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Private Herbert Ledger 035836

There was only one herbert Ledger on the CWGC database. 

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Herbert Ledger was born in Liverpool on 14th August 1889. His parents were John and Mary Ledger of 27 St James Place, John was a window-blind maker.

Herbert was baptised in St Andrew's Church on 5th December 1889.

The 1891 census shows that the Ledger family (still at 27 St James Place) consisted of John, Mary and their 9 children; of whom Herbert was the youngest.

John was a window-blind maker and an employer, their address was also listed as a window-blind factory; they probably lived over their shop/workshop.

Gore's directory of Liverpool and Birkenhead 1900 trade directory shows that John Ledger, window blind manufacturer had 2 premises, 27 St James Place and 35 Renshaw St. There were two other Ledgers listed as window-blind manufacturers.

The 1901 census shows the family at the same address, John still a window-blind maker and employer. Herbert was 11 years old but several of his siblings were employed and their occupations indicate they had a reasonable education.

By 1911 Herbert's father had died and his mother was head of the household in Annesley Rd, Seacombe with 8 of her children still at home. Herbert was employed as an engineer's apprentice.

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Herbert Ledger was in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, his regimental number was 035836

 He was killed at 'home' (in the UK) on 27 October 1918.

UK Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919 

Name:	Herbert Ledger
Birth Place:	Liverpool, Lancs
Death Date:	27 Oct 1918
Death Location:	Home
Enlistment Location:	Birkenhead, Ches.
Rank:	Private
Regiment:	Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Number:	035836
Type of Casualty:	Died
Theatre of War:	Home

click here to see the CWGC entry for Herbert Ledger.

Open Heritage Day 12th September

Update

Despite the long gap between posts, there has been plenty of work being done on the research and the memorial project. Money from the Heritage Lottery Fund has paid for the war diaries for many of the men (they are not all available) and the entries for the dates of death will be added.

The money from the HLF has also paid for a new website for the project and the entries for all the men are being updated and added to it. The website has its own domain which will eventually also hold a site for related aspects of the research such as the Holy Trinity WW1 memorial which was also taken from St James's Church.

I have been given a response to my application for a grant from the War Memorials Trust, although they seem very positive about the recreation of the memorial I have been advised to delay the application until the church building restoration has secured funding.

I will be taking part in the St James' Church Heritage Open Day in September - more details to come!

Owen Owen - second thoughts

I have previously given a tentative identification for Owen Owen but, on revisiting the name, I'm not happy with it so I've taken another look.

The CWGC give 14 results for Owen Owen, three of them have Liverpool mentioned in the 'other information' the other 11 state their parents' residences as places in Wales.

I previously assumed the man without a middle name would be mine but there is no information to tie him to Toxteth so without proof I have to rethink the assumption.

I have also identified another Owen Owen (no middle name) who was from Bootle, he is recorded incorrectly on all his military records and the CWGC as Owen Owens. I have no link to Toxteth for him though.

Owen Hugh Owen is one of the men on the CWGC.  Owen's parents married in 1892, he had a baby sister who died in 1896, his mother died in 1898 and his 3 year old sister died in 1899. In the 1901 census Owen and his elder sister were visitors at the house of their maternal uncle in Birkenhead.
His father (also Owen Hugh Owen) remarried in 1903 to Mary Jane Jones, a widow. The 1911 census shows them living at 71 Boswell St (Lodge Lane) with children from their previous marriages: Jennet Gertrude Jones 22 and Owen Hugh Owen 12. The form states that they had been married for 7 years and had one child from the marriage.
Owen H Owen's service record shows that he enlisted in 1917 and died in 1918 exactly one month before his 20th birthday. the cause of death was pneumonia following influenza. He was buried in Birkenhead Flaybrick Cemetery in a family grave (I will be visiting soon)
A family notice for him in the Liverpool Echo reads "Remembered by Ethel and all at 46 Crosfield-road... confusingly there were several Owen families living in Crosfield-road in the 1911 census with several Owen Owens.

However, Owen Hugh Owen does have a link to Toxteth Park, his father's parents lived there in the 1871 and 1881 census, his father spent some time there and there were other relatives in the area. 

This requires more research.