wanted - photos nationwide

[Jim Strawbridge]

Thank you sadbrewer and bostonwayne. This one has a feel about it that it might be one for the "In From The Cold" team to put forward for CWGC commemoration. She seems to have contracted malaria overseas, came home to recuperate and then died from it. Form3 seems to have her service record that may show that she was sent home with malaria to be nursed back to health. Unfortunately, my Fold 3 membership has expired and I cannot get back in for their free trial. We would also need to get a copy of her death certificate to see her cause of death. I'll wait to see if Wayne can finds time to visit her grave and see what may be written on her grave marker. Watch this space. 

[bostonwayne]

I'll go at 2 to have a look. No promises as to whether I can find it as its not recorded like the cemeteries in Sheffield as its a churchyard. Fingers crossed.

[bostonwayne]

I visited the churchyard earlier and despite spending 90 minutes looking I couldn't find a headstone 

The bad news is while I was there the church and churchyard were having major work done which required the removal of 94 graves which were laid flat and tarmaced over.

The good news is the contracted has given me a number to call for someone who has all the plot numbers and names on. I called however the lady who deals with it was off today but they have taken the details and hopeful will get back to me tomorrow. There are more than 1000 headstones still standing and 94 removed.

Edited 16 February , 2022 by bostonwayne

[Jim Strawbridge]

Not the outcome I was expecting. Richard III in reverse. If I had a relative buried there I am not sure that I would be happy to see her grave tarmaced over. I hope that your news in due course find that Ethel Swift's grave is one that has escaped this ignominy.

 

[PaulC78]

On 16/02/2022 at 10:59, Jim Strawbridge said:

Form3 seems to have her service record that may show that she was sent home with malaria to be nursed back to health. Unfortunately, my Fold 3 membership has expired and I cannot get back in for their free trial.

There's a pension card for Sister Ethel Swift but it doesn't have much on it.

[PaulC78]

Hi Jim, do you have the grave for Harriet Barton? I can't help with a photo but she does appear to be buried at Budleigh Salterton Church Cemetery.

[Jim Strawbridge]

PaulC78. Yes, She's one of mine. She is just up the coast from me so I have visited her grave and have photographs of her grave, her name on the Budleigh War Memorial and on a plaque within St. Peter's Church.

[Acknown]

Jim - I can do you Southbourne in Dorset. Please post details.

Acknown

[Jim Strawbridge]

23 hours ago, Acknown said:

Jim - I can do you Southbourne in Dorset. Please post details.

Acknown

That would be good if you can. Three female casualties had attended Grassendale school, described as a private school for the education of the daughters of gentlemen. The three women were Cicely Margaret Gwyn Elger, Enid Margaret Kentish and Hermione Angela Rogers. There are adjacent brass plaques to them in St. Katharine's Church, Church Road, Southbourne, BH6 4AS. I have a photograph of these off the Web but I cannot use them for copyright reasons. They are here :- https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/74084

There is also said to be a memorial to Enid Margaret Kentish (in error as Edith Kentish) actually in Grassendale school (now St. Peter's School?) and probably also to the other two. It doesn't help that an official website states that there is a plaque in the school then illustrates the St. Katherine's church one. https://www.wiltshire-opc.org.uk/Items/Wilcot/Wilcot - VAD Volunteer - Hermione Angela Rogers 1917 (Oare).pdf

So, needed is a photograph of the plaques in St. Katharine's plus any that might be in the school, itself. It's a bit of a burden and if you are unable to do them I shall fully understand. Thank you for the offer, anyway.

[Acknown]

Jim - I'm on it.

Acknown

[Kenny.bell]

Hello Jim

 

I see Wayne posted a picture of Hilda/Hylda Maclean's stone ready to be erected.

I have no idea how long this will take but I'll try to remember to put it on my "to do" list.

Kenny

[bostonwayne]

Another who died on this day. Do you know of her jim. 

[Jim Strawbridge]

Yes, she is one of mine. Lilian was the daughter of a school examiner and it is no surprise that she and her siblings became teachers. In 1901 she was living at a Girls High School at Ordall, Nottinghamshire where her aunt was the head. In 1911 she was a teacher at a small girls school (seven boarders, five teachers) in Taunton. She married in mid-1914. I haven't seen her death certificate but likely died of the Spanish 'flu.

[bostonwayne]

I've sent you photos of Dorothy Snodin Castle via we transfer Jim

[Jim Strawbridge]

Hello Wayne. Thank you. Safely received.

[PRC]

On 01/01/2022 at 16:14, Jim Strawbridge said:

NORFOLK, Caistor, Norwich

Hi Jim,

I’be been out a number of times now to CAISTER on Sea, (CAISTOR St Edmunds is a couple of miles south of Norwich, and those are the only two options in the County).

