wanted - photos nationwide

[imaginatian]

Jim,

 

After work yesterday I visited Charlton Cemetery in Dover.  It's mostly good news!

 

Below is the grave of Ellen Marie Kenward.  Unfortunately it's not the most legible of headstones.  Her name is the third of three on the headstone.  I may return at a different time of day to see if it is better with the sun on it - the headstone faces east so the sun was behind it.  Fortunately this headstone is right by a side entrance to the cemetery, adjacent to the entrance to St James's cemetery, so is easy to get to.

 

This is the grave of Annie Keates.  For some reason you had this as in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul in Dover, which I corrected to be in River, north of Dover.  We were both wrong!  This headstone is legible, although sadly not for much longer as the name of her husband has started to flake off.  Note that her daughter Evelyn Annie Keates is also listed as a casualty of the same incident.

 

I couldn't find the grave of Minnie Rhoda Smith.  This image shows the outline of Sector 2.C.  The corner of each plot has a marker stone.  Also the one "modern" headstone in this plot has "2C 27" engraved on the back beside the stonemason's company name.  As you can see there are plots with no headstones.  There are a few graves with what I think are called "kerbs".  Some of these are now below ground so unreadable, others have no visible lettering.  On the assumption the records are correct and that she is in 2.C.06. then I'm not sure what to do.  I couldn't see a pattern in the numbering for graves in the different plots I visited, although if grave 27 is near the far edge then grave 6 is likely to be nearer the camera.  I can supply this images sans outline.  Let me know!

 

This is the grave of Hilda May Bowman, a Clerk on the Women's Royal Naval Service.  This wasn't on your list and I assume you already have an image.  She is listed on the CWGC register for this cemetery.

 

 

This is another that is on the CWGC register for here.  It is the grave of Florence Minnie Johncock, a Worker in Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.

 

 

Finally, if you ever plan on repeating this exercise for female casualties of World War Two then this is the headstone for Ethel Nellie May, aged 21, killed by enemy action on 7 May 1941.

 

 

I've added the full size images to the same location as before.

 

On a personal note I did manage to find the headstones for all CWGC listed casualties in this cemetery.  I also located the graves of George Cross holder Reginald Maltby and Victoria Cross holder William Traynor.  It was a pleasant way to spend a few hours on a sunny summer's evening.

 

Ian

[Jim Strawbridge]

Ian, thank you. I am most grateful. For Keates (mother and daughter) we had different places but you found them in Charlton cemetery. Or did you? It is just possible that father's/husband' grave stone acts as a memorial for them. "Sacred to the memory of" doesn't help on the inscription. As they died in an explosion it is possible that there wasn't much to bury or "bits" were indistinguishable and were placed in a mass grave. That said, we have the plot reference of 2.G.1 and I wonder if you were able to tie this up when you discovered the headstone. This just me prevaricating and I expect that we have the right one. Bowman and Johncock I already had and that is why they were not on the list. You are correct in that where a grave is marked as kerbed it has a stone boundary to the grave (similar to the kerbs that one gets on pavements). With these, the wording is generally on a bevelled edge of the kerbing and can generally be read even if it is sinking into the ground, by just removing a small amount of earth or grass. It is possible that the grave is unmarked as her husband was not in well-paid work and her father, killed in the explosion, was a labourer. But I am grateful for your view of the plot and imagiative marking it out.

[imaginatian]

Jim,

 

The grave for the Keates family is in sector 2.G. of Charlton Cemetery.  The Dover War Memorial Project website lists them in Charlton Cemetery and in this sector.  Not sure how it got "relocated" to St Peter and St Paul in River.  The numbering of graves there, at least from the CWGC register, is very different.  There are references to Old and New ground, which seems more specific to churchyards rather than cemeteries.  I visited there a number of years ago and it’s not a large location.  I do need to go back as at the time I couldn't find a couple of CWGC graves that had private headstones.  Thanks to Find-A-Grave I now know what to look for.

 

For Minnie Rhoda Smith I checked the kerbs as best as I could - a few really are "buried" deep.  While looking for a different grave I did spot one kerb with just parallel lines of small holes where all the lettering had fallen out.  Sector 2.C. is in the very north corner of the cemetery and I saw plenty of evidence for rabbits, with some memorials subsiding due to nearby burrowing.  This area of the cemetery has very uneven ground so you have to be careful navigating it.  One saving grace is that this cemetery is on a gently sloping hillside.  St Mary’s and St James’s cemeteries, on the other side of the valley, are on much steeper gradients, particularly the latter.  I've still got around 350 graves to visit there, including right up the top in the WW2 plot where a few graves had temporary markers when I last visited.

