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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Research for memorial addition


lionboxer

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You may have read some of my other posts that we intend to refurbish our village war memorial and add further names at the same time. We are now stuck for information with one of our new names and wonder if any Pals can suggest something/anything. We have to satisfy ourselves (local history group researchers), the Parish Council and Parochial Church Council that this man's death was war service related so that he can be commemorated too.

7609 Sgt. John Henry PRESTON DCM 2nd Norfolk Regt.

A pre-war regular soldier Preston was with 2Norfolks in India at the outbreak of the war and was sent to Mesopotamia. He won the DCM at Barjisiyah April 15. As far as we know he was not captured at Kut but had been in and out of hospital several times with varying problems, some undiagnosed. He was discharged 12/6/19 and died sometime in the first quarter of 1920 as there is a mention of a memorial service for him in the local church in March. No burial which seems to suggest he was away in hospital possibly. His service record is lost and we can't find a death certificate. What now???

Lionboxer

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LB

Without a death certificate to show war service related causes I guess it would not be possible to succeed.

Had a good trawl through 1837 online for a death cert?

How about local newspaper for the period?

He does not seem to be on CWGC listsings, not surprisingly when he had already been discharged, but maybe worth checking with CWGC just in case?

Any chance of his service record surviving at Kew (especially if he was a prewar soldier)?

Ian

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I really hope you find this chap as a DCM winner deserves remembering properly. Have you tried the Norwich CRO as they have a large collection of WW1 pics on their site, suggesting someonw there has a great deal of interest in the war. Maybe they know more about him, being a DCM winner and all?

His families local papers would be the fave in my eyes though. Surely if there was a memorial service in the local church, the papers wudl have run the story, hopefully including where when he passed?

God, I really hope he comes to light, so I wish you the best of luck with this one mate.

Steve

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Thanks for your suggestions lads. I think another trawl through the local papers is now called for, together with contact at the Regtl. museum.

Lionboxer

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