The life of Ernest Archer is challenging to piece together. His headstone, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, confirms he was a Petty Officer on HMS Foyle, which was a Royal Navy destroyer. She hit a mine in the English Channel off the Devon coast on 15th March 1917, and foundered while being towed to safety in Plymouth. A total of 28 crew members, Petty Officer Archer included, were killed.
Ernest’s service papers have been lost to time, but his Dependent’s Pension record gives his beneficiary as his aunt, Mrs H Greenhow, of 8 Kinmel Street, Liverpool. This would suggest that his parents had passed by 1917, but it’s not been possible to track her down through contemporary documents.
The same record notes that Ernest had a brother, James, and that he was an Able Seaman in the Howe Battalion of the Royal Naval Division. He was killed in action on 17th February 1917 – four weeks before his brother – and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
Further information on the lives of the siblings, however, is lost in the mists of time, Ernest Archer’s story taken to his grave with him.
William Amos Hallett was born on 2nd March 1867 in Pimlico, Middlesex. The oldest of six children, his parents were Charles and Rosa Hallett. Charles was a police inspector and, by the time of the 1871 census, the family has moved to Sheerness in Kent, where he worked.
In the summer of 1893, William married Emily Nokes. By this point he had been working for the Royal Navy for four years, initially as a Shipwright, then as a Leading Shipwright. His service records show that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.
Based out of HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, by June 1900 William had served on HMS Urgent, HMS Sphinx. Most of his time, however, had been spent between his Chatham base and its Sheerness counterpart, HMS Wildfire.
In November 1901 William was promoted to the rank of Carpenter. Over the next decade he served on eight vessels, and his service record for that time give an insight into his character. He was regularly commended for his hard-working and zealous nature: “[he] gets through more work in his time than any carpenter I’ve been shipmates with… He is excellent in every way.” His ability did not go unnoticed, another report noting his “special knowledge [in] geometrical drawing.”
In the summer of 1910, his superior, Captain Morgan, noted that Carpenter Hallett “worked well and zealously and has got a good deal of work done under somewhat difficult circumstances and with a small staff…” He was recommended for advancement, and it seemed that a promotion was in the offing.
By the time war broke out, William was a Commissioned Shipwright. Details of his service are harder to trace, but by the end of 1916, he was assigned to the battleship HMS Commonwealth. The next record notes his passing:
HALLETT – On 17th February, at RN Hospital, Chatham, Chief Carpenter RN William Amos Hallett, aged 49 years, eldest son of the late Mr Charles Hallett, of Sheerness.
[Sheerness Guardian and East Kent Advertiser: Saturday 24th February 1917]
There is no further information about William Amos Hallett’s passing. He was laid to rest in the military section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from HMS Pembroke, the dockyard he had for so long called home.
The early life of George John Ball is a challenge to piece together.
His naval records confirm that he was born in Bedminster, Somerset, on 11th October 1865. There are census records that link his name to parents coal miner Luke Ball and his wife, Ann, but these cannot be confirmed.
George’s papers show that he found work as a butcher when he finished his schooling. He was set on a life at sea, however, and, on 25th November 1880, he joined the Royal Navy. Given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, he was sent to the training base HMS Impregnable for his induction. The Devon establishment would remain his home for the next two years, and, during this time, he rose to the rank of Boy 1st Class.
On 10th October 1882, George was given his first sea-faring assignment, on board the armoured cruiser HMS Northampton. He stayed with her for the next two years, during which time he came of age. Now formally inducted to the Royal Navy, he was promoted to Ordinary Seaman. His service records from the time give an indication as to the man he had become. Short of stature, he was just 5ft 1.5ins (1.56m) tall, and had light brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.
Ordinary Seaman Ball signed up for a ten-year contract. Over that time, he would serve on a total of eight vessels, rising to the rank of Able Seaman in January 1889. George’s slate was not completely clean, however, and his record notes three serious demeanours in that time.
In the spring of 1888 George spent 27 days in Canterbury Gaol for ‘breaking out of [the] ship’ he was then serving on, HMS Duncan. He was sent to the brig for a further fourteen days in January 1892 for an undisclosed crime.
Able Seaman Ball was also fined £3 10s (£575 in today’s money) for staying away beyond his allotted shore leave. His papers note an absence of seventeen weeks from 10th October 1893, and this time would have been added to the end of his contract.
George re-enlisted on 9th February 1894, and his service record noted that he had grown half and inch (1.3cm) since he enlisted. He had also had a number of tattoos in that time, including an anchor on his right arm and a bracelet and sailor on his left.
Over the next decade, Able Seaman Ball continued his steady progression through the ranks. He would serve on seven ships, returning to what had become his shore base – HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – in between assignments. In October 1897, George was promoted to Leading Seaman: by the following July he was given the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class.