 

Ian

[chaz]

Ian, ref my pm. I have the plot numbers for Cheriton road from the friends. The files are in excel form. If you pm me an email address I will forward them on. Our eldest is sill on critical list so might not even get over in August.

[imaginatian]

Jim,

 

I made what turned out to be a quick visit to Folkestone Old Cemetery, also known as Cheriton Road Cemetery, on Monday evening.  It was quick as it suddenly got very overcast, and cold, making photography a bit tricky, even with a decent camera.  They say a camera never lies but in this case it does exaggerate a bit!

 

This is the grave of Annie Beer (30) and her daughter, also Annie (2½).  The headstone has fallen flat at some point.  For reference the grave is adjacent to that of CWGC casualty Deck Hand G T Standing, who has a Commission headstone. It is right up against the fence by the railway line, about a third of the way from the eastern end of the cemetery.

 

 

About 6 graves further west, also by the fence, is the grave for the four members of the Norris family.  These are Florence Louise (24), Florence Kathleen (2), William Alfred John (10 months) and William Alfred.  There are Register records on Ancestry for this cemetery, although there are some pages "missing".  See Cemetery Register if you have an account.  For this family it looks as if the mother and children were buried 5 days after the bombing, and then exhumed and re-interred six weeks later.  No reason is given - perhaps in the aftermath the father was buried elsewhere and this was remedied?

 

This image shows the location of the above graves, B = Beer and N = Norris, plus the CWGC headstone.

 

 

I then moved over to the other side of the cemetery, nearer the northern perimeter along Cheriton Road.  This was to try and find the 3 graves in plot 3.  By this time I had figured out that consecutively numbered graves are not side-by-side but rather head-to-toe, so to speak!

 

I believe the plot marked in the following image is that for Johanna Mary Hambly, who is recorded as in plot 3, grave 8720. The grave behind has 8719 engraved on it, and the one behind that, with the cross, is for someone else.  The Friends Of website lists this casualty as having no headstone.

 

 

In fact the Friends Of website lists all 3 casualties in this plot as having no headstone so I was surprised to find the following, the grave of Isabel Wilson (80).  This headstone is now showing advanced signs of weathering.

 

 

I couldn't find the plot for the third casualty in this plot - Martha Godden.  I know she's in plot 8504 but I couldn't find any graves with numbers near to this - not many graves are marked.  However if I go through the Cemetery Register on Ancestry I might find records for unrelated persons in nearby plots which might help to narrow the search.

 

 

At this point the good light was starting to fade so I made my way over to plot 20, where my records indicate fifteen plots, although not all with headstones.  I managed to find only two of them before calling it a day, as much of this plot is under a number of yew trees, providing too much shade.

 

This is the headstone for Elizabeth Maxted (31), in plot 1700.

 

 

Two graves behind, in plot 1702, and visible in the above image, is the headstone commemorating Sarah Jane Dicker (41) and her daughter Edith Agnes (13).

 

 

Aside from the above I did manage to find some more CWGC casualties I had not found on my previous visit, nearly seven years ago, plus the last of three Victoria Cross holders who are buried here.  I even found a headstone with "died from the effects of wounds and gas received in action" on it but am unable to find them in the CWGC register.

 

I need to do a bit more planning and will return to this location soon, when the evening weather is better.

 

Jim - I've uploaded full size images to the usual location.

 

Ian

Edited 10 July , 2018 by imaginatian
Late night typos!

[Jim Strawbridge]

Ian, this is absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much, Jim

[chaz]

Jim

due to my sons serious illness Ive had to pass the information on to Ian. we had to cancel our latest holiday after one night and August 3 weeks looks very unlikely.

Jan at the Friends of Cheriton passed all the grave locations to me on an excel file so any further needs should be found easier with plot number..

as for Pys, Ive still heard nothing from the Maire. hopefully, may make August but we shall see.

meantime, Im going around our local graves/cemeteries in Melksham and surrounding areas, might see if there are any you  may be interested in.

