By Maureen Storey
In this journal we welcome David Taylor back to the Society. David has been researching the family of his mother Florence Emily Taylor (nee Soall) for many years, but has as yet been unable to identify the birth family of his 3xgt grandfather William Soal(l), who married Clementina Benson in Shoreditch, MDX, in 1775.
The major family history websites continue to add useful records to their databases. Ancestry’s parish record collection now includes Wiltshire, Suffolk and Cambridge. Of these Wiltshire and Suffolk are only marginally helpful for Sole families, though I have added records from both of them to our database. Cambridge, however, was particularly interesting as the index entries are linked back to images of the original registers, making it possible to check for mistranscriptions. Previously, even if you went to the Cambridgeshire Record Office, you could only look at transcribed records.
Another of Ancestry’s additions is the UK Register of Railway Employee Injuries and Deaths 1880-1939. It is an ongoing work and it will be updated as more information emerges. This includes records from all the railway companies of the time and, as each company recorded the incidents in different ways, the amount of information given varies considerably between incidents, but if you have railway ancestors it is definitely worth a look. For example, from this I learned that H Sole, b about 1849, and a ‘rully man’ on the North East Railway suffered a crush injury on 20 Aug 1909. The database states he was crushed by a horse and hurt his ribs and that he received compensation of 15s 7d per week. This was John Henry Sole (commonly called Henry) who was born at Tidd St Mary, LIN, in 1848. He moved to Hull, YKS, in the 1870s and worked as a rullyman. (A rully was a 4-wheeled cart often used in docks to transfer heavy loads between ships and the railway, It was moved by manpower rather than horsepower and so Henry’s must have been a tough job).
Among the military records that Ancestry added in the run-up to Remembrance Day, were some that dealt with Second World War Soldiers. Previously, there were some releases concerning prisoners of war, but two of the recent additions include details of some of the ordinary soldiers and airmen. The title ‘Index of UK and Allies International Bomber Command Losses 1936-1966’ is self-explanatory. From this index we learn that Flight Sergeant John Walter Sole died on 3 Mar 1944 when his plane was hit by flack during a special operation supply drop and crashed near Ancona, Italy. John, a member of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, was the plane’s wireless operator/air gunner and was buried in Ancona War Cemetery. More research is needed to definitely identify John but I think he was probably the son of John Sole and Mary Furlong who was born in Hammersmith in 1909.
The title of another of the new additions ‘UK Recommendations for Honours and Awards 1935-43’ is also self-explanatory. Among the men listed is Corporal Andrew Soles of the 5th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. Andrew, who was born in Grimsby in 1921, was awarded the Military Medal in 1945 for delivering messages under fire. Part of the citation reads:’ On one occasion a grenade burst at his feet but this in no way affected his will to carry on and he delivered promptly the message entrusted to him’. Andrew’s medals (i.e. Military Medal, 1939-45 Star, Italy Star, Defence Medal and War Medal with a mentioned in dispatches oakleaf) were sold at auction in 2012 for £1400.
Andrew was the son of William James Soles and Louisa Ann Bell and the Society’s records for his family go back to George Soles and Sarah Ann Saxton, who married in Newark, NTT, in 1853.
The coverage of the last new military index is not so transparent. It is entitled UK Military Service Records 1939-59, but its description says it is a list of British infantry service records of those who were discharged as over age in the period given. It is said to be an ongoing work that doesn’t include records of the Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery, Cavalry and Guards Regiments. Although still quite limited in its scope, its records for those included are quite extensive. For example, Harry Cecil Sole, a boot and shoe salesman who was born in Dover in 1906, enlisted on 31 Aug 1940. He served in the Royal Armoured Corps with postings in Egypt, France and Germany. He was released to the Army Reserve on 26 Jan 1946. Harry was 2xgt grandson of William Sole and Margaret Prescot, who married in Nonington, KEN, in 1809.