Selby District War Grave Survey Complete

My survey of war graves within the Selby District is now complete.

Carrying out this survey has led me to locations throughout the district that I would not normally have visited, where I have seen the range of church architecture from medieval to modern, and located extant war graves from the earliest days of the First World War, through WW2 and post-Imperial and Cold War conflicts, to modern day and current conflicts.

It has been an interesting, thought provoking and, at times, sobering process.

I hope that this blog will provide a useful resource to others undertaking similar research, and that some may find it complementary to other, and official, sources.

If any reader can provide any clarity of detail on any of the graves, especially those of post-WW2/Cold War/post-Imperial conflicts, or those that may be due to non-hostilities accidents, please feel free to post comments.


With the main survey complete, there will be few new updates from now on. These will occur for sites just outside of the Selby districts, if I happen to be passing them.

All Saints, Wistow

All Saints church Wistow is currently undergoing roof renovations. An appeal total board stood in the churchyard shows that this was raised by local fundraising,

There is one extant war grave,

Sqn Ldr Gristwood, Ian Anthony,
Royal Air Force,
13th January 1989  Age 40

From what I can gather researching the above on the internet, this may have been an air accident. Although I cannot tie the name, the date matches that of an aerial collision between and RAF Tornado and a GAF Alphajet during an exercise in Germany. However, another source suggests the involvement of RAF Masirah, Oman.

All Saints, Cawood and Cawood Cemetery

The church of All Saints, Cawood is small and located on a small plot beside the river. There are no war graves within the churchyard,

The cemetery is located on the other side of the village, and contains one war grave,

13075767 Pte Gray, G.,
Pioneer Corps,
31st July 1947  Age 40

On note is one grave, that of Mary Quenby, died in 2009 age 82, which shows from the inscribed capbadge that she was a member of the Womens Land Army.

St Mary, Riccall

No war graves present, but two ex- forces interments were noted, Major W.H. Jenkins, REME, and Sidney Dudley, RAF, died 2015 age 93.

St Helens, Stillingfleet and Cemetery

Only one war grave is present within the churchyard,

22157 Pte Richardson, J.,
Northumberland Fusiliers,
27th March 1918  Age 37

The church is rather well hidden by large mature evergreen trees.

There are a further two war graves in the nearby cemetery,

541767 Pte Harrison, A.,
Labour Corps,
14th November 1918  Age 25

4542598 Gnr Simpson, G.,
Royal Artillery,
29th May 1943  Age 24

St Helens, Escrick

Only one war grave, but two ex- forces interments, A Major Dawson, A., and an Alan Ronald (Ron) Witty DFC,

The one war grave is, sadly, another of modern conflict,

25087205 Pte Mason, Shaun Daniel,
The Green Howards,
21st February 2004  Age 22

St Helens, Thorganby

A very attractive church with several distinct periods of construction and style evident.
No extant war graves

St Mary The Virgin, Hemingborough

St Mary's Hemingborough has a surprisingly tall spire, which dominates the small village. Its ancient churchyard is complemented by an adjacent cemetery,

There are no war graves in the churchyard, however there are a number within the adjacent cemetery,

754009 Pte Atkinson, C. H.,
52nd Bn. Canadian Infantry,
6th February 1919 Age 33

7014236 Gnr Hall, S. D.,
49th Searchlight Rgt, Royal Artillery, Lately W. Yorks Rgt,
18th August 1944  Age 21

4619291 Pte McCartney, C.,
The Duke of Wellingtons Rgt,
21st August 1940  Age 23

2658549 Guardsman Hinchcliffe, J. F.,
Coldstream Guards,
6th June 1940  Age 21

St. Andrews Mission Church, Cliffe

This small redbrick chapel has no graveyard, so no extant war graves.

In fact this was not even on my list of sites to visit, but I happened to pass it on my way to survey the church at Hemingborough.