York Memorials

[David Carr]

I have a A.Mercer on three memorials in York. Have found records on the war graves site and York Roll of Honour of him as Albert Mercer. When married he was Alma Mercer. Does anybody know how you can find the information about the person who is written on these memorials.
many thanks David.

[CaroleW]

Have found records on the war graves site and York Roll of Honour of him as Albert Mercer. When married he was Alma Mercer

WW1 or WW2?

Have you checked freebmd for a birth/marriage under both christian names?

[David Carr]

Hi First World War.
Mercer, Albert
Private 12186, 12th Bn., West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own). Killed in action 3rd April 1916. Commemorated on Special Memorial 9, Voormezeele Enclosures No.1 and No.2, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Albert Mercer was born in Monkgate, York and lived in York. Commemorated on the Leeman Road District War Memorial.
checked on Free BMD and no other Alma Mercer's. My mother who is in her 90th year remembers visiting the memorials. Another line of enquiry I have done is to Nestle at York as he is on the Rowntree Memorial outside the York Factory. Alma worked at Rowntrees before the war as a Confectioners Labourer a stated on his Wedding Certificate. Just need proof that Alma and Albert are the same person.

[CaroleW]

There is a tree on Ancestry with a photo of him in uniform taken in 1916.  He is shown as Alma Mercer 1892-1918 - not 1916 so probably an error

He married as Alma in 1914 to Emily E Reed.  Emily Edith Mercer - widow b 1894 re-married 1919 to Ernest Raby.  Father shown as John Charles Reed

There is no death for him under Alma in the normal GRO index

[Pinetree]

Further to what Carole has found:

I can not see any WWI records that fit for Alma or Albert but there is a pension record for a chap I think is his brother, William Henry MERCER.  This states that William married Laura ASHTON at St Mark's York in 15 April 1901 (actually 1911 at St Paul Holgate Road, York according to Yorkshire BMD - William was only 11 in 1901!) and that one of the witnesses was Albert MERCER this may be an Uncle but possibly evidence of Alma using the name Albert if he was the witness?  William Henry had two children Freda and Jack.

If it would help at all I could look up the marriage entry for William in the PRs to see if it sheds any further clues.

Also Alma's birth was registered in York in 1893 so if his place of birth was Monkgate that would help to link the two.  I wonder if he was baptised at St Maurice?

Another possibility is that his death was mentioned in the local press - York library has a surname index of local newspaper articles which I could check sometime for you if that would help.

Pinetree

[David Carr]

Thank you CaroleW and Pinetree. I found the WW1 records by only putting the surname in and the cemetery. Have sent PM to CaroleW about the photo. Emily Edith Reed is my grandmother and I have the wedding certificate for Emily and Alma who were married at St Cuthberts York. At the time of the wedding Alma was living at 25 Bilton Street York. Which is near Monkgate. His fathers name was John William Henry Mercer on the certificate.Thanks for the offer of a lookup in the York Press. Fingers crossed we hope to move back to Yorkshire in a few weeks time which will help with my research. Another part of this story is recorded on the war graves site is the day Alma died he died alongside a J.Cooper 13054 of the same regiment and they were buried together at first and in later years separated to individual graves when the Cemetery was more established. On Almas description notes there is two sets of dental records so they might have got the bodies mixed up.
There is a J.Cooper on the same Rowntree memorial as A.Mercer but this might just be a coincidence. On the York Roll of Honour all it says for a J.Cooper that he was a Private and mentioned in The Kings Book in York Minster.
David.