unfortunately, they look it home and were trying to open it with a hammer and chisel, when his elder brother, who knew something of bombs, struck a match and fired the powder that was coming out of the tin.
The first witness at the inquest was Mrs. Susan C. Halsey, of Church Road, Ivinghoe, who was so overcome with grief that only with the greatest difficulty could she give her evidence. She said her son was 18 years of age, and enlisted in the previous May. He came home for 12 days leave on 19th December [Thursday 19/12/1918], and on Saturday morning [28/12/1918] she left him cleaning the buttons of his uniform whilst she went to a neighbour’s house. His sister, Alice, aged 4 years was in the house with him, and Violet, a younger sister, was in the yard with the baby. His brother Arthur had not then come in to dinner. She had only been away for a few minutes when there was a loud explosion. She at once went back to the house, and in the yard saw the deceased lying on the ground. His brother, Arthur, was lying on his left side about three yards away, and the baby, Ethel, who was injured , was standing near the shed two or three yards from the back door. She took the baby into the house, while Mrs. Edna Halsey, her husband’s sister-in-law, and others were attending to the deceased and his brother in the yard. After getting into the house she fainted and remembered nothing more for a long time.
At this stage the witness sobbed hysterically and cried out for her boy “to be given back to her”.
After she had become calmer, she told the Coroner she had never heard the deceased say he had been instructed in the use of bombs, or heard him speak about them at all. He daughter Violet was taken to a neighbour’s house, and she did not know for a long time afterwards that she had been injured. She had heard that the children had been told at school to take any bombs they found to the Police Station.
Violet Halsey, aged 7 years, a daughter of the last witness, who was unable to stand as a result of her injuries received through the explosion, stated that she was in the yard of her home with her sister Ethel when her brother Arthur came there, bringing with him something like a round tin. It was like the maroon signal produced but it was rusty. Arthur put it on a low wall and struck it with a hammer and chisel, and after he had been hammering at it for a while, her brother William came out of the house and asked Arthur what he had got. He replied “There’s some powder in it.” and William then asked: “Shall I light it?” He. Struck a match and put it down to the tin. There was a bang, and witness was struck on the ankle and in the eye. She saw both William and Arthur fall down and she ran away. Before William came out of the house Arthur had knocked a little powder out of the tin. William hammered it and knocked some more out of it. He then went into the house and brought out a box of matches. She had seen Arthur banging the tin against a wall before he came into the yard with it. The big children had been told at school that if the found anything they should take it to the Police Station.
Mr. Eileen Cox, who lives next door to Mrs. Halsey, stated that about half-past twelve on the previous Saturday she was standing in the back room of her house, and through the window, could see Arthur, Ethel and Violet Halsey in the yard. Arthur was hammering a chisel upon what appeared to be a rusty tin, and from which a greyish powder came out. She saw William go close to where Arthur was standing and take the hammer and chisel and hit the tin. Then there was a little flare and a bang and the two boys fell to the ground. When she first saw Arthur hitting the tin, it did not occur to her to go out and see what he was doing. She had not seen anything like it before, and had not heard of bombs being lost in the neighbourhood.
Arthur Bierton, aged 10, of Back Lane, Ivinghoe, said he and other lads were out for a walk with Arthur Halsey on Friday afternoon, Dec 27th [27/12/1918]. They went into a wood at the bottom of Ivinghoe Beacon, where he picked up a rusty tin with a wooden top similar in shape to the one produced. It appeared to be heavy and by a footpath. He took it home. And next morning Arthur Halsey came to the house and asked him where it was. He produced it, and they tried to unscrew the top. Eventually he got the top off with a chisel, when a quantity of powder came out. Witness went to dinner leaving the tin with Halsey. Shortly after he heard an explosion. When he picked up the tin he thought it was one of the smoke bombs and that it had been used.
Ps. Neale pointed out that printed on the tins were the words “Dangerous explosive”.
Bierton said that it was rusty that they could not see anything on it. He had not been told by the schoolmaster that if he or other boys found bombs they were to be taken to the police station.
Lieut. E. H. Shepherd, assistant superintendent, Pyrotechnic Laboratory, R.E. Experimental Ground, Wembley, stated that in September [1918] he was in charge of an experimental party at Ivinghoe Beacon in company with Lieut. Gray. They were carrying out investigations on the visibility of service signals under the instructions of the Chemical Warfare Department, Ministry of Munitions. An N.C.O. Corpl. Hayes, and a private fired the signals from the top of the beacon, and observers were placed over a radius of seven miles on the beacon near to Aylesbury. Some of the signals fired were maroons similar to the one produced. The tests were carried out on three occasions. At the end of the day he received a report that three maroons fired had failed to explode. A thorough search of the district was made, and it was concluded that they had fallen into a newly ploughed field and buried themselves. He informed Ps. Neale of what had happened, suggesting that he should tell others concerned, and in the event of the signals being found to retain them. He was of the opinion that the signal in question was exploded by the ignition and not by the blow with the chisel and hammer.
Corpl. W. T. Heys, R.E., gave corroborative evidence.
Ps. J. Neale, of Ivinghoe, stated that after hearing from Lieut. Shepherd of the loss of the three maroon signals in September [1918], he personally searched the ground indicated. He circulated information to the school children through the schoolmaster, and other persons likely to be using field or wood. He arrived from Buckingham late on Saturday night [28/12/1918] and was informed of the explosion. Early on Sunday morning [29/12/1918] he made a thorough search, and found the fragments of tin produced.
Captain W. P. Benner, R.A.M.C., Central Hospital, Aylesbury, said deceased was admitted at 2.30 pm. on Saturday [28/12/1918], suffering from severe collapse, but quite conscious. He was covered with multiple small wounds in the forehead, chest, abdomen and limbs. He was put to bed, and treated immediately for shock. He developed signs of internal haemorrhage and an operation was performed in the evening, several pieces of tin being found internally. The operation was quite successful and deceased improved, but died the same evening at  nine o’clock, the cause being shock following the injuries.
The Coroner returned a verdict of “Death by misadventure”, expressing sympathy with Mrs. Halsey, and expressing the hope that her other two children, would recover from their injuries.
Arthur Halsey has improved slightly but still lies in a critical condition. The child Ethel is making favourable progress.

 

I have been unable to find any later reports, so I do not know if the others injured recovered.

Strangely in a similar accident on 10th May 1945, a bomb found by children at Ivinghoe, exploded and five children were seriously injured, three losing limbs.

[chrisharley9]

GIBBONS, Charles Henry

Private 235225

Herefordshire Regiment

Died 25.01.19 Age 24

Commemorated: United Kingdom Book of Remembrance

 

Commemoration Moved To Upton Bishop St John The Baptist Churchyard, Herefordshire.