Category Archives: Additional

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, Kent, London, photography, Private, Royal West Kent Regiment, story, Surrey, war

Private Robert Hawes

Leave a comment
Private Robert Hawes

Robert Hawes was born early in 1891 in Rochester, Kent. One of twins, his parents Henry and Alice had six children in all. Sadly, two of their children, including Robert’s twin, Edward, died early.

Henry was a bricklayer, and the 1891 census found the family living in rooms at 26 John Street, to the south of the town centre. This was a road they would know well, and the following return, taken in 1901, found them living two doors down, at No. 22.

When Robert completed his schooling, he found work as a general labourer for a wine and spirit merchant. By 1911, the Hawes family had relocated to 171 Rochester Avenue. Just one road from their previous home, this move afforded the seven of them more space.

War broke out in the summer of 1914, and Robert stepped up to play his part. Leaving his job as a cellarman, he enlisted on 11th December 1915, and, as a Private, was assigned to the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). His medical report notes that he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, and had slight varicose veins to his right knee.

Initially attached to the 12th (Reserve) Battalion, by the summer of 1916 Private Hawes had been transferred to the 7th (Service) Battalion and sent to France. His unit was deeply ensconced at the Somme, and Robert was wounded during the opening day of the Battle of Ancre Heights.

Robert’s injury – a gun shot wound to the head – meant he was medically evacuated to Britain, and he was admitted to King George’s Hospital, London. Despite the treatment he received, his condition would prove too severe: Private Hawes passed away on 13th February 1917, at the age of 26 years old.

The body of Robert Hawes was taken back to Kent for burial, and he was laid to rest in St Margaret’s Cemetery, Rochester.

Robert’s older brother, Harry, had also served in the First World War. Attached to the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Private H Hawes was killed on the first day of the Battle of Loos: he was 30 years of age.

Harry Henry Hawes is commemorated on the Loos Memorial at Dud Corner Cemetery, France.

By the time of Robert’s death, Henry and Alice had lost all three of their sons.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, Kent, photography, Royal Army Service Corps, story, suicide, war

Corporal John Chaplin

Leave a comment
Corporal John Chaplin

An inquest was held on Thursday at the Guildhall, Rochester… on the body of John William Arthur Chaplin (28)… who hanged himself in the lavatory on Tuesday. Deceased was a demobilised soldier and had served in France and Egypt during the war.

Mrs Sarah Jane Chaplin stated that lately her son had complained of pains in the back of his head. Usually he was of a cheerful temperament. Since leaving the Army he had spent his grstuity and being without money and our of employment he became depressed.

George William Lewis Paterson, deceased’s cousin who occupied the same bedroom with deceased, stated that at 10.40pm on Monday, deceased was reading a paper in the kitchen. Witness when to bed and awoke at 5.30am to find deceased had not been to bed. The light downstairs was still burning. In the lavatory he found deceased handing by the neck…

A verdict of “Suicide whilst of unsound mind” was returned.

[Chatham, Rochester and Brompton Observer: Saturday 14th February 1920]

The life of John William Arthur Chaplin remains frustratingly elusive. He does not recognisably appear on any census return, and, while it is clear that he served in the Army Service Corps as a Corporal, his military records are no longer available.

The body of Corporal Chaplin, the former solder with nowhere to turn, was laid to rest in St Margaret’s Cemetery, Rochester, Kent.

Commonwealth War Graves, Deck Hand, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, story, war

Deck Hand Sydney Beck

Leave a comment
Deck Hand Sydney Beck

Sydney William Beck was born on the 6th April 1885 in Rochester, Kent. The seventh of nine children, his parents were Albert and Mary Beck. Albert was a bargeman, and this was a line of work into which his son would follow.

There is little concrete information about Sydney’s life. He is recorded as having married Janet Ellis on 16th April 1911, this being backed up by his later service records.

When war broke out, Sydney joined the Royal Naval Reserve as a Deck hand. His papers not that he was 5ft 9ins (1.65m) tall, with brown hair and a fresh complexion. He is also recorded as having a clasped hands tattoo on his right forearm.

The funeral took place, with naval honours… on Saturday of Chief Deck Hand Sydney Beck, DSM, who passed away in the Royal Naval Hospital on the 12th inst., from pneumonia. The deceased, who was 33 years of age, was formerly a barge captain… He was on the trawler Aisne, which took place in the battle with a German submarine off Iceland. It was for this engagement deceased was given the DSM.

