War Memorial Gravestones in Darfield 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.

Darfield Churchyard contains five Commonwealth War Graves and Darfield Cemetery contains fourteen more.

Darfield Churchyard
WW1
Leonard Hardcastle
Peter Short
Horace Venables
Joseph Wigley
WW2
Frank Arthur Purple

Darfield Cemetery
WW1
Philip Bly
George Brown
William Henry Fretwell
Harry Gomersall
WW2
George Bates
John Harrison Carr
Ernest Chambers
John Dallamore
Harold Dronfield
Fred Fawcett
John Desmond Hayes
Eric Bernard Horsman
Cyril Love
Charles Schofield

Friends of Darfield Churchyard provide a map leaflet [downloadable here as a .pdf file]to locate the memorial gravestones and CWGC burials in the Darfield All Saint's churchyard - hard copies can usually be found in a box on the sign by the churchyard gate.  Short biographies of the men can also be found in their newsletters available online.  Note that some parts of the churchyard are left overgrown to provide a haven for wildlife and so some of the memorials may be difficult to access.

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

Churchyard

Gravestone Location Section Row No.	Soldier's Name & Regiment Date of Death	Photograph
A on FoDCY's map	Percy Stuart Kitson 7th Bn Australian Infantry 3 September 1916
B on FoDCY's map	George Hukin Woodyatt Royal Marine Light Infantry 6 May 1915
C on FoDCY's map	Walter Jobling 5th/6th Bn Cameronians 8 May 1915
D on FoDCY's map	Rowland Patterson 2nd Bn York & Lancaster 21 March1918
E on FoDCY's map	Arthur Marsh 23 March 1918  John William Marrow 22 May 1918
F on FoDCY's map	William Henry Watson 13th York & Lancaster 26 September 1918
J on FoDCY's map	Harry Siddall Royal Fusiliers 26 October 1917
K on FoDCY's Map	Ernest Needham 13th York & Lancaster 2 July 1916
L on FoDCY's map	William Ennis 7th Bn York & Lancaster 23 Sept 1917
M on FoDCY's map	Frank Shaw 10th Bn York & Lancaster  27 July 1917
P on FoDCY's map	Francis Michael Mullin 13th York& Lancs 11 May 1918
Q on FoDCY's map	Albert Greenhow Mechanical Transport Army Service Corps 3 December 1918
N on FoDCY's map	Harold Horbury Coldstream Guards 27 May 1941
167	Arnold Herbert Camplejohn   2nd South Staffordshire Regt 27 September 1918
*	*   * *	*

Cemetery on Saltersbrook Road

Gravestone Location Section Row No.	Soldier's Name & Regiment Date of Death	Photograph
B.177	Samuel Boyce 13th York & Lancaster Regt 1 July 1916
A.59	Albert Joseph Carr 8th York & Lancaster Regt 1 July 1916
A.20	George Henry Davies Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve 5 July 1915
A 71	Abraham Dobbins 8th York & Lancaster Regt 27 August 1917
B.129	John William Corfield Fowler 23rd Manchester Regt 4 June 1916
B.70	Arthur John Howe 13th York & Lancaster Regt 1 July 1916
B.64	Thomas Murphy 2/5th York & Lancaster Regt 27 November 1917
B 255	Herbert Holmes 13th York & Lancaster Regt 1 July 1916
A.559	Arthur Sutcliffe Royal Air Force 4 September 1943
A 780	Graham Marsden Jones Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 14 August 1944
C.273	Harry Wilkinson Yorkshire Regt  (Green Howards) 11 August 1944
B 188	Joseph Beardsley 1/5th Y & L 9 October 1917
C 122	George Askin   2nd KOYLI 11 August 1918
B 298	Frank Roper   Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars 19 April 1917
G 65	Albert Frudd   141st Royal Armoured Corps 15 September 1944

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