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Commonwealth War Graves, Cornwall, Great War, history, killed in action, Merchant Navy, photography, Somerset, story, war, wireless operator

Wireless Operator Edward Phillips

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Wireless Operator Edward Phillips

Edward James Phillips was born on 22nd January 1900 in Bedminster, Bristol, and was the oldest of two children to Ernest and Emily Phillips. Ernest was a bit of a jack-of-all-trades; the 1901 census recorded him as being a shopkeeper of glass and china, while by 1911 he was working as an architect’s clerk.

By this point, the family had moved to Chard, Somerset, and had set up home in a small, terraced house near the centre of the town. Storm clouds were gathering over Europe, and, while he was too young to enlist at the start of the war, it is clear that Edward wanted to play his part.

While details of his service are unclear, Edward joined the Merchant Navy. By the summer of 1918 he was on board the SS Polesley, working as a Wireless Operator. A newspaper report expanded on what became of him:

On the 21st September the SS Polesley was torpedoed off the Cornish coast by a German submarine and sunk. Later two bodies wearing life belts of the SS Polesley were washed ashore at Penreath, Cornwall. One of the bodies was identified as that of the mate of the ill fated vessel; the other was not recognised and was buried as unknown, both the gallant seamen being interred in one grave.

On learning that the bodies had been washed ashore form the torpedoed vessel, Mr EE Phillips… forwarded a photograph of his son, Edward James Phillips, who was wireless operator on the vessel, to the police at Penreath, and the undertaker and the person who recovered the bodies were able to identify the unknown remains as Wireless Operator Phillips.

Since then their sworn statements have been forwarded to the Home Office, with the result that the remains have been exhumed, and on Wednesday Mr EE Phillips, the father, went to Penreath and received the remains of his gallant son and brought them to Chard, where they will be interred.

Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser: Wednesday 29th January 1919

Edward James Phillips, who was just 18 years old when he died, was laid to rest in the family plot in Chard Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, photography, Private, Royal Army Service Corps, Somerset, story, unknown, war

Private Edgar Boyland

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Private Edgar Boyland

Edgar Albert Boyland (known as Albert) was born in the summer of 1894, the third of eight children to John and Sarah Boyland. John was a farm labourer from Chaffcombe in Somerset, but it was in nearby Chard that the family were born and raised.

Albert followed in his father’s footsteps and, when he finished school, he found work on a local farm. The 1911 census recorded him boarding with the Boait family in Winsham, to the south-east of Chard. He was living there along with another boarder, a baker called Fred Baker, and his influence seems to have paid off, as, by the time war was declared in 1914, baking was the trade that he had taken up.

With the conflict declared, Albert was called upon to play his part. In April 1915, he enlisted in the Army Service Corps. His records show that he stood 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall and he gave his trade as baker. This was the trade that served him well, as it is the one for which he was employed.

Private Boyland was sent to France within a few weeks of enlisting. In November 1915, he was sent to Salonika, Greece, and spent the next couple of years in the Eastern Mediterranean providing food for the troops.

In December 1917, Albert returned to England where, within a couple of months, he was medically discharged from active duty. Sadly, there is nothing documented to confirm the condition that led to him leaving the army, but it seems likely to have been an illness of some description.

At this point, Albert’s trail goes cold. He passed away on 19th February 1919; again the cause of his death is lost to time. He was just 24 years of age.

Edgar Albert Boyland was laid to rest in Chard Cemetery, not far from where his family still lived.

Private Arthur Boyland

Two rows back from Private Albert Boyland’s headstone is another Commonwealth War Grave, dedicated to another Boyland. This is from the Second World War, and identifies the resting place of Albert’s cousin.

Arthur James Boyland was born on 21st October 1908, one of nine children to Arthur’s uncle and aunt, Joseph and Julia Boyland. Joseph worked at an iron foundry, but it seems that Arthur was destined for other things. While a lot of his life is lost to time, by the time of the 1939 Register, he was working as a dental mechanic in Chard.

Arthur had married Bessie Hopkins in 1936; the couple went on to have three children.

When the Second World War was declared, Arthur had a role to play; he enlisted as a Private in the Royal Army Dental Corps. Sadly, details of his service are not available; he survived the war, however, and returned to Chard afterwards.

Arthur James Boyland passed away at home on 14th December 1947, at just 39 years of age. He was laid to rest in Chard Cemetery.

Canada, Canadian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Lieutenant, photography, Somerset, South Africa, story, war

Lieutenant Arthur Tett

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Lieutenant Arthur Tett

Arthur Hopkins Tett was born on 22nd August 1881 in Bedford Mills, Ontario, Canada. He was one of six children to lumberjack John Tett and his wife, Harriet. Both sets of Arthur’s grandparents had moved to Canada in the 1830s – John’s from Somerset, Harriet’s from Ireland – and his paternal grandfather had gone on to represent the county of Leeds in Ontario’s first parliament.

