2013 Remembrance Day

Today is Remembrance Sunday 2013, a day when we take time in our thoughts to remember........

My research into the Fallen Heroes remembered on the St Barnabas Memorial, New Whittington is going well.  I have unearthed some truly amazing stories of courage and sacrifice.  The story of each man will be told on the centenary anniversary of each mans death.

The names on the memorial are written in surname and initial form only.  To hopefully help connect to the families of the men I have listed below the full names of the men I have researched so far -

ADAMS Henry Edgar
ANDREWS John Arthur
BELFITT John Henry
BENNISON George Henry
BENNISON James
BOOTH Joseph
CLEWLEY Tom
COLLINS John
COOPER Edgar
COX Albert
CRAIG James
CRESSWELL David
CROSSDALE George
CROSSDALE Norman
CROSSDALE Arthur
DAVIDSON Leonard William
FURNESS Walter
GILBERTHORPE Ernest
GOODWIN Arthur
GOWER William
GREEN Harry
GRIFFIN Harry
HALL John William
HEELEY Arthur
HOLROYD John Ernest
HOUSTON William Bamford
HUSBAND William
JACKLIN William Ewart
KIRK John James
LETTS Harry Alfred
LOCKETT William Henry
LONGDEN James Clement
LONGMATE John William
MARTIN George
MASKREY Francis
MEARS George
MILLBAND Harry / Henry
MILLINGTON Bernard
MITCHELL Arthur
MITCHELL Frederick
MORLEY William Percy
MUSGROVE Frederick William
MUSGROVE Walter
NEEDHAM Walter
NURSE John William
O'BRIEN Thomas
PRATT George Edward
PURKISS Arnold
ROSE Norman
SHARMAN Frederick
SKEVINGTON Harry Ernest
SKEVINGTON Walter Elliott
SMITH James
STRAW Harry
STUART Dennis Redfern
TART Harry
WARREN Arthur
WARREN Henry
WEDGWOOD Arthur
WHITHORN Frederick Arthur
WILSON ?Bertram
WOOD William
YATES Thomas William
YOUNG Harry

The men still to be researched are -

BOOTH G
BURTON E H
CALLISS A
COOKE A
COX ART
FREEMAN A
GARDNER W
KIRK W C
LEESON J P
PARKIN W
PERKS A C
ROBERTS T H
ROBERTS V
RUSH J
SAVAGE W
STRAW J A
TOLLEY W H
VAUGHAN J
WARDLE J

Please continue to follow this blog and I look forward to sharing the stories of the 85 men, THE FALLEN HEROES.......

LEST WE FORGET

 



Local Graves For Local HEROES

Well the time is ticking by and we are drawing nearer to the Centenary of the Great War.  I am still busy researching the soldiers who gave their precious lives and in return found themselves gaining the honour of being inscribed on the St Barnabas Church Memorial.

Some of the men died on home ground and thus the families of these men were fortunate enough to be able to bury their loved one close to their homes.  They had a place where they could visit, mourn and remember.  I would like to hope that they were the “lucky” ones, if there was such a thing.  They were brought home to be near friends and family and back to where they belonged.

Some of the men on the St Barnabas Church Memorial are buried in the graveyard of the Parish Church at Old Whittington; St Bartholomew’s Church.  We took a visit to the Church on Saturday to see if we could find any of the graves. 

Over on the North side of the Church, overlooking the yellow and green fields were the graves of Harry Green and William Husband; such a beautifully peaceful setting to honour our local hero’s.  The view has probably changed little, if at all since the day when the local residents all drew together to honour and remember by the graveside at the funerals of the men.

 

*Harry Green -

Harry was the son of John and Edith Green, 123 Wellington Street, New Whittington.  He was only 18 years of age and had joined up on his 18th birthday. 

 

Harry had begun his training at Rugeley in Staffordshire where he became ill.  He was taken to the hospital on 23rd May and died just two days later on 25th May 1918 of fever. 

Harry was serving with the Sherwood Foresters 53rd Battalion.  Private T.R /6/51599.

 

 

 

 

 

*William Husband -

 

William was serving with the Northumberland Fusiliers.

 

He was a 2nd Lieutenant.

 

Aged only 28 years he died on 25th June 1918.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A short walk over towards the south of the graveyard, nestled under the shade of a tree is the grave of Leonard Davidson.

 

*Leonard Davidson -

Leonard survived the war, after receiving a wound to the thigh he had been hospitalised in the Scottish General Hospital, Aberdeen.  In fact Leonard was wounded three times. 

 

But, it was not the war that proved to be the final fight for Leonard it was the influenza or Spanish Flu as was prevalent at that time. 

Leonard contacted the influenza which turned to pneumonia and sadly he passed away on 9th February 1919 aged 22 years old.

 

Leonard was the son of John William and Clara Davidson, 101 Wellington Street, New Whittington.

 

He served with the Sherwood Foresters 3rd Battalion.  Private 26883.

 

 

 

 

The full story of these men will be published on this blog on the anniversary of their deaths. 

 

If anyone is related to these men or can give more information then please do contact me, I would love to hear from you.