Women buried on the Western Front - a complete overview

[Marilyne]

Hi all, 

two ladies for you tonight, both from the A.S.C. Canteens

Armorel “Kitty” Trevelyan was a young girl from a little village in Dartmoor, whose life would have been unknown were it not for the work of Sue Robinson, from Wenches in Trenches. 

Kitty’s story came to the fore when Wenches in Trenches petitioned to have her name added to the War memorial in her home town of Meavy, which by the way is the town in which the movie War Horse was filmed! 

Kitty was the daughter of Georgina and Capt. Walter Raleigh Trevelyan, of Furry Park, Raheny, Co. Dublin. Her childhood was far from sweet. When she was 3 years old, she was living with a cousin, most probably because her parents were getting divorced. The proceedings of January 1902 show that Georgina felt threatened by an abusive and adulterous husband. She got her divorce and within weeks remarried and moved to Meavy. The 1911 Census shows that by then, Kitty was living in Meavy with her mother and stepfather.

Kitty was just 17 years old when she accompanied her mother to Northern France to volunteer on a coffee stall.  Georgina did not stay long, eventually returning to England alone and leaving Kitty, just turned 18, to sign on with the Army Canteens, the forerunners of the NAAFI

Thus Kitty started to work in a canteen in Boulogne at a very young age. In February 1917 however she contracted measles, which then quickly turned to meningitis from which she sadly died, aged just 19.

In Meavy Kitty’s name was added on the Memorial Roll but not on the town memorial, until Sue Robinson campaigned for that. On the centenary of her death, her name was added at the bottom of the memorial but in a somewhat clumsy ad confusing way, just under the dedication date of the memorial.

This sparkled a whole discuission, for which I refer to the thread hereunder: 

 

 

Mildred Clayton Swan died a few days before Kitty. I have found nothing more about this young lady in the sources available to me. 

I took the picture of her grave with the flags in the background, a different point of view that the others... 

[travers61]

Hi Marilyne

Here's the probate for Mildred Clayton-Swan

She was the daughter of Sir George William Elliot 2nd Baronet (1844 - 1895).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_George_Elliot,_2nd_Baronet

 

She married Robert CLAYTON SWAN of Solberge, Kirkby Wiske, at Scruton Parish Church, Yorkshire 12.10.1892. He filed for divorce citing her adultery in 1912, but this was withdrawn in 1913. The couple had four daughters by this time including Enid who married Captain C D Leyland.

https://www.geni.com/photo/view/6000000185581435907?album_type=photos_of_me&photo_id=6000000185581596890

 

Mildred's grandfather was Sir George Elliot 1st Baronet, a mining engineer, mine owner & MP.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_George_Elliot,_1st_Baronet

 

The Cambridge Alumni records this about Robert Clayton-Swans's military record,   Captain, Militia Battn, the Lincolnshire Regt., 1882-91. Served in the Great War, 1914-19 (Lieut.-Col., 2nd/1st Battn., The Lincolnshire Yeomanry).

 

Mildred is remembered here by her gt grandson Tim Hall-Wilson

https://www.everyoneremembered.org/profiles/soldier/508006/

 

Travers

Edited 3 October , 2023 by travers61

[Marilyne]

@travers61 thank you so much for all this!! 

I will update my info!!!

M.

[Marilyne]

Hi all,

on this very wet and grey day, I have - quite exceptionaly - some time to get on with the work... Today I'd like to tell you the story of Myrtle Elizabeth Wilson, from Bundaberg, Australia. Myrtle was born in 1877, in Fitzroy, Melbourne. She was the daughter of Andrew Stevens Wilson and Catherine McNaughton Craig who moved the family to Queensland when Myrtle was little. Myrtle and her sister Lillian both trained as nurses at Brisbane Hospital. By 1914, both sisters were working at the Bundaberg Hospital, where Lillian eventually made it to matron.

