Finding their Stories
Ken Haywood’s book telling the stories of the men who are commemorated on Bishopthorpe’s War Memorial was published in November, 2017.
In the process of completing the research on the men, Ken became aware of a number of other Bishopthorpe men from both wars who died as a result of service with the Forces but who were not commemorated on the village memorial.
As a result of the publication of ‘The Lost Men of Bishopthorpe’, the Parish Council committed to adding the additional names to the War Memorial by the time of the centenary of the end of the First World War in November last year. The work took place in the second part of October, 2018, and the work was completed in time for Remembrance Sunday on the 11th November.
However, the story of one man, whose name was added to the memorial in 2018, does not feature in ‘Lost Men’.
Second Lieutenant Wilfrid Mervyn Dunnington-Jefferson was killed in action with 3 Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers on 25/26 April, 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres.
Ken did not find references to 2nd Lt. Dunnington-Jefferson until the middle of 2018, well after ‘Lost Men’ was published, but just in time for Wilfrid Mervyn’s name to be added to the Memorial with the other new names.
Much more recently, Ken managed to contact Nicky Dunnington-Jefferson. She is Wilfrid’s niece and was very pleased to hear that he was now commemorated on Bishopthorpe’s War Memorial. Nicky has lived in London for many years, but, as luck would have it, she was about to visit Yorkshire just after Ken established contact. In early August, Ken and Linda met Nicky at Middlethorpe Hall, where Wilfrid was born, then took her to see the War Memorial. Stewart Harrison, Parish Council Chairman, came along to meet Nicky, who was effusive in her appreciation of what the Parish Council had achieved.
The Lost Men of Bishopthorpe, price £10+£2 p&p [in UK], can be obtained directly from Ken at 39 Acaster Lane, Bishopthorpe, York, YO23 2SA
Tel. 01904 704584
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