The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 3:43 pm Post subject: Harold Whitten or Whittington

Harold Whitten is named on the Whithorn Burgh War Memorial in Wigtownshire. His CWGC entry reads:
HAROLD W. WHITTEN
Rank:Private Service No:6140
Date of Death:10/03/1915 Age:33
Regiment/Service:Royal Scots Fusiliers 2nd Bn
Panel Reference:Panel 12 and 13.
Memorial:LE TOURET MEMORIAL
Additional Information:Son of Mrs. Elizabeth Jane McKie Whitten.

Medal card of Whitton, Harold William (sic)
Royal Scots Fusiliers 6140 Private

However SNWM has:
Surname WHITTINGTON
Forename Harold W
Rank Pte
Service number 6140
Decoration
Place of birth Workington Cumberland
Date of death 10 March 1915
Theatre of death F&F
Cause of death Killed in action
SNWM roll THE ROYAL SCOTS FUSILIERS
Other detail 2nd Bn.

A local newspaper has him as Harold Whitten of Whithorn KIA at Nueve Chapelle 12/3/1915.

I presume SNWM got their details from SDGW - could someone check that for me please???
_________________
Ken

apanderson · Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 7:18 pm Post subject:

UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 about Harold W. Whittington. (Ancestry)

Name: Harold W. Whittington
Birth Place: Workington, Cumberland
Death Date: 10 Mar 1915
Death Place: France and Flanders
Enlistment Place: Whithorn, Wigtownshire
Rank: Private
Regiment: Royal Scots Fusiliers
Battalion: 2nd Battalion
Regimental Number: 6140
Type of Casualty: Killed in action
Theatre of War: Western European Theatre

Smile

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 8:01 am Post subject:

Thanks Anne. So obviously the same guy.
I found his birth record in Bootle, Cumberland in 1894 as Harold W. Whitten which aligns with the newspaper report. This gave his age as 22.
I don't know where "age 33" on the CWGC entry came from.
Curiouser and curiouser. Confused

_________________
Ken

apanderson · Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 12:35 pm Post subject:

If it's any help, he's on the 1901, age 6, (born 1895, England), living with his grandparents at 4 Mill Hill, Whithorn.

Grandparents:
Abraham Whitten, age 61 'Street Scaringer', born England (dear knows what a 'Street Scaringer?' is!)
Jane Whitten, age 50, born Whithorn

Going back a bit:

1881, Living at Bridgestones, Civil Parish of Drigg & Carlton, Cumberland
Abraham Whitten, age 42, Postman, born Drigg
Jane Whitten, age 30, wife, born Scotland
Elizabeth Jane Whitten, age 14, born Drigg
+ Three sons, William, John & Abraham all born Drigg

1891, Living at Bridgestones, Civil Parish of Drigg & Carlton, Cumberland
Abraham Whitten, age 51, Tailor, born Drigg
Jane Whitten, age 40, wife, born Scotland
+ Two sons, William & Abraham, born Drigg

I can't find any further sign of Elizabeth Jane Whitten, so maybe McKie was a middle name?

My thinking is that there can't be that many Elizabeth Jane Whittens around, so with wee Harold living with his grandparents in 1901, he was maybe illegitimate and mum was somewhere else?

Anne Smile

DelBoy · Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 1:45 pm Post subject:

apanderson · Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 1:53 pm Post subject:

Could be anything Derek - Ancestry's 'versions' are quite often absolutely nothing (even slightly) similar to what's on the original images.

However, Street 'something' could well be scavenger.

Anne

Mike Morley · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 8:33 am Post subject:

It would be a scavenger. I have seen minutes of local burgh Council minutes which discuss the appointment of the Burgh Scavenger. I guess meanings have changed a bit over 100 years!

Adam Brown · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:22 am Post subject:

When I was growing up the dustmen's lorry was called the scaffie cart. I'd never thought of it before but was that a corruption of scavvie cart from scavenger?

Thanks

Adam