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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cumberland => Topic started by: *Sandra* on Thursday 03 October 24 15:05 BST (UK)
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission are appealing for blood relatives of Lance Corporal William Robinson Bell - Border Regiment - Service No:- 1188 - Place of death was Infirmary Howgill Street.
Lance Corporal Bell is buried at Whitehaven Cemetery. Aged 25/26 years.
The Commission would like to make contact with the grave owner. The Commission propose installing a headstone to commemorate him.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/216618522/william-robinson-bell
Whitehaven Cemetery
Whitehaven, Copeland Borough, Cumbria.
Plot Ward 2 - Section I - Grave 110
Sandra
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Could be this Bell family ...... 1911 - 6 Marin Street Frizington.
Herbert Gladstone Bell 24 Head
Sarah Jane Bell 20 Wife
William Robinson Bell 20 Boarder
This was his brother John Bell mentioned as next of kin on UK, British Army World War I Pension Records 1914-1920
1911 - 4 Barkers Road. Frizington
Jane Conley 60 Head
James Conley 29 Son
Margaret Jane Conley 36 Daughter
John Thomas Bell 26 Son-in-law
William James Warwick 15 Grandson
Thomas Nelson Warwick 13 Grandson
James Montgomery Bell 22 Boarder
Sarah Anne Bell 4 Grandchild
Sandra
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He was born in 1890
William's birth was registered in the Jul-Aug-Sep quarter of 1890 in the Whitehaven district.
'''Birth Registration''':
"England & Wales General Register Office"<br/>
[https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp?index=EW_Birth&year=1890&range=0&surname=BELL&motherssurname=CRAIG&forename1=WILLIAM&forename2=ROBINSON&gender=M&quarter=S&district=WHITEHAVEN&volume=10B&page=668 GRO Online Indexes - Birth] (accessed 4 October 2024)
Bell, William Robinson (Mother's maiden name: Craig).
''GRO Reference:'' 1890 Jul-Aug-Sep in [https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/whitehaven.html Whitehaven] Volume 10B Page 668.
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There is a Joseph Bell, MMN Craig regd Whitehaven, 1879
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1891 census 6 Patterson Building. Whitehaven.
Wilfred Bell 28 and Sarah Bell 27
John Bell 6 Herbert Bell 4
James Bell 2 William Bell 5 months
Marriages Sep 1884
BELL Wilfred Whitehaven 10b 828
Craig Sarah Whitehaven 10b 828
Father died 1901 - Deaths Mar 1901
Bell Wilfred 38 Whitehaven 10b 431
Sandra
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Amazingly have made contact with the family, who I knew. :) :)
Hopefully, they will be able to help CWGC.
Sandra
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The case of William Robinson BELL to be recognised as an official CWGC casualty was first submitted to them beginning in October 2015, including supporting documentary evidence, some extended family details and the cemetery records showing his grave location in Whitehaven Cemetery. His paternal grandfather was the Cemetery Keeper and this young land was living at the Cemetery Lodge at the time of the 1901 Census).
After an appeal on local and social media a distant relative was found (distant cousin). It seems another relative has contacted the CWGC (apparently a Great Nephew) but they don't give out details of who this is.
They have recently fitted the headstone (but they don't give out information about this until afterwards). A short ceremony of remembrance and dedication has been arranged to the memory of William BELL. Thanks to everyone who has taken an interest. These are important people to remember and this young man was a valued member of an extended family and community.
Lest We Forget.
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Amazingly have made contact with the family, who I knew. :) :)
Hopefully, they will be able to help CWGC.
Sandra
This was where the contact was made with the Great Nephew.
A photograph of the CWGC headstone was put on ancestry 13 th June 2025.
Brilliant result to show these men are not forgotten.
Sandra
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I've been keeping in touch with the CWGC, the council, RBL and others. We are having a short graveside service of dedication and remembrance for this lad. We had asked a number of times over the past 10 years if anyone knows of relatives and did hear from a distant cousin but not a Great Nephew.
For many years, several members of the Bell family looked after Whitehaven Cemetery.
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Small world.
This only came to my attention through the CWGC appeal in October 2024.
The nephew of William R Bell lived in Egremont and died in 2019 buried in Egremont Cemetery. The family were friends of my parents for almost 70 years.
My Mum was the Godmother to the Great Nephew so I knew where I could find him last year.