As discussed via PM I have been looking for Mary Ann Sparks, a Naval Raid victim at Great Yarmouth who died on the 14th January 1918 and who is buried in Section D, Grave 289 in the Old Cemetery at Caister on Sea. That cemetery includes an area that acted as an overflow for Great Yarmouth.

Each time I’ve gone with a bit more information to narrow down the search. The relevant area of Section D is nearly all randomly placed headstones, and the very few kerbstone type graves are fairly legible. There are no obvious bumps that might reflect an unmarked grave. I’ve had no joy so far but will have another try after I’ve done some more digging, (no pun intended!), at the local records office.

However on my most recent visit I did find another female civilian victim of the Great War – one whose final resting place you were unsure of. A local history blogger wrote in 2016 that her kerbstone grave was becoming increasingly difficult to read and how a more permanent memorial should be put in place for Martha Taylor, a victim of the first ever Zeppelin Raid on this country. His piece was accompanied by a picture of Martha, and of the grave as it was then. See “Zeppelins Over Norfolk. Part 4. The casualties” https://stevesmith1944.wordpress.com/author/stevesmith1944/page/5/

The promised renovation work has been “done”, but that seems to consist of letting the grass grow over the kerbstones, topping up the gravel with slate chippings and adding a memorial tablet.

Her Grave is in Section F of the Old Cemetery at Caister on Sea. I’ll send you copies over by e-mail.

Cheers,
Peter

[Jim Strawbridge]

Thank you, Peter. Much appreciated.

[Steviebullsatatter]

On 11/07/2019 at 10:41, Jim Strawbridge said:

 

Thank you, Steveibullsatatter. Much appreciated.

 

Hi Jim.. Last week I noticed that there was  about  30 seconds of film footage of the aftermath of the explosion on' British Pathe '

 

[Kenny.bell]

On 14/04/2019 at 12:38, Jim Strawbridge said:

 

Hello Kenny,

KIRTON, Fraserburgh - Agnes May Rettie MITCHELL, hospital nurse, died 1st December 1916, aged 36. She is buried in Kirton Cemetery.

PETERHEAD, Aberdeenshire - Bella Jane BRUCE, was interred in grave A/92, Peterhead Cemetery in November 1918. There are five members of the Bruce family in the same grave. This is a speculative one as the name of B.J. Bruce is on the York Minster panels. With no first names it is a matter of finding the right one. I could not find her death registered in England or Wales during the war time period. But two in Scotland. The other is Barbara Jane Will BRUCE who was interred on the 2nd November 1918 in NIGG Churchyard, Aberdeenshire (Nellie Bruce in the same grave). I am hoping that a headstone will give a clue as to the right one. I did a Google as to how far between Peterhead and Nigg and found it was140 miles apart (I heard Sean Connery in my head saying "Shurly Shum Mishtake"). You have to tell Google that Nigg is in Aberdeenshire before it will put you right. Small place. It says that Nigg is an area of Aberdeen, Scotland, south of the River Dee. The area has a bay known as the Bay of Nigg or Nigg Bay, immediately south of a coastal golf course, and a farm that is also a visitor attraction, known as Doonies Farm. Depending on how you plan to get to Peterhead perhaps you can manage both. But shall understand if you manage neither. Regards, Jim

Elephants never forget?

Jim - Agnes Mitchell died in Dundee, I have downloaded her death certificate should you want a copy. As far as I can determine, the graveyard is actually called Fraserburgh Kirkton Cemetery.

As for BJ Bruce, the correct one you are looking for is Bella Jane Bruce. She was a VAD and died in Aberdeen in, I think, Oct 21st 1918 of Influenza. Again, I downloaded her death certificate. 

Should you want copies of the certificates, pleas let me know.

I know I've been to Peterhead before (and didn't find it), but it's always on the "maybe again" list. Also, now I've narrowed down where Agnes Mitchell is buried, it's also on the "to do" list. As you can appreciate, however, I can't promise - they are a long way away for me.

As usual

Best regards

Kenny

 

[Jim Strawbridge]

Kenny, brilliant (as usual). Bella Jane Bruce in particular. I had her only as B.J. Bruce and had five candidate. You have narrowed this down to the correct one so I can now try and research her a bit more. I do know that she was buried in grave A/92, Peterhead cemetery with another four members of the Bruce family.

[Jim Strawbridge]

16 hours ago, Steviebullsatatter said:

Hi Jim.. Last week I noticed that there was  about  30 seconds of film footage of the aftermath of the explosion on' British Pathe '

 

Thanks for "the heads up".

[temptage]

Jim I saw this on FB today? Do you have any information on Alice? 