[Chatham, Rochester and Brompton Observer: Saturday 30th November 1918]

Sydney William Beck died on 12th November 1918, a day after the Armistice was signed, and a month after he was gazetted. His body was laid to rest in St Margaret’s Cemetery, Rochester, Kent.

Captain, Commonwealth War Graves, France, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Marines, story, war

Captain Herbert Morton

Leave a comment
Captain Herbert Morton

The mortal remains of Capt. Herbert Claude Morton, RMLI, were laid to rest in St Nicholas Cemetery, Rochester, on Tuesday afternoon, the first portion of the Burial Service being conducted in the Cathedral, where the deceased office was married, on September 17th, 1908, to Evelyn St Aubyn Lennard, eldest daughter of Col. and Mrs DL Barratt, late of Star-hill, Rochester. Captain Morton, who was 34 years of age, was the only son of Mr John Ellis Morton, of County Cavan, and Mrs Werry, of Cowes, Isle of Wight. He served during the campaign in China and was awarded the medal. His home was at Gosport.

[Chatham, Rochester and Brompton Observer: Saturday 5th December 1914]

The early life of Herbert Claude Morton is a challenge to piece together. The 1911 census states that he was born in France, and confirms that he and Evelyn were living with their then two children at 139 Stoke Road, Gosport, Hampshire.

This was the only census on which Herbert features and, as the “campaign in China” that the newspaper reported would have been the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, this may account for the lack of other documentation for him.

When war broke out, Captain Morton assigned to the battleship HMS Bulwark. He was on board Bulwark on the 26th November 1914, when she was moored close to Sheerness, Kent. That morning, an explosion ripped through the ship, sinking it and killing more than 740 people. Herbert was amongst them: he was 34 years of age.

The body of Herbert Claude Morton was laid to rest in a marked grave in St Nicholas’ Cemetery, Rochester, Kent.

The summer after her husband’s death, Evelyn gave birth to another child, daughter Stella, who would never know her father.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, Lance Corporal, photography, Private, Royal Army Service Corps, Royal West Kent Regiment, story, unknown, war

Private Edward Larraman

Leave a comment
Private Edward Larraman

Edward William Larraman was born in Rochester, Kent, in December 1882. The third of seven children, he was one of five sons to Alfred and Mary Larraman. Alfred was a mariner who died when Edward was just ten years old.

Mary took work as a housekeeper, moving the family from their home at 4 Davis Square to rooms at 18 Northgate. Edward is missing from the 1901 census but, with later service records suggesting he volunteered with the Royal West Kent Regiment, it is possible that he was training with them when the return was taken.

The military life seemed to suit Edward and, on 4th November 1902, he gave up his job as a riveter to formally enlist, joining the Army Service Corps as a Private. His service papers from that time show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.64m) tall and weighed 120lbs (54.4kg). Hr was noted as having light brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Private Larraman spent the next four years on home soil, using the opportunity to gain a 3rd Class certificate in education, and rising to the rank of Lance Corporal.

On 23rd December 1907, Edward married Mabel Green. Born in Chatham, she was the daughter of a carpenter. The couple set up home at 3 Almon Place, Rochester – just a short walk from where Mary was living – and went on to have two children, Irene (born in 1908) and Thora (born in 1915).

Lance Corporal Larraman was medically discharged from the army on 18th May 1908. While it is unclear what affliction meant he was no longer fit to serve, he was awarded a pension for his service.

The next census, taken in 1911, found him and Mabel living in Almon Place with Irene and Mabel’s father Henry, and brother, George. Edward was listed as an army pensioner, while there were two salaries coming into the household: Henry was a carpenter and joiner at Chatham Dockyard, while George was a shop assistant.

At this point, Edward’s trail goes cold. It is clear that he re-enlisted when war broke out, although in what capacity, and for how long, is unclear. The only other record for him is that of his passing, on 22nd August 1919: he was 36 years of age.

The body of Edward William Larraman was laid to rest in St Nicholas’ Cemetery, Rochester, a short walk from where his family were still living.

Private Edward Larraman
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Air Mechanic, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, London, Middlesex, photography, Royal Air Force, story, suicide, Surrey, war

Air Mechanic 2nd Class Thomas Dignam

Leave a comment
Air Mechanic 2nd Class Thomas Dignam

A verdict of “Suicide during temporary insanity” was returned at a Westminster inquest on Thomas Patrick Edgerton Dignam, aged 28, a second-class air mechanic in the Royal Flying Corps.

