Lincolnshire Remembrance: Memories and Memorials Newsletter August 2014

Project Update:

I hope you have all had a chance to have a look at our new pages on Lincs to the Past. http://www.lincstothepast.com/home/lincolnshire-remembrance/

We still have a lot of work to do adding photographs and information, but over the next few months it should start to become a really useful resource. We would really like you all to check that we have information on your local memorials and please do let us know if there are any we have missed. There will be mistakes so please do let us know if you spot any!

Training For Lincolnshire Remembrance Volunteers

We are running a series of training and information events in September and October. This will finally give us a chance to meet you all and give you a chance to participate in the project. Please do attend if you can; to book a place email me at [email protected] or call on 01522 554959. Lunch will be provided so please let me know if you have any special dietary requirements, or indeed any other special needs. All the events are free of charge and we have tried to choose venues with parking where possible. We can book some more events at other locations if there is sufficient demand – please let us know if you will find it difficult to attend any of the events listed.

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Lincolnshire Remembrance Training Events:

Date Venue Time

17th Navenby – The Venue, Road, 10am-3.30pm September Navenby, Lincoln LN5 0JJ

19th – Stanhope Hall, Boston Road, 10am-3.30pm September Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6NF

23rd Bourne Arts And Community Trust, Wake 10am-3.30pm September House, North Street, Bourne, PE109AE

30th Pavilion, Hall Street, PE6 0EW. 10am-3.30pm September Opposite Crowland Library

3rd October Boston – 116 High Street, Boston, PE21 10am-3.30pm 8TG

7th October Lincoln, The Golf Centre, Thorpe on the 10am-3.30pm Hill, Lincoln LN6 9BW

9th October Arts and Heritage Centre, 28 Plough 10am-3.30pm Hill, Caistor, LN7 6LZ

Please book by contacting me (Cath Pike) at [email protected] or telephone 01522 554959

Other Events:

24th Cranwell Aviation Heritage Heath Farm, North Rauceby, NG34 8QR August Centre 10.30 -3.30 World War I Remembered – see unique WWI uniforms and insignia and the British Air Force Living History Group 2nd A talk on 1914 and Sibsey Northlands Village Hall September Sibsey's War Dead by Free Admission 7.30pm historian Kenneth Wood Contact Joy Ladds on 01205 750531 11th-14th Heritage Open Days – get Various September your brochure to find out http://www.lincsheritage.org/hod/ about the many Great War Free events themed events 13th and Horncastle First World War Stanhope Hall, Horncastle 14th Commemoration Free event September

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20th Lincoln Tank and Drill Hall September Lincolnshire Western Front Lincoln 10am – Association present: £12.50 4pm 'The Great War on the Book through Drill Hall Box Office Western Front – an 01522 873894 archaeological perspective.' Dr Tony Pollard. 'Boy Soldiers of the Great War' – Richard van Emden 22nd The Machine Gun Corps http://www.lincolnshiregardenstrust.org.uk/Events.html September camp dig- Talk and Walk at 2pm Belton House, Grantham £6 members, £7.50 non-members. with Rachael Hall Talk at 2pm at the Old School, Main St, Belton archaeologist. 18th Lincolnshire Remembrance City Square, Lincoln October World War I event with All free. 10.30 - Time Tarts World War I re- 3.30pm enactors , West Gate School Choir and many special interest groups and displays. 25th Royal British Legion – East Kirby Aviation Heritage Centre October Launch of the Poppy Appeal 2014 26th Echoes of the Past Epic Centre, Lincolnshire Showground October Family History event If you have events you would like us to advertise do email me at [email protected]

Conservation Focus:

Many of Lincolnshire's war memorials are found inside churches and in churchyards. The memorials take many forms – stained glass windows, plaques, bells, church furniture and devotional items, monuments and lychgates.

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The location of the memorial may lead you to assume that the church is responsible for its care, but this is not always the case. Some memorials remain the responsibility of the people who commissioned them, for example families often installed a memorial plaque or even a stained glass window. Custodianship of memorials may need careful research before any conservation work can take place.

