Looking for an obituary - Fairford Gloucs or Cornwell Ox

[Medaler]

Hi,

The British Newspaper seems to have let me down.

 

I am trying to find an obituary for Pte Arthur William Bowles, 16942, Devonshire Regiment. The 1911 Census lists his mother living at Horcott nr Fairford, but CWGC gives her as living at Cornwell, Oxford.

 

I believe that his name appears on a local memorial here in N E Derbyshire, and can reasonably prove that he was here on the 1911 Census.

 

What I am hoping is that an obituary will contain sufficient family information and maybe even a few details of his work history prior to joining the army. He was killed on 1st July 1916.

 

Can anyone help?

 

Regards,

Mike

[The Inspector]

Hi Mike

The 1901 census has his mother Elizabeth and husb. Albert with the three children Gertrude, Arthur and Winifred living at No. 2 The Village, Chipping Norton. Oxford in the Parish of Cornwell. Arthur was born at Fairford in 1893.

Here is Arthur....looking for more..    his father Albert died in 1927 and his mother Elizabeth (nee Ireland) died 1940, strange she is the only one listed on Soldiers' effects.

Regards Barry

 

Edited 8 February , 2019 by The Inspector

[IPT]

Western Times - 11th August 1916

 

"We are sorry to learn that Pte. Arthur Bowles, only son Mr. and Mrs. Bowles of Cornwall, Chipping Norton, was killed in action during the "Big Push." He was for three years gamekeeper for Major Gill of Eversfield. Bratton Clovelly and had only been in France for about two months."

 

 

He appears on the Bratton Clovelly war memorial.

 

Another photo here - https://www.one-place-studies.org/lost-somme-remembering-private-arthur-william-bowles-bratton-clovelly/

 

[The Inspector]

Hi All

Great story on the link above, 

Mike, give us a clue regarding the 1911 census, I can't find him.

Regards Barry

[Medaler]

Goodness me, I was not expecting photo's of him! I can't thank you good folk enough for that. I am in awe, I have no idea how you managed that.

 

As for the 1911 Census, I'm not surprised he is proving hard to find, it took me ages. It's down to ancestry's wonderful indexing. They have him recorded under the surname of the family he was lodging with rather than his own. Here he is.............

 

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/2352/rg14_21130_0027_03/6044808?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3d1911england%26gsfn%3darthur%26gsln%3deast%26gsfn_x%3d1%26cp%3d0%26msbdy%3d1893%26msbdy_x%3d1%26msbdp%3d2%26msrpn__ftp%3dderbyshire%26hc%3d50%26new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26redir%3dfalse%26uidh%3d2xc&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

 

Regards - and sincere thanks,

 

Mike

 

[Medaler]

Rather sheepishly, I should perhaps add that the man on our local memorial is actually listed as "Bowles, H". Of a "Bowles, H" however I can find not a single trace. The only man with that surname on the 1911 census is Arthur, and I believed the initial on the memorial to be incorrect. There is nothing that I have found so far to connect any "Bowles, H" that is listed on CWGC or SDGW to the parish.

 

On a memorial that contains just 28 names I have so far drawn a complete blank with 5 of them. Not a brilliant result at all so far, but I thought I had cracked this one having found Arthur. Now that I have the info that he had been working "for three years gamekeeper for Major Gill of Eversfield. Bratton Clovelly" I am not so sure. It's still a "possible", but he had been left our parish for quite some time before the war.

 

Regards,

Mike

[The Inspector]

Hi Mike

 The 1911 census shows him as a "Dog breaker". and a note in pencil says "Sutton Estate"..interestingly William Arkwright, who owned Sutton Scarsdale Hall, was according to a website "very interested in breeding dogs and wrote a book titled "The Pointer and his Predecessors". The hall was auctioned in  November, 1919 "after many years of neglect". So I reckon that Arthur is the same man......looking

On the census two of the East children Anne, 8yrs and  George 2 yrs, were born in Cornwell, Glos. Perhaps Arthur knew them and that's why he is boarding there. Dog breaker to game keeper not that far removed......still looking...the next property on the census is for The Kennels, Sutton Scarsdale so obviously a going concern at that time. The property immediately preceding the East's is Sutton Hall itself where William Arkwright and his 8 servants are in residence.....

 

Regards Barry

Edited 9 February , 2019 by The Inspector

[The Inspector]

10 hours ago, Medaler said:

Rather sheepishly, I should perhaps add that the man on our local memorial is actually listed as "Bowles, H". Of a "Bowles, H" however I can find not a single trace. The only man with that surname on the 1911 census is Arthur, and I believed the initial on the memorial to be incorrect. There is nothing that I have found so far to connect any "Bowles, H" that is listed on CWGC or SDGW to the parish.

 

On a memorial that contains just 28 names I have so far drawn a complete blank with 5 of them. Not a brilliant result at all so far, but I thought I had cracked this one having found Arthur. Now that I have the info that he had been working "for three years gamekeeper for Major Gill of Eversfield. Bratton Clovelly" I am not so sure. It's still a "possible", but he had been left our parish for quite some time before the war.

 

Regards,

Mike

Hi Mike

Very probable not "possible"

Annie East, 8yrs  was born on the 15th Sept1902 @Cornwell to William and Ellen Fanny East. Annie was baptised on 19th October, 1902 at Cornwell. Her father William's occupation.....Game Keeper. Their son George William was born Cornwell 21st July 1908 baptised 7th August, 1908. Frederick was baptised on 16th October, 1910@ Sutton Scarsdale where William East was the Game Keeper.

Where was William on the 1911 census, Ellen is shown as the Head/Wife but her marriage details are crossed through in red "9 yrs, 3 children 3 living"?

Ellen Fanny Middleton of the Parish of St.Giles, Reading  Banns read 22/29 Sept and 6/10.1901 @ Cornwell Parish Church. William East of that Parish. and were married 3rd qtr 1901 Reading Berks, 2c,844. She was born 1874 Reg'd 1st qtr Reading, Berks, 2c, 381, baptised 29.3.1874... her father Matthew was a policeman........! 

 

Regards Barry

Edited 9 February , 2019 by The Inspector

[Medaler]

Barry,

That is absolutely superb. I never thought to look at the East family to see if they were connected to the area that Arthur came from. That is a good lesson for me to carry forward! With the East family still presumably being around after the war there would have been somebody in the district to remember Arthur when they thought of erecting the memorial, which was unveiled on 24th April 1921.

 

The Hall at Sutton Scarsdale remains a picturesque ruin that can be seen from the M1 motorway (close to jn 29). I visited it many times as a child, and my family had friends who lived in part of the accommodation provided for servants near the old stable block. It might even have been the same building that Arthur was living in all those years ago. There is a church attached to the Hall building that remains in use, and the parents of one of my closest friends are buried in the churchyard. As a mere lad in my 20's I remember talking to an old lad in one of the pubs who remembered running behind the carriages that were used to transport the locals to the annual Tenants Balls that were held at the hall.

 

Just to give you a flavour, this is the memorial I am talking about..............

 

My sincere thanks for all your help. Absolutely invaluable.

 

Mike

Edited 9 February , 2019 by Medaler

[The Inspector]

Hi Mike

Happy to help, enjoyed that one.

Regards Barry