Winteringham Local History and Genealogy

Details of these men’s service and final resting place is available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website at www.cwgc.org

My sincere thanks to Yvonne Ingram and her contact in Winteringham for supplying the names on the War Memorial.

The Great War

Frank Brown, the son of Frederick and Selina Brown*, and brother of Mary, Alice, George, Maud, Harry, Clara, Josiah, Frederick, Arthur, Edith, Jane (Ginnie) and Christopher.   Private 9928 of the Lincolnshire Regiment, died on 31st May 1917, and buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, in France, close to the Belgian border.  His grave there is at III B 202.  Photo courtesy of Pam Sellers.  Information courtesy of Pam Sellers. Details on the CWGC website.

Frank’s father Frederick had died on 14th February 1915, but his mother was still alive at the time of Frank’s death.  Selina and Frederick are buried in Winteringham churchyard, and their headstone can be seen on the ‘B’ Headstones page.

George Burkill, the son of Anna Burkill of High Burgage Winteringham, and the late Henry Burkill.  He accidentally drowned on 4th December, 1915, aged 28, serving as an able seaman on HMS Penelope.  He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.  The final member of the “Arethusa” Class, the ship had been in commission for just a short while when George died, and was scrapped in 1924.  Photographs of the ship can be seen on another website by clicking here.  General Memorial photo available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website by clicking here.  The British Wargraves Project has a photograph of the memorial showing George’s name.  To see it, please click here.

Reginald John Dodds, the son of John and Mary Dodds, of 23, Low Street, Winterton, and native of Winteringham.  [Note: there is a John Dodds listed in Kelly’s 1909 Directory].  Date of death: Thursday 5th October 1916, aged 23.  He was Private 36893 in the 6th Battalion the Royal Berkshire Regiment, and is buried in grave IV. C. 13 Bray Vale British Cemetery, Bray-sur-Somme.  (Middle of the first row on the right from the entrance).  General Cemetery photo available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website by clicking here.

William Earl , the son of Amos and Dinah Ellen Earl, died on 31st July 1917, aged 30.  He was a private in the Lincolnshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion, and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. General photo available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website by clicking here

Elias William Field , the husband of Mary Ellen Field, of the Ferry Boat Inn, Winteringham.  Date of death: 22nd December 1915, aged 53, buried at Le Petit Lac Cemetery, Algeria.  He was a sergeant in the Lincolnshire Yeomanry. The 6,305 ton ship “Mercian” was on its way to Egypt when it was attacked by a German submarine in the Mediterranean on 3rd November 1915.  The War Office announced: “The outward bound transport Mercian was attacked by gunfire from an enemy submarine, in the Mediterranean.  She reached harbour safely with casualities of 23 killed, 30 missing, and 50 wounded, who were landed and are in a hospital”.  We must assume that Elias died in the hospital more than 6 weeks later.  Six other members of the Lincolnshire Yeomanry are buried in the same cemetery.   For a detailed account of the Mercian, and the attack on her that would eventually cause the death of Elias, please see Arthur Slade’s website here: http://www.arthurslade.com/book_megiddo/ahs.html

General Cemetery photo available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website by clicking here.

The sword, regalia, buttons and medal of Elias William Field
To see these items in larger, individual photographs, please click the picture, or here.
These photographs have been kindly taken and supplied by Chris Snowdon,
the great-grandson of Elias William Field

Plaque commemorating the sacrifice of Elias William Field
To see this plaque in a larger format, please click here

Albert Green , the son of John and Mary Ellen Green of Silver Street Winteringham, died on 17th August 1917, aged 34.  He was a private with the Manchester Regiment, 11th Battalion, and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium.  General photo available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website by clicking here

Joseph Herbert Green , the son of John and Mary Ellen Green of Silver Street Winteringham, died on 26th March 1918, aged 28.  He was a private in the Lincolnshire Regiment, 1st Battalion.  He is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial.  General photo available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website by clicking here.  The British Wargraves Project has a photograph of the memorial showing Joseph’s name.  To see it, please click here.

