Buckland Newton WW1 War Memorial

[Pam Downes]

Hi Pam
My source of information was not the CWGC website and nor did I ever suggest that it was.
The information came from the website of the memorial itself so it would be reasonable to assume
that it is accurate.

Richard,
My sincere apologies.
You're correct, you never said that you got your information from the CWGC site. I, ahem , assumed you had as the details apart from the name were the same as on the CWGC. I will go and sit on the naughty step for 24 hours.

However, we now both know that that link to Albert is incorrect, so a webmaster has got some unlinking to do! If the webmaster isn't Eric, then I'll leave him to pass on the bad news.

I have to say that I'm not convinced by the Ernest Downton the memorial is linked to, and which info you also quoted. I think I'm correct in saying that apart from Albert C Downton, who we now know was in the CEF, and Robert Hunt, who lived in Manchester, all the other men on the memorial were enlisted in a Dorset-named regiment. So why was this Ernest in the Wiltshire Regiment?

According to the British Army Pension Records WW1 on Ancestry, Ernest A Downton, son of Archabald(sic) Downton of Buckland Newton enlisted aged 19, in August 1914 but was discharged 25 November 1914 as 'not likely to be an efficient soldier'. (See post #20 from Olliecat, for census refs, as this Ernest was a brother to Albert.)
Did he re-enlist later in the Wiltshire? Might be one query which can never be solved.
Pam

[Richard1955]

Hi Pam
Apology excepted.
As you know it's not possible to check all the information we find and use.
We can only try and use the best sources and hope that the users of the information
will check it.
The information on Baker Family Tree: http://vectisjon.com/familyhistory/g...130&tree=BAKER
Ties up with the memorial.
But anyway, we'll leave it at that as Eric is trying to trace people to contact to invite them to the memorial and it's much easier to invite the Dorset Newspapers to do a story.
Thanks Pam
Nite nite

[OSIAS]

Gilbert's full name was Herbert Gilbert VARDY. His father Luke married 3 times. 1. Susan WATTS. No children. 2. Elizabeth Mary MAJOR. 2 children from this marriage 3. Alice ROBINS (nee MANSEL) the widow of William Henry ROBINS. Alice & William ROBINS had 6 children. Luke & Alice VARDY are the parents of Gilbert VARDY. Hope this helps.

jda

[OSIAS]

Sorry. I clicked the send button before I proof read what I'd written. I meant to say Luke & Alice VARDY are NOT the parents of Gilbert Vardy. Gilbert's parents are Luke VARDY & Elizabeth Mary MAJOR. His birth was registered in the September quarter of 1893. This means there is no blood relation between Gilbert & Walter ROBINS.

[Pam Downes]

Hi jda,
I had to carefully re-read this thread again to find out what I (and others ) had written.
But your posts seem to confirm what I'd written in post #15.

Not sure where Eric is at in his research as he hasn't posted in this thread since the initial flurry, but I know he's still hanging around the forum.
Eric - perhaps you'd like to give us an update. I appreciate that you can't give names of living people so a brief statement such as 'Zebedee's grandson and family still live in Buckland Newton' or 'still not having any success with Marmaduke's lot' will suffice.
Pam

[Eric Ponton]

Sorry Pam-thought this one had died a natural death. I was helping my cousins to trace these people and they were successful in tracing all but one . The descendants were all contacted and the new memorial was unveiled in June I believe

Thanks everyone for all your help and apologies again for not updating you

[Pam Downes]

Hi Eric,
The thread had only died a natural death because we were waiting for you to finish the decorating and then report back to
us. (I know I thought that I couldn't add anything more until there was further feedback from you because of the confusion over some of the names/dates, etc.)

FMs may remember that in 2010 there were fairly major headlines about the finding of 250 soldiers in a mass grave near Fromelles. Many of them were Australian, but some were English, and one was proved (by DNA sampling) to be Harry Bidden from Buckland Newton. The new memorial that Eric refers to is one which now has Harry's name on it. No photo of the new memorial, but one of the old at the bottom of this news item. http://www.
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1267712/Lost-British-soldier-shot-WWI-buried-100-years-thanks-sleuthing-relative.html

Pam

[OSIAS]

Thanks for the web link to the Daily Mail article Pam. My husband is a VARDY & a distant relative of Gilbert who appears on the Buckland Newton War Memorial hence my knowledge of the family. It was an Australian school teacher & a very vocal descendant of one of the Australians missing at Frommelles who pressured the Australian government to, in turn, pressure the British government to excavate the graves at Frommelles. Ironically, the missing Australian soldier - whose remains were identified - was also a very distant relative of Gilbert Vardy. I'm visiting England next year so will be very interested to see the new war memorial in Buckland Newton. Do I gather from the posts that Leonard Vardy (half brother to Gilbert F: Luke Vardy M: Alice Robins nee Mansel) had descendants that have been traced? If so, I'd be interested in knowing although obviously no names.
jda

[Eric Ponton]

I will get in touch with my cousin who traced most of the descendants for more information . If they did trace living relatives then perhaps I can pm you

[OSIAS]

I would really appreciate that Eric. Gilbert had 2 full siblings: Ernest John 1889-1947 & Evelyn J 1892- (sometimes recorded as Eveline). He also had 3 half siblings: Frederick 1900-1906; Leonard 1910-1980 & Florence Mary 1904 - (known as Florrie). I have descendants for Leonard & Ernest. Anything else you could tell me without trespassing on anyone's privacy would be gratefully received.

jda