Thursday 14 August 2014

War Memorial Gravestones in Wombwell 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.

Wombwell Cemetery contains 31 Commonwealth War Graves.

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery  - Initially the group started as, and still is, a bona fide branch of the Neighbourhood Watch organisation, with the aim of making the cemetery a safer, cleaner place for all those having lawful business there.  They now tend the graves, give talks, encourage school visits and have won awards for their work.

Soldiers on the Wombwell War Memorial are being researched by Fay Polson and her blogs Wombell Soldiers Remembered  and Wombwell 1914-1918 have photographs and all kinds of information about the men from the area.  She has included a section which contains photographs and transcriptions of the gravestones in Wombwell Cemetery, both War Memorials and burials and this can be found here.

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.
BWMP Code
Soldier's Name & Regiment
Date of Death
Thumbnail Photograph
Con 11 1254


BWMP #WMB12/02
Ernest Crooks *
N/C 15 1559


BWMP #WMB12/03

George Boldy

York and Lancaster Rgt

23 July 1916
Con 11 1606



BWMP #WMB12/04
James Hirst

London Regiment

14 September 1918
Con 8 2704


BWMP #WMB12/05
Fred Lax

Yorkshire Regiment

11 November 1916
U/C 4 1221

BWMP #WMB12/06
Frederick Ronald Sokell *
Con 11 1696




BWMP #WMB12/07
Harry Morley

8th Btn York & Lancs Regt

1 July 1916
Con 11 1609



BWMP #WMB12/08

John Tom Tabor
 2nd Vol Btn York & Lancs Rgt
5 March 1902

George William Tabor
1/5th Btn York & Lancs Rgt
7 July 1916
Con 11 1568


BWMP #WMB12/9
Frank Ashton

King's Royal Rifle Corps

29 May 1917
Con 11 1554



BWMP #WMB12/10
Reginald Outram

Royal Engineers

10 October 1916
Con 11 1549


BWMP #WMB12/11
Joseph Henry Hill

King's Royal Rifles

15 July 1916
Con 11 1221


BWMP #WMB12/12
Stanley Sokell

East Yorkshire Regt

3 May 1917
Con 11 1111


BWMP #WMB12/13
Allen Hilton

York and Lancaster Regt

17 August 1918
N/C16 159


 BWMP #WMB12/14
William Clark *
N/C 16 204


BWMP #WMB12/15
George William Parkin *
N/C 16 242


BWMP #WMB12/16
George V Moore *
N/C 16 258


BWMP #WMB12/137
John R Beardshall *
N/C 16 299


BWMP #WMB12/18
Joe Utley

Arthur Utley
*
N/C 16 325


BWMP #WMB12/19
Albert Robinson *
N/C 16 381


BWMP #WMB12/20
Robert William Burrows *
N/C 16 404


BWMP #WMB12/21
Walter Reginald Booker

Royal Garrison Artillery

15 June 1918
N/C 16 396


BWMP #WMB12/22
Bernard Washington Kilner *
N/C 16 412


BWMP #WMB12/23
Alan Lockwood

East Yorkshire Regt

24 October 1918
N/C 16 419


BWMP #WMB12/24
Sidney Tomlinson *
Con 9 3614



BWMP #WMB12/25
Raymond Bellamy

Northumberland Fusiliers

27 September 1918
U/C 5 1542



BWMP #WMB12/26
Arthur Barker

Kings Royal Rifle Corps

4 April 1918
U/C 2 3030


BWMP #WMB12/27
Charles Henry Costello *
Con 8 1952


BWMP #WMB12/28
Jack Count *
U/C 6 1599B


BWMP #WMB12/29
Harry Dennis *
U/C 6 697C


BWMP #WMB12/30
Charles Exley *
U/C 4 130


BWMP #WMB12/31
William Henry Harper *
U/C 6 389A


BWMP #WMB12/33
Ezra Major Hitchen *
Con 8 1994


BWMP #WMB12/34
Charles Leslie Minett *
U/C 2 3001


BWMP #WMB12/35
William Taylor *
Con 8 2219


BWMP #WMB12/32
George Ledger *
N/C 16 177


BWMP #WMB12/36
William Hinchliffe

York and Lancaster Rgt

15 February 1916
*


BWMP #WMB12/37
Harry Parkin *
Con 8 2767



BWMP #WMB12/38
George H Barrett

Northumberland Fusiliers

20 October 1916
*


BWMP #WMB12/39
Tom Hall

William Hall
*
*


BWMP #WMB12/40
George Major Hitchen *
*


BWMP #WMB12/41
Raymond Hudson *
Con 8 2776



BWMP #WMB12/42
Fred Lees

13th Battalion
York & Lancaster Regt

31 January 1918
*


BWMP #WMB12/43
Alfred Riley Saville *
*


BWMP #WMB12/44
Harold Skinner *
Con 9 4582


BWMP #WMB12/45
Fred Ward

King's Own Scottish Borderers

1 July 1916
*


BWMP #WMB12/46
Herbert Gelder *
*


BWMP #WMB12/47
Harry Rowe *
*


BWMP #WMB12/48
Enoch Knowles *
*


BWMP #WMB12/49
Samuel Turton *
*


BWMP #WMB12/50
Sydney Haller *
*


BWMP #WMB12/51
Edward Crosland *
Con 11 1204


BWMP #WMB12/52
Alfred Edward Flaxman

South Staffordshire Regt

1 July 1916
*

BWMP #WMB12/53
Stanley Thomas Sands *
*

BWMP #WMB12/54
Albert Edward Carr *
*

BWMP #WMB12/55
Herbert Kilner

Ernest Lockwood
*
*

BWMP #WMB12/56
Frank Taylor Utley *
*

BWMP #WMB12/57
Reuben Vaughan *
*

BWMP #WMB12/58
Alred Watkin *
*

BWMP #WMB12/59
James Edward Russell *
*

BWMP #WMB12/60
Ronald Murfin *
*

BWMP #WMB12/61
Luke Barker *
*

BWMP #WMB12/62
George Brough *
*

BWMP #WMB12/63
Eric Bakewell *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *



BWMP #WMB12

No comments: