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Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Driver, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Army Service Corps, Somerset, story, war

Driver Frederick Street

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Driver Frederick Street

Frederick Street was born in the autumn of 1882, and was one of ten children. His parents were James Street and his wife Izett (or Izit, Ezit, or Iyitt, depending on which document you are looking at: both of Frederick’s parents were illiterate, and so there is no consistency in how his mother’s unusual name was spelt). James was a general labour from East Stour, Dorset, but it was in the nearby town of Gillingham where the family were born and raised.

When Frederick completed his schooling, he also took up work as a labourer. In the autumn of 1908 he married Mary White. Born in Yeovil, Somerset, in 1885, she was working as a servant for draper Sidney Clement when the couple exchanged vows. They set up home on Milton Lane, Gillingham, and went on to have two children: Charles, born in 1909, and William, born in 1916.

Frederick had taken work as a gardener by the outbreak of war. He was called upon to play his part and, while full details of his service have been lost to time, it is clear that he had enlisted in the Army Service Corps no earlier than the spring of 1917.

Sent to Kent for his service with the No. 2 Horse Transport Depot Company, Driver Street fell ill with tetanus. He was admitted to the Brook War Hospital in Woolwich, but the condition would prove too severe. Frederick died on 29th October 1917: he was 34 years of age.

The body of Frederick Street was taken back to Dorset for burial: he was laid to rest in Gillingham Cemetery, not far from where his widow and children were still living. This was the second death in the family in six months, James Street having died in March: the location of his burial is unclear.

Commonwealth War Graves, County Wicklow, Great War, history, India, Ireland, Labour Corps, photography, Private, Royal Artillery, Royal Field Artillery, South Africa, story, unknown, war, Wiltshire

Gunner Robert Dobson

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Gunner Robert Dobson

In the graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Steeple Ashton, Wiltshire, is a headstone dedicated to the memory of Gunner R Dobson of the Royal Field Artillery. The early life of Robert Dobson, however, is a challenge to unpick.

Born in Kilbride, County Wicklow, in 1873, he was the son of John Dobson and, according to his later service papers, he had three brothers: William, John Jr and Richard.

When he finished his schooling, Robert found work as a gamekeeper, but he wanted more adventure, and, on 27th April 1891, he enlisted in the Royal Artillery. Given the rank of Gunner, his papers note that he was a little over 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, and weighed 150lbs (68kg). A Presbyterian, he had brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Gunner Dobson signed up for a period of seven years, and during this time he travelled the world. From March 1893, he was based in India, but was invalided home for reasons unclear in November 1894. He would remain on home soil for the next three years, and was stood down to reserve status in April 1898.

While back on home soil, love had blossomed and, on the 14th May 1898, Robert married Mary Bull. A labourer’s daughter from Steeple Ashton, the couple wed in the parish church. Robert gave his address as the same village, and, given the proximity of the garrison town of Trowbridge, it is likely a local posting is how the couple met.

On 3rd November 1899, Gunner Dobson was called into duty once more. Attached to the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Field Artillery, his unit headed to South Africa, and he was quickly caught up in the Boer War. He would remain overseas until the spring of 1901, at which point he returned to Britain once more.

After a total of twelve years’ service, Robert was formally stood down from army service on 26th April 1903, returning to Steeple Ashton and Mary. The 1911 census – the only one of the four returns taken during his lifetime on which he appeared – found the couple living in a cottage on Common Hill, to the north of the village centre. Robert, now 38 years old, was working as a farm labourer.

When war broke out in Europe, Robert stepped up to serve his country once more. He initially re-joined his old unit, but seems to have transferred over the Labour Corps, and was attached to the 95th Company. His service records for this period have been lost, so it is unclear when or how he served.

Robert survived the conflict, but would pass away on 28th July 1919. The cause of his passing is unclear, but he was 46 years of age when he died.

The body of Robert Dobson was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Steeple Ashton.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hertfordshire, history, illness, Inns of Court Officer Training Corps, London, photography, Private, story, war

Private George Manaton

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Private George Manaton

It is with deep regret we record the death of Mr G Aubrey Manaton, son of Mr and Mrs William Manaton, of Braunton, who had just passed away at his home in Braunton. Mr Manaton was a young journalist of brilliant prospects, his scholarly attainments and aptitude for the profession being such that he made rapid steps for one so young. Having served his articles on a Barnstaple weekly newspaper, he went to London and joined the staff of one of the Newsagencies, and subsequently that of “The Times.” For a short while he was a war correspondent for the latter paper in France, and during that period made most able contributions to the paper, notably among them being a graphic account of the sinking of a large warship off the French coast, of which he was an eye witness in the early days of the war. He served for a short time with the Inns of Court Officers’ Training Corps, from which he was invalided on account of ill-health. Besides being naturally gifted in his literary capacity, Mr Manaton had a wealth of charm of personality and character, and his death, at the early age of 26, is deeply regretted, especially among his intimate friends, of whom he had a great many. He was unmarried. In their bereavement, the parents, whose eldest son was killed in the war some time since, will have a measure of sympathy both full and sincere. One of deceased’s brothers, Lieut. Arthur Manaton, is serving in France with the Yorks and Lancs Regt.