In 1915, not having succeeded in joining the AANS, Myrtle paid her own passage to England and joined the QA. She signed her enlistment papers on the 13th May 1915. As next of kin, she listed her mother, still living at “The Roses” in Chalmer, Brisbane. Once in France, Myrtle was posted to Nb 7 General Hospital in Boulogne.

Historian Kirsty Harris lists 269 Australians who served with the QA and the relations between the British and Australian QAs is quite the interesting topic. The Australians saw the British nurses as being stricter and many, for example Olive Haynes, complained that there were too many rules and regulations. They were longing to get to our own hospital with Australians again. The British nurses seem to have treated their Colonial counterparts with disdain, aloofness and some of them made no secret of their resentment of their Australian counterparts, believing that they “knew nothing”. Nursing Sister Narelle Hobbes, who was working with the QAIMNS Reserve in Palermo, Italy, brought it to a point in her letters home: I know they look at me as a mad Australian and I don’t care […] They don’t like us, never have and never will. They are jealous as we really are better trained than they are and have a higher standard. (Florence Narelle Hobbes served four years with the QA. Originally from Tilba Tilba, she enlisted in London in 1915 and served in British hospitals in Malta and Sicily, India and Mesopotamia. Narrelle wrote in her letters of an endless procession of stretchers, ‘every man somebody’s boy’. She died at sea in 1918, on her way home to Australia and was buried at sea.)

In July the Australian nurses working at Nb 7 gathered for a group picture. Myrtle can be found in the back row, the third from the right.

On the 9th December 1915, Myrtle was admitted to Nb 14 GH, “very ill” with pneumonia and on the 19th was considered “Dangerously ill”. Her family was informed and things went from bad to worse and she died on the 23rd December. Matron McCarthy enquired about the funeral on the 14th in the morning and arranged for flowers but things did not go as she had expected:. She wrote in her diary: Matron Miss Fox had neglected to tell anyone in either the Boulogne or Wimereux area of the early date of the funeral, or the Australian Hospital, not even the Assistant Principal Matron, so that she could have informed all Hospitals so that everyone might have an opportunity of paying a last respect to one who had come so far and who was among strangers. I was extremely annoyed. The rain was continuous. There were a great many officers, and not a dozen Nursing Sisters from the whole area. On return to 14 General the Assistant Principal Matron had arrived with flowers from some of the Hospitals but did not know anything about the funeral

M.

[Marilyne]

I have two ladies from Wimereux left... then it'll be time to move a bot southwards, to Terlincthun. 

Emily Helena Cole was born on the 11th June 1882 in Cape Town, South Africa, where her father was a Colonial Government Contractor. When her father died, her mother and sibling returned to England and found a home in Bournemouth, Alma Road. After school, Emily decided to become a nurse and studied at the British East India Company’s Poplar Hospital in Bournemouth from January 1908 to January 1910. Her last posting at Poplar’s was that of sister in charge of the Casualty Department. In October 1911, Emily chooses to enlist in the QA and was posted to Cambridge Hospital, Aldershot. She was still nursing there as a professional military nurse when the war broke out. Early in the war, Emily Helena Cole crossed to France to serve at Nb 14 GH in Boulogne.

On the 18th February 1915, Sister Cole admitted to having headaches. She still continued to work. On the Friday morning however, Miss Clements, the matron, found her unconscious on the floor of the ward, where she was dressing patients. She was admitted to the sick sisters ward and Sir Bertrand Dawson was sent for. She was initially responding well to the vaccine treatment given and was left to rest, unconscious but apparently out of pain. But she never regained consciousness and died two days later, on the 21st.

Isabella Lucy May Duncan was born on 3rd July 1872 in Stockport. Her father was a wholesale provisions merchant but by the time she enlisted in 1915, he had died, leaving her an orphan. Isabella was educated at boarding school in Leeds and trained as a nurse at Stockport General Hospital from 1900 to 1903. After her training she worked as a staff nurse at the New Hospital for Women in London for a short time and then went into private nursing. Between 1905 and 1915 she worked at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. When she enlisted with the QA on the 6th March 1915 she was living at Easton Road in Brighton.