I'm sure CWGC would have made him aware of the dedication service. He has the photograph so may even have travelled and visited the gravesite all ready. I will get in touch and ask ?
Regards
Sandra
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Great-Nephew is not aware of a dedication service, needs to try and find out the details ??
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I've just received an email from the CWGC after contacting them a few weeks ago to ask what was happening. I submitted William's case to them, the first time almost 10 years ago (2015) but was lost in during the process (3x!). They were going to inform me when they were putting the headstone in place (but didn't). I only found out by going round that way and saw it had been fitted.
To quote from the reply:
Our apologies that the date of installation was not passed on to you; due to the volume of work our Regional Team undertake, headstone installations can often be last minute and are subject to change due to workload and weather conditions, which can lead to short-notice installations.
To be honest, this isn't the first one in Whitehaven Cemetery where this has happened. William was accepted by the CWGC as an official casualty in January 2023 and in September 2024 agreed that he was buried in Whitehaven Cemetery, and the headstone ordered from France in October 2024, arriving in the UK in May 2025. It's how they operate to manage all the good and hard work they do and it tends to all work out fine in the long run.
Obviously, the headstone needs to be in place before any dedication service/prayers go ahead and it seems they have a separate department who deal with anything along those lines. While I notified them about a relative I know (and have kept them informed) the gentleman you know must be slightly closer in kinship (and for various reasons only some information is released). I couldn't understand why the extra writing had been added to the headstone.
This is the reply on that question:
In this instance the Local Authority stipulated that this (headstone inscription) must include the name of Lance Corporal Bell’s relative in the same grave and was agreed upon by the next-of-kin.
I can appreciate any department of the CWGC won't be giving out family details of living relatives at least without permission, and rightly so. I'll send them another email to ask if they will pass on information about the council graveside memorial. We do know of one of William's relatives (Bell family) who has been kept informed through this long process, but maybe these relatives are not in close contact with each other? The gentleman you mention in this thread seems to have a slightly closer kinship or at least regarded that was by the CWGC and since October 2024 is designated as a next of kin'.
Thanks for assisting with this.
Photographs of the headstone engraving attached, if you're interested.
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A brother of William Robinson BELL, John Thomas BELL, then of Parton, registered William's death, as can be seen from the copy of the death certificate, a key document in submitting William's case to the CWGC in 2015 and for the second time in 2019.
This same John Thomas BELL was listed as next of kin for another soldier enlisting to the Army in WW1 (1915). I've attached a screenshot of these.
There is a BELL family tree son Ancestry where the 'owner' lists another WW1 soldier who died, a James BELL, as another brother of William Robinson BELL. Although this James BELL was also from Whitehaven he has different parents and not a sibling. William Robinson BELL did have a brother called James, but would seem to be different to the soldier who died in 1916.
Maybe the living relatives would like to see these images and update the online family tree?
Regards
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They already had the photograph of the headstone a few months ago. Great-Nephew would be classed as the next of kin because he is the nearest relative of William. CWGC prefer to have near relatives.
The family tree is a partial work in progress.
More important they know the date, time and details of this gravesite service.
Sometimes not so easy to travel from one end of the country to the other at the drop of a hat.
Great to see William Robinson Bell is not a forgotten soldier.
Regards
Sandra
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They already had the photograph of the headstone a few months ago. Great-Nephew would be classed as the next of kin because he is the nearest relative of William. CWGC prefer to have near relatives.
The family tree is a partial work in progress.
More important they know the date, time and details of this gravesite service.
Sometimes not so easy to travel from one end of the country to the other at the drop of a hat.
Great to see William Robinson Bell is not a forgotten soldier.
Regards
Sandra
If you are still in touch with relatives of Lance Corporal William R. Bell, and they are interested in their extended family tree, could you pass these 1918 newspaper clippings about two of his brothers please? These are newspaper clippings from 'The Whitehaven News' (Sep. 1918) about the wedding if the younger brother, Andrew Bell. His best man was another brother James (Jim), still alive at that time. The family notice confirms Andrew Bell's family link, in that it mentions his grandfather as the Cemetery Keeper at Whitehaven. After the CWGC has accepted and filed away the documents they require to prove a deceased person is an official war casualty, if family members subsequently come forward, they don't seem to pass other family information they've been given, no doubt for good reason. They were only of incidental interest in trying to get William recognised as an official war casualty but likely to be of more interest to the extended Bell family, but if it isn't that's fair enough. Thanks.