WINCHESTER (WEST HILL) OLD CEMETERY
A Peaceful Place to Rest
West Hill Cemetery, Winchester
History
In The Beginning
Writing of the early years of the 19th century Alderman Thomas Stopher recalls that little had been built in the western environs of the City and that the open chalk down was almost devoid of trees. A major technological advance was about to change all this.
The advent of the railway, after an initial reluctance by the citizens to use this noisy, smelly and novel form of transport, brought a new prosperity to Winchester. It was not long before those with an entrepreneurial instinct saw great opportunities for making money. Much speculative building was put in hand (good solid dwellings by any standard that still form a great part of the present housing stock) and the City started to expand beyond its former boundaries. And with the railway and all this development came the trees that are such a feature of the City as we view it today.
The Cemetery
In the 1830’s Winchester did not have a cemetery and the graveyards of the City’s churches were overcrowded and in some cases had reached their capacity to accord burials for the citizens.
Mr. C.W. Benny, a Portsmouth grocer and a man of substance, saw here an opportunity for a sound investment by providing a cemetery. After all, in the natural order of things, people died and had to be buried, cremation not being a popular option at this time. Accordingly in 1839 Mr. Benny formed The Winchester Cemetery Company with a capital of £5,000 in £10 shares. In 1840 the Company was incorporated by Act of Parliament. The Act contained the usual powers for the construction of a cemetery and associated chapels. Two Chapels were built; one for members of the Church of England, the other for “Dissenters”, but were demolished in the 1930’s. Also specified were the maximum charges for interments. For every person buried in the open ground (common grave) the sum of 12/-; for every person buried in a purchased or private grave the sum of two guineas; for every person buried in a vault, catacomb or brick grave the sum of four guineas. One section of the Act, combined with other circumstances, was going to cause problems for the City Council at a later date.
Mr. Benny took a keen interest in the running of the cemetery and amongst other provisions insisted that the Keeper who lived in the Lodge had a large and vociferous dog to protect the graves of recently buried people from the attentions of grave robbers. He was well aware of the problem, as his sister’s body had been taken from its burial place, much to the grief and consternation of her family.
The site chosen was on the southern slope of West Hill with its northern boundary on St. James’ Lane, then known as Barnes Lane. The land belonged to the Dean and Chapter of Winchester Cathedral. Alderman Stopher records that the appointed architect was Owen Brown Carter who designed the Lodge and the two chapels and the perimeter wall with its elegant pillars and railings. The Lodge still stands at the northeast entrance just above the St. James’ Lane railway bridge, but both the chapels have been removed. Although the Cemetery is now closed, occasional burials in family plots and vaults do still take place.
In “The History of Hampshire” the Cemetery is described as “a piece of ground about 7 acres in extent, delightfully situated on the sunny slope of West Hill, and laid out with the greatest taste”. The grounds were, as now, open to the public and “afforded a very agreeable promenade with a charming view of the valley beyond St. Catherine’s Hill and St. Cross as far as Twyford and Brambridge”. It must have been a beautiful sight in those days and even today, in spite of much building and the many mature trees, there are still wonderful views to be had out of the City to the east and southeast.
By the beginning of the First World War the Cemetery was nearly full and by 1918 the Cemetery Company was virtually defunct. At a meeting held in the Guildhall on 28th January 1921 the position of the Company was put before the public and as a result a Committee was appointed to assist the extant directors in the maintenance of the Cemetery. This Committee was known as the West Hill Cemetery Society and they ran the Cemetery from 1924 to 1928.
In the following years matters went from bad to worse and a resolution of the problem became imperative. On the 15th December 1946 the Town Clerk, Mr. R.H. McCall, presented a brief on the matter to the City Council. It was a model of clarity and commonsense and an admirable and lucid explanation of a complex situation.
He explained that in 1924 the Directors had sought Counsel’s advice on the feasibility of transferring the undertaking to Trustees appointed by the Society. Counsel, a Mr. Neville Tebbutt, had made a number of comments. The first was that the Cemetery Company was prohibited from selling or transferring its undertaking or the cemetery to other persons. He further advised that the Cemetery was not one to which the Burial Acts applied, in the sense of requiring the Local Authority to maintain the same when disused. He also drafted a Declaration of Trusts that was adopted by the Cemetery Society. But due to the rule against perpetuities (the Society not being a charity) the Trust was confined to the period of the lives of the issue of His Majesty King Edward VII and for a further period of 20 years from the death of such survivor! In this case the Trust would have expired in 1958 following the death in 1938 of Princess Maud, the wife of King Haakon VII of Norway.
