The second in a series where I revisit stories about Eltham and the Great War
© Rod Allday |
I have been thinking about the contribution Eltham made
to the Great War.*
And a little later in the day I received the latest
newsletter from the Eltham Society** which highlighted the efforts to track the
227 names which appear on the war memorial.
This is not an easy task not least because a large number of
the service records of those who fought were destroyed during the Second World
War.
And until relatively recently many of the other sources
which might give clues to their lives were not available on line and might be
deposited in a number of different locations.
But despite these obstacles it has been possible to uncover
something about all but four of the men who “marched away”
The bulk of this research was undertaken by Tony Robins from
1991 till his death in 2004, and since then by Mr Nigel Bennett.
© Stephen Craven |
The four remaining “Unknowns” are J.Mather, R.S.Thomas, R.
Ward and H or I Young.
At this late stage the names cannot be added to the
stone.
That was done only at the specific request of the families
of those commemorated, in the mid 1920s.
But we could add them to the digital and paper listings, at the IWM and
locally for posterity.
Some have standard-type Commonwealth War Commission
gravestones in the churchyard.
Others
were buried with family members.”***
So there is the challenge.
Anyone wishing to help can contact the Eltham Society.****
Pictures; the war memorial © Rod Allday, & © Stephen
Craven, and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
*Eltham and the Great War, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Eltham%20and%20the%20Great%20War
**1914-1918 Eltham’s Commemoration 2014-2018 Part One: FOUR
TO FIND and FOUR TO EXPAND ON, Margaret E. Taylor, The Eltham Society Newsletter No 196 May 2014
***ibid 1914-1918 Eltham’s Commemoration
****The Eltham Society, http://www.theelthamsociety.org.uk/
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