The evidence was to the effect that Dignam’s final leave expired on the night of November 22. He and his wife got into a taxicab near the Law Courts, telling the driver to take them to their home in Pimlico. Dignam, however, altered his mind, and in the Strand bade his wife good-bye, saying he would drive straight to Waterloo. When his wife had gone, he again told the driver to take him to Pimlico. On the way he shot himself through the head with a service revolver. The only explanation of the tragedy was that Dignam might have been depressed as the result of influenza.

[Illustrated Police News: Thursday 30th November 1916]

Much of the life of Thomas Patrick Edgerton Dignam is a challenge to piece together. His service records suggest that he was born in the Ancoats area of Manchester, Lancashire, but give no indication as to his parents.

Thomas enlisted on 2nd July 1916, joining the Royal Flying Corps as an Air Mechanic 2nd Class. His service papers show that, at 32 years of age, he stood 5ft 10.5ins (1.79m) tall. Living at 83 Alderney Street, South Belgravia, Middlesex, he had given up his job as an NT Driver, privately employed to transport goods or people around the area. His papers show that he was married, having exchanged vows with Elinore Essex on 9th December 1915.

Air Mechanic Dignam was sent to Farnborough, Hampshire, for his training. However, from the start things went awry. On 26th August 1916 he went absent without leave, and was only apprehended back in Pimlico some three weeks later. Tried for desertion, Thomas was sentenced to 14 days’ detention, returning to duty on 26th October.

Given leave towards the end of November, the pressure of returning to base seemed to have proved too much, and Thomas took his life having bid Elinore farewell that last time.

The body of Thomas Patrick Edgerton Dignam was laid to rest in Streatham Park Cemetery, Surrey. His papers note one final tragedy in his tale. Elinore was pregnant when her husband died, giving birth to their daughter, also called Elinore, on 15th January 1917.

While Thomas does not appear in any census records, the 1911 document gives an insight into Elinore’s life. Born in Worthing, Sussex, in around 1884, she had moved to London and, at just 27 years of age, was the manageress of the Devonshire Inn Hotel at 136 Bishopsgate. On the night the census was taken, there were 25 guests and 16 other members of staff.

It is likely that Elinore gave up her position when she and Thomas married. By 1921, she was living with her daughter at 46 Wightman Road, Hornsey, Middlesex. Working as a clerk, she was employed by Frederic Smith & Sons at the West Central Hotel in Southampton Row, Camden. Frederic was the Secretary to the Band of Hope Temperance Society, and the hotel he ran with his sons was run with abstinence in mind.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Kings Royal Rifle Corps, photography, Rifleman, Scotland, story, Suffolk, Surrey, war

Rifleman Arthur Catchpole

Leave a comment
Rifleman Arthur Catchpole

Arthur Ernest Catchpole was born in the spring of 1874 in the Suffolk village of Aldringham. The seventh of eight children, and the youngest of two boys, his parents were Joseph and Sarah Catchpole.

Joseph was employed as a gas fitter and, by the time of the 1881 census, had moved the family to Croydon, Surrey, presumably for work. The document recorded the family as living at 8 Cecil Terrace, a small cottage to the north-west of the town centre.

It seems that Arthur sought a way out as early as he could. The next census he appears on is from 1901, and this gives his profession as a Private in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps. Intriguingly, there is a record for a solder from Suffolk by his name, who was imprisoned in Dumfries in 1891. There are no other documents relating to the offence, but, as Arthur is absent from that year’s census, a link seems possible.

The 1901 census recorded Arthur – who was now known by his middle name – as living in the village of Speldhurst, between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells, in Kent. It also confirms that he was married, he and local woman Ellen Hoadley having exchanged vows in the summer of 1896. The would go on to have ten children between 1896 and 1916, all of them boys.

By the time of the next census return, the Catchpole family had moved back to Surrey, and were living in a small cottage at 12 Paxton Place, West Norwood. Ernest was now working as a domestic gardener, with Ellen left to raise their then seven sons.

When war came to Europe in the summer of 1914, it is likely that Ernest stepped up to play his part. Full details of his time in the army have been lost to time, but he was medically discharged from service on 10th February 1916. Arthur (his military documents reverting to his first name) had contracted tuberculosis, and was suffering from chronic myocarditis, and, as a result, was deemed unfit to remain a soldier.

At this point, Arthur’s trail goes cold. It seems likely that he returned home, with a later document noting the family’s residence as 4A Durban Road, a ground-floor flat in a Victorian terrace house.

