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Update on CWGC commemoration of Private Henry Welsh (October 2025)

We were able to put the CWGC in touch with relatives of Henry WELSH and an appropriate epitaph was chosen to be engraved on the official CWGC headstone.

As this has now been created, a service of remembrance and dedication of the headstone will shortly be held in Cleator (St Mary's RC) churchyard at the same time for another WW1 soldier from Cleator Moor, John James CASH.

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.

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. 

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. 

Good day alyson123,

I've recently seen this post you began asking for information about Whitehaven and Preston Quarter Cemetery and Bardy Lane. Attached is a plan of that cemetery with Ward 6 Section O highlighted in red border.
That part of the cemetery was generally for Roman Catholics so presumably your 3x Gt Grandmother Mary Doran was RC? There is no headstone for that grave which is in the middle of a large grassed area as a lot of that section was for common graves.

Hope this helps. If you want a photograph of the approximate location of that grave I can pop along some time and take one.