Last weekend the Find My Past web
site had a 'free access' policy allowing people to access a large number of
records for no charge.
Given that this site has many records
not available on Ancestry, Chris took the opportunity to take a look for any
records regarding Goole men which the Group didn't already have, mainly
concentrating on the 452 men named upon the Cenotaph. Detailed below is a
summary of all of the records found to date.
As a result of research that
started 9-and a half years ago, the Group now have 100 service records relating
to some of those men named; this breaks down as 81 Army (including those men
who served with Australian, New Zealand and Canadian Forces) and the Royal
Flying Corps/Royal Air Force; and 18 who served with the Royal Navy, Royal
Marine and Royal Naval Division - in addition to this number is the record of
William Henry Dean, who had served briefly with the Royal Engineers but being
deemed 'unlikely to make an efficient soldier' he was discharged, going back to
sea, and eventually to HM Drifter 'Spotless Prince' upon which he lost his life
on 26th October 1916. Two of the records relate the 'other ranks' service of
two men who were later Commissioned (for some reason these pages were not
included within their 'new' record when they completed Officer Training).
All of the above records, except
seven of them, are also accompanied by the relevant Medal Roll pages detailing
the medals awarded to each man for his service. The seven who are not named
within the medal rolls didn't serve abroad during their time of service - three
had already been discharged, with two of them, Charles Richard Marshall and
George Dennison dying on dates that have yet to be ascertained.
Even without a service record,
details are contained within the medal rolls of men who arrived in France, Egypt (some being bound for
Gallipoli), or the Balkans throughout the latter part of 1914 and all of 1915.
Further details are recorded for those men who had served with other units
prior to the one with which they were serving when they lost their lives.
With regards to those who served
with the Army (and RFC/RAF) records that give the amount of pension paid to
next-of-kin are found within the 'Register of Soldier's Effects'. The weekly
amount paid was based on rank, marriage and any children. All of these records
also bear another amount paid in 1919 - a 'War Gratuity' payment, this being a
'one-off' payment again based on the criteria above. Most of the men for whom
service records and medal rolls have been found also have these pages accompanying
them - though three would appear to have either been lost or misidentified.
An opportunity to further
research men named on the Cenotaph but about which no information regarding any
service during the First World War had so far been located was also taken; this
has led to one very intriguing story.
Within the Goole Times' 1916
Almanac is the following entry, 'Stephen Jos. Kelly, Swinefleet, seaman in the
Royal Navy'. Within the 1917 'Roll of Honour' booklet is this, 'S.J. Kelly,
Swinefleet, Seaman, RN.; died from pneumonia'; and within a list of fallen men
from Goole, nearly all of whom being named on the Cenotaph, that was printed in
the Goole Times on 28th November 1919 is this entry, 'Stephen Joseph Kelly (HMS
Pembroke)'.
Among the records for Goole who
men who served with the Royal Navy is a record for one Stephen Kelly, which
shows that he was born in Goole on 15th January 1894. On 10th March 1914 he
enlists in the Royal Navy, stating that he wants to serve for 12 years,
assigned to HMS Pembroke as a Stoker Class II. On 17th April 1914 it is
recorded under 'If discharged, whither and for what cause' as 'DD' - 'Discharged
Death'. Stephen had been admitted to Chatham
Hospital with Broncho
Pneumonia. Is this record related to the 'Kelly SJ' named on the towns'
Cenotaph? Stephen's name is also included on a Chancel Screen within Swinefleet
Chapel that lists Swinefleet men who had fallen during the Great War - though
his name is not recorded on Swinefleet Memorial.
Unfortunately at the time of
writing there are 16 men who are named upon the plaques on the Cenotaph which
bear the names of the fallen from Goole about whom no information has been
found. All of these men are named with the Goole Times edition of 28th November
1919 under the headings Royal Navy and RND; Army; and Mercantile Marine, but
even with this information details as to their individual service and deaths remain
elusive.
Similar endeavours to look for
records regarding those men who had some association to Goole who also lost
their lives but who aren't named on the Cenotaph is continuing. Why weren't
they named on the Cenotaph? This was, and still is, solely down to the
preference of the family concerned. This particular list currently contains 309
men, some of whom spent their whole lives within the town prior to serving
(Fred and Arthur Moody, both Mercantile Mariners; Fred enlisting in the
Australian Imperial Force, killed at Gallipoli; Arthur aboard s.s. Duckbridge,
lost off north Scottish coast), while for others their only connection to Goole
is that they formerly worked within the town (as did Clifford Riley, ex Master,
Goole Secondary School, killed 1st July 1916) or that they enlisted within the
town.
What of those men who survived
their time within the Forces, either being placed on the 'Reserve' and liable
for a return to service should the Armistice fail, or who were discharged owing
to wounds. To date 399 records, from the barest detail (name listed within the
London Gazette announcing the award of the Military Medal, for example) through
to full service histories have been found. As with the service records detailed
above, it is hoped within time to have each of these records interpreted so
that other people can read the details of the men, and women, from Goole who
served with distinction and courage during the 'Great War'.
It isn't just Goole though that
the Goole First World War Research Group is looking at in terms of those men
who enlisted. A great deal of work has been done by one of its members, Alan
Dodsworth, in researching the men of the Marshland villages (Swinefleet,
Reedness, Whitgift, Adlingfleet and Eastoft). Having a smaller number of men
and records to deal with, Alan's work also includes more family background
information (from the Census records), as well as the Wills filled in by the
men, detailing to whom their belongings, and in some cases, to whom the
pensions payable on behalf of their service should be paid to - more often than
not named within the 'Register of Soldier's Effects'.
One final question - what remains
to be found? The easy answer would be 'don't know'. There is no general index
on what records survive, it is only when a search is conducted that records
regarding the men of Goole and District come to light. Chris compares it to a
jigsaw - "Imagine a jigsaw to which you have no picture to work with, you
don't know how big it is and you don't know how many pieces there are when it's
finished."
