WW1 Centenary Update
When we embarked on this project, we had a simple definition of the names to include in the planned publication:
• Names recorded in St Swithun’s Church, Hinton Parva
• Names listed in the roll of honour in St Mary the Virgin’s Church, Bishopstone
It wasn’t long before we had to accept that the issue of definition was far more complicated than we had anticipated:
• There are 3 memorials (2 in Bishopstone, 1 in Hinton) to men not listed in the Rolls of Honour
• One soldier who died of his wounds in this country is listed on the Rolls of Honour in both Bishopstone and Bourton, and is named specifically on a family headstone in St James Parish Church, Bourton
• The death of another is recorded in both Hinton and Liddington memorials
• There are men who were born in the parish and whose parents were long-standing residents whose deaths are listed on war memorials elsewhere
• There are names recorded in our parish where we have not been able to find any evidence of birth or residence here, and other names which are wrongly spelt
• Francis Ash who has a Commonwealth War Grave headstone in Hinton New Cemetery is listed in Hinton because his grandmother was a resident in the village at the time of his death
• There are two other headstones of WW1 soldiers in our churchyards, but neither has a CWGC headstone and one makes no reference to the fact that he was a serving soldier at the time of his death.
Because of these inconsistencies, we have moved towards a more flexible definition:
• Names recorded in either St Mary’s or St Swithun’s churches, either in the Rolls of Honour or through individual memorials (plaques or headstones)
• Individuals who were born in either village
• Former residents of either village
In almost all cases, we have found some evidence to corroborate inclusion of a name in our research. The main exception is F. Archer whose contribution to the war effort is acknowledged on the Hinton War Memorial but about whom we have been unable to find any other information, and so still do not know what his first name is.
This broader definition has led us to identify 82 names we are confident have a connection with our parish, although there are undoubtedly other Bishopstone men who fought in the Great War and whose names we have not yet discovered.