Her first orders were to report to Malta. After a year she came back to France and renewed her contract for a year, on the 8th May 1916. She was then posted to Nb13 Stationary Hospital. A report from the matron of this hospital dated 28th September 1916 said her to be of good health, character and conduct, very kind and attentive to her patients. She was in charge of the surgical wards and also did night duty. The matron however did not consider her suitable for duty in a CCS . Her service records also mention that she did a tour on Nb 14 Ambulance Train in January 1917.

Isabella Duncan died of pleuro-pneumonia at Nb14 GH on the 1st March 1917.

That's it for now. 

Have a great day all ... 

M.

[frev]

14 hours ago, Marilyne said:

In 1915, not having succeeded in joining the AANS, Myrtle paid her own passage to England and joined the QA. She signed her enlistment papers on the 13th May 1915.

 

14 hours ago, Marilyne said:

On the 9th December 1915, Myrtle was admitted to Nb 14 GH, “very ill” with pneumonia and on the 19th was considered “Dangerously ill”.

 

Hi Marilyne - great to see you're still honouring the ladies.

Just a couple of corrections for Myrtle Wilson.  She didn't pay her own passage to the UK.  She signed her papers on the 31st of May (slight case of dyslexia?) and was actually admitted to hospital on the 17th of Dec.

In regard to her passage to the UK - from my file:

WW1 Service:

In 1915 there were more nurses wishing to serve overseas than vacancies existed to join the Australian Army Nursing Service. Some individuals travelled overseas at their own expense and joined the various nursing services, but when the British War Office called for Australian nurses to be sent to join Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve (QAIMNSR), the Commonwealth authorities organised enrolments amongst the States and sent them in four separate contingents.  In March 1915 Myrtle received a telegram from the Imperial Service Committee informing her to hold herself in readiness to proceed overseas, as she had been accepted into one of the two contingents that were to be sent in the April.

On the 4^th of April together with Qld nurses, Beatrice Cheesman, Evangeline Clerke and Wilhelmina Dods, she embarked at Brisbane on the Orontes for the UK.  Having collected the nurses from the other states the Orontes finally left Fremantle, WA on the 21^st of April with a total of 28 nurses to join the QAIMNSR.  During the voyage they were placed under the charge of Sister Janey Lempriere of the AANS.  The ship arrived in the UK on the 26^th of May following some excitement in the English Channel after three German submarines were reported, and everybody sat up throughout the night fully clothed with their lifebelts within reach.

Myrtle signed her QA agreement on the 31^st of May (with W.S. Dods as witness) and her appointment was accepted on the 9^th of June.  Crossing to France with the above-mentioned nurses, they began their service at the 7th British General Hospital (previously known as Malassises Hospital).

[Excerpt from a letter from a Qld Nurse in Egypt, 10/7/1915]  “I had a letter from Wilson yesterday, from France.  She says she, Dods, Cheesman, and Clerke, are in tents, surrounded by fields of barley and buttercups and daisies, and it is very cold.  I wonder how they would like to exchange it for a little sand and heat.  They were nursing Belgian refugees (men, women, and children, medical cases), when she wrote, but they were preparing for wounded.”

 

Cheers, Frev

Edited 27 October , 2023 by frev
formatting!

[Jim Strawbridge]

A small suggested amendment re Emily Cole. . You show as "studied at the British East India Company’s Poplar Hospital in Bournemouth from January 1908 to January 1910". It was actually Poplar Hospital, East India Dock Road, Poplar, London.

[Marilyne]

Thank you both! This goes to show that according to the one or the other website or other information one might put one's hand on, the verdict is always slightly different. 

I'll amend my notes !!! 

M.

[Marilyne]

Good evening all, 

As most people enjoy their christmas eve dinner, little me is in the best company: my books, my research and a bottle of wine. Joining Boyfriend and the rest of the family tomorow morning, if the SNCB obliges... 