Arthur wanted to see the world, and viewed the army a a way to do that. After leaving school, he attended the Royal Military College, and was subsequently appointed a Signaller in the 3rd Canadian Mounted Rifles. He spent time in South Africa and, on returning to his home country, he took work as a bank clerk with the Union Bank, where he worked his way up to Head Office in Winnipeg.

He soon sought another challenge, and set up business in Outlook, Saskatchewan. In January 1913, Arthur married Bessie Kearns, an artist from back in Westport, Ontario. The couple settled in a detached property on Bagot Street, Kingston, Ontario and went on to have a son, John, who was born in 1917.

Arthur was still active in military circles at this point, playing a part in the local 14th Regiment. When war was declared, he again stepped forward to play his part, taking up a role of Lieutenant in the 253rd Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force: this was a regiment made up mainly of students from the Kingston area, and it is likely that Arthur’s expertise would have been welcomed.

Having initially enlisted on 1st November 1916, Lieutenant Tett was declared fit a few months later and sent to Europe in May 1917. Based in Somerset, Arthur was not far from where his paternal grandparents had come from, nor where his cousins still lived. Sadly, however, his time in England was not to be a long one.

Lieutenant Tett was admitted to the Military Hospital attached to Taunton Barracks, suffering from pneumococcal meningitis. Sadly, this was to get the better of him, and he passed away on 26th August 1917, days after his 36th birthday.

Arthur Hopkins Tett was brought to the village of Kingstone in Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of his second cousin George’s local church, St John and All Saints.

Bessie Tett did not marry again after her husband’s passing. She remained in Ontario for the rest of her life, passing away in October 1974, at the age of 89.

Arthur and Bessie’s son, John, was a babe-in-arms when his father died. He also remained in Ontario for much of his life, although he served in Europe during the Second World War. He married Sylvia Bird in September 1941; the couple went on to have two children. They returned to Canada when the war was over, and remained in Ontario until August 1974, when he passed away.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, photography, Private, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, war

Private Herbert Matthews

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Private Herbert Matthews

Herbert George Matthews was born in the autumn of 1886 in the Somerset village of Chillington. He was the oldest of two children to George and Elizabeth (known as Rosa) Matthews, and was baptised in the village church on Christmas Day that year.

George was a farm labourer, and this is work into which Herbert also followed. Rosa passed away in December 1910, leaving George a widow after 26 years of marriage.

War came to Europe in 1914, and Herbert signed up to play his part for King and Country. Full details of his service are not available, but he initially enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry. He soon transferred across to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (although the date of this is unclear) and was assigned to the 2nd/6th Battalion.

Private Matthews’ troop spent the war on the Western Front, and was involved at Fromelles, Ancre, Ypres and Cambrai. In the spring of 1918, he was caught up in the Battle of St Quentin – part of that year’s battles on the Somme. He was wounded, and medically evacuated to England, where he was admitted to the University War Hospital in Southampton.

Sadly, Private Matthews’ wounds proved too severe; he passed away from his injuries on 5th April 1918, at the age of 31 years old.

Herbert George Matthews was laid to rest in Chillington Cemetery, not far from where his mother was buried, and within walking distance of where his father still lived.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gunner, history, photography, Royal Field Artillery, Somerset, story, unknown, war, Wiltshire

Gunner Charles Hooper

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Gunner Charles Hooper

Charles – known as Charlie – Hooper was born on 22nd August 1898, the second youngest of nine children to Sidney and Sarah Hooper. Sidney was a carter from the village of Chillington in Somerset, but it was in nearby Cudworth that the family were born and raised.

Charlie, attended the local school like his older siblings, joining on 2nd June 1902, and remaining there until 28th August 1911. The following month his older sister died, and the next year his mother also passed away.

War was coming to Europe, and, while Charlie was too young to enlist when it first broke out, he seemed keen to play his part as early on as he could. He enlisted with the Royal Field Artillery at the start of 1917, and was assigned to the 23rd Reserve Battery.

Gunner Hooper was sent to Wiltshire for training. The next record for him is that of his passing. He died in Salisbury on 29th April 1917, the cause unrecorded. He was just 18 years of age.

Charlie Hooper’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Michael’s Church in his home village, Cudworth.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, war

Private Henry Hounsell

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Private Henry Hounsell

Henry James Hounsell was born in the spring of 1891, one of ten children to George and Emma Hounsell. George was a farm labourer and carter, and the family were raised in Tatworth, on the outskirts of Chard, Somerset.

Henry may have followed his father in farm work, but he wanted bigger and better things from life. The 1911 census recorded him as boarding with the Burt family in Corscombe, Dorset, where he was working as a baker’s van man.

Henry’s two older brothers, George and Alfred, died in 1913 and 1914 respectively; this left him as the oldest male of the siblings. In the summer of 1915, he married Lydia Lentell, the daughter of a shirt starcher and collar maker from East Coker, Somerset.

