de Courcy William Raymond was born in the summer of 1883 in the Somerset village of West Camel. He was one of six children to carpenter George Raymond and his wife, Anne. de Courcy – whose name may have had family connections – followed his father into carpentry and, by the time of the 1911 census, the family had moved to nearby South Barrow, where George had been born.
When war came to Europe, de Courcy was keen to play his part. Sadly, full details of his military service no longer survive, but what can be determined is that he had enlisted by March 1915, joining the North Somerset Yeomanry.
Private Raymond was assigned to the 2nd/1st Battalion, which was a second-line troop, and remained on home soil, moving from Somerset to Wiltshire to Kent by the autumn of 1915. He was evidently good at his job as he was soon promoted to the rank of Corporal for his efforts.
It was while he was based in Kent that de Courcy fell ill. He contracted pneumonia, and was admitted to a military hospital in Canterbury. Sadly, the condition was to prove too much, and he passed away from the condition on 9th October 1915. He was 32 years of age.
The body of de Courcy William Raymond was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in the graveyard of St Peter’s Church in South Barrow.
James Toop was born in the Somerset village of Galhampton on 13th January 1879. He was the fifth of eleven children to William and Elizabeth Toop. William was a farm labourer, and James followed his father’s line of work when he left school.
James disappears from documents for a while, only surfacing again in October 1914, when he enlisted for army service. At this point, he was working as a bricklayer, and notes that he had previously served in the Somerset Light Infantry. He is recorded as being 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, weighing 136lbs (61.7kg). He had brown hair, grey eyes, and gave his religion as Congregationalist. James also lied about his age, saying that he was 29 years and 9 months when, in fact, he would have been closer to 36 years old when he joined up.
Sapper Toop was assigned to the Royal Engineers, and spent nine months on home soil, during which time he was promoted to Lance Corporal. On 18th July 1915 he went to France, but returned just five days later.
Admitted to the Royal Victoria War Hospital in Netley, Hampshire, James was recorded as suffering the stress of campaign. He was moved to Napsbury War Hospital, near St Albans in Hertfordshire, after a couple of weeks. This institution – formerly the Middlesex County Asylum – was where servicemen suffering from shell shock were sent for rehabilitation, and Lance Corporal Toop joined the near 2,000 other residents.
James’ diagnosis was recorded as being neurasthenia with depression and, in October 1916, he was medically discharged from the army. The medical report noted that he had “had nervous breakdown, complained of vomiting of his food. Had defective memory. Had religious mania 5 years before enlistment.” While his condition was not the result of his war service, the medical board recorded that his mental debility has been aggravated by the strain.
James falls off the radar again at this point. When he recovered, he returned to bricklaying for work. In 1916 his mother died, followed a year later by his father. Both were laid to rest in the family grave in St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Sparkford, Somerset.
James Toop died on 5th July 1918 at the age of 39 years old. He was also buried in the family plot, reunited with his parents far too soon.
Cyril Talbot Burney Croft was born on 28th January 1891 in Streetsville, Ontario, Canada. He was the only child of Dorset clergyman Otho Croft and his Canadian-born wife, Lucy.
Otho brought his young family back to England when Cyril was a boy. The 1901 census found him and Lucy living in South Cadbury, Somerset, where he had taken the role of the local rector. Their young son, meanwhile, was boarding at a school in St Leonard’s in East Sussex.
Education was key to Cyril’s development. He was sent to King’s College in Taunton and St Boniface College in Warminster, and enlisted in the Officer’s Training Corps for three years.
During this time, he and Lucy had travelled back to Canada, and there was an obvious draw for the young man as, in 1913, he made a move to Quebec, becoming the Assistant to the Commissioner of Harbour Works in the city.
When war broke out, Cyril was quick to step up and play his part. Joining the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 23rd September 1914, his service records show that he was 6ft 1in (1.85m) tall, with black hair, grey eyes and a dark complexion.