[Jim Strawbridge]

Chaz, I am so sorry to hear that your son is ill. My best wishes that he soon returns to good health. If you stumble across Grace Marley in the Melksham cemetery she is one that I already have. One that is troubling me is one called Fanny Mew. I only know her name through the Nursing Memorial Appeal which shows her as a Red Cross nurse. Three possibilities from three different places. One of these is Fanny Mews whose death was registered in Melksham in the second quarter 1915. If you stumble over her grave it would be nice to know if the wording on it gives a clue. Regards, Jim

[chaz]

OK Jim

will have a look, Melksham Cemetery is a mess, its the church extension as well. looking for all CWGC graves was a task, found more than they list. some overgrown and a couple of campers up in the bushes at the side. tarpaulin spread over bushes and stones.

[chaz]

Jim

dropped  in to Melksham this evening, latest picture of Grace Marley's grave .

still having a look for Fanny Mew.

[Jim Strawbridge]

Thank you, Chaz.

[D J Brown]

Hi Jim,

I know this post is quite old and perhaps I’m too late to help but I’ve seen you and others still commenting as recently as yesterday so thought I’d offer my services if there’s anything around North Yorkshire you still want/need? I’m located in Ripon but can travel.

Cheers, 

dave 

 

 

[Jim Strawbridge]

Dave, Forget the age of the postings. This project is still very current. My listing of requirements I update ongoing (it is currently on page 78). I have been waiting for enough postings here for the system to start a new page when I will again put up the full listing. But to answer your question here are locations for Yorkshire with Co. Durham added for good measure. If you see any places that you feel are possible for you to reach just let me know and I will give you the details.

YORKSHIRE, Altofts, Burley in Wharfdale, Halifax, Horsforth, Ingleton, Kingston upon Hull, Kippax, Leeds (Beckett Street), Low Moor, Redcar, Scarborough, Sheffield, Skipton, Staithes

DURHAM, Chester-le-Street, Jarrow, Pelton, Willington

[keithmroberts]

Jim, I live in Portsmouth, and will be spending a few days in Scarborough  (mostly for cricket), in August. I might be able to help with either location.

 

Keith

[Martin Bennitt]

Hello Jim

 

Are you still seeking for the couple in Edinburgh? I will be there in the middle of August and should have time to look.

 

Cheers Martin B

[Jim Strawbridge]

On 19/07/2018 at 10:56, Jim Strawbridge said:

Dave, Forget the age of the postings. This project is still very current. My listing of requirements I update ongoing (it is currently on page 78). I have been waiting for enough postings here for the system to start a new page when I will again put up the full listing. But to answer your question here are locations for Yorkshire with Co. Durham added for good measure. If you see any places that you feel are possible for you to reach just let me know and I will give you the details.

YORKSHIRE, Altofts, Burley in Wharfdale, Halifax, Horsforth, Ingleton, Kingston upon Hull, Kippax, Leeds (Beckett Street), Low Moor, Redcar, Scarborough, Sheffield, Skipton, Staithes

DURHAM, Chester-le-Street, Jarrow, Pelton, Willington

 

Dave, Here are my wants for the places that you mention.

SCARBOROUGH - Edith Elizabeth TAYLOR, VAD, died 5th June 1917 and is buried in Dean Road cemetery, Scarborough. Sorry, but I do not have the plot number.

REDCAR - Jennie WALKER, VAD, died in 1921 and is buried in plot H/9/10 (unmarked), Redcar cemetery (Old). A photograph of the plot needed. I don't know how much it helps but a CWGC grave for Claude Albert Cooper is at H.10.3.

LEEDS - Bridget Agnes JUBB is buried in grave 21003, unconsecrated section, Beckett Street cemetery, Leeds. She died on the 20th July 1916. I have no idea if the grave has a headstone but more likely a pauper's grave. Many munition girl's from poor backgrounds didn't have a headstone but a plot view if not.

Also Amelia Beatrice WRIGHT, VAD, who died on the 8th January 1919. She is buried in Horsforth cemetery, Horsforth, Leeds.

SKIPTON - Hilda Moorby, VAD, died 8th October 1918 and is buried in grave 1454, section C, Waltonwrays cemetery, Skipton.

CHESTER-LE-STREET - Lillie LIDDELL was a VAD who died in Egypt. I have most of what I need but I understand that a new memorial has been placed in the market place and which shows her name.

BURLEY-IN-WHARFDALE - Joanna Elizabeth HOPPER-GREENWOOD, QAIMNS, died 11th April 1921, aged 59. She is buried in Burley in Wharfdale but unfortunately do not know the cemetery.