On 29th April 1904, after more than twenty years in service, George was formally stood down to reserve status. The next document for him – the 1911 census – gives an insight into his life away from the sea. By this point, George was living in a small terraced house at 234 Luton Road, Chatham, Kent.
The document confirms he had been married for fourteen years, to a woman called Sarah. The couple had a daughter – six-year-old Doris – and Sarah’s son from a previous marriage, Albert, was also living with them. George had not distanced himself too far from the sea, however. He was employed as a Ship’s Canteen Manager, a position his stepson also held.
When war came to Europe, George was called upon to play his part once more. Taking up the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class again, he would be based at HMS Pembroke – Chatham Dockyard – and he remained in service for the next two years.
In August 1916, George was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, with a combination of pychtis and a stricture. The conditions were to prove fatal: he breathed his last on 31st August 1916, at the age of 50 years old.
George John Ball was laid to rest in the military section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the dockyard that had been his home for many years.
Reginald Harold Lambert was born in the spring of 1878 in Hurstpierpoint, Sussex. One of eight children, his parents were Henry and Elizabeth Lambert. Henry was a surgeon dentist, who had five more children from first marriage, giving Reginald a total of twelve siblings.
When Reginald finished his schooling, he took up work as a dental assistant, presumably under his father’s tutelage. Away from this, he volunteered for the Royal Sussex Regiment, and the military life drew him in. On 8th July 1897, he joined the 1st Life Guards: based in London, he took on the role of Farrier, tending to the regiment’s horses and looking after their hooves in particular.
On 25th April 1909, Reginald married Lilian Burns at St George’s Church in Tufnell Park, Middlesex. There is little information about her background, but she was the daughter of a grocer and, at 38 years old, seven years her new husband’s senior.
As the point of his marriage, Reginald was listed as a Corporal, and gave his address as Knightsbridge Barracks. By the time of the 1911 census, however, he and Lilian had set up home in second floor rooms at 6 Princess Road, Camden.
When war broke out in 1914, Corporal Lambert was called upon to play his part. His service records are long since lost, but the 1st Life Guards fought in some of the key battles of the conflict: at Ypres in both 1914 and 1915, at Loos in 1915, and at Arras in 1917. Exactly where and how Reginald served, however, is unknown, but by the end of the war he had risen to the rank of Farrier Staff Corporal.
The next record for Reginald is that of his death, which was registered in Islington, Middlesex. It seems likely that he either returned home, or was hospitalised close to home. He passed away through illness on 4th September 1918, at the age of 40 years old.
Reginald Harold Lambert was laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery, not far from where his widow still lived. His epitaph gave a nod to her pet name for him: In loving memory of dear Rex. Apart yet not afar.
William Michael Shanly was born in Hampstead, Middlesex, in the summer of 1892. The fourth of eight children, of whom three died in infancy, he was the eldest son to Michael and Mathilde Shanly. Michael was the owner of a coffee and refreshment company.
The Shanly family lived at 78 Sumatra Road, Hampstead, but by the time he was nine years old, William had been sent to Sussex, and was boarding at the Xavarians Brothers School in Uckfield.
There is little further information available about William’s life. His epitaph on the family headstone suggests that he died on active service and was a Platoon Sergeant of the 18th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. His unit was also known as the 1st Public Schools, although exactly what role he held is unclear. His entry on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Grave Index suggests that he was attached to the 15th (Reserve) Battalion, but his military records no longer exists, so it isn’t possible to confirm either way.
Serjeant Shanly died on 5th February 1915, aged 22 years of age. He had had an operation for appendicitis five days earlier, but had succumbed to peritonitis.
William Michael Shanly was laid to rest in the family plot in Highgate Cemetery, not far from where his grieving family were living.
George Wilson Townsend was born in St Pancras, Middlesex on 13th September 1885. The youngest of three children – although his older brother Joseph had died before George was born – his parents were piano maker Samuel Townsend and his wife, Eliza.
When he finished his schooling, George found work as a clerk for a shipping company. In the summer of 1909 he married Ellen Gibbins: the couple went on to have two children, daughters Kathleen (born in 1910) and Elsie (born in 1912).
The 1911 census found the family in a small cottage at 43 Leighton Road, Kentish Town. George was still working as a shipping clerk, while Ellen was look after baby Kathleen.
When war broke out, George was called upon to play his part. He enlisted on 12th May 1917, and joined the Royal Flying Corps as an Air Mechanic 3rd Class. His service records show that he stood 5ft 9.75ins (1.77m) tall.
When the Royal Air Force was formed in April 1918, George was immediately transferred across. Reclassified as a Clerk 3rd Class, he was quickly promoted to Clerk 1st Class, the skills he had learn in civilian life coming to the fore. Attached to 85 Squadron, then 62 Training Squadron, which was based in Gosport, Hampshire.