So time to turn to Terlincthun... 

Edith Ingram was born on 31 December 1887 in Braunton, Devon. The family moved to Sussex in 1905. By 1911 Edith’s mother was widowed and they were living with another brother, William. Before the war, Edith was working as a governess in Brighton but when the war broke out, she felt it her duty to contribute and became a member of the Storrington branch of the Red Cross.

On 2 October 1915 Edith became a ‘special service’ VAD when she started work at the 2nd Eastern General Hospital in Brighton. She was based at the hospital in Portland Road , Hove. Edith spent about eighteen months there before applying for overseas work.  She crossed to France on 30 April 1917 to work at N° 55 General Hospital in Wimereux. During her time in Wimereux, Edith earned two scarlet stripes.

On the night of Tuesday 13th August 1918, when Edith had been nursing in France for just over fifteen months, there was an air raid over Boulogne. The Matron-in Chief reported that the air-raid started shortly after 10 p.m. and the ‘All clear’ not being sounded till after 2 a.m. Many bombs were dropped round Boulogne, 2 were actually on 55 General Hospital and the following casualties occurred among members of the Nursing Staff:- Miss Edith Ingram, VAD, was killed. Staff Nurse R. Brain, TFNS and VADs Miss H. Wood, Miss A. C. Larsen, and Miss Pleydell Nott were wounded. She was buried in Terlincthun, with representatives from all Hospitals in the Boulogne Area in attendance.

Edith Ingram’s great niece Jane Lang was instrumental in uncovering the story behind Edith. Her family has been in possession of a box of letter, postcards and photographs since the end of the war and now she shared this information with the local history group. On of the postcard is a Christmas card bearing the insignia of the South African Heavy Artillery and mentions “Stuart’s Regiment”. It’s nice to think that this Stuart might have been a friend, a boyfriend even, maybe?

It seems that the Attack and  Edith's death were mentioned in the diary of an Australian nurse but I have until now failed to find the right one... I'll keep looking... 

Edited 24 December , 2023 by Marilyne

[Marilyne]

Just one more before joining the Christmas craze this afternoon... 

Margaret Cameron Young was from Belfast and was born in 1893. When she enlisted, her family was living at nb37 Newington Avenue, North Belfast[1]. 

At this stage of the research, I don’t know much about her private life. Margaret joined Ulster Volunteer Medical and Nursing Corps in 1915 and as many Ulster nurses, decided to join the Red Cross during the war. She was posted to the Boulogne area.

There is a memorial tablet and a memorial window in St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast which commemorates the names of 18 nurses from across Ireland who died in the Great War whilst serving with the QAIMNS and the TFNS. However, History Hub Ulster researcher Nigel Henderson has identified 11 women from Ulster who died whilst serving in hospitals with the Voluntary Aid Detachments. These women are not commemorated by name on any memorial tablet. You might remember that we already encoutered one of these nurses in Rouen... the topic of the Irish VADs is certainly worth looking into a bit further... 

Margaret died of cerebro-spinal meningitis on the 30th July 1918. She was 25. A memorial marker to her can be found on family headstone behind the Queen Victoria statue, on the right-hand side of Shankill Graveyard.

 

Merry Christmas everybody !! 

 

M.

[DoubleD]

A nice read on Christmas morning Marilyne! Enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely Christmas and New Year.

Dave 

[Marilyne]

Hi all, 

Christmas done ... I thought I'd leave this post for tomorrow, but as Boyfriend is in thez couch with his game I decided to escape the "dzim", "plop" and continuous rifle fire and come back behind the computer myself... in the quiet. 

