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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: halcyon.64 on Friday 23 March 18 03:13 GMT (UK)
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I have recently purchased a stained glass memorial to Reginald Stuart Welch. The inscription says that he was a musician and that he died on 22nd December 1915, aged 25, after months of service in the Urgency Cases Hospital, France.
His registration card shows that he was with the French Regiment with the rank Orderly. He received the French Victory Medal and the British War Medal but doesn't appear in the CWGC site as having died.
Can anyone help to unravel his story for me?
Thanks in advance,
Kathryn.
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Did he die in England?
WELCH, REGINALD STUART 25
GRO Reference: 1915 D Quarter in FULHAM Volume 01A Page 360
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Maybe this is him in 1901 living with his grand mother in Wimbledon, Surrey.
Sarah A Stuart Head F 72 Southwark, London
Dudley Stuart Son M 30 St James, London
Grace Ainsworth Niece F 36 Hammersmith, London
Reginald S Welch Grand Son M 10 Hammersmith, London
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Found this in The Musical Times, Vol. 52, No. 818, Apr. 1, 1911
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Wondered if this could be him - the age fits?
Daily Telegraph & Courier (London) Sat 6 Jan 1900
OUR SOLDIERS WIDOWS AND ORPHANS FUND
To the Editor of "The Daily Telegraph"
Dear Sir, - I got my uncle to make me a card, and have collected 20s on it for your Fund.
Please excuse blots, as it is very rough cardboard. Hoping you get a lot more, yours truly, Reginald Stuart Welch (aged 9 years), Jermyn, Griffiths Road, Wimbledon, Jan 4.
His compositions include "In the land of the Cymry" - 6 piano pieces. One piece "A walk on the dark side" can be found on Utube.
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Wondered if this could be him - the age fits?
Daily Telegraph & Courier (London) Sat 6 Jan 1900
OUR SOLDIERS WIDOWS AND ORPHANS FUND
To the Editor of "The Daily Telegraph"
Dear Sir, - I got my uncle to make me a card, and have collected 20s on it for your Fund.
Please excuse blots, as it is very rough cardboard. Hoping you get a lot more, yours truly, Reginald Stuart Welch (aged 9 years), Jermyn, Griffiths Road, Wimbledon, Jan 4.
His compositions include "In the land of the Cymry" - 6 piano pieces. One piece "A walk on the dark side" can be found on Utube.
Sounds like him, I wonder if his uncle was Dudley Stuart.
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His medal index card reveals that he served with the French Red Cross.
Imber
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Many thanks everyone for the information you have unearthed. I have listened to the piano piece on Youtube which provides a tangible link to Reginald Welch.
I have purchased the Memorial for our war history museum. We have a big focus on Red Cross so the fact that Reginald was with the French Red Cross makes this piece even more appealing.
I am unsure where he died or why. I literally only know what is on the memorial.
Thanks again,
Kathryn.
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Solidrock above has given you the information to enable you to apply for a copy of his death certificate which will explain the cause of death.
Imber
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Wild theory about Reginalds birth.
I think he may have been the illegitimate son of Zillah Wech by Dudley Stuart.
Zillah Wech was a servant in the household of Watley Stewart and Sarah Stewart in 1861.
In 1890 she would have been 49 and Dudley 19 or if it was'nt Dudley it could have been a tenant as the were lodging house keepers. Sarah may have adopted Reginald. I said it was a wild theory.
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Wondered if this could be him - the age fits?
Daily Telegraph & Courier (London) Sat 6 Jan 1900
OUR SOLDIERS WIDOWS AND ORPHANS FUND
To the Editor of "The Daily Telegraph"
Dear Sir, - I got my uncle to make me a card, and have collected 20s on it for your Fund.
Please excuse blots, as it is very rough cardboard. Hoping you get a lot more, yours truly, Reginald Stuart Welch (aged 9 years), Jermyn, Griffiths Road, Wimbledon
The 1901 Census (ref. RG13 659 35 20) has a Reginald S Welch, aged 10, grandson at 62 Griffiths Road, Wimbledon.
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FindMyPast Marriage Registration
Thomas Welch, December Qtr 1887, Westminster, vol 1A, page 941 - on the same page Mary Lennox Stuart
FindMyPast Baptisms (image)
Parish of St. James, Westminster
Reginald Stewart* Welch, born - 9 April 1890, bap - 25 May 1890, address - 15 Bartoum Gardens**, parents' first names - Thomas and Mary Lennox. Thomas' occupation - Bank Clerk
* (1) The name was corrected to "Stuart" and ** (2) the address to "Batoum Gardens, Shepherd's Bush Road" in the baptismal register on the 18th December 1908 by John F Douglas, Curate as advised by "Charles Stuart, 57 Griffiths Road, Wimbledon, Uncle"
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Oh, thank you for that info, well done hanes teulu, that throws my wild theory out of the window but at the same time adds more mystery, like where did the Lennox's fit in and where is uncle Charles?
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Think I may have solved this...
"Parish of St. James, Westminster
Reginald Stewart* Welch, born - 9 April 1890, bap - 25 May 1890, address - 15 Bartoum Gardens**, parents' first names - Thomas and Mary Lennox. Thomas' occupation - Bank Clerk"
Mary Lennox Stuart. baptised 01 Sep 1861, St. James, Westminster, To Wortley Stuart and Sarah Ann Stewart,(nee Ballard). Wortley and Sarah Ann married 1857, Strand, London.
Mary Lennox Stuart. married Thomas Welch. 1887, Westminster St. Margaret.
"advised by "advised by "Charles Stuart, 57 Griffiths Road, Wimbledon, Uncle"
Charles Stuart was Mary Lennox's brother born 1859 and Reginalds uncle.
Not yet sure why Charles advised the change in baptism records in 1908 but Thomas may have died but Reginald is living with his grandmother Sarah Ann in 1901.
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There is a short obituary of him in the Musical Times of February 1st, 1916 - scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music, praised by Ebenezer Prout, exceptional musical gifts as a pianist and promise as a composer, did some music journalism, joined the Franco British Red Cross, served at Bar-le-Duc and Rovigny. I was prompted to dig into this having bought this morning at the Cambridge Amnesty bookshop four Wagner vocal scores dating from the early C20 and inscribed with his name. Of these the Tristan & Isolde is heavily used - but this could of course have been a subsequent owner. Where is the memorial window now displayed? J.
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It is in our museum on the south coast of Western Australia. Despite displaying many hundreds of items, this is still one of my favourites - so poignant.
www.recollectionsofwar.com.au