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Additional, Commonwealth War Graves, East Surrey Regiment, Essex, Great War, Hampshire, history, killed in action, Lance Corporal, photography, Private, story, Surrey, war

Lance Corporal Henry Rowell

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Henry Edward Rowell was born on 22nd May 1898 in Southwark, Surrey. One of five siblings, of whom only three survived childhood, his parents were Henry and Jane Rowell. Henry Sr was a bricklayer’s labourer from Southwark, and the family were brought up in a small terraced house on Brandon Street, Walworth.

When he finished his schooling, Henry Jr found work as a turner’s improver but, when war came to Europe, he was called upon to play his part. He enlisted on 29th May 1915, and, as a Private, was attached to the 12th (Service) Battalion (Bermondsey) of the East Surrey Regiment. His service records tell a little of the man he was, confirming that he stood 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, and suggesting that he gave his age a 19 years old (he was just 16 at the time).

Henry seemed to have made an impression on his superiors as, in early October, he was promoted to Lance Corporal. His early service was based on home soil, primarily in Witney, Surrey.

In December 1915, Henry was temporarily released from military duty for munitions work. Sent to work for the engineering company Peter Hooker Ltd, in Walthamstow, Essex, Lance Corporal Rowell was to remain here for the next four months. On 25th March 1916, however, he was called back to service, as his battalion readied itself to move from its base, by that point in Aldershot, Hampshire, to Northern France.

Lance Corporal Rowell found himself in the thick of things very quickly. From 1st July, the 12th Battalion was caught up in the Battle of the Somme, and he remained entrenched there for the next couple of months.

On 15th September 1916, the British launched an attack on the German front line at Flers-Courcelette, mid-way between Albert and Bapaume. Lance Corporal Rowell was involved in the battle, which lasted until the end of the month, and was cut down on the very first day. He was just 18 years of age.

Henry Edward Rowell was laid to rest in the Bulls Road Cemetery in Flers, Picardie.

Henry Edward Rowell was my paternal grandmother’s first cousin.

accident, Berkshire, Cadet, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, photography, Royal Military College Sandhurst, Somerset, story, war

Cadet Richard Whitting

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Cadet Richard Whitting

Richard Harcourt Whitting was born on 21st March 1900 in the Somerset village of Uphill. The younger of two children, his parents were local landowner and Justice of the Peace Charles Whitting and his second wife, Jessie. The 1911 census records father, mother and two children residing at Uphill Grange, where they were supported by six live-in staff: a cook, parlour maid, two house maids, a kitchen maid and a nurse.

As the son of a gentleman, education was an expected prospect for young Richard. Indeed, after finishing his schooling locally, he was sent to the Royal Military College in Sandhurst.

He entered the school in 1913 and left in April 1918. He was then Head of the Modern Side, and also a good runner who achieved a fine record when he won the Junior Athletic Cup and, still more, as mentioned in a notice of him in the Meteor of October 16th, 1918… “he had very delightful manners, and a sympathetic appreciation of the difficulties of other people, which is less rare in women than in men. These qualities, combined with a great fund of common sense, made him a particularly helpful and agreeable companion in all kinds of occupations, from spraying a potato field to managing a House.

He was intended for the University and the Bar, but the War caused him to leave School early and to go to the [Royal Military College], Sandhurst. There he showed himself a most promising Cadet, and continued his athletic successes by winning the Mile and being in the winning team in the Relay Race.

Memorials of the Rugbeans Who Fell in The Great War, Volume VIII

It was while he was at the college, that Richard met his untimely end.

On Saturday [21st September 1918] a cadet of the Royal Military College, named Richard H Whitting, was killed while cycling along the Bagshot main road near St Alban’s Church. Deceased, who was accompanied by two other cadets’ names respectively Money and Shute, was holding on to the rear of a motor vehicle, when his bike swerved, and he was thrown on his head. At the inquest a verdict of “Accidental death” was returned.

Reading Mercury: Saturday 28th September 1918

Cadet Whitting was just 18 years of age when he died. His body was brought back to Somerset for burial: he was laid to rest in the family plot at St Nicholas’ Church in Uphill.

Cadet Richard Whitting
(from fold3.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Somerset, story, Surrey, war

Ordinary Seaman Walter Nipper

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Ordinary Seaman Walter Nipper

Walter Henry Nipper was born on 21st September 1900 in Bleadon, Somerset. The oldest of four children, his parents were Gilfred and Rose Nipper. Gilfred was an agricultural labourer turned butcher and poultry dealer, and, by the time of the 1911 census, he had set up a retail business in the middle of the village.

Walter turned to farm work when he finished his schooling, but with war raging across Europe, he seems to have been one of the young men desperate not to miss out on the action. On 16th September 1918, just five days before he turned 18, Walter enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. His service records confirm that he stood just 5ft 1.5ins (1.56m) tall, had black hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. The document also noted that he had a scar on the back of his right hand.

