Category Archives: illness

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Dorsetshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, photography, Pioneer, Private, Royal Engineers, Somerset, story, war

Private Sidney Oates

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Private Sidney Oates

Sidney George Oates was born in the spring of 1895, and was the oldest of three children – all boys – to John and Eliza Oates. John was a general labourer from Parkstone, Dorset, but it was in the village of Odcombe in Somerset that the family were born and raised.

Eliza died in 1899, and John was left to raise three young children on his own. He re-married, to a Lucy Moores, but the a split of the family followed the wedding. Sidney’s younger brothers stayed with their father and his new wife, while Sidney himself was looked after by his maternal grandparents. Job and Elizabeth Green lived in Buckhorn Weston, a village to the west of Gillingham, Dorset.

When he finished his schooling, Sidney was apprenticed to a carpenter. War was on the horizon, however, and he soon stepped up to play his part. As with many others, his service papers have been lost to time, but it is clear that he had enlisted in the Dorsetshire Regiment no earlier than August 1915.

Private Oates was assigned to the 7th (Reserve) Battalion and sent to a training camp near Wool, Dorset. While there, however, he caught pneumonia, and was admitted to a military hospital in the village. The condition was to prove fatal: he passed away on 20th February 1916, aged just 21 years old.

The body of Sidney George Oates was taken back to Buckhorn Weston for burial. He was laid to rest in the village’s cemetery.

Sidney’s younger brother Edward also served in the First World War. A Pioneer in the Royal Engineers, he was killed in action in northern France on 12th April 1917. He was buried in Mory Abbey Military Cemetery to the north of Bapaume.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hertfordshire, history, illness, photography, Royal Engineers, Sapper, Scotland, Shropshire, story, war, Wiltshire

Sapper John Ayre

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Sapper John Ayre

John MacDonald Ayre was born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, in 1891. His father – also John MacDonald Ayre – had been born in Edinburgh, but had moved south to take up a job as a passenger clerk for the railways. He had met his wife, Rosa, there, and they had married in 1890. John Jr was their eldest child, and they would go on to have five more although, tragically, only three survived childhood.

John Jr also found employment with the railway company when he finished his schooling. The 1911 census found him working as a goods clerk, and he was living with his family at 16 Bridge Road in Hemel Hempstead town centre.

On 8th September 1915, John Jr married Mabel Langdon. She was a postman’s daughter from Westbury, Wiltshire, and, at the time of the 1911 census, she was working as an under-housemaid for Edward Innes, a barrister in her future husband’s home town. The couple married in Westbury Parish Church.

When war broke out, John Jr was called upon to play his part. Little information is available about his time in the army, but is it clear that he had enlisted by the end of 1916, and had joined the Royal Engineers as a Sapper. His background made him ideal for the regiment’s Railway Operating Division.

There is no evidence that Sapper Ayre spent any time overseas, and, by the spring of 1917, he was based in Shropshire. He had been unwell and was admitted to a military hospital in Shrewsbury, suffering from tuberculosis. The condition was to get the better of him, and he passed away on 27th May, at the age of 26 years old.

The body of John MacDonald Ayre was taken back to Wiltshire for burial. He was laid to rest in Westbury Cemetery.

Tragically, Mabel was pregnant when her husband died. She gave birth to their son, who she named John, on 14th July 1917.

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

Private John Gulliver

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Private John Gulliver

John Albert Gulliver was born in the summer of 1878. He was the second of six children – and the first boy – to farmers John and Ruth Gulliver. The family were raised in the Wiltshire village of Steeple Ashton, but had moved to Hilperton, on the outskirts of Trowbridge, by the time their eldest son had turned ten years old.

John Jr found work as a builder’s labourer when he finished his schooling. The 1911 census recorded him as living with his parents and sister on Horse Road, Hilperton, although the document suggests he was working in Edington, six miles to the south of the village. The Gulliver family also had a visitor – Bristol-born Albert Davies, who was a Lance Corporal in the Coldstream Guards.

When war broke out, John Jr was called upon to play his part. His service records have been lost to time, but it is clear that he had joined up by 1917. There is some confusion over his military service, however.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records give Private Gulliver’s initial unit as the 3rd Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment, and he was awarded a ‘wounded stripe’ following an injury on 10th September 1917. However, John’s Medal Roll Index Card suggests he joined the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. Either way, Private Gulliver did not appear to spend any time overseas and, by the autumn of 1918, he had transferred to the 442nd Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps.

Private Gulliver survived the war, but his health had been impacted. He had contracted pneumonia, and passed away at home on 30th November 1918. He was 40 years of age.

