World War One
 

My nephew is off to Belgium next year and will be visiting some of the military cemeteries.

I´m putting together some papers regarding Private Benjamin Yates who was buried at Gunners Farm. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission site has been quite helpful but I wondered if anyone could give me any more information.

His service number is 5582 and he was in the Lancashire Fusiliers.

I know this is a little vague as I can´t specify what I´m looking for but I really want my nephew to know more about his ancestor.

Re: World War One
 

Private Benjamin Yates.
11th Battalion Lancashire Fus.
Killed in action 24/1/1916.
Born, Clayton le Moors.
Enlisted, Haslingden.
Resided in Clayton le Moors.

Taken from Soldiers died cd, 'hope it helps.

Andy.

Re: World War One
 

Why don't you PM Retlaw and ask if he has any further information Junetta....or where you are likely to find out more information....he is the WW1 specialist on here. :)

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Thank you Andy. It is so difficult to research from so far away. I would love to pop into the library.

Cheers Margaret, I didn´t want to bother him but he may know which battle he died in. Will PM this evening

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I don't think Retlaw would see it as 'bother'....he would see it as helping a family who lost one of their boys in the conflict.

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I've "bothered" him on numerous occasions and he's always sorted me out with info.

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Attachment 18475 I think you may find the attached interesting.
Retlaw.

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Thank you Retlaw.

This has really shocked me so I´ll come back to you soon x

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In January 1917 the Accy Observer printed two In Memoriam notices. Don't worry that there is a difference in the date of his death in the 1st article & the date given in the Memoriam notices, its a regular occurance.
You may not know of his sister or the change of Address since Benjamin's death.
Retlaw

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A treasure-trove of information...!

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It also shocked me and I amazed that such newspaper cutting and the information can still be found.

I think Retlaw does a fantastic job and we must also thank Accy web for putting people in touch with him.

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I´m very grateful to you Retlaw. I have a feeling that Bradley will ask what happened to Benjamin and now it´s possible to answer him thanks to your help.

They were both the youngest sons of my Great Grandfather´s brother George and his wife Mary Hope and I´m presuming that H Hope was a relation of hers.

Thank you once again. xx

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More likely that Mary Hope is the 2nd wife of you G Grandfather, and is her son from a previous marriage, then your G Grandfather adopted him as one of his sons.

I have several such cases in my records.
Attached is Private H. Hope/
Retlaw.

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Would this be Benjamin on the Clayton-le-Moors War Memorial then ? :

Attachment 18488

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A good suggestion Retlaw but Mary Hope´s parents were Hopes too! Thank you for Harry´s info. Such a shame.

Lovely Katex. I had discovered that his name was on the memorial at Clayton so thanks for the pic.

I never expected to learn so much today when I started this post and my thanks go to all of you xx

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His medal roll index card.

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Ya Margaret, knowing Walter like I do he would only be too pleased to help, its right up his street

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Thats not a problem, she may have married some one called Hope, or had children and retained her maiden name, have you checked the census returns.
Retlaw

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Jaysay.
This to you http://www.blackburnweb.co.uk/forums...wraspberry.gif
Retlaw.

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Thank you Rindy x

I have done some research on Mary Hope. She married George Yates when she was nineteen and she had eight siblings none of them named Harry. Parents, John Hope and Amelia Laycock.

Not having done anything for a couple of years I haven´t looked at the 1911 census.

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Matthew Yates.
Private 17873. 11th East Lancs
was an original Accrington Pal.
Matthew didn't take part in the battle of the Somme
He was transferred to the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry.
Retlaw.

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Hey wrong Web Site for that matey:D

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Walter, I wonder if you could post the medal index card for this chap for me: James Shearon, pte 122114 RAMC. You gave me some info and newspaper cuttings on his brother John Shearon a while back. John died at Arras but his brother James survived the war and I'm married to his granddaughter.
Thanks, Steve

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Sorry Steve, James didn't qualify for any medals, although he was attested in 1915, he was not mobilised until 1917, he never left England, therefore no medals.
Retlaw.

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Thanks for that - could be one of the reasons he survived! What made me think was when I read John Shearon's obituary it mentioned that he had another brother serving in France - maybe he had yet another brother I haven't found yet (I'm still researching the wife's family)

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There are 4 more Shearon's in my files.
Anthony. lived in Rishton
Joseph. lived in Rishton
Joseph. lived in Rishton
Thomas. lived in Gt Harwood.

Retlaw.