Other relevant facts were that the Company had not held a meeting since 31st December 1920, the last Director of the Company had died on 29th October 1936 and the Secretary and Treasurer, Mr. Alfred Bowker, had died on 18th March 1944. There were other problems too numerous to list here.
In 1948 a further Opinion of Counsel was sought with a view to transferring the Cemetery Company and the assets of the Cemetery Society to the City Council. In this opinion, Mr. J. Mills, agreed with the previous opinion and said that to do this a Private Act would be necessary. He also said that if the Council declined the offer then the Society was under no obligation to continue to maintain the Cemetery. He also stated that if the work of the Society ceased it must remain for local opinion or local effort to prevent the Cemetery from becoming derelict. The Town Clerk advised that it was quite certain that the City Council had no legal power to spend money on a Cemetery that did not belong to them.
He also advised them that if the Council did not take over then the state of the Cemetery might deteriorate and that it was “notorious that any property kept in reasonable repair is less expensive in the long run than letting the same property get into a very bad state and then have to put matters right”. The point was also made that it would be wrong to disregard the fact that pressure on the Council to take responsibility would increase in line with the state of dereliction. It was close to the City centre and would always be regarded as something of importance and that it would be considered as a credit to the City or a disgrace, depending on its state. That opinion would probably hold good today.
Another factor to be taken into consideration was that any contribution by the Local Authority must be measured against the value of the site to the City’s reputation and the maintenance of the rateable value of the surrounding district that would certainly deteriorate if the Cemetery became a place of desolation. Telling words in any age!
In conclusion he advocated a Bill in Parliament so that the Cemetery could be taken over by the Council and in the event the Winchester Corporation Bill, all 64 pages of it, was passed in 1952.
In the Hampshire Chronicle of 12th December 1964, the Town Council gave notice that they intended to remove memorials, tombstones and railings on 200 burial plots. Certain headstones were to be placed against the side-walls of the Cemetery. Objections had to be registered by 18th January 1965, after which the work was to be put in hand. It is not known how many objections, if any, were made but the work was certainly put in hand. In the1980’s the Council, as a matter of policy, commenced the destruction of some of the gravestones to facilitate the work of the gang-mower. They were also using chemical sprays to inhibit growth that the mower could not deal with. After many years of effort by the Landscape Committee of the Trust (then the Preservation Trust) and others, the Council was persuaded to alter its policy of destruction and the use of sprays and to treat the Cemetery as a managed area promoting the proliferation of flora and fauna.
Fauna and Monuments
Fauna and Flora
The population of fauna and flora, with the exception of the trees, is much as it was when sheep grazed there. It is host to a thriving colony of the Marbled White butterfly (Melanargia galathea) that is fairly common on the chalk downs around Winchester and beyond, but this urban colony is probably unique in the British Isles. The flora is composed of many of the species that you would expect to find in chalk grassland with the interesting addition of a number of domestic flowering plants that have self-seeded from the floral tributes placed on the graves over the years. There are one or two fine trees in the cemetery and some modern planting that is far too close together. There are also a number of self-seeded trees that need to be removed together with ivy, and other climbers that are smothering one of the trees and some of the memorials.
Monuments and Archaeology
The boundary wall with its railings and the wrought iron gates are classified as a Grade II listed structures but the lodge is not. Despite past damage to the lodge, this appears to be a serious omission since it is very important to the ambience of the Cemetery, and is by the same architect as the listed wall. The cemetery itself is recorded as an archaeological site.
During the preparatory work on the St. James’ Lane entrance, a cremation and burial site of Roman origin was discovered. Five cinerary urns of coarse workmanship and containing cremated human remains were uncovered, the largest being three feet in diameter. The burials were more numerous and stretched for more than 100 yards east and west “into the adjoining pastures”. The graves had been cut into the chalk and backfilled with a mixture of loam, small stones and fragments of burnt wood. The burials appear to have taken place without coffins and were laid out without any regularity or order. A coin of the usurping emperor, Flavius Magnus Magnentius (350 to 353 AD), was found nearby but cannot be associated with any of the burials. These finds were recorded in the Gentleman’s Magazine 1840 Part II, p.644.