[Western Times: Tuesday 30th July 1918]

George Aubrey Manaton was born on 9th June 1892 in Braunton, Devon. The second of five children, his parents were William and Sarah Manaton. William was a tailor and outfitter, and the family lived in a nine-roomed house – Hillside – on Church Street, to the north of the town centre.

George was working as a journalist by the time of the 1911 census. When war broke out, his work took him to France, but by the summer of 1915, he felt he could no longer remain a mere observer. Back in London, on 17th June, he enlisted in the army, and was assigned to the Inns of Court Officers’ Training Corps.

Private Manaton was sent to Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, for his training. His time in the military, however, was to be a short one, and he was discharged for being unlikely to become an efficient soldier on medical grounds on 26th November 1915.

At this point, George’s trail goes cold. His older brother, Fred, a Private in the 9th (Service) Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment, had survived Gallipoli, but was killed during the Battle of the Somme in September 1916. He was laid to rest in Puchevillers British Cemetery in Picardie.

George Aubrey Manaton passed away on 25th July 1918: he had turned 26 just a few weeks before. He was laid to rest in the Methodist Chapelyard of his home town, Braunton.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Monmouthshire, Monmouthshire Regiment, photography, Private, South Wales Borderers, story, Wales, war

Private Cecil White

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Private Cecil White

Cecil George White was born in Cardiff, Glamorganshire, in the summer of 1899. The youngest of four children, his parents were called William and Mary. William was a stevedore and, at the time of the 1901 census, the family lived at 6 Whitchurch Road, to the north of the city centre.

The 1911 census shows things had changed significantly for the White family. They had left Wales, and had set up home in the Devon village of Croyde. William and Mary were now employed as farmers, with Cecil’s older sisters, Cordelia and Lilian, also helping out on the farm.

Europe descended into war in the summer of 1914, and while Cecil was initially too young to serve, he would eventually be called upon to play his part. Full details of his time in the army have been lost to time, but it would seem that he joined the South Wales Borderers, but was attached to the Monmouthshire Regiment.

Private White’s trail is tantalisingly sparse. The one document relating to his passing notes that he died of sickness in Barnstaple, Devon, on 12th November 1918 – the day after the Armistice was signed. Given the town’s proximity to the family home, it is fair to assume that he had been home on leave when he fell ill.

The body of Cecil George White – just 19 years of age when he died – was taken the short distance back to Croyde for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in the village’s Baptist Chapelyard, alongside his sister, Lilian, who had passed a few weeks before.

The family would be reunited in death: William was buried alongside his children when he died in 1946, at the age of 78. Mary died in 1960, at the age of 91, and was interred with her family.

Caithness, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Lanarkshire, photography, Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Reserves, Scotland, sister, story, unknown, war, West Midlands

Sister Christina Jack

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Sister Christina Jack

Christina Jack was born in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland, on the 19th December 1882. One of eight children, her parents were Donald and Margaret Jack. Donald was a merchant and rope maker, and the family lived on Bank Street, to the north of the town centre.

Margaret died in 1907, by which point Christina had taken a job in nursing. The 1911 census found her in Govan, Lanarkshire, where she was employed as a registered general nurse. When war broke out, she volunteered to do her duty, and joined the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service.

Sister Jack remained on home soil, and was attached to the 1st Birmingham War Hospital in Rednal. Nursing staff were vulnerable to the infections and diseases of the men they were treating, and it appears that Christina was not immune to this. She passed away on 22nd October 1918, at the age of 35 years old.

The body of Christina Jack was taken back to Caithness for burial. She was laid to rest in Thurso Cemetery, on the outskirts of the town in which she had been born and raised.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, Suffolk, war

Stoker 1st Class Alexander Westgarth

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Stoker 1st Class Alexander Westgarth

Alexander McDougall Westgarth was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on the 28th June 1885. The middle of five children, and the only son, his parents were James and Janet Westgarth. James was a mariner, and the family moved to the village of Carlton Colville, on the outskirts of Lowestoft, Suffolk, in the late 1880s.

Alexander found work as a fitter’s apprentice when he finished school, but the sea was in his blood. Janet died in 1903, and by the time of the next census, taken in 1911, her son had enlisted in the Royal Navy and was a Stoker 1st Class. The document found him as part of the crew of the battleship HMS Russell, moored in a harbour on Malta.

