Remember Them

I managed to get photos of a number of headstones for the CWGC staff buried here, and at some point soon I'll add these here and to Wikipedia.

A few weeks ago, on the way back from Italy, I stopped at Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery before catching the ferry to Dover.

I wasn't intending to visit but it was the first day of the Tour de France! Roads were closed or had diversions, so I couldn't easily get to where I had planned.

This image has been added to the CWGC Gardeners page on Wikipedia:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

The grave of Edward Patrick (Paddy) Kerstin, a CWGC gardener buried in Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery, Yorkshire.

I found another photo for a CWGC gardener. This time it is Edward Patrick (Paddy) Kerstin, who is buried in Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery, Yorkshire.

His son posted details about his shocking and sad story here: www.militaryimages.net/media/edward...

Sheep pondering life under the shade of trees and headstones in the churchyard of St Mary's, Ticehurst, East Sussex.

Sheep pondering life, in the churchyard of St Mary's, Ticehurst, East Sussex.

Both times I've gone half the graves were fenced off. The vegetation is allowed to grow wild over winter. The sheep then feast on it in the spring!

Family tree of Frédérik William AMBROSE Discover the family history of Frédérik William AMBROSE.

It turns out that Frederick and Juliette had 4 daughters:
+ Clara May
+ Juliette Claire
+ Dorris May
+ Daisy

Clara was named after Frederick's mother, not Daisy.

This family tree has more information for the Bellanger side.
gw.geneanet.org/sergeduret?l...

A search in the CWGC online archives returns nothing for Frederick Ambrose. He wasn't listed on the Wikipedia page for CWGC gardeners - until just now!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

I can't find out any further information, other than they had a daughter called Daisy, which was his mother's name. Juliette died in 1981. I don't know what happened to this family during WW2.

Overseas Register of British Subjects entry showing the marriage record of Frederick William Ambrose and Juliette Claire Bellanger, on 8 November 1919 in Abbeville, Somme, France.

On 8 November 1919 he married Juliette Claire Bellanger in Abbeville, Somme, France. His occupation had reverted to a carpenter and he might have been working with his new father-in-law who had the same profession.

Medal roll for Royal Army Ordnance Corps showing that Private Frederick W Ambrose 016837 was entitle to both the Victory and British War medals.

This led to his medal card and regimental roll entry. The latter indicates he was placed on the Z Reserve.

The Z Reserve was a contingent of discharged soldiers who were to be available in case of violations of the armistice by Germany. They were abolished at the end of March 1920.

I couldn't find any direct evidence that he served during WW1 until I found his marriage details in the Overseas Register of British Subjects. He had been a Private in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, service number 016837.

A search on Ancestry suggests that he is Frederick William Ambrose. His birth was registered in the last quarter of 1895. His parents were William and Clara Ambrose, of Lambourne, Essex. On the 1911 census, aged 16, he is listed as a carpenter.

There are 3 CWGC casualties from WW1 in this cemetery, while next door is Bray-Sur-Somme French National Cemetery where a further WW1 casualty is buried among the French graves. The surrounding area is home to many military cemeteries, from small to very large.

The staff headstone for "F Ambrose, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 7 January 1962, Age 66". Buried in Bray-sur-Somme Communal Cemetery, France.

Browsing through old photographs I found one for a CWGC staff member buried in Bray-sur-Somme Communal Cemetery.

... reflecting the diuretic properties of this plant!

I felt sorry for those who had tickets for Dire Straits on the same day as Live Aid. They were bought months before the Live Aid concert was announced. As well as not being able to see most of Live Aid, both concerts finished around the same time, so getting home was difficult.

Concert tickets for: ▪︎ Bruce Springsteen - 06/07/85 - Wembley Stadium ▪︎ Dire Straits - 12/07/85 - Wembley Arena ▪︎ Live Aid - 13/07/85 - Wembley Stadium

Musically, it was the best week of my life.

Now I just feel old!

Maybe the only person capable of doing "amendments or updates" has been temporarily reassigned to test the upgrade?

All 19 of the crew from L31 perished. It was the 4th Zeppelin to be lost in a month, which led Germany to reduce the number of raids.

The crew were buried in St Mary's Cemetery in Potters Bar but in the 1960s they were re-interred at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery in Staffordshire.

Zeppelin L31 was shot down, with newly developed incendiary ammunition, in the early hours of 2 October 1916 near Potters Bar, just north of London.

2nd Lt Wulstan Tempest received a Distinguished Service Order for this deed.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission does not record the deaths of WW1 civilian casualties.

The eligibility requirements were changed for WW2 and civilians casualties are recorded alongside those of service and auxiliary personnel.

An extract from the burial records for the Parish of Eltham in the County of London for 1916. The second entry is for the Allen family, showing a burial on 30 August. The following entry is for Ellen Funnell, buried the next day.

The burial records for this church are available. The age for Frederick is wrong, and maybe for Annie as well.

The next entry is for the burial of Ellen Funnell, which took place the following day.

The gravestone of the Allen family in the churchyard of St John the Baptist, Eltham. "To the memory of Frederick Allen aged 37 years, his wife aged 36, and their daughter aged 11 years." "Who were killed by the explosion of a bomb from a Zeppelin on August 23rd 1916." "This memorial is erected as a token of respect by his fellow workmen at Woolwich and Erith and scholars of the Gordon School, Eltham." The headstone does not record the names of Annie or Gladys; the age for Annie may be 37 instead of 36; their date of death should be 24 August 1916.

The Allen family were buried on 30 August in nearby St John the Baptist Churchyard. Sadly the headstone only records the name of Frederick, referring to Annie and Gladys as "his wife" and "their daughter".

#WW1 #RememberThem #AirRaid #Zeppelin #Eltham

Bomb damage to 210 Well Hall Road in Eltham, Kent, seen from the rear of the property following a German air raid during the First World War. Image: IWM (HO 92) from the Imperial War Museum Collection.

An incendiary bomb from the Zeppelin destroyed their home, killing Frederick, Annie and Gladys. Also killed was their lodger, Ellen Elizabeth Funnell, 29.

The Imperial War Museum has a photograph in their collection of the damage done to their home.

www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...

On the night of 23/24 August 1916 the family were at home at 210 Well Hall Road, Eltham, then in Kent but now a suburb of south east London.

It's possible their sleep was disturbed, as high above Zeppelin L31 was conducting an air raid.

On 11 November 1914, after just 58 days of service, he was discharged under King's Regulations paragraph 392 iii(c) as "not likely to become an efficient soldier". The exact reason is unknown.

Frederick's work seems to have taken the family to different places. On Gladys's christening record he is listed as a mechanic in London. On his service record he is a machinist, and living in Coventry. He would end up working in Woolwich.

Maybe this influenced his joining the Royal Engineers?

Ann Gabbott was born the same year in Bolton, Lancashire.

A note on her christening record suggests 13 July 1880, however her birth was registered in the 3rd quarter of 1879.

Frederick and Ann married in late 1903 in Bolton.

Gladys was born on 9 January 1905, in Kensal Green, north west London.

🧵

Frederick Thomas Allen enlisted on 5 September 1914, joining the Royal Engineers with a service number of 49090.

His military records have survived, and show he was married to Annie and had a daughter called Gladys.

Frederick was born on 19 March 1879 in New Mills, Derbyshire.

Some of those 690 could be civilian WW2 casualties.

There are over 135,000 WW2 casualties where the "Information" field is blank.

Of course there's no way to count those who served in and survived both wars.