The same source also records that the finds were sent to “a gentleman in Blandford”. It would seem that he never returned them to Winchester, as they are not in the Museum Collection in the City. The Assistant Curator of the Dorset Museum in Dorchester (there is no museum in Blandford) suggests that `the gentleman’ in question might be either William Shipp, an antiquarian and bookseller (1809-1873), or more likely Henry Durden, another antiquarian and collector (1807-1892). There is no trace of these finds in the Dorset Museum nor are they in The British Museum, where Durden’s Collection is housed. However his Collection does contain a pot found in Winchester described as “red ware” and possibly of Samian origin.
Conservation and the future
The title to the cemetery passed to the City Council in 1953 and it is they who are now responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the site that is an important open green space in the setting of the City’s built environment and valued by those who live in Winchester. A cemetery is first and foremost a place to commemorate the dead and is very important to the living relatives of those who are buried there. At the same time it is a pleasant and peaceful place for leisure and for the study of the natural environment and local history. It is therefore most important that adequate resources are earmarked for its continued care in order to ensure that it remains so.
In 2001 a Parliamentary Select Committee of Inquiry examined the current national provision of burial sites, discussed the question of maintaining existing cemeteries and looked at options for the future. The Government subsequently asked English Heritage and English Nature to provide guidance on the conservation and management of cemeteries. The first such paper entitled ‘Paradise Preserved’ is shortly to be published. It can be found on the English Heritage website (www.english-heritage.org.uk) together with details of much other useful information on the subject. ‘Paradise Preserved’ is well worth a read by those interested in the subject.
At the moment all is well but the pressure on budgets is great and unrelenting. If the citizens of Winchester want to keep the cemetery the way it is then they must take up the matter with their elected representatives if they see things going wrong. In that way it can be brought to the attention of the City Council. It would be a huge bonus if a group of ‘Friends’ could be formed to keep an eye on this wonderful place and act as unofficial wardens.
R / 11700 Rifleman Alfred Amos Bickers
Depot
The King`s Royal Rifle Corps
Thursday 29th April 1915
7438 Rifleman F Boswell
The King`s Royal Rifle Corps
Tuesday 29th February 1916
5669 Boy Walter Carter
Depot
The Rifle Brigade
Sunday 27th August 1916
S/3590 Corporal George Herbert Chappell
The Rifle Brigade
Monday 10th May 1915
R /13129 Rifleman H Clarke
Depot
The King`s Royal Rifle Corps
Friday 25th June 1915
4733 Rifleman J Collins
17th
County of London
Wednesday 22nd March 1916
4226 CSM W R Croasdale
3rd Bn.
The King`s Royal Rifle Corps
Tuesday 18th February 1919
2284 Col. Serjt. R.H. Freeborn
The King`s Royal Rifle Corps
Tuesday 6th June 1916
R /4987 Rifleman D Graven
Depot
The King`s Royal Rifle Corps
Thursday 17th September 1914
R / 7722 Rifleman H. Guest
The King’s Royal Rifle Corps
Monday 25th June 1917
12669 Rifleman Robert Hall
2nd Bn.
The King`s Royal Rifle Corps
Saturday 8th April 1916
373052 Rifleman G.L. Hyde
Post Office Rifles
Monday 2nd July 1917
4804 Serjeant F.J. James
The King’s Royal Rifle Corps
Monday 7th January 1918
S/4943 Rifleman E. Lambourne
The Rifle Brigade
Friday 4th August 1916
8049 Bugler C.F. Marshall
The Rifle Brigade
Saturday 28th November 1914
41091 Rifleman G.A. Medlicott
Depot
The Rifle Brigade
Wednesday 26th February 1919
R /4431 Corporal F.A. McManus
The King’s Royal Rifle Corps
Friday 25th December 1914
Captain Montagu Alfred Nixon
The Rifle Brigade
Wednesday 26th September 1917
9206 Rifleman W.J. O’Donnel
The King’s Royal Rifle Corps
Saturday 21st November 2014
8392 Bugler Wyndhan George Owens
B Coy, 3rd Bn.
