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Dear Morten and Cheryl,

Apologies - i don't get on Rootschat that often.  Thanks for your further efforts regarding Harry Samways.  As you correctly point out, he was a brickmaker and worked at the brickworks in Oakdale before WW1.  I have obtained his death certificate which indicates, contrary to what my grandmother told me, that he died at home "of Pleurisy with effusion; Syncope;", and not at the old hospital in Weymouth.  Given that he died in December 1916, he likley still died of the effects of wounds recieved.  I recently wondered if his uniform would tell us anything - i have a photo...

Hi Morten,

I think the name on the memorial (H Samways) is almost certainly his, as there is strong anecdotal evidence that he is buried there also, but i have yet to determine this for sure.  If you are up there again, i would appreciate a photo, but otherwise, i can try to send my sister up there.  But where does this leave us?  I assume this means that his MIC is missing.  Can we go anywhere else with this now?  By the way, can you tell me where to look to know more about where and what the Dorsets did in WW1?

As for William, i don't know of a middle name, but let me do some more poking around.

Thanks again for all your assistance.

Thanks Morten.  They were both from Oakdale. William would have been around 17 at the time the war broke out, Harry, between 35 and 37, i think.  I was always told they joined 'The Dorset Regiment'.  However, some ink stamps on the back of a birth certificate for my grandmother says 'infantry office, Exeter'.  I guess the certificate was used to validate something.

Morten, my great-grandfather served, as did one of his sons, in WW1.  Am having trouble finding any records due to a lot of the records being destroyed in WW2.