William Geoffrey Walford
Location:
St Bartholomew’s Church
Greens Norton
Northamptonshire
NN12 8BN
Details on cross:
In Memory
Capt WG Walford,
62 Squad. R.A.F.
Killed in Action
4th Nov 1918
Text type (e.g. hand-written, GRU tags, carved): Hand written in Black
Cross dimensions (millimetres please)
Shaft Height: 100cms
Cross beam width: 42cms (approx.)
Width of wood: 7cm
Thickness or depth: 5.5cms
Other information
Mounting to wall: Small metal brackets top and bottom of cross
Detailing:
Evidence of use in field (earth marking, cracking, staining, shrinkage): Stain on the cross shaft
Surface insertion depth (into ground if apparent): 14cms
Finish (varnish, paint, oiled, unfinished etc): Unfinished
Condition (cracked, paint peeling, woodwork, damage etc): Very good condition, a few chips on the sides and a stain 14cms from the bottom: this I assumed was the depth the cross had been in the ground.
Notes and observations:
The cross is inside the Church, attached to the North wall: above quite a large Tomb. The constraints of this made accurate measuring difficult, hence the size of the Cross Beam width being approximate!
There is a Rectangular Brass Plaque attached to the wall under the Cross which reads:
From the grave of William Geoffrey Walford Capt. Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers attached 62 Squadron Royal Air Force who fell in aerial combat at Offignies in Belgium on the 4th day of November 1918 and was buried by his comrades upon their victorious advance on the 10th day of the same month .. preserved by the family when he was reinterred in Blagnies communal cemetery be placed here out of love and with respect to his memory Deo Dante Dedi.
Checking on “Google” he is actually buried in Blaugies Cemetery near the North West Corner
WALFORD, William Geoffrey
Grave/Memorial location Grave/Memorial location
Captain / Royal Air Force,62nd Sqdn. and Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers,RAF/RFC
Died on 04 November 1918
BIOGRAPHY:
Captain 62nd Sqdn. Royal Air Force Fly. Royal Engineers and Royal Monmouthshire Regiment Killed in action 4th November 1918 Son of Capt. William Walford and Laura C. Walford, of Glanmonnow, Garway, Hereford. His grave is at Blaugies Communal Cemetery, near North-West corner.
Information
MILITARY
Memorial Panel Reference North-West Corner
Date of Death 04/11/1918
Where He Died Belgium
Where is Buried Blaugies Communal Cemetery
Died Age 23
SCHOOL
School House Gownboys
Date Entered 1909
Date Left 1914
Survey and photograph courtesy of Chris Garfirth
Date of survey: 09/10/2016
