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The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project (Registered Scottish Charity No. SC043826). Please visit our homepage at www.scottishmilitaryresearch.co.uk
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spoons
Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 4991 Location: St John's Town of Dalry
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:14 pm Post subject: Kirkcudbright, MS Leinster memorial |
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Not listed on UKNIWM
Location in St Cuthbert's Old churchyard, Kirkcudbright. OS Map Ref NX 692 513.
Not sure whether to post this in SWGP or here so on balance I thought it best to post in both.
Erected by public subscription in memory of
Sergt A W Pankhurst 16008 SLY
Corpl C Withington 29495 328th Coy RDC
Pte H S Jones 22578 21st Lancers att RWS
Pte C J Hitchcock D 18893 att Carr Staf RE
Pte C Kenny 555637 att 448 Agric Coy
from the wreck of MS Leinster sunk without warning by German action
in the Irish channel Octr 10th 1918 their bodies washed ashore were
interred here with military honours
Till Reveille
(edit - additional text from Ken Morrison)
This group of memorial stones are just inside the main entrance to the graveyard.
The five men here are only a few of the over 500 casualties resulting from the sinking of the Royal Mail Ship Leinster which was torpedoed in the Irish Sea on 10 October 1918.
There are other CWGs at Kirkbean (1), Kirkandrews (1), Sorbie (1), Whithorn (1) and Portpatrick (1).
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Adam Brown Curator
Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 7312 Location: Edinburgh (From Sutherland)
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:41 am Post subject: |
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spoons wrote: | Not sure whether to post this in SWGP or here so on balance I thought it best to post in both. |
We have a precedence on the forum: Steamships Main & Rio Verde, Kirkmaiden
The Steam Ships “Main” and “Rio Verde” were torpedoed in Luce Bay in 1917 and a memorial is in the graveyard next to the CWGC headstones. It is memorial and not a CWGC marker so it can be posted here.
Regards
Adam |
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DelBoy
Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 4858 Location: The County of Angus
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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Charles E. Withington is listed on the Arbroath War Memorial and St Mary's Church memorial.
Below is his entry in the Roll of Honour for the town and an article relating to his death from the Arbroath Herald.
Last edited by DelBoy on Fri Dec 31, 2010 2:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Kenneth Morrison
Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 7749 Location: Rockcliffe Dalbeattie
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Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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Just to round-off Derek's good work
WITHINGTON, CHARLES EDWARD
Corporal (20495) 456th Company, Royal Defence Corps.
Buried at Kirkcudbright (St. Cuthbert) Old Churchyard (CWGC)
Formerly (23761) Liverpool Regiment (SDGW)
Extract from Death Register, Parish of Borgue, Kircudbrightshire
Charles Edward Withington. Corporal, Royal Defence Corps. Printer. Married.
1918 November Twenty second. Found dead in Ross Bay of the Solway Firth.
Usual Residence Ross Cottage, Scarisbrick, Ormskirk, Lancashire.
Age 46 or 47. Father Edward Withington, Carpenter. Mother Margaret Holgarth.
More Soldiers' Bodies washed Ashore
Two bodies of soldiers were washed ashore on Friday afternoon (22/11) at Borgue parish, Kirkcudbright…..An assistant byreman at Ross farm saw a body floating in the water at Ross Bay and pulled it out. He got assistance from another man, and had the body removed to Ross farm, and reported the matter to the police. On the clothes were found a pass to No. 29495 Corporal C. Wethington, (sic) Royal Defence Corps, besides a watch and some money.....
(Dumfries and Galloway Standard, Wednesday 27 November 1918 Page 5b)
…....The funeral of Corporal Withington took place on Tuesday afternoon (26/11) at St. Cuthbert's Churchyard, when there was a fair attendance of mourners, including the widow, besides a representation from the local company of Volunteers under Lieutenant Livingston, with a firing party under Acting Sergt. Major W M Haugh. The coffin, wrapped in the Union Jack, having been lowered into the grave, the religious service was conducted by the Rev. William Barclay and the Rev. G J Jeffrey, after which three volleys were fired, followed by the sounding of the “Last Post” by Lieut. Livingston.......
(Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser, Friday 29 November 1918 Page 4d)
More Hun Victims
…..The bodies of the Corporal (Withington) and Sergeant (Pankhurst) which were washed ashore, as already reported, were buried with military honours on Tuesday and Wednesday (26/11 and 27/11) in Kirkcudbright churchyard. Besides the local Volunteers, the seven American soldiers in town attended. Lieutenant Livingston commanded. There was a service in the Episcopal Church on Wednesday.
