Harry Payton Gadd was born on 3rd November 1899, one of ten children to Elijah and Ada Gadd. Elijah was a stone mason from the Somerset village of Dundry, and this is where the family were born and raised.

Harry found work as a farm hand when he finished his schooling but he seems to have been eager to play his part for King and Country. As soon as he turned 18, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service records show that he joined up as a Stoker 2nd Class on 6th November 1917. He was 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Gadd was initially sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, for training. On 28th January 1918, he was assigned his first ocean-going post, on board the frigate HMS Leander. He spent a couple of months on board, before transferring to the store ship HMS Tyne, then moving to HMT Wallington (also branded as HMS Sylvia), a requisitioned trawler, on 15th April 1918.

Stoker Gadd was on board Wallington for six weeks, when he was killed in an accident. No other information is available, and his service records state that “the death of this man… was caused… from an accident on board. No blame attributable to anyone.”

A contemporary newspaper echoes this, but gives no further information: “News has been received that Stoker Harry (Joe) Gadd, the 18-year-old son of Mr and Mrs E Gadd, of Dundry, has been killed by accident on one of his Majesty’s ships.” [Bristol Times and Mirror: Saturday 6th July 1918]

The body of Harry Payton Gadd was brought back to Dundry for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Michael’s Church.

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