War Memorial Gravestones in Darton Churchyard and Cemetery

During both the First and Second World Wars re-repatriation of the bodies of fallen servicemen and women was not usual.  The Unknown Soldier, entombed in Westminster Abbey represents those buried and commemorated overseas who could not come home.  For many families, deprived of a graveside at which to mourn, one solution was to add the name of their lost son (or daughter) to the family gravestone in their local churchyard.  

The Imperial War Museum's War Memorials' Archive defines a War Memorial as "any tangible object which has been erected or dedicated to commemorate those killed as a result of war, conflict or peacekeeping; who served in war or conflict; or who died whilst engaged in military service."  This includes gravestones which commemorate a casualty buried elsewhere.  There must be a clear statement on the memorial (or in a printed document such as a newspaper report from the time) that defines the commemorative purpose of the feature and reports its erection. The full wording of their definition can be found here.

Thus gravestones which include wording such as: died of wounds received in action, killed in action, fell in France, died on active service, reported missing in action, or even killed accidentally while on active service all count as War Memorials.  The wording is a "clear statement" that the purpose of recording that person's name on the gravestone is as a memorial.

Graves which are situated on the site of the burial of a casualty, such as Commonwealth War Graves, are not War Memorials, however the Barnsley War Memorials Project is also collecting their details for inclusion in the Barnsley Roll of Honour.

Darton War Memorial is unusual in that it is inscribed with no names of the fallen men of the area.  We have found a list of men that the church warden thought should have been on the memorial and are searching the churchyard and cemetery for any more clues.

In the list below, where the name is blue click to follow the link to a page with a larger photograph and more information.

Gravestone Location Section Row No.	Soldier's Name & Regiment Date of Death	Photograph
*	Alec R Braithwaite Royal Garrison Artillery 6 June 1918
*	Norman Shaw KOYLI 2 April 1917
*	George Urquhart MM York and Lancaster Rgt 11 August 1916
*	George Bostwick Manchester Regt 30 June 1917	*
*	Henry Vivian Braithwaite Durham Light Infantry 25 June 1942	*
*	James General Dyson York and Lancaster Rgt 25 April 1918	*
*	George Ibberson York and Lancaster 11 October 1917	*
*	Ernest Ives York and Lancaster 1 July 1916	*
*	Cyril Maples Royal Navy 11 August 1942	*
*	John Taylor Mellor Royal Garrison Artillery 15 March 1918	*
*	Horace Pickering Machine Gun Corps  24 March 1918	*
*	Samuel Lake Proctor York and Lancaster Rgt 11 July 1916	*
*	Wilfred Sanderson 10th Hussars 11 April 1917	*
*	Royce Thompson Royal Field Artillery 22 December 1917
*	Austin Turton York and Lancaster Rgt  1 July 1916
*	Benjamin Gerald Wagstaff Army Service Corps  20 December 1916	*
*	Charles Milton Ledger York and Lancaster 9 April 1916	*
*	John Arthur Williams York and Lancaster Rgt 27 Nov 1917
*	Cyril Burton Dixon York and Lancaster Regt 14 November 1918	*
*	Gordon Gray York and Lancaster Regt 27 May 1918	*
*	Claude Leatham Royal Army Medical Corps 9 April 1917	*
*	*	*

BWMP #DTN03