(Dumfries and Galloway Standard, Saturday 30 November 1918 Page 4g) _________________ Ken |
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PaulC
Joined: 31 May 2014 Posts: 15 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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Many thanks for the above information on Charles Withington, I've found this invaluable in my research on the men of Scarisbrick. I recently visited the churchyard at Kirkcudbright - comparing my photo to the one above, has the memorial been damaged and repaired in the last few years?
In addition to the above newspaper reports, I have also found the following, although they perhaps don't add much in the way of information...
Dumfries and Galloway Courier and Herald, Wednesday 27 November 1918
TWO MORE HUN VICTIMS.
The bodies of Sergeant Pankhurst, of the Shropshire Imperial Yeomanry, and Corporal C. Withington, Royal Defence Corps, both victims of the Leinster disaster, were recovered on Friday, the one near the Ross Island and the other near Burnfoot, Borgue. The funerals took place yesterday afternoon to St. Cuthbert’s Churchyard, when the local Volunteers, under Lieut. Livingston, attended, and paid military honours. Four bodies have now been recovered on the shore near Kirkcudbright.
Arbroath Guide, Saturday 30 November 1918
ARBROATH VICTIM ON BOARD THE ILL-FATED LEINSTER.
Mrs Withington, 6 Dishland Street, this week had the sad duty of identifying the body of her husband, Corporal Charles E. Withington, Royal Defence Corps, who was a victim of the sinking by torpedo of s.s. Leinster in the Irish Channel on 10th October. Corporal Withington joined the Royal Defence Corps in 1915, and was stationed at Tralee. He was on his way home on leave when he met his end. Mrs Withington had received official intimation that he was on board the s.s. Leinster, and that is was feared that he had been drowned. It was only this week, however, that all doubt regarding his fate was removed. A telegram reached Arbroath on Monday stating that a body which was supposed to be that of her husband had been washed ashore at Kirkcudbright. On the following day Mrs Withington visited that place and identified the remains, after which they were buried with full military honours. Deceased was 46 years of age, and his family consists of three young children.
Also a few from the Ormkirk Advertiser here in Lancashire, for whom Charles used to work...
Ormskirk Advertiser, Thursday 8 July 1915
A CORPORAL IN THREE WEEKS.
It is three weeks ago since Charles Withington, of Narrow Moss, Scarisbrick, and who was engaged at the Ormskirk Advertiser Works, joined the National Reserve, and during that time he has earned promotion to the rank of Corporal.
Ormskirk Advertiser, Thursday 24 October 1918
LOST ON THE “LEINSTER.”
We regret to record that Pte. Chas. Withington, younger son of the late Mr. E. Withington, of Town End, Aughton, was lost on the “Leinster” on her tragic passage from Kingstown to Holyhead. Pte. Withington, who was 45 years of age, enlisted voluntarily in the early stages of the war, and had been stationed in Ireland for some time; he was coming home on leave when he met his death. Before enlisting he was employed as a compositor at the Ormskirk Advertiser Office, where he had worked all his life, being a capable and painstaking workman. He leaves a widow and five young children. Pte. Withington was for many years before the war a member of the Ormskirk Territorials, from which he resigned with the rank of sergeant. _________________ https://www.facebook.com/scarisbrickrollofhonour |
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PaulC
Joined: 31 May 2014 Posts: 15 Location: Lancashire
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Kenneth Morrison
Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 7749 Location: Rockcliffe Dalbeattie
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Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 3:30 pm Post subject: |
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Paul - comparing the photos it does look as though there has been an attempt to at least stabilize the damaged gravestone.
I don't know for sure but I think that the original crack was from some years ago.
The repairs may have been done during a general refurbishment of stones damaged during a drunked rampage by a couple of yobs.
The local community raised a substantial amount of money to make good the damage. _________________ Ken |
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stuartn
Joined: 13 Dec 2016 Posts: 2551
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:43 pm Post subject: |
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It is exasperating, but what really should count as a war memorial nationally doesn't because it marks their actual place of burial.
Locally it is undoubtedly a war memorial and fully justifies its place on this forum. I am going to add a note about it on the record for the Kirkcudbright Civic Memorial, so it is at least referenced nationally. |
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