Charles Howden , of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.  Died 24th April 1917, and commemorated on the Arras Memorial.  Charles Howden was born in Winteringham to Wilson and Christianna Howden, on 25th November 1897, making him 19 years old when he was killed.  His father, Wilson, was a Wheelwright, and is also described as a farmer in the directories of 1905 and 1909.  In the 1901 Census, the family lived in Silver Street, and at that time there were the following people in the family: Charles’ mother and father - Wilson (37) and Christianna (36), and his brother’s and sisters - Elizabeth (12), John (10), Margaret (7), Rose (5) ... then Charles himself (3), and Fanny (1).  Other Howdens lived in the village too at that time, but whether they were related to Charles family is currently unknown.

The following information was kindly supplied by Sean Connolly, Secretary of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association:

Charles is listed in Part 73, The Royal Dublin Fusiliers, of "Soldiers Died in the Great War". The entry reads:
 
Howden, Charles, born Wintringham [sic], Lincoln, enlisted Brigg, 40154, Private, Killed in Action, France and Flanders, 24.4.1917. Formerly 13633 Training Reserve.
 
There is a description of what happened on 24.4.1917 in "Neill's "Blue Caps"" which is the history of the 1st RDF.
 
The Battle of Arras "raged from April 9th to 23rd". By the 23rd 16 NCOs and men had been killed and 4 officers and 60 other ranks wounded. "On the night of the 23rd , orders had been issued for a general attack on the following evening. These were, however, cancelled later, but the battalion was ordered to assault a certain hill at 4pm. However,owing to a brigade runner losing his way, the orders as to a change in the time of barrage did not arrive and the two companies detailed - "W" and "X" of the Battalion - attacked with very great gallantry, unsupported by our guns. They were met with very heavy shell, machine-gun and rifle fire and the attack failed, the companies being at last compelled to fall back on the original frontline. Second-Lieutenant E.A. Byrne and 18 other ranks were killed."  Five officers and 98 other ranks were wounded and 14 were missing.
 
The area was near Monchy-le Preux. I reckon that about 50% were casualties in this wasted attack. Charles was only 19. 2/Lt Byrne was 32 and was the son of Joseph and Marcella Byrne, of "Beechwood", Torrington Park, North Finchley, London.

Charles Albert Ogg , Sapper, Royal Engineers, Railway Operating Division, died 9th February 1919, and buried in Beaulencourt British Cemetery, Ligny-Thilloy, France. General Cemetery photo available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website by clicking here.  The British Wargraves Project has a photograph of Charles’ headstone.  To see it, please click here.

John Robinson , the son of Mr GH and Mrs SJ Robinson, of Towler Place, West End Winteringham, who died on 11th October 1918, aged 18.  He was baptised in Winteringham Church by Henry Sale on 7th November 1899, at which time his father was a farm labourer, and John was “received in church” on July 28th 1901. [Click here for details in the Parish Registers section]   He was a rifleman in the West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) 1st/7th Battalion.  He is buried in the St Aubert British Cemetery, in France (13 km east of Cambrai). General photo available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website by clicking here.

The Second World War

William Burkill , the son of Mr and Mrs Albert Burkill of Winteringham, died on 25th May 1941, aged 21.  He served as a private with the York and Lancaster Regiment, 2nd Battalion, and is commemorated on Face 7 of the Athens Memorial. General Cemetery photo available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website by clicking here.  The British Wargraves Project has a photograph of Charles’ name on the memorial.  To see it, please click here.  We believe that William was one of 32,000 allied soldiers defending Crete when it was invaded by the Germans.  18,000 allied troops were successfully evacuated after putting up stern resistance, 12,000 were captured, and about 2,000 were killed, including William.  In moving their graves, the Germans lost the identity of many soldiers, who are now buried in Suda Bay War Cemetery.  However, these are commemorated on the Athens Memorial.  For greater detail of the defence of Crete, please click here.

