Research Forum

Whilst in Torbay recently Brian Airey spotted this in an exhibition about the Dambusters:

Brian  wondered whether anyone in the Society would be interested:  

A couple of years ago I was in correspondence with a member of this society who was related to Ft Sgt Jack R.G. LIDDELL so I hope they read this. 

The first queries we had about Jack LIDDELL were in about 2009, and we were able then to find out quite a bit about him including some relations still in Weston.  Some of what we found was used by the BBC in a documentary about the Dambuster Raids.

• Sgt Jack Robert George LIDDELL - Born June 22nd 1924 in Axbridge and moved to Weston at an early age. Attended Walliscote School in Weston. Worked in a local butchers called COGLE Bros in West Street, then another butchers, T P WILDRIDGE of St James St. During the blitz he became a Fire Brigade Messenger. Joined the RAF in May 1941 and trained as a wireless operator and rear gunner. Joined 61 Squadron in September 1942, then 617 Squadron (Dambusters Squadron) in March 1943.
• His crew flew in Lancaster AJ-E and was detailed to bomb the Sorpe Dam on the night of 16th May 1943. His plane never made it, and crashed near Haldern in northern Germany. He is buried at the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery with the rest of the crew.
• His name was initially omitted from the Weston War Memorial in Grove Park, but the local newspaper highlighted this during the 50th anniversary of the raid in 1993. There was a campaign for Jack's name to be added which was successful in 1995.

Private Walter Henry EAGLES on the 7th Dragoon Guards was killed in France on the 8th or 9th August 1918.  His entry in the Commonwealth Graves Commission site gives his widow’s name as Adeline Mary EAGLES of 18 Clarendon Road, Weston-super-Mare. 

This summer (2015) in a field near to the British CWGC cemetery at Caix these pieces of this stone cross were found. 

In the Cemetery itself there is an official CWGC Stone dedicated to the memory of Walter Henry EAGLES.  It looks as if this small cross originally marked his grave and could have been initiated by his family.

It is hoped to trace members of his family to tell them about this find.

As far as we can ascertain Walter Henry EAGLES, who was born in Exeter on the 4th April 1881, had married Adeline Mary HUCKER in 1917 just a year before his death.   I can find no children born to them.  His widow did not remarry and continued to live in this area – she died in Drove Road Hospital, Weston-super-Mare in 1954 having lived at “Craig Nos”, Oldmixon Road for many years (she was certainly there in 1939 living with a John BRICE). Probate of her will was granted to her younger brother Albert HUCKER of Exeter. 

Walter Henry EAGLES is not included on the War Memorial in Grove Park but I know that Dave Tyler has done some basic research about him and about others who had connections with Weston but are missing from that Memorial.  

The story of how these pieces of the cross were found is a very interesting one and has been sent to us by a Canadian, Anne Philpot, who visited Caix Cemetery this year to attend the official interment of her great uncle, Lieutenant Clifford Neelands who was killed in the Battle of Amiens in August 1918.  His remains had been discovered nearby in 2006/2007 with others and after identification were given a military funeral in May 2015.  Read about it here.

While Anne was in France these pieces of the little stone cross were found on land adjoining the cemetery. These photographs are used by permission of Anne Philpot in the hope that we can find some members of the EAGLES or HUCKER family to tell them about this little stone cross and perhaps hear from them how it came to be there.

Does anyone have information about either family?  There are HUCKERs buried in Weston Cemetery but no EAGLES.   

If you have any suggestions for finding some living members of either family we would be very happy to have them.  Thank you.

Thank you Graham for the Westbury transcriptions - you've knocked down a brick wall!  

I thought that Edmund PUDDY(a brother of my husband's great grand father) had married a Sarah (whose place of birth was given as Westbury) - they appeared on the 1851 census with a son Joseph born in Westbury in about 1841 and a son George born in Mark in about 1847.

Looking for a marriage for Edmund PUDDY and a Sarah before 1841 I drew a blank but on FreeBMD I did find a marriage of a Edmund PUDDY with a Sarah PILEY in 1843.  But I couldn't find a birth of a Sarah PILEY - so I searched the Westbury baptisms for the baptism of a Sarah (no surname) about 1809 and found the baptism of a Sarah TILEY on the 30 Oct 1808 in Westbury.  I then found the baptism of Joseph TYLEY 31 Jan 1841 s/o Sarah (single woman). Finally there is a marriage of an Edward (Can you check that Graham?) PUDDY to a Sarah TILEY on the 30th July 1843. 

Only goes to show how difficult transcribing can be when the writing is difficult to read.  Thanks Graham

I've been doing quite a bit of family research on my family and a few of my ancestors were baptised/married/buried at St Gregory's, Weare. I live in Cranham, Essex, but I came down to Somerset
last year to do some research in the Loxton area on my great grandfather and great grandfather. The Weare part of the family is further back. I'm putting together more information for a trip next year and have got quite a bit of information on the Tilley or Tilly family as they were known then. Would anyone know if there are any tombstones at St Gregory's in their memory? The four I'm seeking  information on are Henry Tilly (3 Sept 1819), Mary Tilly (24 Dec 1834), and their parents Matthew Tilly (18 Dec 1768) and Ann Tilly (5 Mar1784).

Any help or pointing in the right direction would be very much appreciated!
Simon