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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Pte. Wlliam Thorpe, 8561, 1/King's Own R.Lancaster


daggers

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Possible link for a William Thorpe to Liverpool:-

 

1911 Census Rotherham

William Thorpe son age 24 (Est. 1877)

brother Alfred Thorpe son age 22 (Est. 1879)

 

Dec Qtr 1911 Rotherham marriage of William Thorpe to Winifred M. Thorpe (same surname)

 

Several birth records in Liverpool with Mother name Thorpe

 

Surname First name(s) Mother District Vol Page 


Births Dec 1912   (>99%)


THORPE Albert Thorpe Liverpool 8b164  


Births Mar 1913   (>99%)


Thorpe Bessie Thorpe W.Derby 8b532  

 


Births Jun 1914   (>99%)


THORPE Eileen Thorpe W.Derby 8b525  

 

Does my scenario stack up ?

Dave

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I enjoyed the freebie on Ancestry last week and managed to find William Thorpe on the 1911 Census amongst the 565 soldiers and family away with the the 1st Battalion of the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment in Havelock Barracks in Lucknow, India.

ThorpeWilliam_KORL.png.08a3058ce3c9ffb1d6a11f72da46c454.png

 

It shows him as a single man so can I ask the question does anybody know then 1/KORL came back from Lucknow so he could squeeze in a wife and three kids before going off to his fate in August 1914.

 

On 11/04/2020 at 15:22, daggers said:

He had a wife and three young children back in Liverpool,

 

I have found the family hopefully in the attached article which centres on the brother Alfred J. who was the benefactor of his war gratuity and pension.

 

Dave

 

 

 

TheThorpeStoryv6.pdf

Edited by davidbohl
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According to the King's Own museum website, in December 1912 the 1st Battalion returned to England and were stationed in Dover.

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Well that date certainly scuppers the idea of leaving a wife and 3 kids when he met his awful fate.

The King's Own Museum has a photo archive of KORL in Lucknow 1910, each company has its own photo so look out for a 23yo brown haired 5'1 private.

I've attached the census of all 565 personnel at the barracks with info retrieved from FamilySearch.

 

Dave

 

 

Lucknow1911.pdf

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Article in the Evening Telegraph 1st Dec 1921 from the BNA states Major Ashmead Bartlett received the six letters of the condemned men. I have seen Digby's but is it known what happened to the other five ? Could they be squirrelled away in the British Library ?

 

1920074548_Screenshot2020-05-16at17_17_48.png.3bd9aadad47a4e4ab183e6c28a15a0b8.png

 

I have read the few relevant pages of Major Bartlett's book "From the Somme to the Rhine" but it only mentions Digby's letter.

Many thanks

Dave

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ben Macintyre's book 'A Foreign Field' says Willie Thorpe had three children back in Liverpool, this is looking like it may be true.

The newly built wing of the Children's Convalescent Home on Meols Drive, West Kirby, Wirral had 167 patients and staff of a "Military Disposition".

From 1911 FamilySearch there is Ernest Thorpe est b.1910

 

Thoorpe1911.jpg.326b723ca0ac36142d5460820f293ba1.jpg

 

The 1939 Register on FMP has Ernest living with his mother Laura Thorpe b. 1889 at 45 Canterbury St, Liverpool

 

Laura is picked up in the 1916 Liverpool Echo after her young boy is plucked from the River Mersey, she states "the boy has no father".

From the British Newspaper Archive:-

ThorpeLaura_19160802.png.756e7cc798bc8422a05133d6a7ebf4eb.png

 

Checking the address 45 Canterbury St, Liverpool on the 1939 Register where Laura was living, it also contains Margaret and Alfred Brown who where on the original 1901 census where potentially William Thorpe's father and the recipient of his War Gratuity and Pension brother Alfred J. were living.

From Ancestry 1901:-

Brown1911.jpg.c2ffbacf35986c8a2b952d60a8c692b9.jpg

 

Still looking for the the other two children, but there are no marriage records for Laura.

The Thorpe Story so far attached below.

 

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

The Thorpe Story v8.pdf

Edited by davidbohl
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There is a slight variation in dates of birth between Laura Croxton and 1939 Laura Thorpe, who was born 16 Apr 1889. That said, I can't find a better candidate yet.

 

Baptism: 8 Apr 1889 St Peter, Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Laura Croxton - [Child] of Hiram Croxton & Margaret
    Born: 18 Mar 1889
    Abode: Soho St
    Occupation: Baker
    Baptised by: W. R. Duncan, Curate
    Register: Baptisms 1888 - 1889, Page 324, Entry 2590
    Source: LDS Film 1656570

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Strange, Freebmd seems to have her birth in June Qtr 1889 which fits the 1939 date

 

1889B2-C-0130.jpg.8ca9f0728769bfc50f85a8da43910bfe.jpg

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I sent off my research attached to post #31 to the author of the book and had a rather pleasing email the other day. He said he was convinced I had indeed tracked down our man. I don't think I can get a better response than that.

To tidy this up would it be possible to find out which Company within 1/KORL Pte Thorpe was in, the museum has some cracking photies in Lucknow, 1910

 

Thanks

Dave

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