[Jim Strawbridge]

Temptage - I knew nothing about this woman until your post. She had only been married for a short time (three months) so, unless one knew that, then there would be very little information to find. Her grave is on Find A Grave :-  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/149084394/alice-m-haskell

Haskell

Alice M.

Unit/Force: nurse

Place/Date of Birth: Massachusetts; Bristol County; New Bedford/11/10/1892                  

Place/Date of Death: Massachusetts; Bristol County; Attleboro; Sturdy Memorial Hospital/10/10/18  

Age: 25

Place of Burial/Memorial: U.S.A.; Massachusetts; Bristol County; Norton; Norton common cemetery

Remarks: Alice M. Illingworth was born to John William Illingworth (b. June 1865 in Accrington, Lancashire, England, naturalised 1872 whilst in Essex, New Jersey) and Elizabeth Anne Illingworth (nee Broadhurst, b. April 1866 in Ramsbottom, Lancashire, England, naturalised 1886, m. 7th May 1890 in New Bedford) in New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts. The birth register shows that both parents were born in England, were living at 21 Reynolds Street, New Bedford and that John was a mill operative by trade. The 1900 US census finds the family living at Monroe, Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts. W. John Illingworth is the driver of a grain wagon married to Elizabeth Illingworth. They have two children being B. Albert Illingworth (b. April 1891) and M. Alice Illingworth. The 1910 US census finds the family living in Mansfield Avenue, Norton. John W. Illingworth is a motorman on a street car who had been married to Elizabeth B. Illingworth for nineteen years and had two children. These were both at home being Albert B. Illingworth (a stone setter in a jewellery shop) and Alice M. Illingworth (no occupation). There is a boarder in James Broadhurst (b. June 1875 in England, naturalised 1885, a clerk in a shoe shop) whom we assume to be Elizabeth's brother. Alice married Benjamin Elijah Haskell (b. 6th September 1886 in East Norton, Massachusetts, d. 22nd October 1963) by registrar on the 6th July 1918 at the Illingworth family home (Mansfield Avenue). The marriage register shows Benjamin as an engineer and Alice as a nurse. At the time of the WW1 registration in June 1917 he was an engineer with A.H. Sweet and Son, Norton, Massachusetts. On the 5th October 1919 a bronze plaque was unveiled in Capron Park, Attleboro, Massachusetts commemorating two nurses. One of these was Alice Illingworth Haskell. She was a 1916 Norton High School graduate. She died from lobar pneumonia contributed by influenza at Sturdy Memorial Hospital, Attleboro at 3.45pm on the 10th October 1918 following seven days of illness. Her death certificate mentions that she was at home which suggests that she was keeping house rather than nursing. She was buried on the 13th October 1918. Her husband, who died 45 years after, is buried in the same grave. The initial M of her first name has not yet been discovered. It is not elaborated on her birth, marriage or death certificates.

[Acknown]

 

On 21/02/2022 at 11:39, Jim Strawbridge said:

Three female casualties had attended Grassendale school, described as a private school for the education of the daughters of gentlemen. The three women were Cicely Margaret Gwyn Elger, Enid Margaret Kentish and Hermione Angela Rogers.

Jim,

I have visited Southbourne. St. Peter's School has no knowledge of a memorial therein and I visited two Grassendale School outbuildings, now private houses, who had no information either, so a dead end. That said, I have a line of enquiry that I'll follow up and will write again if anything crops up.

The brasses in St. Katharine with St. Nicholas Church are fiendishly difficult to photograph, being in a dark corner and flash creating bounce off, and I'm no photographer. Here is one view (I can't get it to stand up straight) and I'll email you all I have so you can choose. Happy to return if they are all below par.

Acknown

[Jim Strawbridge]

Acknown, Thank you. Flashback off brass memorials is a common feature and one can only do one's best. The only way that I know to remove it is to try and get light to it without using the flash. A torch won't do it as it's a concentrated beam. I suppose that is why in a photographer's studio they have those reflective umrellas. As to the memorial at the Grassendale school there are several references that there is one including here :- http://www.rememberthefallen.co.uk/nurse/kentish-enid/  Yet on this one :- https://www.wiltshire-opc.org.uk/Items/Wilcot/Wilcot - VAD Volunteer - Hermione Angela Rogers 1917 (Oare).pdf mention is made of the school memorial but actually shows the St. Katherine's memorial. This one :- https://pooleshealthrecord.wordpress.com/2019/05/  is significant as it states that "The school was to put up a brass plaque to Enid in St. Katharine's Church, Southbourne to mark her as one of their own who died in service to the country".  That seems to be the best explaination. The school arranged for and presumably paid for the memorials in St. Katharine's church.