TOPIC:

ST. PETER'S CHURCH,
MAIN STREET,
WORFIELD,
BRIDGNORTH,
SHROPSHIRE,
WV15 5LF,
ENGLAND.

OS GRID REFERENCE: SO 75796 95807


Memorial shield inside St. Peter's

Further to my post of yesterday regarding the memorial plaque in St. Peter's of Worfield, I have another memorial located within the same church to describe.

The above image shows a brass shield mounted upon a backframe of oak, with black and red lettering inscribed thus:

"SOUTH AFRICAN WAR
1899-1902
TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND MEMORY OF
PRIVATE WALTER GEORGE BISHOP
10TH ROYAL HUSSARS
DIED OF WOUNDS RECEIVED IN ACTION
AT DIAMOND HILL
JUNE 19TH 1900

DRIVER WILLIAM FINCHER ASC
DIED OF FEVER
DECEMBER 31ST 1900

ALSO OF GUNNER ALFRED THATCHER RHA
DIED OF FEVER IN THE EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN
APRIL 8TH 1885
RIP"

3959 Private William George Bishop of the 10th Royal Hussars was indeed wounded at Diamond Hill on the 11th June 1900 and finally died of his wounds in Pretoria on the 19th June 1900.
He is commemorated on a plaque to the fallen of the 10th Hussars located on the West End of the Royal Garrison Church at Aldershot. His remains were interred at Pretoria 1 Cemetery.

He was entitled to the Queen's South Africa medal with clasps Orange Free State, Relief of Kimberley, Johannesburg and Diamond Hill.

He was born on 2nd August 1877 to father John, a gardener and mother Ann. He was the youngest of three sons and three daughters.
The family were living at Stockton near Shifnal, Shropshire according to the census of 1881.
John was a scholar at Stockton Norton Church of England School.

William Fincher was born on 22nd April 1862 and baptized at Worfield on 4th June 1864. I believe that the dates are in error on the searches I have made.
His parents were George and Catherine, no occupation being recorded for his father. The family religion was described as Anglican.
The Census of 1871 has the family residing at Winscott, Worfield.

The unit inscribed on the memorial shield,ASC, is different to the one with which he was serving at the time of his death. It is possible that he transferred from the Army Service Corps or this could, of course, be an error.
Watt (2000) informs us that Private W. Fincher was serving with the Imperial Yeomanry Hospital when he died of disease at Pretoria on 21st December 1900. He was interred at Pretoria 1Cemetery and remembered on monument 69.

His Queen's South Africa medal bore the clasps Cape Colony/Orange Free State and Transvaal.