Below are some key facts about the memorial:
- Who was the youngest and oldest person named on the Board of Trade to die in WW1?
Harry Boyles was the youngest aged just few days over 18.
William Watson died aged 60 on 18 Jun 1918.
The average age of the men was 25.
- Who were the first and last men named on the Board to die?
John William Cobb (aged 32) died on 1 November 1914 at the Battle of Coronel in the Pacific.
Stanley Richard Ward (aged 25) died on 25 June 1923 of tuberculosis.
- What were the main causes of death?
Most men were either killed in action (185 men) or died of wounds (53 men). Others were recorded as missing presumed dead (16 men) whilst four men were accidentally killed and one man was killed in an airstrike on a hospital. A handful of men died of illness or disease (chiefly due to pneumonia or tuberculosis) and one man committed suicide.
- What military decorations were the men awarded?
The honours list for gallantry includes 2 Distinguished Service Orders, 8 Military Crosses, 2 Distinguished Conduct Medals, 3 Military Medals and 1 Croix de Guerre.
- Where did the men serve?
Almost two thirds (172 men) served in Flanders (France). But WW1 was a truly global war with others serving in the Middle East and India and also at sea (10 men) and some who served in the UK.
- What ranks were the men?
Amongst many ranks, just over a third (118 men) were either Privates or Riflmen. 23 men were Sergeants and 22 were Lance Corporals.
In terms more senior ranks, there were three Company Sergeant Majors and eight Captains.
- Are the men named on other memorials?
Yes. 172 men are listed simultaneously on the Ministry of Labour War Memorial (now located in Caxton House, Tothill Street, London).
A further 28 men are also listed on the Patent Office War Memorial located in Newport, Wales.
The men are also remembered on a mixture of regimental, school and local memorials and where they died at home and overseas.
Board of Trade War Memorial 