Dardanelles Straits, Turkey, WWI (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Sunday, February 12, 2012, 03:39 (4747 days ago) @ slowhands

Yes Slowhands,
as you say a fitting tribute. Only last month within my family researches I found the girl's name Dardanella, seemed rather a mouthfull !. My family were baffled by this until I reminded them of the infamous Gallipoli Campaign, this was in the Dardanelles Strait in the Turkish Balkans. I've only found this one example in the FoD Records, but judging by FreeBMD this name was quite widely used for girl's born between early 1915 until mid 1917. This coincides entirely with Gallipoli and I've no doubt the names are in honour of the many Allied soldiers & sailors who suffered & died there.
Many of these Births are registered in Monmouthshire, the South Wales Borderers were part of the ill-fated landings, I suspect this was John James's Regiment. Also prominent within these Births were NorthEast British areas such as Tyne & Tees, again this is reflected in several Scots Border regiments serving in this Campaign.

Record_ID: 349566
Entry_Number: 24
Year: 1917
Month: Jul
Day: 11
Parents_Surname: JAMES
Child_Forenames: Irene Dardanella
Fathers_Forenames: John William
Mothers_Forenames: Mary Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Clearwell
Occupation: Miner
Officiating_Minister: W Robinson
Event: Baptism
Memoranda: b 11 Oct 1916
Notes:
Register_Reference: P88 IN 1/4
Page_Number: 3
Parish_Chapel: Clearwell
Soundex: J520

Thankfully in this instance it appears from the local PRs that John survived this and the next World War, I hope and suspect Dardanella did as well.

Surname First name(s) Spouse District Vol Page
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marriages Sep 1944 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAVIES Ellen Holland Abergavenny 11a 77
HOLLAND William D Davies Abergavenny 11a 77
JAMES Dardenella C Morgan Abergavenny 11a 77
MORGAN Brynmor T James Abergavenny 11a 77

Description Medal card of James, John William
Corps Regiment No Rank
South Wales Borderers 59142 Private
Date 1914-1920
Catalogue reference WO 372/10
Dept Records created or inherited by the War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General, and related bodies
Series War Office: Service Medal and Award Rolls Index, First World War
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=3243198&a...

As per your original post, rather unusual if not unique names but a delightful and fitting tribute to the heroes whose names they were helping perpetuate.