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Phyllis’ family discovery leads her to campaign for Great War memorial

When Phyllis Taylor began researching her family history in 1998 she was quite unprepared for what would be revealed, writes
local historian Frances Bevan.
“I just wanted to find out more ward councillors and was assured the
about my father because he died plaque would be saved. At long last
when I was a young child,” said Phyllis, it seems as if she might get her wish.
now aged 77 and a resident of Park At the launch of the Swindon in
Farm, Moredon. But it was a shock the Great War exhibition on 6 August,
to Phyllis and her two sisters when Swindon Council leader David Renard
they discovered their father had been said: “Mrs Taylor approached myself
previously married and that he had and the former Mayor Rex Barnett
a son and daughter by his first wife. some years ago at a councillors’
Phyllis’s half brother, James Nath- surgery and Rex took it on as a pro-
aniel Fulker, was born in Maidenhead ject. When he passed away in 2012
in 1897 and by the time of the 1911 I progressed the work he started to
census the Fulker family had moved preserve an important memorial to
to Swindon and was living at 73 the men from Swindon who died in
Westcott Place. the service of their country.
Phyllis’s research led her to learn “The council has now commis-
that James, born long before she was, sioned the £20,000 restoration. It
had been killed in action at Arras. is both complex and specialist; we
Some historians describe the Phyllis Taylor viewing the Swindon in the Great War exhibition at Swindon certainly hope to see the plaque on
Battle of Arras as under-studied, Museum & Art Gallery. Photo: Richard Wintle of Calyxpix.com display by the end of the Great War
neglected even forgotten. It opened centenary period. Our current prob-
on Easter Sunday, 9 April 1917 and He is buried in the Cojeul British Swindon’s Roll of Honour created in lem is finding a wall large enough
lasted just 39 days. Although short, Commonwealth Cemetery. 1921 showing the names of the 960 to display it.”
the casualty rate was high – more Phyllis’ attempts to find Jaz’s men who died in the Great War. She Phyllis, who attended the launch
than 4,000 a day with upwards of service details came to a halt as the was horrified to find out that it was of the Swindon in the Great War
150,000 British and Commonwealth records were destroyed when the hidden away behind curtains in the exhibition at Swindon Museum &
casualties in total. War Office repository in Arnside Town Hall dance studio. Art Gallery on 6 August where she
James, known as Jaz, served in Street, London was bombed during Many people have campaigned praised the work of the volunteers
both the Royal Field Artillery and World War II. for the plaque to be placed in a responsible for curating the exhibi-
the Yorkshire Hussars. He was just During her research Phyllis was more prominent position and Phyl- tion, said she would be keeping an
19 when he died on 11 April 1917. told that James’s name appeared on lis added her voice by talking to her eye on the restoration project.

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22 swindonlink.com • September 2014

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