Apologies if this thread title appears to be somewhat morbid, but this is mainly aimed at the guys who have been involved in setting up and maintaining memorials…
I’m doing a bit of research into a young airman who was killed locally during the first world war, and have located and visited his headstone. It’s undamaged, but unfortunately it’s a bit grubby, and so I want to tidy it up a bit. Can anyone suggest how I might go about this? Are there any particular cleaning products which can be used, or am I looking at just a bowl of warm water (a challenge in itself!) and a scrubbing brush?
Any and all suggestions gratefully received.
By: Dave Homewood - 13th May 2005 at 00:06
Good one Steve – I hope more will come soon. Fro, my experience of similar pleas for info in the local paper, some people will come out of the woodwork and call you weeks later, so more may come yet.
By: Snapper - 12th May 2005 at 22:04
Good man Steve!!! Top marks to you – very much a heart warmer.
By: EN830 - 12th May 2005 at 21:16
Steve believe me it’s a great feeling as more and more information comes to light and the picture starts to build. It was a mad rush home to see what new piece of gen would be waiting for us.
Keep up the good work
Ian
By: Arabella-Cox - 12th May 2005 at 21:11
Well, well, well. This thread refuses to die. After the cleaning and the wreath laying, I wrote a small piece and submitted it to a couple of local papers, together with a couple of photographs. It told some of the story of 2Lt Wastell, a little bit about what I’d done, and asked for anyone with information to get in touch. I didn’t hear anything back from the papers, and so as the weeks went on, I drew a line under that avenue.
A few weeks ago, I attended Kev’s book signing at Brooklands, and decided to go there via the Public Record office at Kew. Amazingly, I found a copy of 2Lt Wastell’s service record (he was in the Army for exactly eight months on the day he died), and – and this brought tears to my eyes when I found it – I even found him mentioned in the 1901 census as the two year old brother to his two sisters and one brother, with their home address in Birmingham in 1901.
Nothing much has come to light in recent weeks though, mainly because we have enough on our plate at home as it is, but imagine my surprise tonight when I walked in through the front door, the phone rang, I picked it up, and a voice informed me that she had some information for me. It turns out that the lady I spoke to, had a grandfather, who witnessed the crash, and immediately ran to the church to help. As it became apparent that the pilot was already dead, his thoughts turned to other matters. So he negotiated the purchase of the oak timbers from the shattered roof, and bought them for onward sale. When I asked how the caller had heard about my interest, she told me it had been mentioned in tonight’s local paper.
Mentioned is an understatement. It’s about a third of a page, with the headline “Pilot probes death riddle”. Very ‘Midsomer Murders’ if you ask me… Anyway, those of you who live in the St Neots / Huntingdon / St Ives area, have a look in the Hunts Post tonight. Page 21. My first time in print. 🙂
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February 16, 2005 at 1:45 pm