Author Topic: Newbury Remembers  (Read 13711 times)

Offline newburychap

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Newbury Remembers
« on: Monday 23 April 12 20:30 BST (UK) »
Newbury Remembers

A Newbury District Field Club project:

4 August 2014 will be the 100th anniversary of the declaration of war with imperial Germany and its allies.  In the following four and a quarter years millions lost their lives in the conflict that is still known as the Great War.  Newbury’s war memorial records the names of 337 local lads, and one local lass, who lost their lives in the long struggle.

Some of these names will mean something to their families, but to most they are just a list of names.  The NEWBURY REMEMBERS project aims to change this.  By researching all the names we hope to provide a permanent record telling the stories of the people behind the names.  Who were they? What was their life like before the war? How did they serve? How did they die? Where are they buried? Some of the questions that we will attempt to answer – 338 times - before the Centenary.

Would you like to help?  Can you spare some time to research the families of those who died?  Are you adept at tracking down military records?  Do you think you could turn your hand to authoring some of the stories? Could you get to Kew and dig into the military records that have not been digitised? Could you spare some time in Newbury or Reading libraries tracking down newspaper reports?

We will be meeting on Thursday evening (7.30pm, 26 April) in the Library at Park House School, Newbury - come along if you can.  If you can't PM me with some idea of how you would like to help.
Latest project - www.westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk
Currently researching:<br /> Newbury pubs  & inns - the buildings, breweries and publican families.
Member of Newbury District Field Club - www.ndfc.org.uk

Offline mamor

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #1 on: Monday 30 April 12 18:46 BST (UK) »
Sorry I'm unable to help at the moment, but I just wanted to say what a wonderful thing it is that you are doing.
 :)
FREEMANTLE - Hampshire  WILLIAMS - Gypsy/Romany family  GILES - Greenham  GILMORE - London  AMOR - Pewsey/Wilcot  DULIEU - London  BISHOP - Enborne  WILLIAMS - Kent BROWN - Kent/Peckham TIDMARSH

Offline CFP39

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 01 May 12 23:21 BST (UK) »
Hi

I've attempted the same thing for my home village and town of residence.  :)   They are both on line as 'work in progress". 
Is your Newbury one on line? If not, why not enter the names on this post?  I realize that this will take time but may be worth it as anyone with a 'lost' family member may find them and be able to identify them for you.
Those contacting me have mostly been after more information.  :(   But have had some help.

If you are able to identify all of your people on CWGC site you will be very lucky!

Hope all goes well for you

Lee
Watford/Rickmansworth - Payne, Paddick, Gurney, Green, Nichol(l)s
Hindringham/Norfolk - Sands, Southgate
Newbury, Berks. - Pocock, Salter
Sevenoaks area Kent - Nash, Wicking, White
Cranbrook area Kent - Hayward
Ash/Windlesham, Surrey - Chitty/Chittie, Harwood

Offline newburychap

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 02 May 12 10:21 BST (UK) »
Is your Newbury one on line?

They are online - at the address in my signature
http://www.westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk/namesearch.php?sname=WB040&type=exact

So far I have written up about 20 of their stories - the following link is a shortcut to these:
http://www.westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk/nstories.php

Only 320 to go!

I have identified most of them at the CWGC - but there are still a fair number to tie down - mainly where there is more than one choice at the CWGC. I am whittling away at these as other information comes to light.  So far I have identified three who are definitely not in the CWGC database; the evidence has gone to the CWGC to get one of these added to their database and a stone put on his grave.  I do the same with one of the others when I have the necessary paperwork, the third is a civilian who volunteered as a nurse in Serbia; I will see if she qualifies for commemoration, but the paperwork is a lot more complicated there!

Latest project - www.westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk
Currently researching:<br /> Newbury pubs  & inns - the buildings, breweries and publican families.
Member of Newbury District Field Club - www.ndfc.org.uk


Offline Sloe Gin

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 02 May 12 13:01 BST (UK) »
The problem with Lorna Ferris, as I recall, is that only certain British civilian organisations were recognised by the CWGC as coming under their care, and the Serbian Relief Fund was not one of them.   This is why Beatrice Stevens of Compton misses out, too, as she worked with the French Red Cross. 

I shall have a look at your names, Newburychap, and see if I can help identify anyone with no CWGC link.  You've done such a great job with listing the memorials for the whole of the area, though, that I doubt any of those left will be easy!   Doesn't help with no forenames on the memorial  :(

By the way, your link to Ralph Thorn is broken - scared me for a minute there! :) but our site is still up, link in my sig below.
UK census content is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk  Transcriptions are my own.

Offline newburychap

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 02 May 12 14:51 BST (UK) »
Since posting this morning I have identified a few more:

Arthur Birch (God knows why he is on the memorial as I can find no Newbury connection - but he did merit an obit in the local paper)
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/184933/BIRCH,%20A

Robert John Drewell (the memorial has RF Drewell but I am pretty sure this is the chap, he was living in Newbury in 1911)
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/1580169/DREWELL,%20ROBERT%20JOHN

Albert Emblen (only casualty of that name. living in Newbury in 1911 and nearby most of his life) http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/1752778/EMBLEN,%20ALBERT

and

Richard Bland Ravenor.

The last one is a real problem - I'm sure he is the RB Ravenor on the memorial, but I'm not sure if he died at all.  His brothers, Herbert and Geoffrey certainly did; but Richard seems to have settled in Australia in 1903 and disappeared.  I cannot find a death for him in the UK, Australia or in the forces.  Their father died in March 1917, supposedly his health was shattered by the deaths of Herbert and Geoffrey in 1916.  Reading his obituary it seems certain that RB had not died before his father, or, if he did, the family didn't know about it.


Harold Thomas Barrett enlisted in Newbury and seems a contender for the HT Barrett on the memorial - but I haven't yet found any other connection to the town:
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/461846/BARRETT,%20H%20T

Sloe Gin:  I will check the Thorn link, thanks for spotting the problem.
Latest project - www.westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk
Currently researching:<br /> Newbury pubs  & inns - the buildings, breweries and publican families.
Member of Newbury District Field Club - www.ndfc.org.uk

Offline Sloe Gin

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 02 May 12 15:49 BST (UK) »
Who's this chap?  The plot thickens!  Shouldn't he be on the memorial?

Alexander Mitchelson Ravenor

UK census content is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk  Transcriptions are my own.

Offline Sloe Gin

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 02 May 12 15:50 BST (UK) »
Here's a few possibles, I expect you've found these already though

George H. Herbert could possibly be your G.W. Herbert – a written H and a W can easily be confused
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/598178/

Alfred Sidney New
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/405790/

Albert John Smith
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/291069/

Two John Wheelers
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2854352/
and
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/776726/

UK census content is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk  Transcriptions are my own.

Offline newburychap

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 03 May 12 01:06 BST (UK) »
Who's this chap?  The plot thickens!  Shouldn't he be on the memorial?

Alexander Mitchelson Ravenor
Alexander was a cousin of the other three - although he did live in Newbury for a while he was born and spent his early years in Lymington and was living in Surrey from, at the latest, 1906. I wouldn't have been surprised if he did appear on the memorial, but I don't really see him as an ommission - unlike the chap who killed himself while serving in the forces and is buried in the town cemetery.
Latest project - www.westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk
Currently researching:<br /> Newbury pubs  & inns - the buildings, breweries and publican families.
Member of Newbury District Field Club - www.ndfc.org.uk