Deborah Crawford, a volunteer for the Imperial War Museum‘s project ‘Lives of the First World War’ https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/ and a friend of Historycal Roots, is doing incredible work to identify West Indian service men and women who qualify for a Commonwealth War Grave but for various reasons have been overlooked. One such soldier is Felix Villarroel of the Household Cavalry.
Felix was a law student from Trinidad when he enlisted on 8 November 1915. He was severely injured in France in November 1917 when the rubble from a bursting shell buried him for 3 hours. He contracted Tuberculosis and was discharged as medically unfit from 17 February 1918. He returned to Trinidad where he died, age 27, on 9 June 1921. Deborah identified Felix as a soldier who should have been granted a War Grave but the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) requires proof that Felix’s death was related to the War. Obtaining any form of certificate from Trinidad is fraught with difficulty to the point of being almost impossible unless you can apply in person.
During a recent visit to Trinidad to research the life of singer/actor Mona Baptiste, Bill Hern braved Trinidadian officialdom and bureaucracy (no doubt inherited from the British) to try and obtain the evidence that was required.
After several false starts and with the help of some Trinidadian friends he was able to eventually obtain a copy of Felix’s death certificate which showed he did indeed die of Tuberculosis. Deborah will now pursue the matter to try and ensure Felix receives the recognition his bravery and service deserve.
Felix’s situation is not unique. The ‘In From The Cold’ Project http://infromthecold.org/ was formed more than ten years ago to research and identify all service men and women missing from the official CWGC list of casualties from the First and Second World Wars. Unfortunately, many names were missed from the lists supplied to the Commission and, as a result, many casualties have no official commemoration. They qualify for commemoration provided they died within the qualifying dates for the First World War – 4th August 1914 to 31 August 1921. The project aims to get these soldiers, sailors, airmen and nurses their due recognition – even after the passing of so many years.
Deborah has already submitted deaths in service claims directly to CWGC for British West Indies Regiment Private 4853 Octavius Garwood or Gaywood; Private 4978 Claudius or Charles Whitelock; Private 10660 Arthur Thomas; Private 10685 Wilford or Wilfred Thompson and twelve service men of the West India Regiment stationed in Sierra Leone.
So if you know of a service man or woman who you feel should be given recognition do let the ‘In From The Cold’ Project know about it.
It would of course be a massive bonus to trace any of Felix’s ancestors to enable them to join in celebrating his memory. Similarly if we could discover where he is buried (presumably in Trinidad) it might be possible to ensure his final resting place is preserved in a fitting manner. You can read his story below.
https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5363144