The King’s Royal Rifle Corps
Monday 4th January 1915
5 /236 Corporal W. Quarterman
1st Bn.
The Rifle Brigade
Saturday 22nd July 1916
S/9147 Serjeant John Harold Reeves
Depot
The Rifle Brigade
Monday 15th July 1918
1280 Serjeant J.H. Reid
The King’s Royal Rifle Corps
Friday 30th April 1915
5236 Rifleman J. Rogers
17th BN
County of London
Sunday 16th July 1916
6908421 Bugler H. Roney
5th Bn.
The Rifle Brigade
Tuesday 26th October 1920
R 15279 Qmr. Serjeant John E. Saunders
The Kings Royal Rifle Corps
Tuesday 24th October 1916
R / 11260 Rifleman Thomas Southern
Depot
The King`s Royal Rifle Corps
Saturday 10th April 1915
S/4992 Albert C. Towell served as Rifleman A. Davis
The Rifle Brigade
Sunday 6th May 1917
S / 9150 Rifleman Alfred Williams
Depot
The Rifle Brigade
Thursday 27th July 1916
S/32332 Rifleman W R Woodward
The Rifle Brigade
Wednesday 30th May 1917
(There are also two Victoria Cross graves in this cemetery)
Lieutenant-Colonel Francis David Millet Brown VC
Born 7th August 1837 in in Bhagalpur, India
Died 21st November 1895 (aged 58)
Buried at West Hill Cemetery in Winchester, England
Service Bengal Army, British Army, British Indian Army
Years Of Service 1855 to 1894
Rank Lieutenant-Colonel
Unit 1st European Bengal Fusiliers / 101st Regiment of Foot / Indian Staff Corps
Wars / Battles Indian Mutiny / Umbevla Campaign
Awarded Victoria Cross
Lieutenant-Colonel Francis David Millet Brown VC (7 August 1837 – 21 November 1895) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Brown was born on 7 August 1837 in Bhagalpur, India. He was educated at Grosvenor Collage, Bath. He was educated from 1852 to 1854 by a private tutor, Brisco Morland Gane, late curate of Honiton.
He was 20 years old, and a lieutenant in the 1st European Bengal Fusiliers (later The Royal Munster Fusiliers) during the Indian Mutiny when the following deed, on 16th November 1857 at Narnoul, India, for which Brown was awarded the Victoria Cross:
For great gallantry at Narrioul, on the 16th November, 1857, in having, at the imminent risk of his own life, rushed to the assistance of a wounded soldier of the 1st European Bengal Fusiliers, whom he carried off, under a very heavy fire from the enemy, whose cavalry were within forty or fifty yards of him at the time
He was again promoted, this time to Captain 23rd August 1864. He returned to the army as Major on 7 December 1875. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel 8 December 1881. He was presented to Queen Victoria at a Levee at St James Palace on 24th April 1860. He later achieved the rank of colonel
Personal Life
Between 1868 and 1873 Brown was employed as Assistant Principal of Thomason Civil Engineering Collage, Roorkee. He married Jessie Rhind Russel. Her date of birth is unknown. They had the following children:
- Frank Russell Brown (24th March 1872 – 3 April 1900). Frank was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Munster Fusiliers. He was made a Lieutenant 1st August 1895.
- Claude Russell Brown (born 11 April 1873). Claude was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Engineers 22nd July 1892. He was made a Lieutenant 22nd July 1895.
Brown married Jessie Doris Childs after the death of his first wife. Brown died on 21st November 1895 in Sandown, Isle of White and was buried in Winchester Cemetery, after a service at Winchester Cathedral.
Brig. Charles Calveley Foss V.C. C.B. D.S.O
Brigadier Charles Calveley Foss VC, CB,DSO (9th March 1885 – 9th April 1953) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Foss was born in kobe, the son of Rev. Hugh James Foss, Bishop of Osaka. He was 30 years old, and a captain in the 2nd Battalion the Bedfordshire Regiment of the British Army during the First World War when the deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 12th March 1915 at Neuve Chapelle, France, after the enemy had captured a part of one of the British trenches and a counter-attack made with one officer and 20 men had failed (all but two of the party having been killed or wounded in the attempt) Captain Foss on his own initiative dashed forward with only eight men under heavy fire and attacked the enemy with bombs and captured the position and the 52 Germans occupying it.
