Question

I am trying to check if Private William James Hunt who was killed on 19.9.1918 in France wha

Comments

Neither your question nor this man's profile indicates his nationality. To advise you on researching him, our volunteers need nationality information.

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Both Percy Hunt and William James Hunt are from Pwllgwaum, Pontypridd Wales.

Willaim's parents are Demara and James Hunt also from Pwllgwaum.

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I suspect that James William is my great uncle as my grandmother Jessie Hunt who died 1980, hinted to me that she had a boyfriend whom she loved. I suspect this was James William who was killed in the Ist WW.  I suspect she married his brother my grandfather. If this is the case I would like to go to Calais on19th September 2018 to commemorate his death 100 years ago. He was 19.

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What does wha mean?

Answer 1

From the name and date of death, I guess that this information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is your William James Hunt 

https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/4025839/hunt,-william-james/

Service No 58309, 13th Battalion, Welsh Regiment

William is also listed on the Imperial War Museum "Lives of the First World War", albeit briefly. Perhaps you could help to improve his entry there.

https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org/lifestory/2571243

I hope this helps a little. Good luck with your research!

Dave Seccull

Comments

Thank you Dave

This is really interesting.

I am still not sure if he was my great uncle. My grandmother said she had ? fiancée and I think she married Percy his bother after James was killed.

How can I find this out?

David Stephens

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The only thing I can say for certain is that your grandparents married in Pontypridd in the first quarter of 1918 - here's the record on Familysearch

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26JF-76R

It is possible that it's only a coincidence that Percy and William James each had the surname Hunt. There are several families named Hunt in and around Pontypridd in the early 20th century. Perhaps they weren't brothers, but cousins of some kind, or maybe they were not related.

William James Hunt, born Pontypridd in 1899, was the son of George and Demara/Demaris Hunt. William died in September 1918, at least six months after your grandparents married - is it possible that htis individual isn't actually your grandmother's fiancee? Or that the family story has been amended over time?

If I found the right Percy Hunt (sorry, no guarantee!) he was born Pontypridd in 1897, and seems to have been the son of David and Emily Hunt (his later stepmother was named Sarah Elizabeth).

Both of the families lived in the Pwllgwaun district of Pontypridd.

This is giving you more questions than answers, isn't it? If I were you, I'd first check out all the evidence you have for the deceased fiancee of you grandmother, and make sure that you know for certain who he is. If you can't be certain, keep an open mind..

Next I would trace as much as possible about the family of Percy Hunt - if he did have a brother who was killed prior to Percy's marriage to your grandmother, perhaps that is your guy.

If you can't find a likely brother, then try to find any relationship between Percy Hunt's family and William James Hunt's family.

Good luck!

Dave

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Great answer Dave, you just beat me to the exact same conclusion!

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Thank you very much Dave

Yes it is possible that Willaim was not Jessie Hunt's fiancee although the suggestion that Percy was not the person that Jessie originally planned to marry, came from her to me perhaps 40 years ago now.

I will see what else I can find.

David Stephens

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Dear Dave,

Just to let you know the brother I was after was Clifford who was Percy's younger brother who dies of his wound in Egypt on 4.12.1917 and is buried at Port Said in the War Graves Cementry.

This comes from the Census' and war graves web sites.

There are more questions about how he was injured but I will work on these.

Thank you again for your encouragement and help.

David Stephens

Answer 2

Your message got cut off. The first thing to do if he was an American soldier is see if his records are at NARA. Email all the pertinent information, including next of kin to stlarr.archives@nara.gov. This is the National Personnel Records Center and they will look for the records for you.

Comments

Thank you . Private William James Hunt was a Welsh soldier in I think the South Wales Borders.

Answer 3

Forces War Records, William James Hunt ,service # 14883, Private

in Kings Own, Scottish, Borderers.

Comments

Thank you

Answer 4

Hi David,

This is the information copied from the British Legion everymanremembered website. Their information is pulled directly from the war records. This confirms William James was their son. Also you could then possibly back this up with the 1901/11 census records to how Percy was there other child and therefore making William James your uncle?

William James Hunt

PRIVATE

Service No. 58309

Age 19

Died on 19 September 1918

 Welsh Regiment

TERLINCTHUN BRITISH CEMETERY, WIMILLE

PAS DE CALAIS, FRANCE

Son of George and Demaris Hunt, of 43, Damglan, Pwllgwaun, Pontypridd.

Comments

Thank you