Ordinary Seaman Nipper was sent to HMS Victory VI, the shore-based training vessel in Crystal Palace, Surrey, for his induction. It is likely that, when he left Somerset for the capital, that was the last time his parents saw him. Billeted in cramp barracks, with young men from across the country, Walter fell ill: he passed away on 10th October, just 24 days after joining up. He was barely 18 years of age.

Walter Henry Nipper’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the tranquil graveyard of St Peter and St Paul’s Church in his home village.

Bedfordshire Regiment, Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, history, illness, India, Labour Corps, photography, Private, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, war

Private Jeremiah West

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Private Jeremiah West

Jeremiah West was born in the spring of 1892, the oldest of eight children to John and Laura West. John was an agricultural labourer from Somerset, and it was in the village of Bleadon that the family were born and raised.

When he finished his schooling, Jeremiah followed in his father’s footsteps. By the time of the 1911 census, he was working as a servant on the nearby Shiplette Farm, where he was employed by Kate Poole.

War came to Europe in 1914, and Jeremiah stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry in 1915, and was assigned to the 4th Battalion. Private West set sail for India that August, and seems to have remained overseas for some time.

Records are not clear, but it would appear that Jeremiah returned to Britain at some point, and became attached to the 3rd Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. This was a garrison troop, based in Harwich, Essex, and Jeremiah found himself part of the battalion’s Labour Corps.

Private West survived the war, but came down with pneumonia in the autumn of 1919. He passed away on 24th November 1919: he was 27 years of age.

Jeremiah West was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Peter and St Paul’s Church in his home village of Bleadon.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Norfolk, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private William Griffin

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Private William Griffin

William Richard Griffin was born in the summer of 1899, the fourth of six children to James and Joice Griffin. James was from Somerset and worked as a superintendent for a life assurance company. He met his wife while working in Wales, and this is where their oldest three children had been born. By the time of William’s birth, however, James had moved the family back to Somerset, setting up home in the Weston area of Bath.

There is little information about William’s life. When war was declared, he joined the Devonshire Regiment, and was assigned to the 51st (Graduated) Battalion. His troop remained on home soil – remaining in Norfolk for the duration – so it is unlikely that Private Griffin saw any active service overseas.

William survived the conflict and returned home. He passed away, possibly due to an infection, based on what little is documented, on 22nd July 1920. He had not long turned 21 years of age.

William Richard Griffin was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Martin’s Church in Worle, near Weston-super-Mare.

Commonwealth War Graves, Company Sergeant Major, Corporal, County Cork, County Wicklow, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Lancashire, photography, Private, Royal Artillery, Royal Defence Corps, Sergeant, Somerset, story, Surrey, war

Serjeant Thomas Wood

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Serjeant Thomas Wood

Thomas Wood was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, in the summer of 1862. The third of ten children, he was the oldest son to Thomas and Emma Wood. Thomas Sr was a cabinet maker, but his son was not to follow in his father’s footsteps, seeking a life of adventure instead.

Thomas enlisted in the army and, while documents relating to his early life are not readily available, the 1891 census recorded him as being billeted at the Cambridge Barracks in Portsmouth, Hampshire. A member of the Royal Artillery, he seems to have been enlisted for a while, as he had risen to the rank of Corporal.

In 1894, Thomas married Leah Barrett, who was born in Oxfordshire. The army life underscored where the family would settle. They had four children and, according to their ages, the Woods were in Liverpool by 1895, Gosport, Hampshire, in 1896 and Cork in Ireland by 1899. The 1901 census found the family living in Wicklow, with Thomas having now achieved the rank of Company Sergeant Major.

Ten years later, and Thomas had stepped away from the army life. Now 48 years of age, he and Leah had been married for 17 years. The couple had settled in the Worle, on the outskirts of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, where Thomas had set himself up as a butcher, with Leah assisting him.

War came to Europe in 1914, and it seems that Thomas felt drawn to play his part once more. He joined the Royal Defence Corps as a Serjeant when it was formed in the spring of 1916, and was assigned to the regiment’s 263rd Company.

Little information is available about Serjeant Wood’s army service, but by the autumn he had been admitted to the Shell Shock Hospital (now the Maudsley Hospital) in Denmark Hill, London. His entry to the hospital, however, was actually due to kidney disease, and this was what would claim his life. Thomas died from a combination of nephritis and uraemia on 21st November 1916. He was 54 years of age.

Thomas Wood was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Martin’s Church in Worle.

Serjeant Thomas Wood
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, photography, Private, Somerset, story, unknown, war, Wiltshire Regiment

Private Ernest Badman

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Private Ernest Badman

Ernest John Badman was born in Wick St Lawrence, Somerset, on 28th September 1898. The second youngest of ten siblings, although only six survived childhood, his parents were farm labourer William Badman and his wife, Fanny.

