Sources for Materials on this Website
The following original materials were used to construct the stories of the men of Ely:
Photographs and family information on this site
Poor quality photographs on this site are copies of those found in contemporary newspapers (chiefly either the City of Ely Standard or the Cambridge Independent Press); the quality of these is dependent on the original printed copy and the size of the image, and the decision was made to use any image where something of the face could be seen. Thanks to the internet, other photographs have been located on personal family history sites and amongst school records. We have endeavoured to ask permission for all those photographs we have “borrowed” from the websites or organisations concerned, and apologise for any omissions. Particular thanks are due to:
These websites have been of particular use in background research:
How accurate are the biographies on this website?
As far as possible, these short biographies are constructed entirely from original sources and, in a few fortunate cases, from stories passed on by relatives. As far as the soldiers’ war careers are concerned, unfortunately most of the Ely men’s service records are no longer in existence and guesses have had to be made based on the movements of their regiment and their place of death. (About 60% of the WW1 soldiers’ service records were irretrievably damaged or lost completely as a result of enemy bombing in 1940 during the Second World War. The remaining 40% are known as the “burnt records” and are in various stages of completeness. Less than 5% of Ely’s records of those who fell survive.) Inevitably, men were injured or fell ill, or may have been in reserve, when their unit was fighting, some may even have been on leave back in England, and without their service records we cannot confirm exactly where and when they personally fought.
We would be pleased to hear from anyone who can add to, or correct, the information on this website,
- Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales
- Census records 1871-1911
- British Army Service Records 1914-1920 as available
- De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour 1914-1919
- World War One British Army Medal Index Cards
- UK Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission Records
- UK Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects 1901-1929
- War Memorials in Ely Churches
- Needhams School’s Register (Ely)
- Stuntney Book of Heroes
- Contemporary Newspapers - Ely Standard, Cambridge Independent Press, Cambridge Daily News, and London Gazette.
- Prisoner of War record cards
Photographs and family information on this site
Poor quality photographs on this site are copies of those found in contemporary newspapers (chiefly either the City of Ely Standard or the Cambridge Independent Press); the quality of these is dependent on the original printed copy and the size of the image, and the decision was made to use any image where something of the face could be seen. Thanks to the internet, other photographs have been located on personal family history sites and amongst school records. We have endeavoured to ask permission for all those photographs we have “borrowed” from the websites or organisations concerned, and apologise for any omissions. Particular thanks are due to:
- Pam Blakeman and her extensive photograph collection
- Simon Knott on the Page and Cross families – see http://www.simonknott.co.uk/lifegoeson/ww1dead.htm
- Richard Pledger for sharing his materials on Percy Pledger and Leslie Pate
- King’s College London Archives for materials on Edward Stockdale
- Stephen Cowley for materials on Albert Cowley
- Imperial War Museum for materials on Albert Price
- Mr & Mrs R Carter for photographs of a young Willie Mayle and of Henry Saberton
- Laurine Green for sharing her “City of Ely Band Great War Project”
- Abingdon School for the materials on John Allan Howard
- David Edwards for the photograph of the Holy Trinity Memorial
- Stephen Kelsey for the artwork by Ely Dandy Ernest Harlock Cooper
These websites have been of particular use in background research:
- http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Cambridgeshire/ with its excellent coverage of Cambridgeshire war memorials – this is the starting point for any local or family historian. The site includes Mike Petty’s helpful index of Ely Standard articles at http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Cambridgeshire/images/ElyStandardIndex1914-1919.pdf
- http://www.cambridgeshireregiment1914-18.co.uk/the-cambs-at-war.html the website of the Cambridgeshire Regiment
- http://ely.ccan.co.uk/ Cambridgeshire Community Archive Network
- http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/ The Long, Long, Trail is the first place to look for the British Army in WW1
- The Stuntney Book of Heroes is online at http://stuntneyvillage.org.uk/WW1.htm
- http://www.cwgc.org/ website of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- Prisoner of War records can be found in the ICRC historical archives online at http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Search
- Many of the original sources are also to be found on subscription websites such as “Ancestry” and “Find My Past”.
How accurate are the biographies on this website?
As far as possible, these short biographies are constructed entirely from original sources and, in a few fortunate cases, from stories passed on by relatives. As far as the soldiers’ war careers are concerned, unfortunately most of the Ely men’s service records are no longer in existence and guesses have had to be made based on the movements of their regiment and their place of death. (About 60% of the WW1 soldiers’ service records were irretrievably damaged or lost completely as a result of enemy bombing in 1940 during the Second World War. The remaining 40% are known as the “burnt records” and are in various stages of completeness. Less than 5% of Ely’s records of those who fell survive.) Inevitably, men were injured or fell ill, or may have been in reserve, when their unit was fighting, some may even have been on leave back in England, and without their service records we cannot confirm exactly where and when they personally fought.
We would be pleased to hear from anyone who can add to, or correct, the information on this website,
