Research

Where our research began

Our research began by analysing the 1911 census from the villages, identifying and listing boys/men who were between approximately 11 and 50 years – who could possibly have gone to war, together with detailed information in the North Walsham and District Parish Magazine.

We obtained about 250 names to research.

We cross referenced this list with the

• WW1 Memorials in each church, including Neatishead Baptist Church
• Roll of Honour from the Victory Hall (now housed in the Community Room of the New Victory Hall) which listed those fallen and those who had served in WW1
• Our own local knowledge of the community

We also used the 1918 Electoral Roles as this identified men who were then eligible to vote (see notes on Electoral Reform)  because of their naval / military service (during WW1).

We then researched each possible name

Some men could be discounted because they had a “reserved occupation” but when more men were needed, even they could have signed up.

While undertaking our research we agreed that we needed two pieces of evidence that linked the men we had identified and their military service, to our villages.

Our new memorial plaque displays  32 fallen and 104 returned men from our villages who served during WW1

During our research there were a number of men lived in the villages and may have seen active service, but we were not able to obtain two pieces of evidence to corroborate this.

This may be because:

• sometimes names were spelt differently on different documents
• men used middle names or nicknames instead of first names
• men changed regiments frequently and so their regimental number changed
• difficulty in transcribing handwriting

The list of men who have connections with our villages but we cannot link them with active service is ongoing and displayed here.

Neatishead Harry Buck Herbert Buttifant Charles Challoner Arthur Deacon Ernest Dix John Edward Felstead Charlie J Finch George Finch E Greenwood Frederick Ambrose Grimes Dorothy Agnes Hampton Samuel Mason Fred Miller Arthur Morse Ernest Morse Jim/Jack Newstead Arthur Tooley W Westhorpe Alfred Williams C Woods James Williams Thomas Cantman

Barton Turf John Bunting Jacob William Canham Albert Richard Chapman Ezra Wilby Clethero John Joseph Colman Cyril Riches Crosskill Arthur Dugdale George Arthur Hensby Albert George Frank Howard Bertie Charles Long William Pratt Harry Powles Frank Salmons Harry Royal Salmons Percy Salmons Walter Starling Charles Thompson William Garnet Williams

Irstead Edward Pratt Robert Dowe James Dugdale Cecil Warren John Cornwell Reginald Youngs James Platford

We will continue to research these names, but if you have any information or evidence which may assist us in this, please use the contact form to get in touch with us.

 

Main research sources used 

• Barton Turf Church Roll of Honour (ROH)
• Irstead Church ROH
• Neatishead Baptist Church ROH
• Neatishead Church ROH
• Victory Hall Memorial – fallen
• Victory Hall Memorial – returned
• Norfolk Record Office:
  • Parish Registers
  • Barton Turf School Log and Admission Book
• Norfolk Heritage Centre
• Norfolk Regimental Museum
• North Walsham & District Parish Magazine (Neatishead)
• The Waxham Rural Deanery Magazine (Barton Turf and Irstead)
• 1911 Census
• 1914/1915/1918 Electoral Roll

Numerous websites but mainly: www.ancestry.co.uk; www.forces-war-records.co.uk; www.nmarchive.com; www.nationalarchives.gov.uk;