RaySearching Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 (edited) A recent post on enlisting under an alias prompted me to post the following BITTEN HARRY Private HARRY BITTEN (Arthur Edward Harry Bitten) (also known as HARRY A Ward) 242053 10th Bn Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (previously Pte 3/7203 Suffolk Regiment) Harry first served with the B.E F in France with the Suffolk Regiment before transferring to the Scottish Rifles Harry accidentally drowned on the 10th November 1917 whilst on active service (source pension document) ( edit drowned now found to be incorrect) The register of soldier’s effect lists his widow Ada Ward as the legatee of his effects and that he had ‘died of wounds in the 19th C.C.S!’ He is listed on the CWGC register as the husband of Mrs Ward (formally Bitten) of 13 Benjamin Street Middlesbrough, this usually indicates that his widow had remarried, but not in this case However the Western Front pension documents show that Harry Bitten was an alias his true name being Harry A Ward, his widow, ‘widow’ struck through on one of the pension records and replaced with (guardian Ada F Fitzstephens) (guardian) this indicating that his remarried widow Ada was the guardian of their children There is a record of Ada F Ward’s marriage to Martin Fitzstephens in the July Qtr of 1920 in Middlesbrough There is also a corresponding marriage record of Harry A Ward’s marriage to Ada F Scott in 1913 in Middlesbrough Harry is commemorated on Middlesbrough war memorial under his assumed true name Harry Ward, shown as serving with the 3rd Bn Suffolk Regiment on the memorial roll The claimant of a dependant’s pension is listed as Ada Florence Ward born 23/12/1887 of 16 Denmark Street Middlesbrough later of 13 Benjamin Street Middlesbrough with an allowance for three children Agnes Ellen Davidson Ward Born 2/8/1914, Henry Arthur Charles Ward born 23/2/1917 and Lily Hugill (adopted) born 28/9/1913 Born Cowlinge Suffolk enlisted Bury St Edmunds (source SDGW) DUISANS BRITISH CEMETERY ETRUN However research indicates his true name was actually Arthur Edward Harry Bitten (known as Harry) The son of Arthur Charles Bitten and Agnes Bitten of Cowlinge Suffolk Harry entered the theatre of war in France with the Suffolk’s on the 2nd September 1914 (source MIC) The date of his entry into France suggested that he was a pre war regular soldier called up from army reserves also indicating that Bitten was his true name after all Harry Bitten married Ada F Scott in Middlesbrough in 1913 in Middlesbrough using the alias Harry A Ward I cannot find any record of a previous marriage for Harry so the marriage to Ada was probably not bigamous just why he chose to adopt and marry under an assumed name is at present a mystery We have here a soldier who is commemorated On Middlesbrough war memorial as Harry A Ward and on Cowlinge war memorial as A.E,H.Bitten For additional info on Harry see COWLING REMEMBERS Which probably now needs updating Pension document courtesy of the Western Front Association On Ancestry Ray Edited 14 December , 2020 by RaySearching name correction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin DavidOwen Posted 13 February , 2020 Admin Share Posted 13 February , 2020 Wow Ray, that is one complicated story! The only marriage I can find is for an Arthur Bitten in 1891 (too early?) to either Henrietta Gateney or Caroline Midwinter in the second quarter of 1891 in Stepney. FMP is rather vague on it all. Link Regards David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadbrewer Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 Strange coincidence but another Bitten from Cowlinge dying from accidental drowning on active service...reported in the newspapers on July 22nd 1916. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 I would say that I wouldn't count /discount drowning without some corroboration as Soldiers Died also has him as dying of wounds. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 The Scotsman of 14 Dec 1917 has a casualty list for 242053 as having 'died'. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 13 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 13 February , 2020 30 minutes ago, sadbrewer said: Strange coincidence but another Bitten from Cowlinge dying from accidental drowning on active service...reported in the newspapers on July 22nd 1916. 13 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said: I would say that I wouldn't count /discount drowning without some corroboration as Soldiers Died also has him as dying of wounds. Craig What may have happened here is that Walter Charles Bitten Bdr 72764 RHA who is listed on SDGW as having died in Mespot Walter being the brother of Harry Bitten/Ward see link in post one Its possible that the information drowned has been corrupted on the records from one brother to the other Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 1 minute ago, RaySearching said: Its possible that the information drowned has been corrupted on the records from one brother to the other Ray That's exactly what I think will probably turn out to have happened. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 13 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 13 February , 2020 this may be confirmation Walter Charles Bitten Bdr 72764 RHA has a pension document, he is listed as having accidently drowned His father a claimant of a dependant's pension in respect of three, of the four brothers who perished during the war Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 13 February , 2020 Share Posted 13 February , 2020 On 13/02/2020 at 16:43, RaySearching said: this may be confirmation Walter Charles Bitten Bdr 72764 RHA has a pension document, he is listed as having accidently drowned His father a claimant of a dependant's pension in respect of three, of the four brothers who perished during the war Ray You can see where the confusion would have crept in https://www.fold3.com/image/668277366?terms=72764,1019 Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 13 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 13 February , 2020 As an aside I noticed a discrepancy on the brothers pension records mother listed Maud Rachel and not Agnes Elizabeth simple explanation Agnes died 1911 the brothers widowed father Charles married Maud Rachel Eley in 1918 Still cannot find Harry on the 1911 census Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 20 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 20 February , 2020 A belated thanks David, Craig and Sadbrewer for the replies Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agooner Posted 12 April , 2020 Share Posted 12 April , 2020 Ray you are a marvel..That is my website 'undyingmemory.net' and I have spent many hours trying to sort out the Bitten brothers. Your explanation certainly makes a great deal of sense, unlike every other set of circumstances I thought of. . I really ought to have contacted existing Bittens as I live not too far away. To add to confusion the headstone places Harry in the Suffolks, it looks like no one was told he had been transferred to the Scottish Rifles.. These pension cards are making a considerable difference to my searches, Manage to clear up many "possibles" and 2 previously unidentified. Now trawling through the whole site to check against the cards, only over 2,000, so self isolating is no problem to me, Now to get the finer details from General Record Office data base and up date my site. I had also not o to the re marriage of the father of the brothers, so more thanks Incidentally phase 2 of the Alias Project by the W.F.A. is about done and hopefully it won't be too long before the online pension cards are tabbed so we can find men by either name. Hopefully the indexing will also be sorted out in the goodness of time. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 13 April , 2020 Author Share Posted 13 April , 2020 8 hours ago, agooner said: Tony Here is the panel on Middlesbrough war memorial with Harry's name as "Harry Ward I understand from family trees Harry still has descendants (Wards) residing in the local area, unaware of Harry's original surname It would be nice if the family branches were united Still outstanding, where is Harry in 1911 and what name was he using (was he with the Suffolk's Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agooner Posted 13 April , 2020 Share Posted 13 April , 2020 Thanks Ray.I have a feeling our man would have been in Egypt for the 1911 census, the 1st Suffolks went there in Jan 1911. Not sure of course which battalion he was in, I think the 2nd were in Ireland, but I can check all this out with an expert .Also I think I can contact some Bittens still in Cowlinge area, He seems to have been Bitten in the Suffolks as the medal index card shows, but that does not have a forename on it Most strange set of circumstance and your input is very welcome. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toofatfortakeoff Posted 20 February , 2021 Share Posted 20 February , 2021 On 13/02/2020 at 15:32, sadbrewer said: Strange coincidence but another Bitten from Cowlinge dying from accidental drowning on active service...reported in the newspapers on July 22nd 1916. BIt of a latecomer to this thread, but I found this photo of a headstone at Roughton St, Mragaret Church while looking for someone else which seems to have many graves for a small area. Four brothers for the Brothers died section by looks of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Ward Posted 4 May , 2021 Share Posted 4 May , 2021 Arthur Bitten aka Harry Ward is my husband's grandfather. My husband's name is Bernard Ward. He is the son of Harry Arthur Charles Ward, who is the son of Arthur Bitten aka Harry Ward and Ada Scott. My husband was shown the memorial in Middlesbrough by his father, who told him that H. Ward on the memorial was his grandfather. The family still cannot understand how or why Arthur Bitten changed his name to Harry Ward. Bernard still lives in Middlesbrough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 4 May , 2021 Author Share Posted 4 May , 2021 Pat Were the Ward family aware of Harry's true name ? His wife Ada would have certainly have known! Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Ward Posted 4 May , 2021 Share Posted 4 May , 2021 Not at all. A family member tried to get his war records but there was some kind of problem. It was not pursued. Ada Ward, Harry's widow remarried and had another family. Her second husband was apparently not good to the two Ward children., namely Agnes Ellen and Harry. Bernie does not think his father knew of his father's name change. It is an absolute mystery as to the name was changed . I do wonder how he managed to produce a birth certificate when he married Ada (nee Scott). He was married under the name of Harry Ward. The mystery continues. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 5 May , 2021 Author Share Posted 5 May , 2021 Hi Pat Many thanks for your reply It was not necessary to produce a birth certificate, to get married at the turn of the century so it was quite easy to marry in any name you chose Just had a look at my notes can you confirm that the parents of Ada Florence Scott were John and Ellen Scott, Ada Florence Scott born Darlington a photo of Harry can now be found on Tony's Website COWLING REMEMBERS Thanks Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Ward Posted 8 May , 2021 Share Posted 8 May , 2021 We are meeting some family members at the end of May. Hopefully, they will have further information for us. I can probably then give you some answers to your question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 8 May , 2021 Author Share Posted 8 May , 2021 Thanks for the reply Pat Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Ward Posted 28 May , 2021 Share Posted 28 May , 2021 I can now confirm that Ada Florence Scott was born in Darlington. The daughter of John and Ellen Scott. By 1901, the family had moved to Stockton -on-Tees.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 28 May , 2021 Author Share Posted 28 May , 2021 Pat Many thanks for returning to forum and confirming the parents of Ada most appreciated Kind regards Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithy26 Posted 31 May , 2021 Share Posted 31 May , 2021 (edited) Hi, this is some story to unravel! I am doing research into Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) casualties of WW1 and this was what i had on him... "WIA (GSW to Thigh) by Trench Mortar Bomb, Arras Sector 09/11/1917 & DOW at 19th Casualty Clearing Station, Duisans 10/11/1917. Born Cowlinge, Suffolk 1889. A Farm Labourer. Original enlistment as 3/7203 Pte. Suffolks at Bury St.Edmunds pre-1914. To France with Suffolks 03/09/1914. Transferred to 10th Bttn 1916. Son of Arthur Charles & the late Agnes Bitten. Husband of Mrs. Ada Ward (formerly Bitten), of 13, Benjamine St., Middlesbrough. His Brothers : 72764 Bombadier Charles W. Bitten RFA - Died Mesopotamia 1916 / 27457 L/Cpl. Laurence Daniel Bitten Berkshire Rgmt - KIA Somme 1916 / 42797 Pte.G.W.Bitten Worcesters - Died at Home 1917." As i don't go deep into the relations of each man, i assumed his wife being called Ward meant she had remarried? I have a few additions/changes to make to his entry. Thanks for the extra info and such an unusual story. Smithy Edited 31 May , 2021 by Smithy26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 31 May , 2021 Author Share Posted 31 May , 2021 Smithy Your welcome Thanks for the info regarding his wounding Regards Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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