Highest pixel density preferred as I can always shrink down but not expand. If you are able to reach any of these I would be most grateful, Jim

[Jim Strawbridge]

On 19/07/2018 at 11:17, keithmroberts said:

Jim, I live in Portsmouth, and will be spending a few days in Scarborough  (mostly for cricket), in August. I might be able to help with either location.

 

Keith

 

Keith, Thank you for the offer. As for Scarborough I suggest that you might like to liase with Dave (D J Brown) above who has also said that he might be able to do Scarborough. It would be a shame for you both to be tramping around the cemetery at the same time !  As for Portsmouth I have need for a photograph that relates to Helena Margaret DOVE, VAD, who died 11th December 1918. Her name is on a wooden memorial in St. Peter's church (beneath the organ loft), Portsmouth. Jim

[Jim Strawbridge]

2 hours ago, Martin Bennitt said:

Hello Jim

 

Are you still seeking for the couple in Edinburgh? I will be there in the middle of August and should have time to look.

 

Cheers Martin B

 

Martin, I need photographs of the name of Gertrude Eileen JONES, QAIMNS, died 10th April 1917 on the headstone of her parents in Piershill cemetery, Edinburgh as a remembrance. I haven't got the plot number but believe the inscription to read :-  "In loving memory of John Jones I.R. Died 23rd Nov, 1916. Also his wife Catherine Jane Evans Died 16th March 1896. And of their daughters Margaret Evelyn (Daisy) Died 17th Nov. 1899. Gertrude Eileen, Sister, Q.A.I.M.N.S. (R) Lost with the H.S. Salta 10th April 1917".

I also need a photograph of the grave of Andrina Grierson MENELAWS, VAD, who died 30th October 1918. She is buried in Newington cemetery, Minto Street, Edinburgh. Also the grave of Frances Marion MONEY, VAD, who died 20th December 1919 and is buried in Dean 2D cemetery, Edinburgh.

Also the grave of Elizabeth Robertson THOMSON, QAIMNS, who died 26th October 1918. She has a CWGC grave at plot S.E/60, Edinburgh (Rosebank) cemetery. Jim

 

[m0rris]

Hi Jim - I'm expecting to be in the Bramley, Chiddingfold and Walton on the Hill direction over the next few weeks. Please let me have details - PM me or whatever suits you best.

 

Will

[Jim Strawbridge]

16 hours ago, m0rris said:

Hi Jim - I'm expecting to be in the Bramley, Chiddingfold and Walton on the Hill direction over the next few weeks. Please let me have details - PM me or whatever suits you best.

 

Will

 

BRAMLEY - the Surrey one. I need a photograph of the grave of Emma Dorothy EDE, VAD who died 16th August 1915 and is buried in Holy Trinity churchyard, Bramley.

CHIDDINGFOLD - in St. Marys church, Chiddingfold there is a memorial to Margaret Trevenen ARNOLD, VAD, who died 12th March 1916.

WALTON-ON-THE-HILL - I cannot work out what my requirement was from here. May have been muddled with Walton on Thames which is about half an hour away.

[m0rris]

Thanks Jim. Shame about W-o-t-H as that's the nearest one!

[daggers]

Jim

You listed Walton on the Hill as a want in Staffs earlier this year, but it’s too far for me.

D

[Jim Strawbridge]

I think that I have worked it out. At one time I needed a photograph of the screen wall at Walton-on-Thames that included the name of Wilmet Annie BENNETT, VAD, who died 21st November 1918. The memorial shows the number 911 and corresponds with a small stone plaque set into the ground in front of the memorial. The plaque is white and about 8 inches by eight inches, 911 is carved into it and the number picked out in black. It is a photograph of this plaque that I require - I already have a photo of the screen wall. But I can always do with another.

Edited 26 July , 2018 by Jim Strawbridge

[m0rris]

Margaret Trevenen Arnold - Chiddingfold, Surrey. Emma Dorothy Ede at Bramley is proving hard to find as the churchyard has been cleared - however I'm still on the case.

Will

 

 

Edited 23 August , 2018 by m0rris

[Jim Strawbridge]

Thank you, Will. I didn't realise that her name was on the Chiddingfold War Memorial. It is a bonus to me but what I was really after was a memorial in the church with her name on it !! Maybe next time. Jim