Messenger family in Gravesend

[Brian2009]

(Wot Edith and Edward!!)

Nick
The only male residing at 148, was George Messenger  b 1874

17 Clarence Place, was the Mayors home address.

Brian

[Nickb]

Thank you Brian

will have a look at where to go from here.

So thank you to you both again

Regards

Nick

[carol8353]

I have the service records for a relative of mine, namely a William Armitage DIBNAH (Army Cyclist Corps) who was killed 29 Sept 1917. In these papers there is a note from a Edie Messenger asking for his next of kin's address. Another note is from the then Mayoress of Gravesend Lizzie Huggins also asking the War office for his address. it appears that a "young man from Gravesend" had a message for his family as he was with him when he died.

I think I have found Edith b 1885 Gravesend, she later in 1918 married a James Sheppard.

Kindest regards

Nick   

Nick is there a date for this note from Edie?

Have you considered that it may have been her fiance James Sheppard who was with William when he died?

I suppose a letter to the editor of the local Gravesend paper wouldn't go amiss,someone may know something,or perhaps you could ask if anyone reading the paper knows of a Gravesend chap who was in the Army Cyclist Corps

Carol

[carol8353]

Just answered my own question- the letter was dated 11/10/1917.
I've been looking at his service records.

Just thinking that it's a long time from the 1911 census to the above date and it may not have been anyone who was living there in 1911 who wrote that letter.

Hmmm let me have a think 

I wonder why Edie not only asked for the address of the next of kin,but also the relationship of that person to William? 

[carol8353]

There was a James Shepherd in the  Army Cyclist Corps, number 5641 ,but I can't find service or pension records for him to prove if he's our man,only his medal card.

Carol

[lizdb]

So - am I right in summarizing as follows

William Dibnah was killed 1917

2 people are anxious to locate his next of kin -
a) a Miss Edie Messenger
b) the Mayoress of Gravesend on behalf of a fellow soldier from Gravesend who was with him at his death.

These two people  may or may not be connected. We are assuming at present that they are.

I see that William died 29th Sept and you say Edie's letter was dated 11th Oct - so very soon afterwards. Had the "fellow soldier" returned to England by then and wanted to find the family? Or had he written to Edie - in which case Edie may have been a friend (or fince as suggested) of the soldier.

IF the Edith that has been found is the right Edie, it night be worth looking to see what her fiance did in the war.

I think I have only repeated what has already been said!

And I see the red writing - Carol is one step ahead!

[Nickb]

The Edith is the correct one as far as can be made out, from her note the address for her matches but her link to either William or the soldier with the message cannot be proved as yet.

But I did think Ediths future husband James could in fact be that soldier and he quickly contacted her after Williams death. Life and time was very short for those on the front so it could have been imperative to contact them ASAP. May be James was also wounded when William was killed.

If Williams service record and medal card is looked at then it is assumed he was in the Cyclist Corps on death. But as I have said he was transferred to the 54th Light Railway Company just before his death. This may have only been a temporary move. But then as you have said Carol no papers for James have been found, so we cannot check that line.

The Mayors office and a local newspaper will be next on my list of DO's as this for now seems the logical way to go.

Nick 

[j6767]

Hello: I am new at this roots chat, joined because I was doing some research on my grandfather's brother William Dibnah, and all this popped up under my google search. I followed the thread and read the reply between you and a couple of others. I am the great niece of William Armitage Dibnah, granddaughter of his much younger brother Charles Alfred Dibnah. My uncle Gerald, has William's service medal. This is the first that I have heard of service records and a letter written, by or dictated by WA Dibnah in an effort to get a message to his family.  It would mean so much to us if we knew what that letter contained.  My great grandmother died at 48 without ever knowing his final resting place. It was only a year ago that we determined his grave is in Belgium and I was able to provide the information and a photo to my Uncle. If you have this information or know of others in the chat who do, could you please forward such. Thank you so much

[Nickb]

Hello J6767

Glad to see you found this thread. Unfortunately I do not think we will ever get to the bottom of this story. I would have thought the closest family members would have the only evidence of the message but it may have been given verbally.

As William comes from my own family line on the Dibnah tree I would have liked to have found someone who knew the story, unfortunately we are without the generation that remember these times and along with them go the family stories.

I have pm'd you if you wish to get in touch regarding the Dibnah family tree.

Nick