Cyril was initially assigned to the 12th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry, where he held the rank of Lance Corporal. On arriving in England, however, he took his leave of the Canadian force, and accepted a role in the King’s Royal Rifles. Within a few months, he transferred again, gaining the rank of Second Lieutenant in the 8th (Service) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry.
Details of Cyril’s actual service are vague, however, as his British Army service records are no longer available. It appears that he did not serve any time overseas, as his battalion was raised in Taunton, Somerset, and did not move to France until the end of 1915.
Second Lieutenant Croft had made a further transfer by this point, joining the Royal Flying Corps in the summer. He gained his wings on 27th October 1915 at a Military School in Birmingham.
On 8th December 1915, he was a passenger in an aircraft being piloted by a Lieutenant McDonald at Castle Bromwich.
The weather was “bumpy” but not bad… They went towards Birmingham, and then made a turn to the left. [McDonald] noticed that the engine was missing fire when he was at a height of 1,500ft [460m], and decided to land. He turned off the petrol, but did not switch off the electric ignition. He made a right-hand turn, so as to reduce the height, the machine then being at a normal angle, when, owing to the wind, the aeroplane banked. To put the machine back again he put the control lever over to the left, but finding that the machine did not answer to the control, he put on the right rudder, and Lieutenant C Black, of the Royal Flying Corps, who had instructions to watch the aeroplane, stated that shortly after eleven o’clock in the morning it ascended to a height of 1,500ft. Shortly afterwards he saw the machine coming down: it made a short spiral, then a complete circle, and while turning to make another at a height of 500ft [150m], fell straight to the ground, nose downwards. The aeroplane was in proper working order, and the witness was of the opinion that the accident was due to wind disturbances.
De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour
Croft and McDonald were both killed. Cyril was just 24 years of age. His Colonel wrote to Otho and Lucy, noting that Cyril “did so well that it makes one feel the loss all the more of such a promising young officer. He is, indeed, a great loss to our country, especially in these times.” Cyril’s Major noted “he had a most charming, lovable character, and was thoroughly popular with all his brother officers. He was exceedingly keen at his work, and in him the service has lost a most promising and capable officer.”
Cyril Talbot Burney Croft was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of his father’s church: St Thomas a Becket’s in South Cadbury.
Second Lieutenant Cyril Croft (from ancestry.co.uk)
Sidney William Biddiscombe was born in South Cadbury, Somerset, in the spring of 1895. The eighth of sixteen children, his parents were Thomas and Constance Biddiscombe. Thomas was an agricultural labourer, and this is work that Sidney went into when he finished school.
When war came to Europe, Sidney was quick to enlist. Whether this was out of a sense of duty, a keenness to get involved, a need to follow his older brothers, or as an escape from farm labouring is unclear, though. He joined the Somerset Light Infantry in August 1914, and was assigned to the 7th (Service) Battalion.
There is little information available about Private Biddiscombe’s time in the army. He received his training in Hampshire, and was based at Aldershot. The sudden influx of young men from across the country into small, cramped billets meant that illness ran rife, and Sidney, it seems, was not immune. He contracted measles, and was admitted to the camp’s Isolation Hospital.
Sadly, the infection was to get the better of Private Biddiscombe, and he passed away at the hospital on 5th March 1915. He was just 20 years of age.
Sidney William Biddiscombe was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Thomas a Becket’s Church in his home village of South Cadbury.
Sidney’s epitaph notes he is “never forgotten by mother, brothers and sisters”. His father, Thomas, died in 1918, at the age of 62, and so was not commemorated on his son’s headstone, which was erected at a later date.
Archibald Percy Wilds was born in 1896 in Kilmington, Somerset. The youngest of three children, his parents were dairy farmers Charles and Emma Wilds. Charles passed away when Archibald was just a toddler, and with the help of her family, Emma raised their children while maintaining the business.
When he left school, Archibald also helped out on the farm, but war was coming, and he wanted to play his part for King and Country. Details about his service are sketchy, but it is clear that he joined the Somerset Light Infantry as a Private, before transferring to the Hampshire Regiment. He was assigned to the 15th (Service) Battalion, also known as the 2nd Portsmouth.
