New Casualty Remembered

[Terry Denham]

Below is a picture of a new headstone just erected by CWGC over the previously unmarked grave of Pte Henry PATTENDEN (served as CRUNDWELL - his mother's maiden name).

This was a soldier whom I discovered was missing from the CWGC list some time ago and I managed to prove to them that he should be added. He was added to the Debt of Honour database a year ago but his headstone has only just been erected in Maidstone Cemetery, Kent.

This is the third uncommemorated soldier that I have managed to get added to the lists - each previously in an unmarked grave. For those of you trying to get someone recognised, please continue with your efforts. I can tell you that the feeling of satisfaction when you succeed is well worth the wait.

All this started from a chance conversation with a local taxi driver!

Another one in from the cold!

[Guest Hill 60]

Terry - Well done!

Not having done something like this, I would assume that it is quite a humbling experience to achieve this sort of recognition for one of the fallen.

You should feel proud in bringing another boy home in from the cold, I salute you and your efforts.

[Terry Denham]

Lee

You are right. It was an experience this morning standing alone in front of Henry's headstone knowing that if I had not picked up a comment made by this taxi driver about two years ago he would still be lying under a patch of plain green grass.

To see his public recognition after 88 years does generate a warm glow.

So that others can be encouraged to press on despite the red tape, I am posting below the pictures of the other two headstones with which I have succeeded in the past two years.

The first is a lad from our village in Sussex who was in Australia on the outbreak of war and died during training after joining the Aussie army. He is buried in Melbourne, Victoria. His relatives still live in the village and a lane is named after the family.

Pte Charles Baxter

[Terry Denham]

The next was already listed by CWGC but they had him recorded in the wrong grave in Portslade Cemetery, East Sussex. I happened to notice that not only was the first name on the private memorial different but the date of death was in 1922 after the cut off date. Despite this, CWGC firmly believed that he was in this grave! Not so...

I eventually tracked him down to another unmarked grave not far away.

L/Bdr Walter Goble

[nshighlander]

Well done.Keep up the amazing work.After 88 years HE IS FINALLY AT REST.

Cheers

Dave

[Mark]

Well done, Terry. I can't imagine how you feel. Just being able to get CWGC to amend my gt gt uncle's entry on the database to show his full name, age and nok gave me great pride.

[Drummy]

Terry,

Excellent work, well done!!!! Neil.

[paul guthrie]

Terry let us know about the conversation that started this, good work.

[Terry Denham]

Paul

Simple really. I was taking a taxi driven by a local man when he started talking about his family tree. Knowing my WW1 interest, he asked me to look to see if any of his people died in WW1 - I did and they didn't. When I told him this he seemed disappointed.

Next time I saw him, he said that his wife was looking into her ancestors but that she didn't have any WW1 casualties either. Out of idle curiosity I asked her family name - Pattenden. About a week later I remembered this & checked the CWGC site drawing a blank as far as any likely names were concerned. I then checked SDGW and found a Pattenden not on CWGC who could have fitted the family details. I followed up this possible relation as my curiosity grew. It went on from there.....

His using his mother's maiden name confused the issue for a while but we got there in the end with various strokes of luck. I casually typed 'Pattenden' into a search engine one day and found someone who had researched every Pattenden who ever was - and they lived only a few miles from me. That gave me a good start - areas to look for his possible burial place etc.

[paul guthrie]

There are still a few things I do not understand. This is a previously unmarked grave as you say, headstone is not a special memorial, a known to be or believed to be. How did you know where the body was? What convinced CWGC? I would understand if it was marked with a non CWGC stone and you convinced them he deserved one but I don't understand, thanks Terry for good work and explanation. I understand the satisfaction from that I got getting date of death changed on Canadian 87th Bn man, John Glass, buried in Vimy Park and this is much better.

I see from Soldiers Died he died at home, hard to figure why he was not given a stone but with so many chances for something to go wrong it sometimes will.

I just called to ask a local friend in the monument business whom I had contacted by Canadian CWGC if the new stone for a local black Canadian soldier John Benjamin French is up. His old one is the worst I have ever seen, the entire base is above ground. He was not in town, I know the stone is in Lexington. John was in Canadian Forestry Corps and did serve in France, stayed in montreal after WW1, discharged seemingly healthy but died within a year if TB, family had body returned. Recognized as war dead in 1931, things do move slowly. Canadian records are the best and I have worked with US UK NZ & OZ also but they do not give me the post war details of how he was granted war death status, these records must be separate from his record. Any help on that? Thanks.

[Alison Arnold]

Well done Terry,

Keep up all the good work you are doing.

Walter Goble rings a bell and I don't know why. I shall have to delve into my research again.

Best Wishes

Ali

[Jonathan Saunders]

Terry this is great work on yr behalf and as a Man of Kent, I thank you.

Sigs

[egbert]

Here is a similar story on the German side: until 4 years ago there was a certain grave "Unknown German Soldier" on a CWGC cemetery. The Grandson managed to gather enough evidence (through more than 60 years with help of his father) to convince the VdK to personalize the grave.

Depicted is the new headstone , guarded and honored by the famous German messenger dog 2 weeks ago, which by the way belongs to the Great-grandson

[Terry Denham]

Paul

Finding where he was buried was detective work. I knew where he died (the village of Burham in Kent) and I knew where he was married and where his parents lived (Maidstone, Kent).

Because I like cemeteries & churchyards (!), I went to Burham & searched the churchyard and local war memorial plus the same in nearby villages. Then I did the same for churchyards in Maidstone. No luck (I could have just searched the parish records but not so much fun!).

Then I had a very belated idea - He was not a wealthy bloke & so may well have been buried in an unmarked grave - possibly in a council cemetery. I called the authorities for several local council cemeteries including Maidstone. They came up trumps when asked if they had a 1915 burial under the names Pattenden or Crundwell.

It was easy from then on.

[Terry Denham]

Ali

GOBLE is a local Portslade/Shoreham name.

There are several Goble graves around Walter's which probably caused the mistake in the first place back in the 1920s.

[chris basey]

Terry

You must feel a great satisfaction from that marvellous achievement.

I remember some while ago reading a comment by someone who had done extensive research of their local memorial but could not account for one name. The comment was 'To think that this is the only place in the world that this man is mentioned'.

A similar experience for me, but I have two names. On the village memorial (Initial and surname) and the Roll of Honour (includes first name) but NOWHERE ELSE! Military and civil sources, as well as newspapers have produced nothing.

It would be great to share that satisfaction in their cases.

Best wishes