Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

"One off" Surnames


susanhemmings

Recommended Posts

Yesterday whilst browsing my attention was drawn to a medal for

Gunner 134571 W. A. Mclaughter RGA

I do not normally purchase medals but the description below made me smile:

"ONE 100% GENUINE WW1 BRITISH WAR MEDAL- TOTALLY UNIQUE SIRNAME- TO 134571 GNR W A MCLAUGHTER R.A WILLIAM SERVED WITH THE ROYAL GARRISON ARTILLERY IN WW1. NO ONE ELSE SERVED IN WW1 WITH THIS SIRNAME!"

As it was to do with RGA I decided to purchase it. I await its delivery.

What got me thinking was how many soldiers had these "unique surnames"? or as the ad. placer says - SIRNAME!!!

I expect lots of collectors have got some of these in their collections.

I have tried on CWGC but no other Mclaughter surnames and NA only has this chap's MIC.

The only Mclaughter surname on Ancestry is for a couple (no William) who came from Ireland (to Scotland) if my memory serves me correctly.

Makes you wonder. Have others got "unusual" named medals? Amongt the millions on men that fought its hard to image that no body else served with that name.

Susan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can kick off with one - John P. Ciclitira. He was a local Essex man who I helped research for an elderly lady who later lived in the same house as he once did. Quite a story in the end with a very satisfying conclusion, very interesting family he came from too. (Story appeared in a copy of Stand To! some time back).

He served with the QWR and was killed in an attack at Leuze Wood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Max, Allie.

Really interesting. It amazes me how these can be THE only ones with their surnames. There must be thousands if we have come up with three in a quarter of an hour!

Facinating.

Thanks

Susan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Gt Uncle Charlie UMBERS killed 28-10-1916 suppose its not unique but still one of only two. Rifleman GW Umbers killed 43 days earlier. Ralph

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Susan,

I am sure there are many, many more to come.

Mr Ciclitira had an interesting nephew too - Major Denis Ciclitira who passed away while the research was in progress. He was head of SOE in Crete during the Second World War. He enjoyed many adventures not least saving the future Prime Minister of Greece from an enemy firing squad, arranging the transfer of a captured German General to Egypt, and finally taking surrender of 12,000 German troops in May 1945.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Max, that is sad. When you look at just one soldier it is amazing what information you gather from their life.

And what amazing information. Just look at "your" Major. Phew.

and thanks again

Susan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Susan, if you expand your search to the Canadian army, there are literally hundreds, perhaps scores of hundreds of men with "unique" names.

This is mostly due to the many ethnic groups who contributed members to the CEF. Think of any modern European country and representatives will be found who enlisted or were conscripted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is only one TARVIT on the CWGC. He is Sapper James Tarvit of the Royal Engineers who hailed from Cellardyke in Fife, Scotland. The strange thing is that he is not commemorated on the Cellardyke war memorial but there is another Tarvit inscribed there- he is Trimmer William Tarvit RNRT, who died of consumption 18 October 1918 aged 22 but he is not on the CWGC. He may have been discharged from the service because of ill health- would this have excluded him from the CWGC list?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not a soldier but a man with a great name who served as a police officer in Gibralter in the early 1900's, a medal to him is named Horatio Victory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Susan,

Its interesting, I've looked up names which I think must be unique, but its only because I've never come across them in my locality, you then find a cluster of people with the same surname in a pocket at the other end of the country.

I do have various bits to the following men, who have unique surnames as far as CWGC are concerned.

Martin Erzeneek

William Mauvan

Carl Osmundson

William Scawthon

Henry Winlo

A lot more out there I would think,

Regards,

Spud

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Great-Great grandfather, William Durepaire (one of whose family, Jean Guirot Du Repaire, was a General de Brigade in Napoleons Army, and was in charge of the French Heavy Cavalry at Waterloo):

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_detail...asualty=2909437

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just gets better. Superb.

Thank you all.

Susan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a plaque to Thomas Hidrith the only Hildrith named at cwgc, there are four Hildrith's listed on the NA site.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A quick search ,as you had me intruiged as to if I could find one, found an E. Stipetic only 17 years old. I haven't got his medals or anything just the topic caught my eye and I though I'll see if I can find one on the CWGC - it was harder than I thought...

Name: STIPETIC, EDMUND

Initials: E

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Trimmer

Regiment/Service: Mercantile Marine

Unit Text: Steam Trawler "Quair" (Hull)

Age: 17

Date of Death: 03/11/1916

Additional information: Son of Stephen and Annie Stipetic, of 38, West Dock Avenue, Hull.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Memorial: TOWER HILL MEMORIAL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Susan, I am lucky in that I have a very unusual ancestral name of Ilbury with its variants of Ilbery and Ilbrey. All the MICs to either Ilbury or Ilbrey are my relatives and most of the Ilberys. The rest may also be, but I haven't yet managed to prove the link even with DNA testing. The name I believe descends from the now deserted medieaval village of that name from Oxfordshire which lay close to the Iron Age Hill Fort of the same name.

I did see the medal on Ebay that you bought and I must confess it did bring a chuckle to my face with the name and I just wondered what he put up with during life.

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both the Bennitts on CWGC are close-ish relations of mine, a great-uncle and a cousin, and of the four or five others with MICs I believe one of them, a VAD, is the widow of the cousin and another, a private in the RAMC, is my grandfather. The rest, who were gunners, are probably related to me in some way. I just don't have the time or resources to verify.

cheers Martin B

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WW2, not WW1... however I find this [one-off] one interesting.

Name: PAIVA

Initials: J X

Nationality: Indian

Rank: Havildar Clerk

Regiment/Service: Indian Army Ordnance Corps

Unit Text: 15 Salvage Unit

Age: 20

Date of Death: 28/06/1942

Service No: O/122826

Additional information: Son of J. X. Paiva, and Amirkamalvaz, of Manappad, Tinnevelly, India.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Memorial: DELHI / KARACHI 1939-1945 WAR MEMORIALS

Paiva is actually a Portuguese and Italian name. Unless it's coincidence that there is an Indian name with the same spelling as the Portuguese/Italian one?

Allie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Turning the question around somewhat, I wonder whether there are any frequently-occurring surnames which (akin to 'thankful villages') are not represented on the CWGC register?

Mick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

H. H. Trevetic KRRC suicide 1915 is a one namer on CWGC, but research showed that the chap must have changed the spelling or similar to create his unique name.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although a few served in the Great War there is only one SPRACK listed by CWGC, (see below), and a distant cousin of mine was killed in WW2, and he was the only SPRACK casualty of the second war, and that is still two too many!

Gareth

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although a few served in the Great War there is only one SPRACK listed by CWGC, (see below), and a distant cousin of mine was killed in WW2, and he was the only SPRACK casualty of the second war, and that is still two too many!

Gareth

UNIQUE _(Thank God) -Great Uncle Lawrence;- Lawrence George DEPTFORD 8/1592 and later 205444 Hampshire Regt KIA Nov 1917 Junction Station( Or thereabouts,they never found him),Palestine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My mother is a Pedlingham by birth and if either of the two Ped's KIA in WW1 appear on eBay, I'll leap on them! It's such a rare name that we don't need to prove if we're related to them, just how.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...