Missing Men?
There are two names on the Wincle Absent Voters Lists who do not appear on the Wincle WW1 memorial. These are:
In the 1911 census there are neither Williams nor Barlows in Wincle, nor do they appear in the 1914 Kelly’s Directory or the first post war one of 1923. However, Richard Williams does appear in the 1919 and 1920 Electoral Roll at Long Gutter so it would seem he did indeed live from a short time in Wincle. No Barlows appear in the Electoral Rolls after the war. The Swindells were at Clulow Cross in 1911 and we know the Swindells were still at Clulow Cross in 1917 as son Arthur requested exemption from military service, so Francis Barlow remains a mystery for now.
More research would be called for to determine whether these men deserve a place on the memorial as well as the 25 we have. Even more important would be whether the families of these men would want them to appear – some made a conscious choice not to at the time.
Then there are others whose families left the district before the memorial was erected. One example is James Potter, the schoolmaster of Wincle School who left in November 1918 and we know at least two of his four sons enlisted. Certainly we have come across cases (the son of the Vicar of Rushton, for instance) where the memorial included men who had left the district well before its erection. And indeed the Essex brothers and cousin appear on both the Wincle and Wildboarclough memorials although their father/uncle, Edward Essex the Wildboarclough schoolmaster, had moved to Rainow in 1917.
But perhaps this is going too far? Maybe the families wanted them remembered elsewhere or not at all.
What do you think?
More research would be called for to determine whether these men deserve a place on the memorial as well as the 25 we have. Even more important would be whether the families of these men would want them to appear – some made a conscious choice not to at the time.
Then there are others whose families left the district before the memorial was erected. One example is James Potter, the schoolmaster of Wincle School who left in November 1918 and we know at least two of his four sons enlisted. Certainly we have come across cases (the son of the Vicar of Rushton, for instance) where the memorial included men who had left the district well before its erection. And indeed the Essex brothers and cousin appear on both the Wincle and Wildboarclough memorials although their father/uncle, Edward Essex the Wildboarclough schoolmaster, had moved to Rainow in 1917.
But perhaps this is going too far? Maybe the families wanted them remembered elsewhere or not at all.
What do you think?