On 31st October 1915, Alexander married Mabel Liffen. The daughter of a gas stoker, she also lived in Carlton Colville. She had a daughter, Irene, but there is no evidence that she was Alexander’s, nor that Mabel had a previous marriage.

At this point, Alexander’s trail goes cold. By the summer of 1917, he was based at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. It was a particularly overcrowded base by this point in the conflict, with the planned replacement crew for the sunk HMS Vanguard waiting for new assignments, and an outbreak of meningitis meaning space was at an absolute premium. In the midst of this, Stoker 1st Class Westgarth was billeted in temporary accommodation in the dockyard’s Drill Hall.

On the night of the 3rd September 1917, Chatham was hit by an unexpected German air raid. Two bombs landed squarely on the Drill, shattering its glass roof, and killing dozens of men. Stoker Westgarth was badly injured, and was rushed to the Royal Naval Hospital in the town. His injuries would prove fatal and he passed away the day after the attack: he was 32 years of age.

The body of Alexander McDougall Westgarth was taken back to Suffolk for burial: he was laid to rest in Kirkley Cemetery, Lowestoft.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Lincolnshire, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, story, Trimmer, war

Trimmer John Venney

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Trimmer John Venney

The funeral of John William Venney (27), a trimmer in the minesweeping section of the RNR, who was one of the victims in the Chatham air raid, took place on Saturday afternoon with full naval honours. A contingent of men from the minesweepers formed an escort, and with the body resting on a gun-carriage, covered by the Union Jack, the cortege attracted a lot of sympathetic interest as is proceeded from deceased’s home, at No. 40 Elliston-street. A large number of people assembled at the cemetery, and, after the body had been committed to the grave, the naval firing party paid the last honours to their comrade. Deceased was one of a number of Grimsby men who were accommodated at Chatham. Several of them were killed but all, with the exception of Venney, were buried at Chatham.

[Grimsby News: Friday 14th September 1917]

John William Venney was born on 6th July 1890 in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. The oldest of eight children, of which five survived childhood, his parents were William and Ann Venney. William was a sailor, and, when he finished his schooling, John also went to sea, taking work as a ship’s fireman.

In 1914, John married Florence Johnson. There is little information about her life: she was born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, in the summer of 1892, but there is no further documentation for her. The couple went on to have a daughter, Ivy, in October 1916.

By this point, war was raging across Europe, and John would be called upon to play his part. Assigned to the Royal Naval Reserve as a Trimmer, his service papers show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall, with blue eyes and a sallow complexion.

Formally enlisted on 13th June 1917, Trimmer Venney spent the next three months at the Royal Navy’s shore bases in Chatham (HMS Pembroke) and Sheerness (HMS Actaeon), Kent. Pembroke was a particularly busy and overcrowded place at this point in the war, and John found himself billeted in temporary accommodation in the Drill Hall.

On the night of the 3rd September 1917, the German air raid carried out a bombing raid on the North Kent coast. Chatham found itself in the firing line, and the Drill Hall received two direct hits. Dozens of sleeping men died in the explosions that followed, Trimmer Venney among them. He was 27 years of age.

The body of John William Venney was taken back to Lincolnshire for burial. He was laid to rest in Cleethorpes Cemetery.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, injury, Kent, killed in action, Monmouthshire, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, Wales, war

Ordinary Seaman William Sullivan

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Ordinary Seaman William Sullivan

William Edward Sullivan was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, on the 9th November 1898. He was one of seven children to John and Mary Sullivan. John was an iron dresser at a local foundry, but also worked as a grocer. The 1901 census found the family living at 15 Church Street, to the south of the town centre, but by 1911 they had moved to a larger property, 2 Scard Street.

When William finished his schooling, he took up work as a clerk. War broke out in the summer of 1914, and he would be called upon to play his part. On the 18th September 1916, he enlisted in the Royal Navy, taking the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service papers show that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, and that he had light brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Sullivan was sent to HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire, for his training. By the end of May 1917, however, he had been transferred to HMS Pembroke, which was also known as Chatham Dockyard.

The base was a busy and overcrowded place by this point in the war, with a number of factors leading to temporary accommodation being set up in the dockyard’s Drill Hall. This is where William, who appears to have been waiting for his first formal posting, was billeted.

On the 3rd September 1917, the German air force carried out a daring night time raid on the North Kent coast. Chatham was in the firing line, and two bombs scored direct hits on the Drill Hall. Its glass roof shattered, raining shards down on the sleeping men. Dozens were killed in the explosions, and tens more, including Ordinary Seaman Sullivan, were wounded.

