World War One Veteran Honored on Memorial Following Family’s Advocacy

The name of a World War One soldier, who succumbed to his injuries seven years subsequent to the war’s conclusion, has been inscribed on a local memorial following a request from his relatives. Private Walter Blackwell sustained injuries during the 1915 conflict at Ypres, and his health never fully recovered prior to his passing in 1926 at 33 years old. Following efforts led by his 93-year-old niece, Betty Quinton, his name now appears on the parish cenotaph located in Wales, close to his residence in Kiveton Park, Rotherham. Mrs. Quinton was present at a dedication service today, where she stated that her father “would have been so proud” of the memorial inscription honoring his brother. Private Blackwell, originally a miner, received training to excavate tunnels beneath enemy positions for explosive placement after enlisting with the Sherwood Foresters. A personal narrative from his military service details an incident where a German shell struck the shaft he was working in, leading to its collapse and trapping the soldiers beneath. His account states: “We were just able to get out. Men were lying in all directions. Four of us entered a dug-out but the Germans dropped a gas shell on top of it. My three comrades lay dead. I was buried and badly wounded.” He endured the consequences of gas poisoning and shell shock throughout his remaining years, ultimately requiring a leg amputation. Previously, the memorial had exclusively honored individuals who perished as a direct consequence of the war prior to 1920. Mrs. Quinton commented: “This young man had left a village he’d never left before to go off and fight for his king and country.” She added: “My father used to talk about his brother; him and Walter were two that were very close to one another. I think it broke my dad’s heart when Walter died.” Private Blackwell and Mrs. Quinton’s father, Marquis, were part of a family comprising nine sons; their own father also worked as a miner. Upon his return from the Western Front, Kiveton Park Colliery employed Private Blackwell as a cycle attendant, and he also operated his personal cycle repair workshop from a shed at his residence. Nevertheless, despite his family’s endeavors, his war pension was ultimately discontinued. His brother, Arthur, who served as an artillery gunner, also suffered from gas exposure. Richard Waller, who held the position of acting clerk for Wales Parish Council when the choice to modify the memorial was made, stated that it “rectified an injustice”. He explained: “A long time ago the family had written to the War Graves Commission or the War Office and were told there was a cut-off date of 1920. This wasn’t correct, as the War Memorials Trust advised me; it was down to local people to decide whose names went on the memorials. It was always something which could have been done.” Mrs. Quinton further commented: “It just makes me so proud that I’ve, after all these years, achieved something that my dad couldn’t in those years gone by.”