Serjeant Elijah Williamson, Royal Engineers - died 14.9.1919

[BereniceUK]

He's named on the war memorial plaque at Routh, near Beverley, East Yorkshire, and appears to be interred at All Saints' churchyard, Routh. I can't find him in the CWGC database - cause of death not acceptable for entry?

 

ELIJAH,

Son of the above [Elijah Williamson, late of Withernsea, died May 29th 1915, aged 67 years]

and beloved husband of

Lilian Mary Willamson,

who died Sept. 14th 1919,

from gas poisoning in the Great War, aged 40 years.

 

His death was recorded in Hull, in the third quarter of 1919. The two Elijah Williamsons are the only names on the gravestone.

 

 

 

 

Edited 10 April , 2019 by BereniceUK

[jonbem]

Potentially THIS is his earlier service record on Ancestry having enlisted in 1900 and served until 1912, so perhaps then re-enlisted for the war.

it's down as

Name

Elijah Williamson

Father

Elizah Williamson

Birth

Frampton, Yorkshire, England abt 1879 (I think this should be "Holmpton" not Frampton)

Residence

1900

 

[PaulC78]

Could this be him...

 

Sapper Elijah Williamson, WR/263306 Royal Engineers. NoK looks like Mr E Wright (father) of 2 King Street, Withernsea.

 

Service record is on Ancestry.

 

Edited 18 April , 2019 by PaulC78
add detail

[PaulC78]

Also on Ancestry is this newspaper index card...

 

 

[BereniceUK]

Thank you very much, jonbem and Paul.

 

Elijah's given residence - Manor Farm, Beverley - is likely to be Manor Farm, Routh, a short distance along the road from All Saints' Church, and about 3 miles north-east of Beverley.

 

Christ Church, Isle of Dogs, where he and Lily were married, is still there and open. It's on Manchester Road, where Lily had resided.

 

His place of residence before his death - Ottringham?, East Yorks. Ottringham is the other side of Hull from Beverley, and although there's no Chapel Fold there now, there's Chapel Lane and Chapel Garth. That could make Hull Royal Infirmary his likely place of death.

 

From the medical information given, does anyone think it would be helpful for me to get a copy of his death certificate?

[ss002d6252]

The man in post #2 re-enlisted to the RGA in Sept 1914

A medical record shows he was with 123Bty RGA in 1915.
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=S2/GBM/MH106/MH106-296/0034&parentid=GBM/MH106/302957

 

According to the Silver War Badge records WR/236606 Williamson was aged 43 when he was discharged in Nov 1918 (man in post #3)

 

 

Craig

Edited 20 April , 2019 by ss002d6252

[PaulC78]

According to the death index he was 37, so that doesn't quite tally with either the military records or the headstone. Not a dealbreaker though. I'll have another look at the records.

[BereniceUK]

He may be the Elijah Williamson whose birth was registered in Patrington, about 3 miles from Ottringham, in the second quarter of 1880.

[PaulC78]

The two service records are definitely for the same man: he served with the RGA from 1900 to 1912, re-enlisted in 1914 and was later transfered to the RE. On the 1911 Census he was on his older brother's farm at Sunk Island near Patrington. Marriage record gives his address as "Manor Farm, Beverley" which is the same as on the discharge papers, though his age is given as 35 - I'm guessing he knocked a few years off when he got married! Burial record is on FMP, address was Ottringham but he died at the Royal Infirmary at Hull.

 

I reckon the death certificate is worth a punt, the specifics of his illness go a little over my head but it was clearly attributed to his military service.