It seems likely that Arthur’s health caught up with him. He passed away on 10th April 1918: he was 44 years of age. His widow posted a note in the local newspaper: “In loving memory of Ernest Arthur Catchpole, late of KRR, the beloved husband of Ellen Catchpole, who fell asleep on 10th April, 1918.” [Norwood Press and Dulwich Advertiser: Saturday 20th April 1918]

The body of Arthur Ernest Catchpole was laid to rest in the sweeping Streatham Park Cemetery, a short distance from his grieving family.

Commonwealth War Graves, East Surrey Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Lieutenant, Middlesex, photography, story, Surrey, Sussex, war

Lieutenant W Fairbairn

Leave a comment
Lieutenant W Fairbairn

In the sprawling Streatham Park Cemetery, Surrey, is a headstone dedicated to Lieutenant WR Fairbairn of the East Surrey Regiment, who died on 12th January 1917, at the age of 56.

There is frustratingly little information available about Lieutenant Fairbairn. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records confirm his widow as Mrs F Fairbairn, of 35 Egerton Road, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, but this was a boarding house and the couple were not resident there at the time of the 1911 census.

Without a confirmed first name, or place of birth, it isn’t possible to track down baptism or parental records, and Lieutenant Fairbairn’s name does not appear in contemporary newspaper reports.

As a commissioned officer, standard military records do not exist, and with no service number available, his time with the East Surrey Regiment is a mystery.

One document gives a tiny insight into Lieutenant Fairbairn’s life: the Hospital Registers for 1914-1919 confirms that he was admitted to the Queen Alexandra Military Hospital on Millbank, Westminster, on 12th December 1916. While the document doesn’t confirm his first name, it does show that he had been in the army for some 41 years, which might explain his absence from any census records. Now attached to the 21st Training Reserve, he was suffering from chronic bronchitis and nephritis.

Lieutenant Fairbairn was discharged from hospital on 6th January 1917, and for the next six days his trail goes cold. Whether he was sent to Streatham to recuperate, or whether he was based there with his wife is unclear.

Either way, Lieutenant WR Fairbairn passed away on 12th January 1917, ad the age of 56 years old. He was buried in Streatham Park Cemetery, taking the details of much of his life with him.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Defence Corps, Sergeant, story, Suffolk, Surrey, war

Serjeant Alexander Hurst

Leave a comment
Serjeant Alexander Hurst

Within a few weeks of following his youngest brother Fred to the grave, Sergt. Alexander Hurst has himself passed away, after a shirt but severe illness, in his 55th year. Born at the Grammar School, Cavendish, on Michaelmas Day, 1862 (being the day on which his father, the late Mr Robert Hurst, commenced his duties as headmaster there) he early closely associated himself with the social life of the village. A keen sportsman, he achieved considerable success on the cricket field, being a stead batsman, and a bowler with plenty of “spin.” He also devoted much time and study to campanology, an ort of which he was a skilful exponent, and composed several peals. On leaving Cavendish in 1884, he was the recipient of a handsome testimonial from the parishioners in recognition of the good work he had done in the village… At Long Melford he was for many hears a member of the Volunteer force, in which he attained the rank of Sergt. He was an excellent rifle shot, and on several occasions he the satisfaction of figuring in the prize list at Bisley. On the football field he was a particularly neat half-back, and was a member of the winning County Senior Cup team in the season 1887-88. As a musician Sergt. Hurst showed considerable ability, being gifted with a critical ear, and possessing a baritone voice of sympathetic timbre. For many years he officiated as organist at Bulmer Parish Church. For the past twelve years or so Sergt. Hurst had resided in London, where he was in the employ of Sir Herbert Marshall & Rose as expert piano tuner. Shortly after the outbreak of war, notwithstanding his 50 odd years, he offered himself for service and joined the County of London Battalion with the rank of Sergeant. He devoted himself to his military duties with utmost zeal, and it seems more than probable that his anxiety to serve his country to the best of his ability hastened his end.

[Suffolk and Essex Free Press: Wednesday 7th March 1917]

Alexander Burnett Hurst was the middle of seven children – all boys – to Robert and Margaret Hurst. By the time of the 1881 census, he was teaching at Cavendish Grammar School, Suffolk, which was a small educational establishment with a dozen boarding students.

The next census followed the family’s move to Long Melford, and by this time Alexander was working as a pianoforte tuner, while his older brother Bernard was employed as an organist.

On 30th October 1899, Alexander married Maude Thurston. The daughter of a chemist from Ipswich, Suffolk, the couple married in her local parish church, St Lawrence’s. The couple’s wedding certificate recorded the groom as an organ builder.