There are two Canadian nurses buried in Terlincthun: nursing Sisters Evelyn Verrall McKay and Jessie Nelson King

Evelyn Verrall McKay was born in Galt on the 24th November 1892. She was the youngest daughter of Mark S. McKay and attended school in Galt itself but also in Guelph, the city where John McCrae was from. She trained at Grace Hospital in Toronto, where she graduated in 1915 and enlisted shortly after. She served in Canada for a year before embarking for service overseas. After another six months in England she joined Nb 3 Canadian General Hospital (McGill) in early 1917.Evelyn served with the hospital throughout the rest of the war and died of broncho-pneumonia 4 Nov 1918, aged 27. A newspaper article from November 1918 say that she was survived by two sisters and three brothers, of which one was in France at the time of her death: Lt Mark Harold McKay, a banker and member of the militia who enlisted early in the war, in September 1914. He was attested for overseas service in 1916 and served in France as a lieutenant in the 1st Divisional Ammunition Column. He died in Galt in 1958. 

 

Jessie Nelson King was the eldest daughter of the late Alfred Nelson Codrington King, and granddaughter of the late Captain J N King, Royal Navy. She trained as a nurse at the Royal Jubilee Hospital School of Nursing in Victoria graduating with the class of 1916. She was still studying there when her brother, Lt Albert Nelson King of the Royal Horse Artillery died at war, on the 10th May 1916. He is buried in Rifle House Cemetery (I.D.3), in Ploegsteert. 

Jessie Nelson King enlisted with the Canadian Military Nursing Service on the 28th April 1917 and sailed to England a month later. Her first posting was Nb 9 Canadian Stationary Hospital in the Canadian camp of Bramshott. In November 1917 she proceeded overseas and was posted at Nb 1 Canadian General Hospital in Etaples. In May 1918, Etaples was bombed and we know that Nb 1 Canadian was hit hard during the raid of the 19th May, which costs the lives of nursing sisters Lowe, MacDonald and Wake. One can only surmise that Jessie was present at the funeral and that she might be found on one of the numerous pictures which exist of the event. In June of that year she enjoyed a period of leave in England. On the 22nd June, after expiration of the leave she was temporarily attached to Nb 3 Canadian General Hospital. 
In July 1918 her hospital moved to Trouville, where she nursed her first American patients. The Armistice saw Jessie in hospital, at the Sick Sisters hospital in Wimereux with a severe case of pneumonia. She returned to duty on the 12th November and then started to prepare her return to Canada. Before leaving she joined a group of Canadian sisters visiting the battlefield. This must have been a long and arduous – maybe too arduous – journey for her. On the 13th February the personnel of Nb 1 CGH was ordered to the Canadian Embarkation Camp in Le Havre. On the 22nd, Jessie wrote her last letter home, telling her sister that she had visited their brother’s grave and was looking forward to coming home very soon. 
But on the 5th March Jessie was brought back to Nb 14 in Boulogne, dangerously ill with cerebro-spinal meningitis. An aunt, Mrs Bradbridge from Weymouth in England was warned, lest she wanted to be present. On the 3rd April Matron MacLatchy and Nursing Sister Sophie Hoerner had visited her and come away knowing that her fight for life was at an end. She died on the 4th. Her unit being already on the move back to Canada, it was the matron, the remaining sisters, the OC and the officers of Nb 3 Canadian General Hospital, who brought her to her last resting place. 

I have tried to find copied of Jessie's letters, if they still exist, online, but have not been successful yet. They are probably in the Canadian Archives and have not been digitised yet. 

I think it's comforting to know that she managed to visit her brother's grave before dying. I'm sure it gave her peace, to a certain extend. I'll definitely look him up next time I'm in Plug Street!  

This week I'll turn to the 5 members of the WAAC buried in Terlincthun. 

MM. 

 

 

[Jim Strawbridge]

"She was still studying there when her brother, Lt Albert Nelson King of the Royal Horse Artillery died at war, on the 10th May 1916. He is buried in Rifle House Cemetery (I.D.3), in Ploegsteert". I think that he was actually Alfred Nelson King (not Albert) and named after his father. 

[rflory]

Lt A N King attended High School in Victoria, British Columbia and was a Rhodes Scholar at Trinity College, Oxford from 1912 to 1914.