While Private Wilds’ battalion saw action in France, it is unclear whether he went with them. His records show that he was awarded the Victory and British Medals for his time in the army, but they do not give a date for him embarking for the continent.
The only other records relating to Private Wilds are those confirming his passing. The Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects confirms that he passed away on 26th February 1918 in a military hospital, while another database suggests that he died of wounds, although it is not possible to confirm how he was injured, or where specifically he passed. What can be confirmed is that he was just 21 years of age when he died.
Archibald Percy Wilds was brought to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in the graveyard of St Michael’s Church in Blackford, not far from where his mother still lived.
Emma Wilds went on to live until she was 70 years old. She passed away in 1932 and was also laid to rest in the family plot, reunited again with her husband and son.
Frederick Uriah Wilton was born in Yarlington, Somerset, in the spring of 1892. One of thirteen children, his parents were farm labourer Thomas Wilton and his wife Mary.
Frederick and his brothers followed their father into agricultural labouring, and, according to the 1911 census, the family were living and working at Shatwell Farm, on the outskirts of Yarlington itself.
When war broke out, Frederick was keen to play his part. Details of his military service are difficult to piece together, but what is clear is that he enlisted in the Bedfordshire Regiment.
During his time in the army, Frederick rose to the rank of Serjeant. He survived the war and, in 1919, he was placed on furlough while waiting to be demobbed. Sadly, it is likely that he fell ill during this time, and he passed away on 1st December 1919, at the age of 27.
Frederick Uriah Wilton was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Yarlington.
Serjeant Wilton’s headstone notes that he served in the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. The two regiments were amalgamated in 1919, and Frederick was recorded as having served in the newly formed regiment.
George Augustus Woodforde was born on 21st April 1892 in Leyton, Essex. He was one of six children to George and Harriet Woodforde, although, tragically, George had died shortly before his son was born.
George Sr had been born in Ansford, Castle Cary, Somerset and this is where he was laid to rest. He was a theological student in his twenties and, according to the 1891 census, he was living on his own means. This is something that Harriet was fortunate enough to be able to do once she was widowed.
George Jr studied into his late teens and, by the time war was declared in 1914, he was employed as a schoolmaster. He enlisted in April 1916, but was not mobilised until 17th November 1917. He served as part of the 28th Battalion (Artists’ Rifles) of the London Regiment and his records show that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall and was of a slight build, weighing in at only 110lbs (50kg).
Private Woodforde soon found himself in France, and fought on the front line for a while. He was caught up in the Battle of the Canal du Nord in late September 1918, and was badly wounded. He was medically evacuated to England, and admitted to the East Leeds War Hospital. He had received gunshot wounds to both thighs and feet, and had fractured the tarsal and metatarsals of his right foot.
Private Woodforde’s left leg became infected, and he then developed double pneumonia. It was this lung condition that he was to succumb to: he passed away at the hospital on 11th November 1918 – Armistice Day. He was just 26 years of age.
George Augustus Woodforde was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Andrew’s Church in Ansford, Somerset, close to where his father had been buried all those years before.
William Thomas Locke was born at the start of 1900 in the Kent village of Eccles. His parents were Thomas and Annie Locke, although it seems that he was orphaned early on. The 1901 census recorded him as living with his grandparents John and Mary Locke. Their daughter Annie is also recorded as living at the property, although there is nothing to confirm whether she was William’s mother or an aunt.
By the time of the 1911 census John Locke had died. Mary was living in the same house, with two of her sons – Frederick and Alfred – and her grandchildren, William and his cousin Gladys. Both of William’s uncles were labourers in the local cement works, and it seems likely that this would be work that he would have followed them into once he had completed school.
William’s trail goes cold at this point, although he would have been too young to join up at the outbreak of the First World War. Records confirm that he had enlisted by March 1918, and it seems likely that he would have done so as soon as he came of age.
