Author Topic: Newbury Remembers  (Read 13713 times)

Offline newburychap

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #9 on: Thursday 03 May 12 01:52 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/
Obviously a possibility - but I had him down for the H Herbert on the memorial.

Alfred Sidney New
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/405790/
I have him as a possible/probable, but his address (Aldern Bridge) is actually not in Newbury, or even Berks but over the border in Newtown, Hants.  But it's still close and he very possibly worked in Newbury.  However, there are a couple of other A News from Newbury who would have been of an age to serve and could be one of the other A News at the CWGC.

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

Two John Wheelers
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2854352/
and
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/776726/
Yes - the impossible dilemma - which was the one whose name was put forward.  I guess I will end up telling both their tales - two for the price of one.  The trouble is that the software running the links on my site can't cope with two links for one name - ho-hum - need to give that some thought.
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Offline Sloe Gin

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #10 on: Thursday 03 May 12 12:38 BST (UK) »
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.

I just wonder if someone confused him with Alexander.  There are a lot of mistakes on war memorials.  You will have found no Australian army record for Richard, although Herbert's is there.  There's a probate ad for Herbert in the Hobart Mercury of Saturday 8 April 1922 which names his executors as Arthur Stanley Ravenor and Maurice Augustus Ravenor, so Richard was not one of the executors which you might expect him to be if he was in Australia.  Might be worth starting a separate thread about this, possibly on the Australia board?
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 #11 on: Thursday 03 May 12 14:20 BST (UK) »
I just wonder if someone confused him with Alexander.  There are a lot of mistakes on war memorials.  You will have found no Australian army record for Richard, although Herbert's is there.  There's a probate ad for Herbert in the Hobart Mercury of Saturday 8 April 1922 which names his executors as Arthur Stanley Ravenor and Maurice Augustus Ravenor, so Richard was not one of the executors which you might expect him to be if he was in Australia.  Might be worth starting a separate thread about this, possibly on the Australia board?
Arthur and Maurice are two more of the Ravenor brothers - Herbert's will was (also?) probated in England with them as executors. Thanks for the reference to the advert - another bit of colour for the story when I get round to writing it.

I recognise that there are many mistakes on war memorials, but I believe that such a mistake would be less likely to occur with a well known family like the Ravenors, most of the people on the War Memorial Committee would have known them, certainly most of the Borough Council reps will have known their father (Alderman Richard Ravenor) very well.

I suspect that RB was a bit of a black sheep - heading off to Australia to prospect for gold, settling in Kalgoorie then moving on.  Perhaps he served under another name?  One tree on Ancestry has a death date (20/7/16) for him - but not source details; I have contacted the tree owner to see if they can add anything.
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Offline newburychap

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #12 on: Saturday 05 May 12 11:40 BST (UK) »
Update:

I have now identified T V Marshall - Thomas Valentine Marshall, a recent addition to the CWGC database.
http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/75228696/MARSHALL,%20THOMAS%20VALENTINE

R B Ravenor - apparently his name is on a family tomb in Speen churchyard as dying 20/1/16 while serving in the Australian Navy.  While his father's obit (15/3/17) states that he is in the Solomon Islands.  All very confusing.
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Offline Sloe Gin

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #13 on: Saturday 05 May 12 20:08 BST (UK) »
R B Ravenor - apparently his name is on a family tomb in Speen churchyard as dying 20/1/16 while serving in the Australian Navy.  While his father's obit (15/3/17) states that he is in the Solomon Islands.  All very confusing.

I wonder if he was in the Merchant Navy.  That might account for his absence from CWGC.  MN casualties only qualify through direct enemy action, unlike RN where any cause of death (illness, accident etc) got you in.  Might be the explanation for some of your other mystery names, anyway.
UK census content is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk  Transcriptions are my own.

Offline dee-jay

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #14 on: Wednesday 09 May 12 16:01 BST (UK) »
Lance Serjeant Arthur John WESTALL of the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment killed at Loos 28 Sep 1915.  Service No 5440.  Age unknown.

