Last few to identify – James Phillips

[BridgetM]

(Sorry this is a bit long, trying to outline as much relevant info. as possible.)

 

I am researching all the men of North Bradley Parish in Wiltshire who died in the First World War, most of whom are named on the two identical memorial plaques. In common with others researching a memorial or community, I am finding the last few difficult.

 

The only information I have connecting James Phillips to the parish is this:

1.    His name on the memorial [no rank, unit or number]

2.    James and Kate Phillips given as the parents of William James Phillips, b. 18 Dec 1913, baptised in St Nicholas Church North Bradley 4 July 1915. James was recorded as having ‘Quality, Trade or Profession’ of Soldier [from Ancestry image of Parish Register]

 

There are no Phillips households or individuals in the parish in the 1901 or 1911 Censuses, although there are a couple of families in Great Hinton and Steeple Ashton, not far away, also some in Trowbridge, but no James Phillips in a reasonable age group.

 

The Civil Birth record for William James Phillips in Westbury District, in Q1 1914, gives the mother’s maiden name as Wicks. I can find no marriage record online for James Phillips and Kate Wicks. [FreeBMD, Ancestry, FamilySearch]. I could not find a marriage or death record for William James Phillips of about this birth year.

 

The most likely Kate Wicks was born and still in Trowbridge for 1901 and 1911 Censuses. There are two marriages of a Kate Phillips in Wiltshire in 1916 and 1918, but I can only see the Civil Indexes, so don’t know if they said they were widows. I can find no Wicks family connections to North Bradley.

 

Searching the CWGC database for J or James Phillips, served with UK forces in the First World War, returns 196 individual records, just under half of which have other first names. Many of the remainder have only an initial. Only two had NoK in Wiltshire, neither nearby. One was John, not James, and the other (from Tisbury) does not seem likely.

 

As I understand the Artillery were stationed at the Barracks in Trowbridge, I next looked at RFA/RGA men, most of whom were John, not James. The two left were extremely unlikely candidates.

 

So I am working through the rest of the CWGC list – unless somebody else has a better idea, or personal knowledge that offers a short cut!

[Mark1959]

Do the plaques say J or James Phillips?

[ajsmith]

It says James see here https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/177679/

[robinsgt]

I have found reference to a JAMES PHILLIPS  TF service no 207769  4th Btn Wiltshire Reg.  He was disembodied in 1919  which as  a territorial soldier he would have been rather than discharged. Most memorials etc include deaths up to 1921 if they died as a result of war  wounds, illness etc. Might be worth checking deaths of James from 1918.

[BridgetM]

robinsgt - I rather discounted Phillips 207769 because he isn't on the CWGC database, SDGW or Soldiers' Effects. Where else might I look for a death? If he died after he got home and was disembodied, there are huge numbers of 'James Phillips' in the Civil Deaths, with no way of knowing which is him. There seem to be no records at all of how the names were collected for the memorial.

 

Anyone - someone else is suggesting the Tisbury man is likely, but I didn't think a strong possibility, partly because Soldiers' Effects shows his father, not a wife, as sole legatee. In 1911 he is working as a live-in 'Boots' at an inn in Tisbury. SDGW record says he enlisted in 1st Bn Wiltshire Regiment in Devizes - there must surely have been places closer to Tisbury he could have enlisted?  The other query is why would a Wiltshire Regiment regular soldier come to Trowbridge, the 1st Bn being based at Tidworth?

Edited 27 April , 2018 by BridgetM

[ss002d6252]

4 minutes ago, BridgetM said:

robinsgt - I rather discounted Phillips 207769 because he isn't on the CWGC database, SDGW or Soldiers' Effects. Where else might I look for a death? If he died after he got home and was disembodied, there are huge numbers of 'James Phillips' in the Civil Deaths, with no way of knowing which is him. There seem to be no records at all of how the names were collected for the memorial.

 

Anyone - someone else is suggesting the Tisbury man is likely, but I didn't think a strong possibility, partly because Soldiers' Effects shows his father, not a wife, as sole legatee. In 1911 he is working as a live-in 'Boots' at an inn in Tisbury. SDGW record says he enlisted in 1st Bn Wiltshire Regiment in Devizes - there must surely have been places closer to Tisbury he could have enlisted?  The other query is why would a Wiltshire Regiment regular soldier come to Trowbridge?

The effects don't show all deaths later in the war. Once you get past the end of 1918, when the war gratuity was introduced, a man who was discharged was usually paid his gratuity on discharge. There was therefore no need in most cases to make an effects entry for those men.

 

A man who died after discharge wouldn't be shown in SDGW and may well also not be shown on the CWGC.

 

Craig

Edited 27 April , 2018 by ss002d6252

[dink999]

It appears the son William James went to Australia, see below his death details and a page from his Ww2 service record that states he was a foster child

 

Dave

[BridgetM]

Craig - thank you, I didn't know that. 

 

dink999 - thank you, I was puzzled by the boy's disappearance, but lately focused more on finding which of the many his father was. Good to see he had a long life, I hope it was a good one.

 

Maybe I am just being too hard to please and should go with Phillips 6403, the Tisbury man. Doesn't 'feel' right though, finding no North Bradley link at all, there must have been someone around to get his name on the memorial.