Issy

Your most welcome, it was interesting looking the details up, and posting back on my findings, adds a little more history to the photos of the headstone and i now have faces to the names as well. Issy

I have searched the Sentinel newspapers today and now have copies of the articles that were reported about the deaths of Private James Cecil Mountford and Private Norman Rogers, in case it shed any light on why they came to be buried together, which alas it didnt. Each of the articles also contained photos the men. The article for Private Mountford reported that he died from multiple injuries following the explosion of a trench mortar which he had fired when on exercise with a party of men. He joined the army in May 1941 went to North Africa in 1943 and was taken prisoner on the Anzio beachhead . On release from a prisoner of war camp in germany he was posted to the Duke of Wellington Regiment at Colchester. One member of the party on the exercise said that he thought that the bomb must have exploded in the air above Private James Mountford. An officer who was also present said he heard a crack and flung himself to the ground, he expressed the opinion that the bomb was faulty and had exploded either on or near the ground. The cochester coroner gave a verdict of accidental death and said that the unfortunate accident would no doubt bring about a military inquiry. The article also reported he came from Grove Street Cobridge, his obituary in the paper said he died in Colchester Military Hospital. The article for Private Norman Rogers was small in comparison, stating he was the son of Mrs Hilda Rogers and the late Mr S Rogers of 11 Grove Street Burslem and he had joined the forces two years previously and he had been employed by Messers Malkins Tiles Burslem Limited prior to this. His funeral was conducuted by the Rev father Cooney assisted by Captain the Rev Father McVeigh an army chaplain. His obituary stated that the funeral cortege would leave from 2 Grove street cobridge so i think he and James Mountford lived in the same street and quite possibly have been friends, well i would like to think that they may have anyway ,coupled with the fact that i cant find a Grove street in Burslem. I think its nice to know a bit about people who died fighting for their country and remembering them as people not just headstones . Issy

Thanks Issah for the welcome, do have to admit though i dont know a great deal about the workings of or restoration of the mechanical vehicle , as long as i turn the key and it starts i'm happy !! Issy

When i started reading the thread on the re make, my first thoughts were how on earth would they address his dog's name :nut: seems i wasn't the only one to think of it either . History is history and nothing will alter the fact that his dog's name was Nigger . Our history would end up like a bit like chineese whispers if we go altering everything just be be polite and not wanting to offend everyone, mind you it may create a few more jobs in the history re writting depts :-D

Hi Tony, Thanks for the warning, however i'm afraid i caught the infection ages ago and although i have looked for a cure for it, it seems there is nothing out there to stop it hehe i'll just have to try and blend in good job i like green ! Issy

Cheers Guys for the welcome , i'm on a mission to find out more about one of the soldiers and need to do a bit more conclusive research, but if i have it right, James had a couple of sisters so if i can trace what happened to them something may show up as to perhaps why the men were buried together, bit of trawling through the archive newspapers may be in order i think .. i've even wondered if they were perhaps cousins or it was some sort of pals pact ? as you can tell i have a very inquisitive and vivid imagination :-D:-D Issy

Just thought i would say hello, ive kind of stumbled on this site by accident whilst looking for a possible answer to a war grave i came across , i took a photo of it because mainly it has a surname that appears in my family, however strangley enough when i took it i never registered the fact that it contained two soldiers Mountford and Rogers ! both in one grave and one headstone. I was very surprised when i found the same question being asked on this site so ive now made it a bit of a quest to try and find out more, its nice to know that there are like minded people out there who go out snapping photos of graves make me feel quite normal !!! although i didnt manage to take photos of them all i did take a few, well you never know there may be someone out there who may want a pic of a family members last resting place ! Right ill have a look around the site to see what else goes on. Bye Issy