Western Road School Sheffield War Memorial - Help needed

[Ann Baker]

Hi All

This is a big ask but we need as much help as possible. In Sheffield a number of schools planted trees and erected plaques in memory of former pupils who died in WW1. Western Road school (now known as Westways) was one such school but where other schools have a roll of honour this one does not and there is no record in the Sheffield archives of those who died.

I am working with a group of friends who due to the centenary want to plug this gap in the local archives and this is what we are seeking help with. the school opened in 1901 and there is a register of former pupils on Find My Past provided by the Sheffield Archives. I appreciate not everyone will have access to FindMyPast and this isn't the only place where these records are so this is just a suggestion.

What we are seeking to do is to find all the boys who were pupils who served in WW1 but especially those who died as the Western Road residents are planning a dedication service as part of the centenary.

We will be looking to contact any living relatives but that's for much later (and should not be posted on here). However if you are or know someone who is please PM me.

Meanwhile any information you can find for us about the war details of any Western Road pupil would be hugely appreciated.

Many thanks

Ann

[groom]

Hi Ann

That's a lovely idea, and I'm sure that a lot of us will be only too willing to help. The only problem I can see is that without a list of names on here, there could be a lot of duplication, with people looking up the same records. Perhaps someone could suggest how this could be avoided?

Is it Western Road Infants' School records that you are referring to? If so there are 3,921 records on there, although some can be eliminated as they would be too young to have fought in WW1. 

[Ann Baker]

Hi

yes I totally see your point. I do have a spreadsheet with all the names on which I transcribed from FindMyPast school record which I am happy to PM to folks. There are almost 1400 names - hence the reason I say it's a big ask.

I can of course email this to people via a PM and maybe the way to do it is we allocate them say in blocks of 10/20 - whatever people feel comfy in taking on?

Ann 

[groom]

Great idea - count me in, if you want to PM me some I'll have a look tomorrow.

Jan

[Ann Baker]

Thanks Jan

maybe if you could pm me your email and I can send the spreadsheet and you can select say the first 10 or whatever you'd like to do and then if someone else wants to do and they can have the next batch etc etc.

And yes sorry I didn;t answer your earlier point . It is Western Road Infants.

Many thanks

Ann

[groom]

Okay, will do. Perhaps if you just send me the first 10, then you can mark those off on your main sheet as being searched for, then the next person can take the next lot etc. That way we should avoid wasted time duplicating each other.

[Janelle]

Hello Ann,
Please may I help too. I await your PM.

Sheffield is half of my OH haha

Salute
Janelle

[MaxD]

Ann
Does the school info provide additional info such as parents/address etc?  Only with that sort of personal info can one be sure that young Freddie Brown is the same Freddie Brown found in the Great War records.
That sounds awfully negative but with experience of work I have done with war memorials in my county I know how frustrating it can be to have two names that may be the same person but without the means to prove it.

maxD

[Ann Baker]

Hi Max

The school roll records their name, do.o.b., parent name and address and totally get your point and am sure there will be a few in there like that.

Thanks

Ann