Abingdon and the First World War
Those Who Served
Wiggins
Harry Wiggins
Details from the Abingdon Roll of Honour
Name: WIGGINS, Harry
Status: Returned
Address: 177 Ock Street
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Royal Berkshire Regiment
Chronology: August 1914 to March 1919, France
There are entries in the Roll of Honour for other Abingdon men with this surname. To find them go to
Harry appears in this photo of Abingdon Rifle Club, in the front row, second from the right.
George Thomas Wiggins
Details from the Abingdon Roll of Honour
Name: WIGGINS, George Thomas
Status: Died
Address: 222 Ock Street
Rank: Sergeant
Service No: 200031
Battalion, Ship or Squadron: 2nd/4th
Regiment: Royal Berkshire Regiment
Chronology: from August 1914, France
Cause of Death: Died of wounds
Place at death: Ypres
Date of death: 22 August 1917
Born: Abingdon
Enlisted: Abingdon
Age at Death: 33
Family Details: Son of the late Henry and E. J. Wiggins; husband of Ellen Martha Wiggins, of 222, Ock St., Abingdon, Berks.
Buried or Commemorated: Commemorated on TYNE COT MEMORIAL, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Reference: Panel 105 to 106 and 162.
There are entries in the Roll of Honour for other Abingdon men with this surname. To find them go to
Roll of Honour entries are copied as they are found but in this case the place of death would appear to be incorrect. He went missing during the Passchendaele offensive, his body not recovered.
Family portrait with wife, Ellen Martha (nee Giles) and two sons, George and Harold.
In the second portrait Ellen is holding the daughter born while George was on active service; a daughter he never met.
Family notes say that Ellen grieved for her loss for the rest of her life, dying in Barton Court nursing home in the 1960s.
Below is the letter written by George's senior officer letting Ellen know that they had no idea where he was, dated 6 days after the action in which he disappeared. How did she feel getting this letter from the officer who "was not in action myself, having been left out as some have to be"?
In recent years, family research has yielded some more information about the final moments of George Thomas Wiggins....
From family notes, George Thomas Wiggins is at far right in this picture of Abingdon Rifle Club with their trophies.
...and at far left, rear row in this one.
Original scans from the WW1 Families Collection
click on an image to see it in close up
We thank the families who gave us copies of information and photographs. We understood in all cases that material was free of copyright and there was no objection to putting the information in the public domain. If you wish to alert us to inadvertent copyright infringement or you would like family details removed please go to the About Us / Contact Us page.
We welcome new scans of photographs and other documents, and personal details or memories. They must be of someone who lived or worked in Abingdon or very nearby and relate to the First World War. Click here for further information about how to contact us to do this.
