Miss Margaret E. Martin

[MargaretEMartin]

Has anybody any photographs of my deceased uncle, Lance Corporal William Whiteley Aitken, of the Buffs (East Kent Regiment), who died in action in France/Flanders on 3 May 1917?

[simmo1]

Hi

Getting a photo would not be easy unless a family member had one.
Sorry but he does not even have a grave - http://twgpp.org/information.php?id=2385106

regards

Robert

[MargaretEMartin]

Has anybody any photographs of my deceased uncle, Lance Corporal William Whiteley Aitken, of the Buffs (East Kent Regiment), who died in action in France/Flanders on 3 May 1917?

Thank you, Robert, for your reply to my enquiry.

Kind regards,
Maregaret E. Martin

[thewideeyedowl]

Hi Miss Margaret E Martin and a very warm welcome to Brit Gen...

Indeed, your late uncle has no grave but I have found that his name is recorded on the Arras Memorial. You may know about this - in which case, please forgive the repetition - but here is the link to the entry held by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission: http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/738306/AITKEN,%20WILLIAM%20WHITELEY.

A quick search in Discovery, the online catalogue of The National Archives (TNA), shows that he had also served with the Gloucestershire Regiment.

Europeana 1914-1918, http://www.europeana1914-1918.eu, is a collaborative pan-European project to commemorate WW1. Though I could not find a photo of your man there, you will be able to see quite a few photographs/items of memorabilia that relate to The Buffs - just key (East Kent Regiment) into the search box and wait to be surprised.

From FreeBMD, it looks as if uncle was born in 1896, registered in the Hayfield district of Derbyshire in the quarter that ended in the September.

If you can confirm or correct some of these details, we might begin to get somewhere - though as Robert says, it is probably only family who might be able to unearth a photograph.

Anyway, let us know what you think, and give us a few more clues.

Swooping off now.

Owl

[Lesley Robertson]

The are a lot of graves with the inscription "known only to God" whose names will be listed on the big memorials.

I've been having luck in finding photos of ww1soldiers in some of the newspapers of the time. Some papers printed pages of them. Of course, not all families had photos - I think I've found about 25% of the ones I was looking for.

[Pam Downes]

Good thinking there, Lesley. :smile5:
Though I can only speak for WW2, I know that then the papers often used to print photos of serving soldiers - not necessarily when they died.

From the CWGC site William's parents lived in Gravesend library, and the library has a local studies section which may well include old newspapers. Worth asking if it does, and if any of the staff know if the papers printed photos of soldiers during WWl. http://
webapps.kent.gov.uk/KCC.Libraries.Web.Sites.Public/LibraryDetails.aspx?aid=0&lid=41&uprn=100062311356

Added about three minutes after posting: As you have a date of death, staff might be willing to do a look up around that time to see if there's a photo and/or report in the paper.

Alternatively, if you don't know of any relatives who might have a photo it's worth writing to the current local paper(s) asking if anyone knows of the existence of a photo.

Pam

[Waitabit]

Unsure if this will help, but any port in a search.

William Whiteley Aitken's Army papers give varying places of birth- general region & one listed as lanarkshire instead of Lankashire(sic).

His Parents appear to be Sarah Whiteley b.Halifax & William Alexander Aitken b.Scotland.
Siblings Thomas Alexander b.Manchester & Margaret (Elizabeth)? 17 b.Disley, Derbyshire as is William 15 listed as Willie in 1911: RG14; Piece: 21307.

In 1901 RG13; Piece: 3279; Folio: 163; Page: 42.
William's father is listed as a journeyman paper worker & machine worker from Scotland,( no area mentioned)
His wife Sarah E. & three children previously mentioned for 1911

A Lady 'Heather' has these two , Father William & Sarah Whitley listed as Family on Genes reunited.
Sarah also listed by a 'Jennifer'

If you don't have access to Genes reunited perhaps I could contact them & ask them to contact you on this forum? Perhaps one of them know of Family photos.

There is quite a large Whiteley family on the censuses where you might follow up someone via BMDs to a recent contact. Are you in contact with any descendants of these folk?