This soldier is one of two former pupils of Bury Grammar School buried at Christ Church, Walshaw. I know a lot about the other, Sergeant/Pilot Edgar Widdows, who was killed in an accident at RAF Chivenor as his aircraft returned from an anti-submarine patrol over the Bay of Biscay. However, I have drawn a blank with Trooper Thomas Leigh. I was under the impression that I had posted about him several years ago on this Forum but could not find anything on the Search facility. As I recall, the information provided then indicated that he had been discharged from the army several months before his death. His burial is recorded on the CWGC database, although like many buried in family plots at home, he has a non-standard headstone. I have come across similar cases from the Great War, including two old boys of our school, who died after being medically discharged but are not given CWGC recognition. One, ex-Lieutenant Harold Ashworth Shaw, Royal Engineers, died only a few weeks after discharge and was a given a funeral with full military honours in another local churchyard. Did the War Graves Commission change its criteria for inclusion between the wars or were there inconsistencies in treatment depending on e.g. notification by families?
Hi Mark, Chris Harley from IFCP is a member here as chrisharley9. Perhaps if you send him a PM to alert him to your post he may be able to answer your query? Steve
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 Name: Thomas Heys Leigh Death Date: 6 Apr 1945 Death Place: Lancashire, England Probate Date: 8 Dec 1945 Probate Registry: Manchester, Chester, England This might be him - no guarantee though - would need a copy of the certificate England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 Name: Thomas H Leigh Death Age: 20 Birth Date: abt 1925 Registration Date: Jun 1945 Registration district: Bury Inferred County: Lancashire Volume: 8c Page: 394 The Probate doesnt say died on war service which it normally does, so potentially he died of something not attribitable to active service UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current Name: Pvt Thomas Heys Leigh Birth Date: 1924 Birth Place: Lancashire, England Death Date: 6 Apr 1945 Death Place: Lancashire, England Cemetery: Walshaw Christ Church Churchyard Burial or Cremation Place: Bury, Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England Has Bio?: Y https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176288199 I notice from this link he is ranked as Pte [Pvt - I know - dont tell Owen] instead of the OP who ranks him as Tpr. Also note his middle name seems to be spelt 2 ways, so if searching ........................... Probably his birth cert details England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 Name: Thomas H Leigh Registration Date: 1924 Registration district: Bury Inferred County: Greater Manchester Re-registration Year: 1924 Mother's Maiden Name: Howard Volume Number: 8c Page Number: 834 TD Casualty
Well he is recognised as a CWGC by his inclusion in the database so met the inclusion criteria. It was down to family members to decide if they wanted a CWGC headstone or private headstone/included in a family grave or in some cases no headstone at all in the UK Example here where the family did not want any form of memorial at all for J.D.Constable Merchant Navy. No Headstone Only Turf:Second Engineer Officer J.D.Constable Merchant Navy S.S. Empire Pride (Gla As an example of a case this chap Ivor Godwin Moncke was in service in the RAF and contracted TB. Whilst he was recovering he was discharged from the RAF ,a few weeks later he was killed when the hospital he was in was bombed.He is now commemorated as a Civilian casualty not a Military casualty. Ivor Godwin-Monck: Casualty 6/12/40 For the criteria look here IFCP - War Grave Criteria regards Clive
The CWGC details show that all 4 in that cemetary are looked after by relatives - note Thomas Leigh was cremated not sure about the others on the same Graves Reg Report above, I havent checked them TD
Interesting information, thanks. The case of Trooper Leigh forms a particular contrast to one of our Great War dead, Harold Ashworth Shaw, buried not far from Walshaw in the churchyard of the decommissioned Holy Trinity Church, Elton. Harold Shaw enlisted in 1915 and became a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers but was forced to resign his commission due to ill health in February 1916. Exactly two months later, he died and received a military-style funeral at Holy Trinity with Lancashire Fusilier pallbearers and the Last Post sounded at the graveside. However, his burial is not recorded on the CWGC database, despite the proximity of his death to his medical discharge and the two clearly being connected.
For information: England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 Name: Harold A Shaw Death Age: 23 Birth Date: abt 1893 Registration Date: Jun 1916 Registration district: Bury Inferred County: Lancashire Volume: 8c Page: 555 TD
That looks the same as the link I posted about the WW2 chap Possibly he had TB or the like and was discharged due to a common illness and not service related
Thanks again. Here is Harold Shaw's entry from my Bury Grammar School Centenary Roll of Honour. I am contemplating a similar exercise for the 46 Second World War dead. http://bgsarchive.co.uk/Filename.ashx?tableName=ta_boys_rollofhonour&columnName=filename&recordId=19
1939 REGISTER TRANSCRIPTION Leigh Household (3 People) 6 Owlerbarrow Road, Bury, Lancashire NAME - DOB - OCCUPATION Thomas Holt Leigh - 22 Feb 1898 - Paper Mill Technical Repairer [widower] Thomas Heys Leigh - 15 Apr 1918 - At School Elizabeth A White - 04 Jun 1886 - House Keeper (Paid) However, Thomas's original birth date has been altered for some reason: The original entry is correct: Lancashire Marriages: 1921 LEIGH Thomas Holt HOWARD Millicent Heys Walshaw, Christ Church Lancashire Births: 1924 Surname, Forename(s) - Mother's Maiden Name - Sub-District - Registers At LEIGH, Thomas Heys - HOWARD - Elton - Bury Lancashire Deaths: 1939 Surname, Forename(s) - Age - Sub-District LEIGH, Millicent Heys - 46 - Bury Thomas was an only child.
Interesting - on Ancestry's 1939 Register he couldnt be found so tried his father and for Thomas Heys it states the record is closed ?? - odd Harkness which site did you use for access? Name: Thomas Holt Leigh Gender: Male Marital status: Widow Birth Date: 22 Feb 1898 Residence Year: 1939 Address: 6 Owlerbarrow Road Residence Place: Bury, Lancashire, England Occupation: Paper Mill Technical Rep?? Schedule Number: 21 Sub Schedule Number: 1 Enumeration District: NGBE Registration district: 462.1 Household Members: Name Thomas Holt Leigh This record is officially closed. Elizabeth A White TD
TD - I used FMP for the 1939 Register entry. I guess it would depend on which birth date they used to determine whether the record should be closed or not. Presumably FMP used the (incorrect) 1918 one.
I assume that someone has 'opened the record' as its open in FMP but shows closed in Ancestry - my suspicion is that Ancestry dont give a fig in updating their databases, which in my personal opinion would be typical of them [just in case someone from Ancestry reads this it is my opinion and not the Forums] I see that the 1924 date is his real birth date but was interested as to why the 1918 date was written there as well TD
Thanks for all of this. I'll compare with the entry on the school's admissions register. I shall also try to locate an obituary for him in the local press, although I've found that the existence of these for World War II is far more hit and miss than for Great War servicemen.