William was taken to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham for treatment, but his wounds would prove to be too severe. He passed away on the 4th September 1917, aged just 18 years old.

The body of William Edward Sullivan was taken back to Wales for burial. He was laid to rest in St Woolos’ Cemetery, a short walk from where his family still lived.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class William Steed

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Stoker 1st Class William Steed

William James Steed was born on 3rd August 1897 in the village of Reculver, near Herne Bay, Kent. The oldest of three children, he was the only son to Gilbert and Edith Steed. Gilbert was a platelayer for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, and the family lived in the hamlet of Hillborough.

When he finished his schooling, William took up work as a general labourer. “…he worked for Mr Hardy in the building of the King’s Hall at Herne Bay, and on the Herne and Reculver Sewage Works, and subsequently at the colliery at Westbere.” [Herne Bay Press: Saturday 15th September 1917]

Gilbert died in September 1912 and, when war broke out, William stepped up to serve his country. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 9th November 1915, taking the role of Stoker 2nd Class. His service records show that he was 5ft 10.5ins (1.79m) tall, and had light brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a linear scar on the dorsum on [his left] index finger.

Stoker Steed was sent to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – also known as HMS Pembroke – for his training. Within a couple of months he was given his first posting, on board the battlecruiser HMS Inflexible. She “took part in the Battle of Jutland. He came safely through this; but later was the victim of an accident, and was for some time in hospital.” [Herne Bay Press: Saturday 15th September 1917]

Details of the accident have been lost to time, but William, who had been promoted to Stoker 1st Class on 1st June 1916, returned to HMS Pembroke to recuperate. He was given a short period of leave, during which he returned home, but was back on base by the end of July 1917.

Pembroke was a busy and overcrowded place by this point in the war. The battleship HMS Vanguard had been sunk, and its planned replacement crew were left in the dockyard to await new postings. In addition, an outbreak of meningitis meant that additional accommodation was set up, in an attempt to slow the spread of infection. Stoker 1st Class Steed was among those to be billeted in temporary digs in the dockyard’s Drill Hall.

Britain’s improving defences meant that daytime raids by the German sir force were being thwarted. They changed tack, and, on 3rd September 1917, they attempted a night time raid on the North Kent coast. Chatham bore the brunt of the attack, and two bombs landed direct hits on the Drill Hall. Its glass roof shattered, raining shards down on the sleeping men below. Dozens were killed in the explosions, including Stoker 1st Class Steed: he had not long turned 20 years of age.

The body of William James Steed was taken back to Reculver for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church, the newspaper reporting that “All who knew him speak of him as a good living young fellow, who won the respect of all, and his mother and sisters have lost of good son and brother.” [Herne Bay Press: Saturday 15th September 1917]

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 2nd Class Sydney Rigden

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Stoker 2nd Class Sydney Rigden

Sydney Gordon Rigden was born in Whitstable, Kent, on 29th June 1897. One of six children, his parents were William and Annie Rigden. William was a fishmonger, and the family lived above the shop, at No. 43 High Street.

When Sydney finished his schooling, he took work as a general labourer. He was called upon to serve his King and Country, however, and, on 27th June 1916, he was conscripted into the Royal Navy. Stoker 2nd Class Rigden’s service papers note that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.

Sydney was sent along the coast to HMS Pembroke, also known as Chatham Dockyard, for his training. He remained there for a couple of months, before being given his first and only posting, on board the light cruiser HMS Dartmouth. A seasoned ship, she had already seen action in Africa and the South Atlantic and, in the year before Stoker Rigden joined her, she formed part of the support for the Gallipoli campaign.

Stoker Rigden spent seven months with Dartmouth, mush of that serving in the Adriatic. On 1st May 1917 he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class, and he returned to Britain towards the end of that month.

In the summer of 1917, Sydney married his childhood sweetheart, Annie Mount. The daughter of a carter, by the time of the 1911 census, she had taken up work as a domestic servant for retired commercial traveller Alexander Paterson and his family. Just 14 years old at this point, she lived with the family, at 186 Lower Clapton Road, London.

After the wedding, Stoker 1st Class Rigden returned to duty, and to HMS Pembroke. The base was a particularly overcrowded place by this point in the war, and temporary additional accommodation was set up. Sydney was one of those to be billeted in the dockyard’s Drill Hall.

On the night of the 3rd September 1917, Chatham came under fire during a daring German air raid. Two of the bombs that were dropped landed squarely on the Drill Hall, shattering its glass roof, and killing dozens of men who were sleeping below. This included Stoker 1st Class Rigden: he was just 20 years of age.

The body of Sydney Gordon Rigden was taken back to Whitstable for burial. He was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery.

Annie was now widow after just a couple of months’ marriage. Sadly, she disappears from the records, so it is unclear what became of her.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]