Some church groups have an 'ecclesiastical exemption' from the Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Act of 1990, which means that the church group operate their own planning and development controls and you would need to contact the Church group concerned for permission before carrying out any work. The exempt groups include:  Church of  Roman Catholic Church  Methodist Church  Baptist Union of Great Britain  United Reform Church Some work would still require planning permission from the local planning authority. Further Information can be found on the War Memorials Trust Website at http://www.warmemorials.org/faqs/#Churches_containing_war_memorials

Research Focus Many thanks to Mick Brand for the following article which highlights some of the difficulties you may face when trying to research the names on your local memorial and how many dedicated individuals work hard to make sure war casualties are commemorated and remembered.

A short note on the publication; Soldiers Died in The Great War’.

The publication Soldiers Died in the Great War was first published by the War Office in individual volumes by Regiment and Corps in 1921 to 1922.

Although the information was supplied from the official casualty lists it certainly isn’t a complete list of soldiers who died and wasn’t linked to the Commonwealth War Graves commission.

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The War Office volumes have been reprinted a couple of times, notably by J.B Hayward & Son in 1989.

The Naval & Military Press put it onto disk in the 1990’s and there have been two updates since, 2004 and 2011. There are transcription errors on these disks but they are generally a fairly accurate rendition of the hard copy.

Ancestry then transcribed the disk and published it on their website. There are some glaring errors compounded by the existing errors on the disk, not only on individual soldiers but notably merging the two separate regiments, The Royal Fusiliers (City of Regiment) and the London Regiment.

I think it is worth a reminder that the family history websites are copies of a copy and errors have crept in so if you are referencing your source as Soldiers Died in the Great War, reference the actual source, disk, website or original hard copy the error can be justified if picked up later.

This is the original entry in the publication Soldiers Died in the Great War

This is the Naval & Military Press copy of the original, turned into this.

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And this is the Ancestry copy of the copy, turned into this.

The obvious errors are the month of death(CWGC confirms 19/11/1916) and in the N&M Press version the birthplace.

The 'In From the Cold' Project When researching the men and women on memorials, or for family history, you come across those who, despite all your efforts, cannot be found on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) roll. They may or may not have surviving service records or be in the publication Soldiers Died in the Great War (SDGW) or Officers Died or the Air or Seaman’s records. You then research further: this can be done by trudging around cemeteries, or by checking the death notices in the local press, parish records and /or census returns. The Absent Voters Lists if available can be checked as can the Overseas Death Register and deaths recorded in the family history websites etc.

If you are unlucky and it is a common name or even perhaps an error on the memorial, it will take considerable work to narrow the field. If you are lucky then you often find the service person died after the war or during the war after being discharged. Being able to put a person to the name and properly remember them is incredibly rewarding but it is sometimes left at that and just recorded as ‘Not on CWGC’ or such in the research and/or website.

This is where the 'In From The Cold Project' (IFTC project) comes in. http://www.infromthecold.org/index.asp If the service person died while still serving or if they died after discharge due to illness or wounds sustained whilst serving, then the Commonwealth War Graves Commission have a responsibility to commemorate them.

If you are satisfied that the individual isn’t commemorated by the CWGC and you believe they meet the criteria and it involves the in-service death of a British serviceman or woman during the two world wars, the IFTC project can submit the cases to CWGC and the Ministry of Defence.

If your research involves a death following discharge, they can advise on what evidence will be required to submit the name for commemoration. You can then process the case yourself by contacting the CWGC or they can submit it on your behalf. You will be credited as the finder of the missing casualty.

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A recent example I have submitted and am awaiting a decision on is William Alfred Cantwell. William died on 15 November 1919 and is commemorated on the War Memorial and buried in Market Rasen New Cemetery. I was unable to find him on the CWGC website or in SDGW. His Medal Index Card showed he was issued a Silver War Badge. I then checked the Silver War Badge roll and discovered he was medically discharged on the 14 July 1916. (I have the complete roll on disk but it is available on Ancestry.) Given the commemorations locally I made an assumption that his death was related to his service and obtained his death certificate. Interestingly this gave his profession not only as Poultry dealer, but also ex Lance Corporal 1/1 Lincolnshire Yeomanry; his cause of death being documented as Pulmonary Phthisis (TB).

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