In December 2004 I began research on the men of Flint and Oakenholt who died in WW1 after discovering a book about the men of Bagillt who died in that conflict written by Mr Tony Aldridge of Buckley.
One local newspaper of the time reported that 200 Flint men died but I have only traced 179. Most were in the Army but a few were in the Royal or Merchant Navy.
Not all, though, died in battle. A small number survived the war only to become victims of the flu epidemic which claimed millions worldwide. One soldier, Private George Martin of Princes Street, was serving in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in 1916 when he accidentally drowned.
A number of the men were killed by enemy shells while others were shot by snipers. There were some who were wounded in France but were eventually to succumb to their wounds in a British hospital.
There was also one civilian victim named Samuel John Cocks of Oakenholt. He was general manager of the Dundalk and Newry Steamship Company and in October 1918 he returned home to attend the funeral of his brother William who died of pneumonia. On Monday the 14th he was returning to Ireland on the s.s. Dundalk when it was sunk by a German torpedo. There were just five survivors.
I have already gathered a large amount of information on these men for my book but I also need YOUR help. If your ancestor or relative was one of these men and you have a photo of him, documents of any sort or any information at all then I would like to hear from you. Anything loaned will be copied and returned in its original condition.
I am hoping the book will be ready for publication by the end of this year.
Regards
Peter
Author
Topic: FLINT AND OAKENHOLT IN WW1 (Read 2118 times)