RESEARCHING the 1901 census data I discovered an unknown uncle, Philip Henry Sly, who was born 12 June 1897 to William Thomas Sly and his wife Ann Maria (nee Hill).
I had known for some time that a P Sly is commemorated on the war memorial at Albaston. This soldier, 27512 Philip Henry Sly, was killed while serving with the 6th Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall?s Light Infantry in September 1916 in France.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) record for Philip is sparse, and includes no family information, something that I now wish to remedy. I am informed that as well as the birth certificate I need some circumstantial evidence that the birth certificate does indeed relate to this particular soldier before the CWGC will consider amending their records.
Through your paper I am appealing for anyone who may have copies, or know of copies, of contemporary newspapers which may have mentioned the death of Philip Sly. He was a local man serving in the local county regiment, and I am sure that there will have been a record somewhere.
No-one of my father?s generation is still alive. I live in Surrey, and I do not know when I will next be able to do the research myself, so I am hoping that someone in the East Cornwall area will be able to point me in the right direction to find the missing information I need for the CWGC.
John Sly