mbriscoe Posted 7 August , 2020 Share Posted 7 August , 2020 I was just adding some images of the Corwen War Memorial gates to the IWM WMR and puzzled by a plaque carrying the name "Private S Griffiths". None of the usual War Memorial sites has an explanation and just been in contact with someone in Corwen and they do not know any more about him. It is thought a relative overseas asked for the addition but no more is known, not even whether WWI, WWII or some later conflict. Just thought I would try asking here just in case someone knew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Linham Posted 7 August , 2020 Share Posted 7 August , 2020 I thought the very same when I was there about two weeks ago , there are number of my photo's already listed on the IWM site It will be interesting to see if anybody comes up with an answer , I did a SDITGW search using Corwen as enlistment town but found nothing. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbriscoe Posted 7 August , 2020 Author Share Posted 7 August , 2020 Probably your images that came up on SHAREFILE! I have been in contact with someone who has researched many of the memorials in that area and she does not know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Linham Posted 7 August , 2020 Share Posted 7 August , 2020 Thanks for the update I hate mystery's , I hope your photographs are better than mine which were took in the rain. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbriscoe Posted 7 August , 2020 Author Share Posted 7 August , 2020 I did not have any of my own, photographs and names lists are being put up on SHAREFILE so we can download and put on the site. Some are new like your ones but others seem to have been around for several years and no had time to use. I think I managed to lighten the overall view of the gate a bit. I would have liked to get back down to Wales again this year but not going to happen. I was contacted by someone near Aberystwyth and he sent me some pictures of his local memorial and one in the church, neither were on the WMR. He has promised more. I always like to try and get some information on unveiling date from the newspaper archive and found Corwen, it was quite a bit event! I also often come across news reports on memorials that are not on the WMR but they do not like me adding them so send down to the office so they can pass on to somewhere in the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrenchrat22 Posted 7 August , 2020 Share Posted 7 August , 2020 The CWGC website shows 4 casualties in the Cowen Burial Ground but when you actual look further only 3 details appear. As the CWGC website is playing up at the moment with the grave registration report forms. But no other details appear, so could the other casualty be Private S Griffiths Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbriscoe Posted 7 August , 2020 Author Share Posted 7 August , 2020 Quite a few people have looked in the past so I think they would have noticed if there was someone of that name in the local burial ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterboy Posted 7 August , 2020 Share Posted 7 August , 2020 Could it be 1676 Private Samuel Griffiths, 14th Battalion A.I.F, died 27th August 1915. Son of John and Martha Griffiths, Wife of Priscilla Griffiths of 55 Radford Street,Darwen, England, He was a native of Mold, North Wales. It could be that his great Great nieces nephews put it up after they discover his death and they did not include date or regiment, just in case somebody would ask why is a Aussie on the War Memorial. Im just trying to think inside and outside of the box. You would think, that some one would know because of the situation of the memorial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 7 August , 2020 Share Posted 7 August , 2020 I saw his details earlier when trawling through all the S Griffithses in a CWGC download, there are fewer than 60 all told. I discounted him because of the Mold origin. Mold & Corwen are a good 20 miles apart, so on that basis, I was doubtful. I wondered if there was some confusion between Darwen and Corwen though? Having said that, about 40 odd of the 60 had addresses (or relatives' addresses) , none of which immediately offered any obvious clue. The remaining 20 had no address details. Some of those don't have their forenames listed, just initials, which would make chasing biographical details that bit harder. It's not unusual to have AIF or Canadian soldiers of British birth or descent commemorated on memorials in this country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tharkin56 Posted 8 August , 2020 Share Posted 8 August , 2020 From my experience local War Memorial Committees decided their own policies for inclusion or exclusion, and I have seen men named on memorials that were the boyfriend/fiance of someone in the area and someone that worked in the area for a brief time. So Canadians, Australians etc need to be considered in downloads. At least they have records you can easier look up on line! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted 8 August , 2020 Share Posted 8 August , 2020 (edited) As well as the grandchild of maternal grandparents, so no commonality of surname or even place of birth, and in some cases no proof they ever came to UK when the serviceman concerned was actually a 2nd generation immigrant, some of the hardest I've found to track down were either serving in the United States armed forces or the Merchant Marine who died other than at sea. I also assume the name is in the correct place alphabetically and not a later addition? Cheers, Peter Edited 8 August , 2020 by PRC Typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterboy Posted 8 August , 2020 Share Posted 8 August , 2020 (edited) It’s a later addition, which is on a separate Part of the memorial which has no conflict or date on it Edited 8 August , 2020 by Chesterboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 8 August , 2020 Share Posted 8 August , 2020 (edited) 6 hours ago, Chesterboy said: It’s a later addition, which is on a separate Part of the memorial which has no conflict or date on it In recent years, names of casualties from later conflicts have been added to some local memorials - Korea, Northern Ireland, Falklands, Afghanistan, Iraq. I suppose that could be a possibility, but