Cottingham Soldiers Blog

It's been an exceptionally busy few weeks on the domestic front, so opportunities for Soldiering On have been brief. However, this week sees the William Coles history going public. It's one of the longest so far,  mainly because there was some very interesting family background to be unearthed.

In just over a week the World War One exhibition is happening in Cottingham; details at htpp://cottinghamnews.co.uk/news.htm. I've been exchanging information with Janice Binley, and am particularly excited to learn that one of the medals to be exhibited belonged to the only man named on the Cottingham war memorial to whom I'm related. Edwin (known as Edward) Towndrow was married to my great aunt Frances Bamford for five months before his death at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle on 13 March 1915. (William) James Tansley was killed on the same day, both men being in the 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment.

I have a good deal of information on both men as much of their military record survives. Unfortunately their histories are unlikely to be ready for uploading before the exhibition on 24 August, but I should have them finished in the autumn.   

I am really looking forward to seeing people's family memorabilia on display and hoping to learn a lot more about Cottingham's soldiers from the families who remember them. It should be a great day.