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I've come across some Rishton & Harwood Shearon's and they're not my wife's. I've just been on the CWGC site and have found a William Shearon from the East Lancs on the Pozieres Memorial. Some of the family lived in Blackburn so not in the Accy area. The problem is there are a lot of 'em and some of them spent time in a childrens home which doesn't help in matching the family members up. I'll keep trying. Thanks for the help.
Steve

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There are 3 Shearon's in the East Lancs records.
John, Robert W., & Willam. there are 17 sets of Service Records on Ancestry for Shearon's, 2 of them from Rishton.
Retlaw.

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Yesterday, while I was snooping around the sites dealing with men from the Accrington area who served in the war, I came accross a list of those who were POWs. Reading through the list, esp. the names of those who came from Clayton, I came upon the name of someone I actually knew: Pte. T. Noble of 44 Rishton Rd. I grew up living with my grandad at 46 Rishton Rd. I often spent time at Tom's home with my grandad, who was a good friend of Tom and his wife. Other than imposing on Retlaw's time and patience, I don't know how to find out more about Tom. However, I do remember that he lived at 42 Rishton Rd., not 44:confused:

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Thomas Noble.
Pte. 12476. 1st East Lancs
lived at 44 Rishton Rd, Clayton
Attended P-O-W. Welcome Home Ceremony on Monday Jan 1st 1919.
The East Lancs records show Thomas was discharged from the 7th Battn to Army Reserve Sect B 16-3-1919.
As the 7th was disbanded in Feb 1918, Thomas must have been captured before that date.
Retlaw.

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Thanx ... I will always remember Tommy's giving me a half crown when I was collecting pennies for the Guy ... and you well know what a half crown meant 55 years ago.:D

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Yes a gallon of Jet petrol from Nobbies Garage up Bash for my KSS Velocette.
Retlaw.

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Hello Walter, just spoken to my father-in-law and it seems that one of his uncles (Thomas) did indeed live in Gt Harwood. He was already in the East Lancs Regt prior to WW1 (in 1911 census his address is Fulwood Barracks) could you post what info you have on Thomas then I can rule him in or out? Cheers, Steve

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The Thomas Shearon in my records is from the Gt Harwood R-O-H.
Gunner 92004 R.F.A. 1 of Queen St Gt Harwood.
Now we have an anomaly, there is a Thomas Shearon in documentsonline, he is shown on his medal card as
A/Cpl. 10624. East Lancs Regt, enlisted 15-01-1912
discharged 03-08-1916.
He is not shown in the East Lancs records.

The batch of numbers which 10624 would be in was used by the 1st & 2nd Battalions.
You say he is in the 1911 census at Fulwood, is so he could have been nearing the end of his first term of service, many men signed on for a 12 year stretch, serrving 5, and the rest on reserve, at the out break of war he would be recalled to the colours, and dispatched to the front.
In the 1911 census does it say where he was born.
This man is a puzzler, and without his service records we may never solve it.
Retlaw

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The thot plickens.
Could be that the name Thomas Shearon Gnr 92004. R.F.A., on the Gt Harwood R-O-H could be another of the many mistakes on there.
Found the service records of a Thomas Sheron Gnr 92204. R.F.A., born in Bacup, parents live at 55 Talbot St, Rishton.
the only difference between these two men are an A in the surname, and a 0 in the service number.
Retlaw.

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Thomas was born in Blackburn according to the census. Does appearing on the ROH mean he died in the war? Because this Thomas survived.
This is the story I've managed to uncover so far: John Shearon b. 1857 in Ireland and lived in Blackburn had 4 sons; John, William, Thomas and James. John and William were both killed in the war (John, you know about as he's on the Oakhill memorial and you sent me his obituary. William was Sgt in the ELR and is mentioned in the Rishton ROH but apparently not on the memorial because he enlisted in Blackburn, although I can't find any mention of him on th Blackburn ROH) Thomas is 18 in 1911 and a private in the East Lancs and James you also know about (my father-in-law remembers James telling him he was a stretcher-bearer) I'll do a bit more digging regarding Thomas and let you know if I turn anything up. Thanks again for your info, Steve

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A Roll of Honour is just a list of names, some places have two, a R-O-H., and a Roll of Glory, that one is a list of those who died, enlisting in Blackburn has no bearing on his eligibility to be on a memorial. Blackburn was one of the main recruiting stations, 1000's of men enlisted in places nowhere near their main residence, several came from abroad, Canada & America to enlist in the British Army, those that survived were granted free passage back to their homes after the war.
Of all the war memorials in Hyndburn, which in WW1 was known as Greater Accrington, there are 158 names missing, including 10 names from Rishton.
On Accrington's Memorial there are 11 double entries, 13 errors in spelling, and the names of 83 men who should qualify are missing.
Retlaw.