An initiative for the Centenary of ANZAC is Poppy Park that saw poppies made to commemorate the Australian war dead. People could purchase these poppies and research the soldier that was commemorated. I have purchased 5 of these poppies and intend to pass them on to the families with a brief history of the lad's service.
The first one to arrive is for an English lad from Lancashire, named Percy SANDHAM, he was born in Bolton c1892 and the son of Fredrick and Jane Hartley Rollinson. Percy served with the 30th Bn AIF and was killed 25.02.1917, has no known grave and commemorated on VB Memorial.
Percy was head chorister boy at Bolton Parish Church (St Peters) and when the Roll of Honour at the Aust War Memorial was being organised his mother gave her address as 49 George Street West Birmingham.
Other than the details in his service file, at the AWM and on CWGC I have had little success in tracing his family so that I can pass on this poppy to them. Any help locating his family to enable the poppy to be sent to them would be greatly appreciated.
What I have managed to establish is that Percy had a sister named Frances. Frances married Percy Yates and had three children, Frederick, Eileen and Myra. Frederick married Gladys Beatrice Elsie SMITH in Birmingham and she died 2005 in Dorset. So I am hoping that at some point in time the family of Frederick and Elsie Yates moved to Dorset and someone can put me in touch with them so I can send them Percy's poppy.
PS:
A David Sandham apparantly has a tree on GR for this family and someone has contacted him but as yet no reply.