By this point, however, war was raging across Europe, and Henry was called upon to play his part. Full details of his service are lost to time, but it is clear that he enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry as a Private in the 4th (Reserve) Battalion. By the time he joined up – at some point after August 1916 – his troop had already been sent out to Mesopotamia; it is unclear whether Henry also went overseas, but it appears unlikely.

The only other documents relating to Private Hounsell are those concerning his passing. His pension record confirms that he died on 3rd February 1917, having been suffering from a tumour in the back of his head, which had been aggravated by his military service. He was just 25 years old.

Henry James Hounsell was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in Tatworth Cemetery in Chard.

Lydia and Henry had had no children; she remained a widow for a number of years, before marrying for a second time in the autumn of 1939. Tragically, this was also destined to be a short-lived marriage – her new husband, Frederic Hodge, died just three years later.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, photography, Private, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, unknown, war

Private William House

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Private William House

William Brewer House was born in Chard, Somerset, in the spring of 1888, one of eleven children to William and Minna House. William Sr was a farm labourer, and it was dairy work that William went into when he left school.

Little of William Jr’s life is documented. When war broke out, he stepped forward to play his part, enlisting in the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry at some point after October 1915. This particular troop was a territorial force, based primarily in Devon, and it is unlikely that Private House saw service overseas.

Sadly, the only other detail about his life is that relating to his passing. He was noted as having died on 8th April 1916 in the Military Hospital in Plymouth, although no cause is evident. He was just 28 years of age.

William Brewer House was brought back to Somerset for burial. He lies at rest in the Tatworth Cemetery near his home town of Chard.

William’s younger brother Frederick (known as Gordon) House also fought with the Somerset Light Infantry. He was killed in Mesopotamia in the spring of 1917.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, photography, Private, Royal Army Service Corps, Somerset, story, war

Private Sam Mattocks

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Private Sam Mattocks

Samuel Mattocks was born in Combe St Nicholas, Somerset, in 1885, one of six children to farm labourer George Mattocks and his wife, Anna. Sam sought a trade when he left school and soon found work as a butcher.

Documentation relating to Sam’s life is pretty scarce. When war broke out, he stepped forward to play his part, enlisting in the Army Service Corps (presumably because of his profession) by the start of 1916.

Private Mattocks was sent to Hampshire to work at one of the supply depots there. Sadly, this appears not to have been for long as, on 1st April 1916, he passed away at his base in Aldershot. No specific cause of death is evident – his records just note that he died ‘of disease’. He was 31 years old.

The body of Samuel Mattocks was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in the graveyard of St Nicholas’ Church in his home village.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, photography, Private, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Somerset, story, Tyne & Wear, unknown, war

Private Howard Richards

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Private Howard Richards

Howard Charles Richards was born in the summer of 1900, the youngest of seven children to George and Henrietta Richards. George was a sewing machine salesman from Combe St Nicholas in Somerset, and this was where the family were raised.

Howard was too young to join up when war was declared, but it seems to have been important to him. He enlisted in the 5th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment soon after his eighteenth birthday and was sent for training.

Tragically, Private Richards’ time in the army was to be a short one. The next record for him confirms that he was admitted to the 1st Northern General Hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and that he passed away on 19th October 1918. The cause of his passing is not recorded, but he was just 18 years of age.

Howard Charles Richards’ body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He lies at rest in the graveyard of St Nicholas’ Church in his home town.

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Gloucestershire, Great War, Gunner, history, photography, Private, Royal Marines, story, war

Gunner Arthur Young

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Gunner Arthur Young

Arthur William Young was born on 11th July 1900, in the Gloucestershire village of Charfield. His parents, James and Eliza, were both born in the area, and this is where they raised their nine children.

James worked as a bone turner and sawyer, working the material for things like buttons. This was a family trade, and something that Arthur followed his father and older siblings into when he finished school.

By this point, storm clouds were brewing over Europe. Arthur was too young to enlist when war first broke out, but when his older brother Francis died in Northern France in December 1917, this seemed to have driven him to play his part as well.

Arthur enlisted in the Royal Marine Artillery on 1st July 1918, a couple of weeks before his eighteenth birthday. Assigned the rank of Private, his records show that he was 5ft 9ins (1.65m) tall, had blue eyes, brown hair and a fresh complexion. It was also noted that he had a scar on his right wrist and another on his forehead.

After nine months’ service, Arthur was promoted to Gunner and, by the autumn of 1919, he was assigned to the dreadnought HMS Queen Elizabeth.

On 1st December 1920, while moored in Portland Harbour, Dorset, a concert was held on HMS Warspite. Gunner Young attended, but on the trip back to his own ship, the boat he was on collided with another, and he and three others were knocked overboard and drowned. He was just 20 years of age.

Arthur William Young was brought back to Gloucestershire for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in the Congregational Chapelyard in his home village of Charfield.