VIMPANY, searching the newspaper archives. (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Wednesday, September 04, 2013, 13:51 (4103 days ago) @ Judith Vimpani

Hi Judith, welcome back to the forum.
I'm very sorry to say I don't have a copy of the photo article. I did take a "naughty" copy of the scan being displayed on the auction website when the bidding surpassed my limit, that image has now long since disappeared off their database. However I suffered a major disaster with my computer a few weeks back due to a particularly nasty new virus, it corrupted & rendered unreadable all my huge collection of old photos, downloads, my working FH word documents etc etc, basically in a few seconds I lost all the results of 3 years of intensive FH research. I also lost the backup which was on a separate hard-drive, the virus attacked during the once-monthly time that drive was plugged-into and backingup my pc drive, hence both were destroyed !. It seems this particular virus was so "new" that my normally very tight security systems didnt recognise it in time..... I suspect it wasn't a coincidence it struck while I was running my backup.

Anyway, moving on, I'm sure the photo came from a local newspaper, presumably the Lydney Observer or it's partner the Dean Forest Mercury, or perhaps from the weekly Gloucester Journal, the illustrated stablemate of the daily Citizen. As far as I know the Observer/Mercury archives are not held by any of the online websites, their archive is held at Cinderford public library in the Forest.

However the Journal/Citizen is on the British Newspaper Archive site which comes most highly recommended, this prior thread may help
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/index.php/forum
All new members can get a few free downloads from that excellent site. I'm not currently a subscriber but using their free search eventually found the following which MAY be your article, I hope this link works for you too. I searched "Vimpany" using the "southwest" and "1917" filters, also adding "Borderers", the hit is a very large article including a few small photos which cannot be seen without downloading, and mentions "E. Vimpany 442sl" - aka 44251, from the Gloucester Journal of Saturday 15 September 1917.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1910-01-01/1919-12-31?basicsear...

Re-searching the BNA site for "Vimpany Whitecroft" but without the "1917" filter gives several hits I feel you'll be interested in, eg John Vimpany farmer in Coleford Police courts in 1898; various adverts and news articles re Richard Vimpany garage proprietor thro the early C20th; Amos Vimpany a labourer of Whitecroft summoned for drunkenness on December 10th, 1892; a BMD Notice for Martha Vimpany, 17 yr old daughter of E.Vimpany, 17 October 1885; etc etc.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results?county=gloucestershire%2c%20eng...

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I wonder if the photo obituary article is included within this cd-rom, The Laura Morse Scrapbook, I really MUST order my copy asap !!
http://79.170.40.163/forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/LHScdWWIscrapbook.html

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Another newspaper archive we've used a lot recently is the relatively new Welsh site, an excellent resource that is completely free to use and download from. See
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/index.php/forum
Unfortunately this website doesn't cover the Great War period, however searching Vimpany gives a few hits which may interest you, examples are:

"FOREST OF DEAN. STEALING FRUIT, At the petty sessions, Coleford, on Tuesday last, before Sir James Campbell, Bart, Major Davies, Captain Dighton, Messrs C. T. Palmer, J. Trotter, and T. Batten, four lads named James Spencer, Wiiliam Charles, James Morgan, and George Fryer, were charged with stealing fruit belonging to Mr E. Vimpany, farmer, of Yorkley Court, on the 1st ult. The case having bean proved by the prosecutor, who caught them in the act, the bench fined them 10s each. -Reuben Blunt, a collier, was charged with a like offence, on the same day. The prosecutor (Mr Vimpany) proved the case, and added that he suffered very much from defendant and his companions, who made it a practice to poach over his land on Sundays. The Chairman reminded defendant that he had rendered himself liable to six months' imprisonment. Prosecutor did not wish to press the charge, and on this account the bench agreed to let defendant off with a fine of £2 and costs."
Cardiff Times, 11 November 1876
http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/3387286/ART22/vimpany

"FOREST OF DEAN.
At Coleford Police-court, on Tuesday (Before Sir James Campbell Bart, chairman)..... George James Junior and George Hopkins of Yorkley, were convicted in penalties of 40s each and costs for poaching on lands of Edmund Vimpany, and James was ordered to pay a fine of 20s on a charge of assaulting Mr. Vimpany"
Cardiff Weekly Mail, 12 July 1879
http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/3418685/ART115/vimpany

I hope this helps and that you find the photo of your brave ancestor.
atb Jeff