Anthony Bagshaw Posted 24 June , 2005 Share Posted 24 June , 2005 On a visit today to Creswell churchyard, Derbyshire i noticed the four Commonwealth Headstones of four Privates of the Leicestershire Regiment who all died on 31/7/18. All four have service numbers which are not very far apart so i presume all must have enlisted/been conscripted at the same time. The soldiers are: 58677 Pte Arthur White 58678 Pte John Henry Sharpe 58670 Pte Harold Mosley 58665 Pte Stanley Smith I thought this was strange and had a look on my SDGW Cd. All four are stated as 'died'. All four belonged to the 4th Reserve Battalion. Does anyone know what happened on this day? Was there an accident or is it a huge conincidence that they are all buried together and died on the same day?? Would like to find out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Bagshaw Posted 24 June , 2005 Author Share Posted 24 June , 2005 The second Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Bagshaw Posted 24 June , 2005 Author Share Posted 24 June , 2005 The third Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Bagshaw Posted 24 June , 2005 Author Share Posted 24 June , 2005 And finally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Bramley Posted 24 June , 2005 Share Posted 24 June , 2005 Hi, An accident in training perhaps? Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J T Gray Posted 24 June , 2005 Share Posted 24 June , 2005 An early manifestation of the Influenza outbreak? I seem to recall it peaked later in the year, but had appeared by early summer. However unless you think of an easy way to research it I'd put it low on your list of possibilities. If it was so I'd expect to find several graves with dates close together rather than several all with the same date - unless there were others for the same month? Currently I'd side with the accident theory... Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 24 June , 2005 Share Posted 24 June , 2005 Possibly 'Spanish Flu' during the pandemic of 1918. See: http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/uda/ Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J T Gray Posted 24 June , 2005 Share Posted 24 June , 2005 Blimey - we must have triped that in in unison! Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th Shropshires Posted 24 June , 2005 Share Posted 24 June , 2005 Hi Anthony I am also thinking Influenza outbreak or some other kind of outbreak. Annette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Bagshaw Posted 24 June , 2005 Author Share Posted 24 June , 2005 I am thinking that maybe there was an accident in which these young men were victims. To me, the influenza outbreak seems reasonable but for all four to die on the exact same day as each other must be a pretty big coincidence. Any more suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Bramley Posted 24 June , 2005 Share Posted 24 June , 2005 Can't think any further than the two theories put forward so far, sorry. But I'm fascinated by the closeness of their service numbers. Local newspaper for details perhaps? Do they have MIC's? Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Bagshaw Posted 24 June , 2005 Author Share Posted 24 June , 2005 But I'm fascinated by the closeness of their service numbers. Thats what makes this so strange to me too! Haven't checked MIC's yet, but am about to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Bagshaw Posted 24 June , 2005 Author Share Posted 24 June , 2005 No MICs for any of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Hesketh Posted 24 June , 2005 Share Posted 24 June , 2005 I would doubt the influenza theory. If that was the case there would probably be other graves before and certainly after, because these dates are a little early in relation to the pandemic. Accident seems a logical suggestion. Anthony, I'd try the 'Derbyshire Times' (full set on film in Chesterfield library) or better still Creswell library. I lived near Creswell about 10 years ago and I recall that it was quite good for local studies queries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Bagshaw Posted 24 June , 2005 Author Share Posted 24 June , 2005 Andrew, I certainly will do that. Thanks mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff. Hobson Posted 25 June , 2005 Share Posted 25 June , 2005 Anthony, Had I known you were coming to Creswell you could have called for a coffee, with regard to the four soldiers who died it was a tragic accident, they were recent enlistments in training. Local knowledge has it that they were on the beach at Skegness?, when they came across a mine of some description which they tampered with and which exploded with disastrous consequences. Evidently the men were previously employed at the local Colliery and the Colliery Manager at the time sent the Colliery Ambulance for the remains, obviously doubt was cast on what remains there were to bring back. Regards Cliff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Coulson Posted 25 June , 2005 Share Posted 25 June , 2005 Mystery solved, tragic story though. Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Bagshaw Posted 25 June , 2005 Author Share Posted 25 June , 2005 Had I known you were coming to Creswell you could have called for a coffee, with regard to the four soldiers who died it was a tragic accident, they were recent enlistments in training. Local knowledge has it that they were on the beach at Skegness?, when they came across a mine of some description which they tampered with and which exploded with disastrous consequences. Evidently the men were previously employed at the local Colliery and the Colliery Manager at the time sent the Colliery Ambulance for the remains, obviously doubt was cast on what remains there were to bring back. Cliff, I would have done, thanks for the offer! My reason for the visit was to visit the grave of Charles Bagshaw for my new project of photographing every bagshaw's memorial, grave from the war. Glad that the mystery has been solved, it is very tragic indeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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