John Mark Richard WANSTALL

This from: www.kentfallen.com


WANSTALL, J. M. R. No C.W.G.C. trace. Only 18 Great War casualties with the surname Wanstall are commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and of their number at least 13 had connections with the county of Kent. Checking the 55 Wanstall deaths registered between 1914 and 1920 was also to no avail. Checking all the 1,001 births registered for people with the surname Wanstall between 1865 and 1920, (the latter year being when the Saltwood Great War memorial plaque was erected), revealed a good match to the above casualty who was: -

JOHN MARK R. WANSTALL.

Born Bilsington, Ashford, Kent. Son of John and Sarah Wanstall. Commemorated at the former Wesleyan Chapel, Mersham, Ashford, Kent. John’s birth was registered in the East Ashford, Kent, Registration District during the first quarter of 1891. On the 1891 census, the family is shown as residing at Honey Pot Road, Bilsington, Ashford, Kent, at which time John (junior) was 4 months old, and as such it was also probably where he was actually born. At the time of the 1901 census, the Wanstall family resided at Chequer Tree Cottage, Mersham, Ashford, Kent. Head of the house was Bonnington, Ashford, Kent native John Wanstall (senior) who was employed as a Farm Waggoner. Amongst the other Wanstall children shown on the census entry are George, Thomas, and Harry, Wanstall who are also recorded in the former Wesleyan Chapel, Mersham as having served in the Great War. At the time of the 1911 census, the Wanstall family resided at Kiln Corner, Saltwood. John (senior) was again shown as being the head of the house. John Wanstall (junior) was recorded by the census enumerator as being employed as a Farm Waggoner. In view of the fact that John has the two forms of his rememberance at Saltwood and Mersham, it would seem likely that his was a Great War related death. As both the Saltwood and Mersham commemoration plaques were erected prior to the cut-off date for commemorating Great War related deaths, by the then Imperial War Graves Commission, www.kentfallen.com is in the process of obtaining a copy of John’s death certificate via the General Register Office. Obtaining a copy of John’s death certificate will be needed prior to submitting John’s case to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, to enable him to at long last be officially commemorated as a victim of the Great War.

Stop Press: No trace of John’s death as a civilian has been found at the General Register Office, and a new search is now under way to hopefully find him as having been an overseas Great War service death.

If anybody has any additional information appertaining to John Wanstall, particularly in relation to his death, do please get in touch with us. Apart from obviously being most welcome, the additional information might also be of real assistance in getting John the official commemoration and recognition that he so clearly deserves, albeit about 90 years after he died.



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[This page last updated 14 November 2011]