I have done some research on this WESTALL casualty, in an attempt to find descendants to claim their 'ownership' on the CWGC site, so far without success.  His widow, Alice [nee LEWITT] originated in Leicester, where she raised their two children born Aylesbury, where in 1911 AJ was a Railway Porter.

AJ and his brother 'Wm' [otherwise Francis William Edward], of Northbrook Place, Newbury [1891 Census] were sons of Francis WESTALL [1852-1894] and were orphaned young.  I've not yet discovered what became of AJ's brother 'Wm'.

SOM/Chard/Combe St Nicholas/Ilminster:  Dean[e]/Doble/Jeffery/Burt;  DEV/Yarcombe:  Dean/Gill/Every; 
BRK/Newbury:  Westall/Green/Lewis/Canning;  WIL/Allcannings:  Hiscock/Amor;  Froxfield:  Hobbs/Green;  HAM/Kingsclere:  Martin/Hiscock/Westall;  WAR/Marton/Bubbenhall:  Glenn/Holmes;  STS/Yoxall/Hamstall Ridware/Barton-u-Needwood:  Holmes/Dainty;  STS/Brewood/Codsall/Penkridge/Hatherton:  Dean[e]; GLA/Aberdare:  Dean/Dane

Census information: Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline newburychap

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #15 on: Wednesday 09 May 12 20:30 BST (UK) »
Lance Serjeant Arthur John WESTALL of the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment killed at Loos 28 Sep 1915.  Service No 5440.  Age unknown.

There are 4 Westalls on the Newbury war memorial - but no AJ.  An EG, 2 Fs and a W.

The 2 Fs are the main problem, one is Frank (1st R Berks, 7497) but the other ...
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Offline newburychap

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #16 on: Tuesday 22 May 12 10:49 BST (UK) »
One thing I have noted while researching the Newbury fallen from WW1 is that there are a number who are not on the town war memorial.  I come across these often by chance while researching those that are on the memorial.

So I thought I would start a virtual memorial to record these names.

Here are a few:

  William Belcher, 15th Batt, AIF. Son of Wm & Lydia Belcher, Salcombe Road Dairy, Newbury.
  Alfred Griffiths, RGA. Son of Caleb & Sophia Griffiths, 130 Bartholomew Street, Newbury, husband of Maude (nee Bassett). Buried in Newbury Cemetery.
  Sidney Rogers, 11th Batt, South Wales Borderers. Son of Samuel and Martha Rogers, 1 Cromwell Place, Newbury. Remembered on a family gravestone in Newbury Cemetery.
 

If anyone has come across someone who they feel should be on the memorial but isn't I would love to hear about them. The names on the memorial are available at http://westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk/namesearch.php?sname=WB040&type=exact
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Offline Vicwinann

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Re: Newbury Remembers
« Reply #17 on: Wednesday 23 May 12 20:29 BST (UK) »
hello Newburychap

These are on the Memorials site and are a couple of mine
My 5th cousins
George Henry Ballard 1893-1915 Gallipoli, ofCharles Ballard 1853-1937 and Emma Head 1860-1911. Eldest son
His brother Albert Edward 1899- 1918 Vimy Ridge
In 1911 Albert was still living at 9 Bridge Cottages Shaw Rd Newbury with parents. His siblings, bar one, had all flown the coop.
George Henry was  at Winchester Barracks, a Private 3rd Bn The Hampshire Regt.

Is there anything else backwards that you would like to know? If I can help, I will
Vicwinann
Sellwood Berkshire Oxon Lancs Wilts; Cassell Berkshire and Guildford; Leighs Guildford and London; Saunders Portsea, Greenwich and Deptford ; Austin Cookham; Osgood Berkshire; Dack Norfolk; Darling Berkshire and Mapledurham; Wilkins Englefield Berks; Havenhand Derbys; Whileman Derbys; Reedman Derbys, Notts, Australia, Africa; Rottenberry Deptford and Devon;