Sir — In the village of Clonmany, Co Donegal, Ireland, there is the grave of a First World War soldier.
He is 81229 Private Sidney Humphris, 4th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment. He is believed to have died in a drowning accident in Clonmany on October 3, 1918, and is buried in the now disused St Columba’s Church, Straid, Clonmany, Ireland.
I have recently carried out some research and have been kindly assisted by The Royal British Legion, The National Archives, Kew, The West Country Library, Exeter, Devonshire Museum, The Keep Military Museum, and the Devonshire Regiment Archives. To summarise the information received from these sources, Sidney was resident in Witney when he enlisted. I don’t have an enlistment date for him, or where and when he was born, etc, as it is believed these records may have been destroyed during the bombing in the Second World War.
Mrs Lucy Browne, of the Westcountry Studies Library, kindly examined the Census of 1911 for me, and reported there were 33 people with the name Sidney Humphris, or a variation of the name, in the area around that time.
One possibility was only nine years old in 1911, which would make him 16 years old in 1918.
I was wondering if it would be possible, through your paper, to get suggestions on how I might refine my search further, maybe through birth or death records locally, or local newspaper records, or maybe through local history groups or local knowledge. Is it possible Sidney has any family still in your area?
I would like to add more to Sidney’s memory than just a name and number on his gravestone, if that is possible.
Any help or suggestions your readers might have would be greatly appreciated.
I can be contacted at hughfarren@eircom.net.
Hugh Farren, Clonmany, Ireland
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