Learning as I go

Already, I am learning a  few interesting lessons as part of this project.

Firstly, I do not posses a shift lens, so I have to be wary of non-perpendicular lines when photographing the churches. This is to be expected, but can be minimised by taking shots carefully composed.

Second, not to assume that all war graves will be of the standard 'commonwealth' headstone pattern, and not to assume that all of that pattern are war graves! An example of each aspect here can be seen at Monk Fryston Cemetery. One private grave, located due to the presence of a British Legion remembrance cross, is a Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 'death in service' dated 1943. This of course does not follow the expected pattern. There is also, conversely, what looks initially to be a correct war grave headstone, including a Kings Own Scottish Borderers crest. But this is also a private grave, with dates that clearly preclude death in service.

There are also interesting details to be found on non-war graves, which give an insight into the wartime lives of those interred there. The example here being the Royal Navy subaltern and his Wren sweetheart who are interred at Hambleton.

St. Mary's Hambleton, Hambleton Methodist Chapel, and Hambleton Cemetery

St. Mary's, Hambleton has no graveyard within its grounds.

Hambleton Methodist chapel, as for most Methodist and Wesleyan chapels to my knowledge, also has no consecrated grounds.

Hambleton is served by its own small municipal cemetery. There are no extant war graves within this cemetery. However, interestingly, there is a joint husband/wife grave of a retired Royal Navy Lieutenant, with dates showing likely war service, and his W.R.N.S. wife, a wartime romance?

St. Wilfred's, Monk Fryston, & Monk Fryston Cemetery

No Wargraves extant at this church.

One 'official' wargrave, and one family plot containing a WW2 death in service are extant at the Monk Fryston Cemetery -


24604, S.Sgt Collins, G.H.
 Royal Army Service Corps.
12 December 1916

Bedford, Frank.
 RAF (VR)
 3 December 1943 Age 20

St. Mary's, Birkin

No extant Wargraves at this church.

Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to provide somewhere where I can upload photos and details relating to extant wargraves located within the grounds of churches and cemeteries in the Selby district.

Except in particular circumstances, all detailed wargraves will be post WW1. I expect, due to the nature of graves registration and burial during that conflict, that the majority will be from the 2nd World War or interwar conflicts. This blog will carry only details of actual marked graves - monuments and memorials will not be included as a matter of record, only if photographed at the same time during my visits.

It is not in any way my intention to cause any distress, but simply to collate these details as a reference work. If anything listed does cause concern, I will remove any pictures concerned.

This work will be a slow process, do not expect any fast results. It is also in no way an authoritative work, errors and omissions are to be expected.

The format will be simple - A particular visited church or cemetery will receive one or more postings. Churches will be included even if no wargraves are present, to aid in elimination of locations. If wargraves are present, detailed listings and where possible photographs, will be included. Each church or cemetery will have at least one identifying photograph per post.