By the autumn of 1918, George had returned home, although the circumstances for this are unclear. He may have been on leave or recuperating from an illness. Certainly he passed away from pneumonia while at home on 5th October. He had not long turned 33 years of age.
George Wilson Townsend was laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery, not far from where his family still lived.
Harold Frederic Chandler was born on 8th April 1886, and was the only child to Frederic and Rhoda. Frederic was a newspaper publisher, and the family lived in North London. The 1891 census found the Chandlers living at 1 Parolles Road, Islington; ten years later they were at 14 West View on Highgate Hill.
Those census returns included family members as part of the household. By the time of the 1911 census, however, when the were living in a substantial house at 22 Hillside Gardens, Highgate, there were no other family members with them, although they did have a boarder – banker’s clerk Alfred Schleicher – and domestic servant Esther Tebbutt living with them.
By this point, Harold was 24 years of age, and was employed as an architect’s assistant. War was coming, however, and he was called upon to play his part.
Full details of Harold’s service have been lost to time, but it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Engineers as a Sapper, likely using the skills he had learnt in his civilian life.
The only documentation confirms Harold’s passing. Discharged from the army on 29th October 1919, he died just over a year later. He breathed his last on 17th December 1920, at the age of 34 years old. His death was registered in Edmonton, Essex, so it seems likely that he was there in some sort of convalescent capacity.
The body of Harold Frederic Chandler was taken back to Middlesex for burial, and he was laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery.
Ernest James Dean was born in the autumn of 1898 in St Pancras, Middlesex. The older of two children, he was the only son to Ernest and Caroline Dean. Ernest Sr was a bootmaker, and the family lived at 51 Lismore Road.
Ernest Jr found work as a clerk when he completed his schooling. However, when war broke out, he was keen to play his part. He enlisted on 6th February 1917, joining the Royal Flying Corps as an Air Mechanic 3rd Class. His service record shows that he was 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall, and he must have proven to be a keen student: within four months he had been promoted to Air Mechanic 2nd Class and was being trained as a wireless operator.
When the Royal Air Force was formed on 1st April 1918, Ernest’s transfer was automatic. It is unclear exactly where Air Mechanic Dean served, but he seems to have been based in Kent by that autumn.
In October, Ernest was admitted to the Lees Court Hospital in Faversham, Kent, having come down with pneumonia. The condition, sadly, was to prove fatal: he passed away on 29th October 1918, at the age of just 20 years old.
The body of Ernest James Dean was taken back to Middlesex for burial, and he was laid to rest in the majestic grounds of Highgate Cemetery.
Albert John Bentley was born in St Pancras, Middlesex, in the spring of 1885. The second of six children, his parents were John and Eleanor (also known as Elizabeth) Bentley. John was a piano maker, and the family lived at 27 Hampshire Street in St Pancras.
When his father died in 1910, Albert had already started to follow in his footsteps. The following year’s census recorded him living with his mother and three younger siblings. Employed as an organ builder, his was one of three wages being brought into the household.
Albert stepped up to play his part when war broke out. Full details of his military service have been lost to time, but it is clear that he enlisted in the London Regiment, and was assigned to the 1st/19th (County of London) Battalion (St Pancras).
It is unclear whether or not Private Bentley spent any time overseas. By the summer of 1918, however, he had fallen ill, and was admitted to a military hospital in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex. He succumbed to a combination of influenza and pneumonia on 28th June 1918: he was 33 years of age.
The body of Albert John Bentley was taken back to Middlesex for burial. He was laid to rest in the sweeping grounds of Highgate Cemetery.
In the depths of Highgate Cemetery, Middlesex, is the weathered grave of Driver EA Lord, of the Royal Horse Artillery, who died on 8th May 1921. Little concrete information is available about him, and a lot of the young man’s life is destined to remain lost to time.
A few military documents shed some light on the man. His name was Ernest Arthur Lord, and he was 26 when he died in Manor House Hospital, Golders Green, Middlesex.
A pension for his widow was refused, because the couple married after he was discharged from the army. There is a marriage certificate for an Ernest Lord and Beatrice Moore on Christmas Day 1920. The couple wed in Charleston Parish Church, Salford, Lancashire: Ernest was noted as being a clerk, and Beatrice a tailoress. However, this is more of an interesting footnote: there is nothing to directly connect this Ernest Lord to the burial in Highgate.
Driver Lord’s entry on the Medal Roll Index confirms that his unit was sent to France on 26th December 1915. Where he served, and for how long, however, is unclear.
Much of Ernest Arthur Lord’s life is sadly untraceable: a life and a history lost to the Great War.
Death and Service 