Rifleman Locke joined the 5th Battalion of the King’s (Liverpool Regiment), but this is the only detail of his military service that can be confirmed. The next record for him confirms that he passed away on 5th October 1918, having been admitted to hospital in Oswestry, Shropshire, suffering from intestinal problems. He was just 18 years old when he passed.
William Thomas Locke’s body was brought back to Kent for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peter & St Paul’s Church in Aylesford, the parish church for his home village of Eccles.
The specific location of William’s grave is not known, although it is likely that he was laid to rest near his grandfather. Instead, he is commemorated on a joint headstone in the First World War section of the graveyard. William’s grandmother passed away the following year, and records confirm that his next of kin was noted as his aunt, Mary Ann Longley.
Charles Grigsby was born in Boughton Monchelsea, a village to the south of Maidstone, Kent, in the summer of 1878. His parents were farm labourer William Grigsby and his wife, Elizabeth, and he was one of four children. Charles’ mother passed away when he was just three years old, and William married again – to another Elizabeth. They had six children – half-siblings to Charles.
Charles falls off the radar for a few years – his First World War service records suggest that he had enlisted with the East Kent Regiment, and so may have been serving abroad at the time of the 1891 and 1901 censuses.
In 1904 he was back in Kent, however, where he married Henrietta Harpum. The daughter of a soldier, Henrietta had been born in Shoeburyness, Essex, but the family had moved to Frindsbury, Kent, not long afterwards.
The 1911 census found the Grigsbys living in the village of Eccles, near Aylesford. Charles was working as a blacksmith’s striker at the local cement works, and they had their Henrietta’s nephew, George, living with them at the time the record was taken.
When war was declared, Charles stepped up again to play his part. He enlisted on 24th August 1914, and was assigned to the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Private Grigsby’s service records confirm that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, and weighed 129lbs (58.5kg). He had brown hair, blue eyes and tattoos on both arms.
Tragically, Henrietta died not long after her husband joined up, although the exact date and cause of her passing is lost to time. Assigned to the 6th (Service) Battalion, Charles was, by this time, based in Hythe, on the Kent coast.
Private Grigsby’s time back in the army was to be a short one, however. He was admitted to Shorncliffe Military Hospital in January 1915, suffering from bronchial pneumonia, and is was this lung condition that was to take his life just weeks later. He passed away on 22nd February 1915, at the age of 35 years old.
Charles Grigsby was brought back to Aylesford by his siblings. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peter & St Paul’s Churchyard. It is likely that he was buried alongside Henrietta, although the exact location of his grave is not longer known. Instead, he is commemorated on a joint headstone in the First World War section of the graveyard.
Ernest Green was born on 31st March 1881 – four days before that year’s census – in the Kent village of Aylesford. The middle of eleven children, his parent were William and Sarah Green. William was a labourer in the local clay works, and this is employment that Ernest and his brothers also entered into.
On 10th December 1904, Ernest married Emily Chapman. She was the daughter of another labourer, and the couple went on to have seven children, the oldest of whom was born in May 1905.
The family set up home in Aylesford, not far from Ernest’s parents, and life would have been set, had it not been for the intervention of the First World War.
Ernest enlisted early on, joining The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) in December 1914. His service records confirm that he was 33 years old when he enlisted, and stood 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall. Sadly, Private Green’s service records are a little sketchy, and it is unclear whether he ever saw action overseas, although it is likely that he did at some point.
Private Green transferred to the Machine Gun Corps in February 1916, and then moved again – to the Labour Corps – in the summer of 1918. He joined the 426th Agricultural Coy, and was based in Canterbury.
Working outside through the summer and autumn, it seems that Ernest’s health may have begun to suffer and he was admitted to the Canterbury Military Hospital in December 1918, having contracted influenza. Sadly, the lung condition was to prove his undoing: Private Green passed away at the facility on 20th December 1918. He was 37 years of age.
Ernest Green was brought back to Aylesford for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peter & St Paul’s Church, although the exact location of his grave is not longer known. Instead, he is commemorated on a joint headstone in the First World War section of the graveyard.
Death and Service 