One of the eight men who accompanied Captain Foss at Neuve Chapelle was William George Peggs, 9822 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment who was awarded the Order of St George 4th Class (Russia) for his part in the attack. Peggs died from wounds received during a later battle on 9th August 1916. Peggs is buried at La Neuville British Cemetery, Albert, France.
Foss later achieved the rank of brigadier. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regimental Collection at the Wardown Park Museum, Luton and Bedfordshire.
Born 9th March 1885 Kobe, Japan
Died 9th April 1953 London
Buried at West hill Cemetery Winchester
Service / Branch British Army
Rank Brigadier
Units Bedfordshire Regiment / Home Guard
Wars / Battles WWI / WWII
Awards Victoria Cross / Order or the Bath / Distinguished Service Order
Memorial at Peninsula Ltd, who are also Hampshire Ambassadors laid wreath`s on 10th Nov 2013 on the above graves as members of the Victoria Cross Trust
Others buried at Winchester West Hill Cemetery
L.Cpl A.E. Alexander – 26115 / Dorsetshire Regiment – 5th July 1918
Gunner F. Appleby – 41074 / Royal Field Artillery – 21st May 1915
Private E. Armstrong – 11932 / Royal Lancaster Regiment – 11th April 1915
Driver C. Attwood – 131986 / Royal Field Artillery – 15th April 1916
Captain F. Bishop M.C. – Cheshire Regiment – 21st Feburary 1919
Serjeant William Blount – 14655 / King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and Royal Welch Fusiliers – 10th December 1915
2nd Private G.A. Bothwell – 294023 / Royal Air Force – 4th October 1918
C.T. Bryen – 275237 / 3rd Air Mech. Royal Air Force – 17th November 1918
Sapper J. Carter – 325815 / Royal Engineers – 2nd May 1919
Pte. Henry John Catley / Of The Royal Fusiliers, died at the Red Cross Hospital, Winchester – 15th March 1917
Private C.H. Clarke – 4264 / 19th B. County of London – 1st June 1916
Corporal F.J. Craig – 25743 / Royal Garrison Artillery – 3rd December 1918
Private H. Critchell – 9514 / Hampshire Regiment – 10th June 1916
Major E.R. Cureton – King`s Own Scottish Borderers – 18th May 1916
Private O.J. Dobson – 9683 / Royal Berkshire Regiment – 10th November 1914
Private Thomas Henry Dolton – 8836 / Hampshire Regiment – 11th Febuary 1915
Rifleman Joseph Michael Dowling – 4073 / London Irish Rifles who Died at North Hill Camp – 6th April 1916
Private E.C. Downer – SE/13031 / Royal Army Veterinary Corps – 9th January 1918
Private W. Dutton – 147334 / Machine Gun Corps (Inf) – 12th February 1919
Private E.A. Farr – 30585 / Essex Regiment – 17th June 1918
General William Charles Forrest C.B. – Colonel 11th (PAO) Hussars and formerly of that Regt and the 4th and 7th Dragoon Guards. “and son of Col William Forrest Bengal Army. He served with the 4th Dragoon Guards in the Crimean Campaign 1854-55, Balaclava, Inkerman, Tchernaya, Sebastopol – 1st April 1902
Gunner S. Forsey – 217 / Gunner Royal Field Artillery – 12th October 1915
Private Edward William Fullford – 9125 / Hampshire Regiment – 18th December 1918
Private P.L. Gillan – 252608 / Durham Light Infantry – 16th March 1918
Private J.A. Goheen – G/93492 / Middlesex Regiment – 3rd December 1918
L.Cpl. P. Graham – 8532 / Royal Irish Regiment – 22nd January 1915
C. Omr. Serjt. J.W. Guerin – 1316 / Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry – 12th December 1914
Private A.H. Holder – 42203 / Hampshire Regiment – 21st November 1918
L. Cpl. E. Howson – 4847 / King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry – 7th January 1915
