52 residents #37 William Plaice
12/09/15 11:43
William Place, b q3 1896 to James William Place, Stone Quarry Man and his wife Jane, cotton weaver. By 1911 he had joined his mother in the weaving shed, probably in the same mill as was the way things tended to be around here.
He was born in Rawtenstall as were his parents but his sister Ada, 6 years younger, was born in Accrington. Did they move out there and move back, or was his mother visiting? Well the census doesn't help there as in 1901 they were living in Ashworth St, Rawtenstall not a million miles away from their 1911 home on Dobbin Lane (5 Nuttall Row to be precise).
It doesn't help that of the three James Place in Rawtenstall in 1891, two were quarrymen and one a stone mason…
1918 and he is a private in the 2nd/7 Royal Warwickshire (325131). He transferred to them at an unknown time from the S Lancs Regiment (27620), for reason unknown. May 1918 finds him in the France/Flanders field where he died on May 15 and is buried IF 14 Robecq. The cemetery plan is available for download from the cwgc so we know where he lies…so sad. He was single.
An ordinary chap, another victim of an extraordinary war. Springhill and the immediate area suffered eight known fatalities, young men who probably knew each other before enlisting and met their deaths in different parts of the same conflict.
Sources:
1901 census RG 13/3850 p 28.
1911 census RG 14/24708
'Soldiers Died in the Great War' gives his place of birth and residence and regiment numbers.
He was born in Rawtenstall as were his parents but his sister Ada, 6 years younger, was born in Accrington. Did they move out there and move back, or was his mother visiting? Well the census doesn't help there as in 1901 they were living in Ashworth St, Rawtenstall not a million miles away from their 1911 home on Dobbin Lane (5 Nuttall Row to be precise).
It doesn't help that of the three James Place in Rawtenstall in 1891, two were quarrymen and one a stone mason…
1918 and he is a private in the 2nd/7 Royal Warwickshire (325131). He transferred to them at an unknown time from the S Lancs Regiment (27620), for reason unknown. May 1918 finds him in the France/Flanders field where he died on May 15 and is buried IF 14 Robecq. The cemetery plan is available for download from the cwgc so we know where he lies…so sad. He was single.
An ordinary chap, another victim of an extraordinary war. Springhill and the immediate area suffered eight known fatalities, young men who probably knew each other before enlisting and met their deaths in different parts of the same conflict.
Sources:
1901 census RG 13/3850 p 28.
1911 census RG 14/24708
'Soldiers Died in the Great War' gives his place of birth and residence and regiment numbers.