in that event, you would have thought that they would be less likely to have been forgotten already. Edited 8 August , 2020 by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbriscoe Posted 8 August , 2020 Author Share Posted 8 August , 2020 25 minutes ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said: In recent years, names of casualties from later conflicts have been added to some local memorials - Korea, Northern Ireland, Falklands, Afghanistan, Iraq. I suppose that could be a possibility, but in that event, you would have thought that they would be less likely to have been forgotten already. No one locally seems to have suggested it is a very recent addition. It is odd, if it was for someone killed in a recent conflict then you might expect that to be mentioned on the plaque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 8 August , 2020 Share Posted 8 August , 2020 Could you post an image? I've seen images of the gates and the two world war plaques, also a newer plaque for a Northern Ireland casualty, but haven't seen the addition for S. Griffirhs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Linham Posted 9 August , 2020 Share Posted 9 August , 2020 (edited) Dai Bach I have tried but for some reason but the format that my computer has appeared to have converted the photographs into something that is not compatible with posting on the forum. The best I can do is https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/17804 there are nine photographs including a separate plaque for S Griffiths. Malcolm Edited 9 August , 2020 by Malcolm Linham left out a word Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 9 August , 2020 Share Posted 9 August , 2020 Thanks Malcolm, That plaque, the engraving, and the font look very modern to me. It looks like steel with engraved lettering, rather than the World War plaques which are cast bronze with raised lettering. The font is a serif font, similar to but different to Times New Roman. Which raises the question: Is it to commemorate a World War death, or a more recent casualty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterboy Posted 10 August , 2020 Share Posted 10 August , 2020 I’ve tried looking at the Armed Forces Database which shows casualties from 1945. Ive put in the name of Griffiths and the initial of S. nothing appears, however I don’t think it’s working, as I know in the past, I’ve looked up the details of a very good friend of mine, who lost hir life, during there service years and was able to see the details then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Linham Posted 10 August , 2020 Share Posted 10 August , 2020 Chesterboy Not sure if I was searching the the same data base as you , there is a roll of honor with the the National Memorial Arboretum maintained by the MOD. Although they list two S Griffiths they both rule themselves out as one is Corporal the other is a Sapper. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbriscoe Posted 10 August , 2020 Author Share Posted 10 August , 2020 17 minutes ago, Malcolm Linham said: Chesterboy Not sure if I was searching the the same data base as you , there is a roll of honor with the the National Memorial Arboretum maintained by the MOD. Although they list two S Griffiths they both rule themselves out as one is Corporal the other is a Sapper. Malcolm Not usual for the family to get the rank wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC78 Posted 10 August , 2020 Share Posted 10 August , 2020 The Armed Forces Roll of Honour is at http://veterans.mod.uk/ Cpl Sidney Griffiths is buried at Blackpool: http://veterans.mod.uk/roll-of-honour.php?SerialNo=A4518 Spr Stanley George Griffiths is buried in Germany: http://veterans.mod.uk/roll-of-honour.php?SerialNo=X1828 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Linham Posted 10 August , 2020 Share Posted 10 August , 2020 Mbriscoe . I naturally assumed that because this appears to be the MoD veterans site then the information came from the MOD not the relatives. Something else for me to check. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 11 August , 2020 Share Posted 11 August , 2020 Who owns the park? Is it Corwen Town Council? Or an independent trust? One or the other organisation must be responsible for the gates and they should have minutes of meetings relating to requests for placing plaques on the gates as a memorial. Have you tried asking the council? Philomena Hearn Email Address: clerc@cyngortrefcorwen.co.uk or clerk@corwentowncouncil.co.uk Phone Number: 01490 412911, 07971 880150 Address: London House, The Square, Corwen, Denbighshire LL21 0DE Or the park organisation? https://www.facebook.com/WarMemorialParkCorwen/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
familyhistoryman Posted 22 August , 2020 Share Posted 22 August , 2020 On 07/08/2020 at 23:16, Chesterboy said: Could it be 1676 Private Samuel Griffiths, 14th Battalion A.I.F, died 27th August 1915. Son of John and Martha Griffiths, Wife of Priscilla Griffiths of 55 Radford Street,Darwen, England, He was a native of Mold, North Wales. It could be that his great Great nieces nephews put it up after they discover his death and they did not include date or regiment, just in case somebody would ask why is a Aussie on the War Memorial. Im just trying to think inside and outside of the box. You would think, that some one would know because of the situation of the memorial Hi Do you still need details of the Samuel Griffiths from Darwen? I should have information on my PC but I will not be home until mid Sept Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbriscoe Posted 22 August , 2020 Author Share Posted 22 August , 2020 16 minutes ago, familyhistoryman said: Hi Do you still need details of the Samuel Griffiths from Darwen? I should have information on my PC but I will not be home until mid Sept Tony It was just curiosity on my part with there being so little information. The IWM War Memorial Register normally only records what is actually written on the memorial so reluctant to put down those details unless they can definitely be linked. But does seem a possibility, plenty of Australians on UK War Memorial but someone might worry about it being removed I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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