By 1901, the newlyweds had set up home in Long Melford, taking a cottage two doors up from the historic Bull Hotel, and next door to Bernard and his family. Alexander was now working as a music teacher, although it seems likely that he had his fingers in many melodic pies by this point.

Alexander and Maude would go on to have three children – daughters Geraldine and Evelyn, and son Kenneth. The 1911 census suggests that the family had moved south by 1907, as this is where young Kenneth was born. The document recorded them in rooms at 134 Kennington Park Road, sharing the building with teachers, actresses and music hall artists.

Little information remained about Alexander’s military service. While the newspaper report suggests he was assigned to the London Regiment, other documents confirm he was a member of the Royal Defence Corps. The unit was specifically set up for older service personnel and, attached to No. 1 Protection Company, Serjeant Hurst was based in London.

Alexander Burnett Hurst died from pneumonia on 26th February 1917: he was 54 years of age. He was laid to rest in Streatham Park Cemetery, a short distance from where his widow and family were living.

Maude remained living on Kennington Park Road. By the time of the 1921 census she shared her home with her two daughters – the eldest of whom was working as a clerk and typist for the Shell Motor Oil Company – and her widowed mother, Mary Thurston.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Lieutenant, London Regiment, Middlesex, photography, story, Surrey, war

Lieutenant Cyril Renton

Leave a comment
Lieutenant Cyril Renton

Cyril William Renton was born in Brixton, Surrey, on 27th November 1872. The older of two children, hie parents were Edward and Emily Renton. Edward was an engraver and artist and, when Emily died shortly after Cyril’s younger brother was born, he married again, to Harriett Predier: the couple went on to have two children, Cyril’s half-brother and half-sister.

By the time of the 1891 census, Edward had moved the family to Hampstead, Middlesex. Setting up home in the illustrious South Hill, their home – a Georgian semi-detached villa backing onto Hampstead Heath – served as a fine setting for the now art dealer head of the household.

When Cyril completed his schooling, he found work as a stockbroker. On 22nd December 1894, he married Mary Nettleton at St Paul’s Church in Kentish Town. Mary was the daughter of a solicitor’s clerk, and Cyril’s new father-in-law seems to have helped his career.

The 1901 census found the young couple living at 33 Tivoli Road in Hornsey, Middlesex. Their eldest child, Lionel, had been born four years before, and Mary’s father and brother were also living with them. Cyril was now recorded as being an articled clerk for a firm of solicitors.

Second son Esmonde was born in 1897, and Cyril’s career continued its upward journey. By 1911 the Rentons had moved to 46 Glasslyn Road in Crouch End, and had taken on two servants to support the family. Cyril was now a full-blown solicitor and counted an estate agent’s clerk, a cement company secretary, a master stevedore and a human hair merchant amongst his neighbours.

[He] practised as a solicitor as the Police Court. For several years he represented the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He was at one time the vice-president of the Highgate Thirty Club, and in 1914-15 became the president.

[Hornsey & Finsbury Park Journal: Friday 3rd August 1917]

While obviously good at his job, Cyril wanted more:

At a time when he seemed very likely to make a big name for himself in the various courts he attended, he decided to dispose of his practice and to study for the bar. In the Michaelmas law examination of 1913 he successfully passed in all the subjects and the “final,” and was thereupon duly “called.” He was getting on extremely well in the higher branch of his profession when war broke out…

[Hampstead & Highgate Express: Saturday 28th July 1917]

Cyril felt a call to serve his country, and so stepped up to enlist.

[He] joined the Inns of Court OTC, and went into training. When he obtained his commission je joined a battalion of the London Regiment, and, having been through a course at Hythe, he became a musketry instructor and was engaged in that capacity for many months. At last the authorities yielded to his repeated applications to be sent on active service, and he went to France. There he had six months’ fighting, and only returned after he had been wounded.

[Hampstead & Highgate Express: Saturday 28th July 1917]

Attached to the 20th (Country of London) Battalion (Blackheath and Woolwich), Lieutenant Renton’s older son, Lionel, was also fighting, and was attached to the 16th Service Battalion – also known as the Public Schools Battalion – of the Middlesex Regiment.

It is unclear whether Cyril returned to the fray, and by the spring of 1917, having recovered from injuries, he fell ill. His health seems to have been impacted by his injuries, and he passed away from his condition on 19th July: he was 44 years of age.

The body of Cyril William Renton was taken to Streatham, Surrey, for burial: the reasons are unclear, but it is likely that this is where his mother and father (who had died in 1904) had been buried. Private Lionel Renton was recuperating from injuries, and was able to attend the funeral with Mary and Esmonde.