[Marilyne]

12 hours ago, Jim Strawbridge said:

"She was still studying there when her brother, Lt Albert Nelson King of the Royal Horse Artillery died at war, on the 10th May 1916. He is buried in Rifle House Cemetery (I.D.3), in Ploegsteert". I think that he was actually Alfred Nelson King (not Albert) and named after his father. 

Thanks Jim, I'll look into it... got a couple of sources naming him Albert... 

M.

9 hours ago, rflory said:

Lt A N King attended High School in Victoria, British Columbia and was a Rhodes Scholar at Trinity College, Oxford from 1912 to 1914.

Hi, 

I had the High School, but not the fact that (edit) HE was in Oxford... Thanks !! 

M.

Edited 28 December , 2023 by Marilyne

[Jim Strawbridge]

Marilyne, I think that RFlory was talking about her brother.  (I had the High School, but not the fact that she was in Oxford). Slip of the pen, perhaps. Jim

[Marilyne]

1 hour ago, Jim Strawbridge said:

Marilyne, I think that RFlory was talking about her brother.  (I had the High School, but not the fact that she was in Oxford). Slip of the pen, perhaps. Jim

yup ... got that... that's me typing before thinking... of course the brother... 

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, Marilyne said:

yup ... got that... that's me typing before thinking... of course the brother... 

I enjoy reading the little biographies that you prepare for each of the nurses Marilyne, thank you for taking such care with them, it’s nice that these selfless women are remembered here in the forum.  That you do this in a second language so fluently is a real testament to you and to your dedication.

Edited 28 December , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Marilyne]

@FROGSMILE thank you so much for your kind message!!! That's a real motivational speech!!! 

M;

[Marilyne]

Hi everybody, 

And Happy New Year!!! I hope to be getting on a bit with my research this year. the next cemetery I'll tackle are those of Le Treport. I had done most of the research already, but have only had the chance to visit the women in Le Tréport and Mont Huon last late august, on our "romantic" holiday... 

For Terlincthun, I have only five women left. they all belonged to Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps. As we all know, most of their records were badly damaged and destroyed in the bombings of London during WWII. So there is not much that I could find out about these women, apart from that which is available on open sources. 

Margaret Ann Barrow was from Maiden Law, Lanchester. She was born to George and Elizabeth Barrow in 1895 and had, according to the 1911 census, 3 brothers. As the Durham County Records writes: "as the daughter and sister of County Durham laborers, going over to France must have seemed like a great adventure". It is a pity she did not see the Armistice, as she died shortly before, on the 3rd November. One can only guess she was one of the many victims of the flu. She was 24 years old.

 

Worker Annie (Susannah) Hall is a woman about which some questions still remain. 

Annie Hall was born as “Susannah” in 1889, to James and Annie Hall, of Reedham, Norfolk. However, the seems to have serve under the name of “Annie”. Annie went to France to serve as a cook and fell victim to the flu epidemic on the 23rd March 1919. She was 30 years old.

Her name, Susannah Hall, was added to the Reedham War Memorial only in 1995.

The question remains why she chose to enlist under what appears to be her mother’s name. She was clearly not underaged. The adding of her name to the memorial seems to have been the subject of a newspaper article to which I only have a partial link… I am thus still looking for that reference and a copy of the article if anybody has it…

Finally, Elsie Parnell was born in 1895 in Plumstead, London. Her family seem to have lived in Villas Road all her life. She died of broncho-pneumonia on the 6th March 1919, aged 23. 

 

I'll come back to you shortly with the last two. 

M. 

 

[Jim Strawbridge]

quote  -  "The question remains why she chose to enlist under what appears to be her mother’s name. She was clearly not underaged".

People, particularly from the lower classes often had their name foreshortened amongst family and friends. Elizabeth became Lizzie is an example. I believe that Susannah could have seen her known as Susie or Anna locally with Annie as an alternative to Anna. This may (or may not) be in deferrence to her mother's name. We probably will never know.

