War Memorial Gravestones in Thurnscoe 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.

Thurnscoe Cemetery contains 4 WW1 & 7 WW2 memorial gravestones + 10 CWGC burials

Plot letters at Thurnscoe from notice board

The Cemetery opened in 1902 yet there are no WW1 CWGC graves. Two ex-soldiers who died in 1920 are buried in the Cemetery but neither has been recognised by the CWGC despite the inscription on John Smith's grave indicating his death was due to wounds received in France.

Ernest Collingwood d.1/06/1920  buried plot D 363
John Smith d.21/11/1920 buried plot E 25

There is also a grave for an ex-soldier who died after the CWGC cut off 31 August 1921.

Arthur Morton d. March 1929 buried plot D 274

The Cemetery was the original home of the Dearne Memorials Group now Barnsley Cemeteries who have indexed all the cemeteries and cremations in the area up until almost the present day. Searches of their database are free and results are a very reasonable £3.50 for 50 credits.

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
F 17	Fred Barber King's Own Yorkshire LI 8 July 1916
D 448	William Bennison Royal Artillery 25 December 1942
D 111	Jack Crackle KOYLI 22 Jan 1944
E 46 & 47	Charles Henry Glasswell King's Own Yorkshire LI 13 December 1915
D 246	Frederick Walter Glasswell Gordon Highlanders 4 November 1944
E 2 62	John Lawton Seaforth Highlanders 4 August 1918
F 25	Arthur Moulton Coldstream Guards 17 February 1944
C 214	John Addison Robinson  Royal Engineers 2 June 1941
E 110	Robert Steward Rodgers Royal Navy H.M.S. Fearless 24 July 1941
*	William Smith * WW2	*
F 325	Thomas Trueman Cameronians  (Scottish Rifles) 18 April 1917
*	*	*
*	John Cutts  York and Lancaster Rgt 30 September 1917
*	*	*

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