Who is "F. Thompson"

[Craigside_Pete]

This is something of a long shot....

"F.Thompson" appears as a name of a fallen WW1 soldier on a wooden tryptych and in the vestry minutes of St James the Great, the C of E parish Church of Winscombe [and Sandford, at that time], Somerset.

He DOESN'T appear on the stone war memorial in the Churchyard...but then there are quite a few differences but apparently no surviviing records of "why". Religion and place of birth might have something to do with it though.

There is a another Thompson, an "A. Thompson" also on the tryptych as a man who served and returned,, possibly a brother/father/son/cousin?

I've tried everything i can think of to identify them.
- CWGC/SDITGW records have plenty of "F" Thompson possibilities but none with obvious Winscombe or Sandford connections.
- Census records don't seem to tie an "F" and an "A" to anywhere geographically near.
- available local archives don't seem to reveal any Thompson families around that time.

This is the first time I've tried anything like this...but while I've managed to get "all the way" with c40 odd other WW1 and 2 casualties - this one has me completely stumped.

Anybody got any off the wall suggestions?

[liverpool annie]

Hi Pete and welcome to RootsChat !! 

Have you tried Commonwealth soldiers by any chance ... Canadian Australian etc ... even American - who were born in Winscombe or Sandford ??

Annie 

[mmm45]

Hi Pete
In my research ive had adopted lads,reform school lads placed with local families and migrant workers all on my local church Roll Of Honour.As you have found there is always one or two problem children!!
Local Papers with a fine tooth comb plus trawling the 01 Census and Genes Reunited all helped me.

Plus the Commonwealth lads already mentioned!

Ady

[forester]

Hello Pete,

I'm doing my old home village in Sussex and have more than a few problem names.
Try Parish Council records (War Memorial Committee), local golf club (I've got one member's son) and local private schools (an ex-pupil) and country houses (plenty of London bankers in my area with main residences in town)
Lastly, wait until 1911 comes out 

Phil

[liverpool annie]

I got messed up on mine ... when I suddenly realised they weren't all casualties ... they added soldiers who had served !! and then some of mine married girls from there .... they were from somewhere else entirely ! but when they were making up their lists they got the names from the families !

Have you tried the Absentee Voters lists Pete ?

[Craigside_Pete]

Thanks Annie, Phil and Ady,

Commonwealth/USA - Hmm, good point, I haven't. I have picked up, via a CWGC search, someone who'd been born in Winscombe but had emigrated to Australia  - He'd been on neither memorial at St James, or others around the village.

Parish [parocial and secular records] have been trawled though; the're sketchy enough to believe something is still out there : for example no correspondance seems to remain on how the names were 'selected'.

Migrant workers are a distinct possibility [Railway, mining and agriculture]. One of the reasons I've found for being on the tryptych but not the cross was a very strong lineal connection to the local gentry but not resident/born in Winscombe/Sandford so possibly lack of local roots accounts for FT's absence from the cross.

Local private school [Sidcot] has been trawled - changed my "received wisdom" on Quaker involvement as their losses (including 'in action') are about double the village. This is where the "religion" factor comes in: One of the men of the tryptych but not the cross, was an ex-Sidcot pupil who'd married a local girl. Despite his parents getting permission to errect a plaque in St James within weeks of him dying, he still didn't 'qualify' for the cross - There is a possibility that FT's non-conformist/methodist though brief searches there reveal nothing..... [for a small village, we've got a good choice of worship!]

I'm almost sure the guy's dead [i mean, "in period" - he's specifically identified in two records!] BUT it is a distinct possibility he's not strictly a war casualty - one of the other men mentioned on the tryptych but not cross, died of an infection in 1919 - his service record [luckily in TNA] mentions no injury and he's not in CWGC records.

I've checked the absent voters which hasn't given any info on this case BUT did on another person who's named on the tryptych but not on the cross - that person, well the Winscombe version, seems to have been very much "alive" perhaps even into the 40's!] BUT shared his name, initials and rank with someone else who did die!  It could be that there was some confusion when the cross was put into its current layout!

So there we have it....perhaps the '11 release will provide the 'magic bullet'!

Thanks to all...still receptive to any ideas on my possibly non-CofE, possibly migrant, possibly not 'dead' WW1 'casualty'!

[liverpool annie]

Just a thought Pete ..... 

I wonder if you've tried the funeral directors in town ... maybe they would have information even if he's buried elsewhere !

Annie 

EDIT ... I did find this ... are they an old company ?

FD Winscombe: C. V. Gower & Son funeral director, The Square, Winscombe, North Somerset BS25 1BS (tel 01934 842945; fax 01934 843130; Cheapest fully-fitted coffin only: £150 (delivery locally £10; nationally 50p per mile). Cold storage only: Yes, £5 per day. Body transport only: Yes, basic charge and 50p per mile. Advice for d-i-y: Yes, no charge. Basic funeral: £550 (disbursements extra). Prepaid plan: Golden Charter. Member of SAIF, NAFD, FSC (Marian Gower).

http://www.globalideasbank.org/natdeath/ndh7a.html

[liverpool annie]

I also found 151 F Thompsons here ... but I didn't go through them .....  might be worth a shot !

http://www.twgpp.org/results.php?sname=thompson&fname=f&cemetery=&country=&force=&nationality=

Annie 

[Craigside_Pete]

Thanks Annie,

Gower's is that old but we can't find a Thompson link in his or any local burial records.
[I ended up hanging around the church yard and archives so much they talked me into being PCC Treasurer....never knew research could be so 'dangerous'!]

Yep, been though ALL 151 [via main CWGC site] looking for something "obvious" but without avail.  Interestingly Wells Catherdral hold a memorial book for all Somerset WW1 casualties...this didn't seem to identify a suitable candidate either!

Perhaps the connection isn't really 'local' at all???

I also wonder whether he might not be an "F" [though he's shown in two different, contemporary records as "F" ]?