There is little specific documentation for Ernest. War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and he had enlisted in the Wiltshire Regiment by the winter of 1916.

Attached to the 4th (Reserve) Battalion, Private Badman seems to have been in his initial training period by the following spring. However, this was not to last long. He passed away while on home soil on 21st March 1917: he was just 19 years of age.

Ernest John Badman was brought back to his home village for burial. He was laid to rest in the sleepy graveyard of St Lawrence’s Church.

Commonwealth War Graves, Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry, Great War, history, illness, Labour Corps, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private Maurice Lock

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Private Maurice Lock

Maurice Lock was born in Nailsea, Somerset, the seventh child to William and Rebecca Lock. Dates of birth vary according to documents available: census records suggest he was born around 1884, although his military records put his year of birth as 1877.

Maurice had a total of eleven siblings, with names including Merrick, Britannia and Cinderella. His father was a licensed hawker and this was something of a family trade.

The 1891 census recorded the family living at The Heath in Nailsea, although, unusually, it was noted that “this family now residing in a house occupy a travelling van in summer.” By the time of the next census return, the family business was continuing, with eight members, Maurice included, recorded as being peddlers, hawkers and horse dealers.

On 23rd January 1909, Maurice married Emily Hughes. There is little information available about her, but the couple continued Maurice’s parents’ travelling lifestyle, and went on to have four children: Albert, Mary, Gladys and Agnes.

Maurice was called upon to do his duty when war came to Britain. He enlisted on 4th September 1916 and was initially assigned to the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. Private Lock’s service record shows that he was 39 years and 10 months old when he joined up, and that he stood 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall. He was working as a basket maker and farm labourer when he received the call to enlist.

Private Lock spent a couple of months on home soil, before his troop – the 12th (Labour) Battalion – were sent to France. He remained overseas for some sixteen months, before three separate bouts of trench fever within a month saw his return to Britain’s shores.

Maurice was transferred to the Labour Corps at this point and, once he had recovered, it was to be presumed that his previous farm work would be called upon once more. However, his age and the conditions on the Western Front conspired against him, and he developed rheumatism, which led to his discharge from the army. His medical records at this point noted that “he walks very lame with the aid of a stick. His left leg is especially [bad]. He has pains in his back, legs and shoulders. These pains are aggravated by pressure and weather changes.”

Maurice returned home, but his time back in Somerset was to be brief. His health deteriorated, and he passed away at home on 29th June 1918: he was in his late 30s or early 40s when he died.

Maurice Lock was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of Christ Church in his home town of Nailsea.

Commonwealth War Graves, Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry, Great War, history, photography, Private, Somerset, story, Training Reserve Battalion, unknown, war, Wiltshire

Private Joseph Staddon

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Private Joseph Staddon

Joseph Frederick Staddon was born at the start of 1899, the oldest of seven children to John and Mary Ann Staddon. John was a farmer from Luccombe in Somerset, and it was in this small village that the family were born and raised.

There is little documentation to expand on Joseph’s life. He enlisted in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry when he turned 18, and was initially attached to the 95th Training Reserve Battalion.

Private Staddon was barracked in Chiseldon, Wiltshire, but his time in service was not to be a lengthy one. Admitted to a military hospital near the camp, he passed away from what was probably an illness on 6th May 1917. He was just eighteen years of age.

Joseph Frederick Staddon’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the cemetery extension to St Mary’s Church, Luccombe.

Tragedy was to strike again when, ten months after his son’s passing, John also died. Mary was left picking up the pieces, while supporting her six remaining children, the youngest of whom, Dorothy, was not even two years old.

The family survived, Mary running the farm with her oldest boy, Edward. She passed away on 4th August 1937, at the age of 63 years old.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, photography, Private, Somerset, story, unknown, war, West Somerset Yeomanry

Private Albert Daymond

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Private Albert Daymond

Albert Daymond was born on 7th June 1893, in Porlock, Somerset. The youngest of seven children, his parents were Devon-born Albert and Maria, who was also born in Porlock. Albert Sr was a wall mason, and, by the time of the 1901 census, his work had moved the family to the sleepy village of Luccombe.

When he finished his schooling at the village’s Church of England School on 20th December 1908, Albert found employment in a bakery. This was the employment he would continue in until, in the summer of 1914, war broke out across Europe.

Albert enlisted on 9th October 1914, joining the West Somerset Yeomanry as a Private. Little information about his military service is available, although the Commonwealth War Grave Commission records note that he was known by the surnames of Daymond and Daiman.

Tragically, Private Daymond’s time in the army was not to be a long one. He passed away while in a camp in Minehead, Somerset, on 10th December 1914. The cause of his passing is not known, but he was just 21 years of age.

Albert Daymond was brought back to Luccombe for burial. He was laid to rest in the village’s St Mary’s Churchyard.

Albert’s older brother, Alfred, also served in the First World War. Read his story here.