Ernest Chappell

The Wakefield Express of 28^th September 1918 records the death on 31^st August 1918, of an Ernest Chappell, whose parents ran The Old White Bear Inn at Tingley in 1901. I am not completely convinced that this is our Ernest – perhaps more likely is that the inscription on our memorial should read Ernest Chapple – a gentleman of that name married Hannah Dalton here at St Mary’s in 1915. He became a Corporal in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (Service number 200920) and died on 1^st December 1917. He is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery, about 27 kilometres south of Boulogne. This area was the scene of immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement camps and hospitals, and the cemetery is the largest War Graves Commission cemetery in France.