Cadet G.R. Johnston – 2704 / Australian Flying Corps – 24th March 1918
Sapper W.J. Johnston – 487355 / Canadian Railway Troops – 12th October 1917
Private George Osman Kirkwood – 22847 / Royal Berkshire Regiment – 3rd July 1916
Driver F.B. Lawrence – 98588 / Royal Field Artillery – 3rd December 1914
2nd Lieutenant G.H. Macaskill – Royal Air Force – 4th July 1918
2nd Lieutenant J.R.T. Marsham – Worcestershire Regiment – 27th February 1919
Corporal T.J. McGuire – 24816 / Royal Garrison Artillery – 27th November 1918
Lance Cpl J. McLee – WR/508549 / Royal Engineers – 19th February 1919
Private L.D. Miller – Royal Fusiliers – Buried elsewhere in this cemetery – 12th June 1915
Serjeant James John Mitchell – 3/5226 / Hampshire Regiment – 8th May 1917
Staff Serjeant C.F.G. Molland – F/ 26616 / Royal Army Service Corps – 25th July 1917
E. L. Molland 139649 / Royal Horse Artillery – 25th July 1917
Private E.E. Moore – L /13464 Middlesex Regiment – 31st December 1914
Private D. Moran – 22852 / Royal Dublin Fusiliers – 12th June 1916
Private B.G. Morrell – R /233302 / Royal Army Service Corps – 5th March 1919
Private J. Mountford – 20064 / North Staffordshire Regiment – 10th December 1915
Gunner Charles Munday – 192100 / Royal Field Artillery – 12th March 1918
Serjeant W.J. Newman – 1120 / Army Cyclist Corps – 1st April 1919
Private G.H. Nott – 5095 / 24th BN London Regiment – 13th January 1916
Private J. O’Donoghue – 288259 / Royal Air Force – 6th October 1918
Private F. O’Neill – SE/28225 / Royal Army Veterinary Corps – 4th July 1917
Corporal J.J. Page – Hampshire Regiment – 27th June – 1918
Sapper W.J. Peel – WR/508548 / Royal Engineers – 17th February 1919
Private A.E. Poppy – 13159 / Royal Fusiliers – 3rd January 1915
Private H. Potter – 10262 / King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry – 28th December 1914
Private H. Riley – 6160 / Cheshire Regiment –
W. Sawle – Boy 2nd Cl. Rn J 93962 / HMS Impregnable – 25th February 1919
F.G. Sherman – 3239 / 1st Air Mechanic Royal Air Force – 13th February 1919
Driver H. Sillitoe – 132015 / Royal Field Artillery – 16th May 1916
Serjeant C.F. Southcott – 380126 / Hampshire Regiment – 17th December 1917
2nd Private H. Southcott – 197507 / 2nd Private Royal Air Force – 1st July 1918
Corporal F. Sturgess – 8778 / Hampshire Regiment – 8th August 1916
Private A.D. Swinnard – L/8686 / East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) – 29th January 1915
Lance Cpl. R.S. Tavener – 3401 13 / Kensington Bn. London Regiment – 30th August 1916
T.V. Tee – Stoker 2nd Cl. K /29237 / HMS Victory – 22nd February 1916
Major William Parker Terry – Late (number) battalion Norfolk Regiment which he served 25 years including the Crimea and fall of Sebastopol. – 15th January 1891
Lieutenant A.J. Tremblay – Royal Air Force – 31st August 1918
Private C.H.P. Tuck – 3739 / 13 Kensington Bn. London Regiment – 30th August 1916
A.E. Tucker – Stoker 1st Class RN.309995 / HMS Victory – 7th January 1917
L. Cpl. Frederick Chapman Tyler – 27011 / Hampshire Regiment (died of wounds received in France) William (killed in action in Mespotamia) – 13th June 1917
Colonel Herbert Flamstead Walters – 124th Baluchistan Infantry, India. – 8th October 1916
Lance Cpl H. Woodger – 18793 / Welch Regiment – 29th September 1915
Pioneer G.H. Wright – 25628 Royal Engineers – 10th January 1915
Original Source by Gary Heritage
Photos from Billion Grave and Steve Barrett
Heading Sourced from http://www.cityofwinchestertrust.co.uk
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