[Marilyne]

The last two ladies of Terlincthun, also both members of the Q.M.A.A.C. 

Frances E.M.D. Massey worked in Nb 14 Stationary Hospital. She died of the flu on the 1st December 1918. The only online reference I have been able to find is on the forum. she is mentionned as being listed on the Registry of Soldier's Effects. 

 

Finally, Mary Ann Spittle was the eldest daughter of Alfred Ernest and Elizabeth Jane Spittle, from 12, Fairhazel Gardens, South Hampstead, London. She had one sister, called Beatrice. Mary joined the WAAC to work as a general Clerk. She died of influenza and broncho-pneumonia, age 26.

That is unfortunately all we know about her.

What striked me about her grave was the epitaph, chosen by her parents: “Oh For The Touch of a Vanished Hand, And The Sound of a Voice that is Still.” This is an excerpt of “Break, Break, Break” by Alfred Lord Tennyson. It was written in 1835 and published in 1842 and describes feelings of loss, spoken by a man standing on the rocky sea shore. The poem is deeply personal, as Tennyson writes down his own feelings of loss after the death of his friend Arthur Henry Hallam. One can only imagine the poet was a favorite of Mary Ann. 

That's all for Terlincthun, next I will turn to Le Tréport. The research has been done some time ago, but I want to re-read everything now I have the pictures. 

M. 

 

 

[Jim Strawbridge]

Frances E.M.D. Massey - The family arrangements are complicated with Frances' parents seperating and one taking a partner and having children and the other entering into a bigamous marriage with children. I may be wrong but it does seem that in the Registry of Soldier's Effects has been miscalculated :- £3.8s.8d plus 4s.1d does not equal £3.17s. 9d. which is the sum sent to her widower. Minutia, I know, but interesting.

[FROGSMILE]

On 01/01/2024 at 19:42, Marilyne said:

Hi everybody, 

And Happy New Year!!! I hope to be getting on a bit with my research this year. the next cemetery I'll tackle are those of Le Treport. I had done most of the research already, but have only had the chance to visit the women in Le Tréport and Mont Huon last late august, on our "romantic" holiday... 

For Terlincthun, I have only five women left. they all belonged to Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps. As we all know, most of their records were badly damaged and destroyed in the bombings of London during WWII. So there is not much that I could find out about these women, apart from that which is available on open sources. 

Margaret Ann Barrow was from Maiden Law, Lanchester. She was born to George and Elizabeth Barrow in 1895 and had, according to the 1911 census, 3 brothers. As the Durham County Records writes: "as the daughter and sister of County Durham laborers, going over to France must have seemed like a great adventure". It is a pity she did not see the Armistice, as she died shortly before, on the 3rd November. One can only guess she was one of the many victims of the flu. She was 24 years old.

 

Worker Annie (Susannah) Hall is a woman about which some questions still remain. 

Annie Hall was born as “Susannah” in 1889, to James and Annie Hall, of Reedham, Norfolk. However, the seems to have serve under the name of “Annie”. Annie went to France to serve as a cook and fell victim to the flu epidemic on the 23rd March 1919. She was 30 years old.

Her name, Susannah Hall, was added to the Reedham War Memorial only in 1995.

The question remains why she chose to enlist under what appears to be her mother’s name. She was clearly not underaged. The adding of her name to the memorial seems to have been the subject of a newspaper article to which I only have a partial link… I am thus still looking for that reference and a copy of the article if anybody has it…

Finally, Elsie Parnell was born in 1895 in Plumstead, London. Her family seem to have lived in Villas Road all her life. She died of broncho-pneumonia on the 6th March 1919, aged 23. 

 

I'll come back to you shortly with the last two. 

M. 

 

By the virtue of your writings you have, yet again, done greatly deserved honour to these selfless women Marilyne, and from the hidden depths of a century ago brought them to some degree of attention once more.  It is a goodly thing that you do.  Thank you for your time and efforts. 

Edited 12 January by FROGSMILE