Frederick J Cox , Gunner in the Royal Artillery, 6/3 Maritime Regiment, died on 8th June, 1942, aged 32.  Commemorated on Chatham Naval Memorial, 67,1. It is believed that he was one of four British gunners on the Norwegian vessel "South Africa", which was torpedoed by a German submarine, and killed in the blast as the torpedo hit the ship, along with 5 others. See Warsailors website. General Memorial photo available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website by clicking here.  The British Wargraves Project has a photograph of Charles’ name on the memorial.  To see it, please click here.

Bernard Hunsley   This is the headstone in La Deliverande Military Cemetery, Douvres, Normandy, France, It is inscribed 5343379 Private B. Hunsley The Royal Warwickshire Regiment 8th July 1944 Age 24 In memory of the beloved husband of Joan and father of Susanne Thy will be done

Reginald Hall, Leading Seaman P/JX264867 in the Royal Navy, and the son of Percival and Alice Hall, and husband of Annie Evelyn Hall of Barnetby.  He died on Friday 8th September 1944, aged 32, and is buried in Chichester Cemetery, Square 159 CofE Plot Grave 24.  His unit was HMS Aeolus, a naval establishment in Tring, Hertfordshire, though in the manner of the time, this did not indicate where he served his time at sea.  Currently we have no information regarding the cause of his death, but the war dead came mainly from the Graylingwell War Hospital in the city.  For a general photograph of the cemetery, please click here.  The British Wargraves Project has a photograph of Charles’ name on the memorial.  To see it, please click here.


Our research has so far been unable to positively ascertain the details of the remaining men who served from Winteringham, but we believe the three below are the men on the village memorial.  Should anyone be able to offer further information, we would be most grateful.

Frederick Kirkby.  The most likely person (there were only three F Kirkbys killed in World War One, and the cwgc lists one ‘Frederick’, and two just with the initial ‘F’)  appears to be Frederick W Kirkby, private 33115 in the 10th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment, the son of John James and Lucy Kirkby of 25, South Street Louth, and husband of Rosa May Kirkby of Newmarket, Louth, Lincs. [Note: Kelly’s Directory of 1919 identifies a J Kirkby as a grazier on Read’s Island; also note that Frederick is not commemorated on the Louth War Memorial]; He died on Thursday 3rd May 1917, aged 31, and is buried at Lievin Communal Cemetery Extension.  The Cemetery Extension is for soldiers reburied from elsewhere, with the most likely original Cemeteries for Frederick W Kirkby being either Acheville Road Cemetery, Vimy, or Angres Churchyard.  The grave is IV. G. 13 (the row of graves by the southern wall, which is on the right hand side when standing in the entrance to the cemetery looking in). General Memorial photo available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website by clicking here.

Bernard Hunsley , son of William and Elizabeth Mary Hunsley, who died on the 8th July 1944, aged 24.  He was a private in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion, and is buried in La Delivrande War Cemetery, Douvres, Normandy.  The map below is able to point to the exact spot of Bernard’s grave in Douvres La Deliverande

If anyone could help us with further information on the men not listed here, or would like to offer additional details (and perhaps photographs) of any of the men, we would be most grateful.  Those that we cannot identify from the CWGC site are:

If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. Rupert Brooke

The map below shows those corners of foreign fields which are forever England, by virtue of Winteringham men.

The map opens at a scale small enough to show all the memorials to Winteringham men.  Use the map controls to centre on any area you wish.  Many of the men died on the Western Front - and their memorials are crowded into a small area of the map.  Note that William Burkill is represented by two markers - on Crete where we believe he is buried, and in Athens where he is commemorated.

Have you tried the other Winteringham Websites?
Winteringham, Parish Council (includes current news items, photographs, weather forecasts, calendar of events, etc etc) Don Burton World of Nature,  Photo Archive (modern photographs of the village), What the Papers have said about Winteringham (since July 2004), High Resolution Historical Photographs, Winteringham Film Archive, Winteringham Football Club, Winteringham Nature Site, Winteringham Recipes, Winteringham Sales, Winteringham Camera Club, Winteringham Village Hall, Winteringham Chapel