The body of John Albert Gulliver was laid to rest in the tranquil grounds of Hilperton Cemetery, not far from where his grieving parents still lived.

Able Seaman, accident, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war, Yorkshire

Able Seaman Albert Dobson

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Able Seaman Albert Dobson

Albert Dobson was born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, on 7th April 1896. One of seven children, his parents were John and Annie Dobson. John was a bricklayer, and, when he completed his schooling, Albert was apprenticed to him. The 1911 census found the family living in a small terraced house at 55 St John’s Walk, on the outskirts of the town.

Bricklaying was not what Albert wanted from a career and, on 19th July 1913, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. Below the age to formally enlist, he was taken on with the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent to HMS Vivid – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, Devon, for his training.

Over the next nine months, Albert learnt the tools of his trade. Promoted to Boy 1st Class in October 1913, he spent time on board the battleship HMS Irresistible, before moving to HMS Pembroke, Chatham Dockyard in Kent. While he was there, he came of age, and was fully inducted into the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman. Albert’s service papers show the man he had become: he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

In April 1914, Ordinary Seaman Dobson was assigned to the new cruiser HMS Lowestoft. She would become his home for the next two years, and, while his annual reviews were average (character varying from good to very good and ability from moderate to satisfactory), he did gain a promotion to Able Seaman on 26th April 1915.

A singular fatality to a naval seaman names Albert Dobson, age 30 [sic], a native of Bridlington, was investigated at the Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham, on Monday. On October 20th, Dobson was one of a working party engaged on a battleship in the Dockyard, when, owing to the breaking of a plank, he and three men fell a distance of about eight feet. The knee of one of the men caught him in the stomach, with the result that he sustained a rupture of the spleen. In hospital he developed pneumonia, and died. A verdict of “Accidental Death” was returned.

[Kent Messenger & Gravesend Telegraph: Saturday 2nd December 1916]

Able Seaman Dobson’s service papers confirm that the incident occurred as the men were transferring a torpedo from HMS Illustrious. He was just 20 years of age when he died on 23rd November 1916.

The body of Albert Dobson was taken to Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, close to the dockyard he had come to know as home. He was laid to rest in the graveyard’s naval section.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Stoker, Middlesex, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Leading Stoker James Mills

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Leading Stoker James Mills

James George Mills was born on 5th August 1891 in Poplar, Middlesex. One of nine children, his parents were Robert and Emily Mills. Robert was a bricklayer, and by the time of the 1901 census, they had settled in Lochnager Street.

Robert had died by 1911, and Emily was left to raise their children alone. That year’s census return found them living in rooms at 1 Cobden Street, with three of the children – including James – old enough to be earning a wage.

James had enlisted in the Royal Navy the year before, and was employed as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He was also noted as having a small scar on his right cheek.

Stoker Mills would come to be based at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, during his career. He served on a number of ships and, by the time he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class in October 1911, he had spent time on board the cruisers HMS Vindictive and HMS Foresight.

With his promotion came a move, and James was assigned to HMS Acteon, the navy’s new torpedo school based in Sheerness, Kent. From here on in, much of his time seems to have been spent on land, and in January 1914, he moved to HMS Dido, also in Sheerness.

This move to the navy’s land bases seems to have coincided with James’ life away from his career. On 26th December 1912, he married Classina Steenbergen, a Dutch national, whose parents had moved to Barking, Essex in the late 1890s. The couple would go on to have two children: daughters Clasina and Iris.

James’ dedication to the Royal Navy began to pay off, with his annual reviews noting a very good character and a superior ability. In May 1915 he was promoted to Acting Leading Stoker, with the position being formalised that November.

By this point, however, James’ health was becoming impacted. He was admitted to the naval hospital in Chatham in December 1916, suffering from a malignant growth on his pancreas. The condition would prove fatal: he died on 13th December, at the age of just 25 years old.

The body of James George Mills was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the naval base he had known so well.

Classina now had two young children to support on her own. She married again in the spring of 1920, her new husband being cabinet maker William Walter Hermann. The couple went on to have three children: Walter, Pearl and James.

Leading Stoker James Mills
(from findagrave.com)
Canada, Commonwealth War Graves, County Durham, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, story, Trimmer, war, Yorkshire

Trimmer Thomas Davis

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Trimmer Thomas Davis

The details of Thomas Davis’ early life are a challenge to piece together.

His navy service papers confirm that he was born in Stockton, County Durham, on 25th January 1867, and was the son of John and Ann Davis. The 1881 census found the family living at 66 Argyle Street, Linthorpe, Yorkshire. John was a puddler, working iron in a local foundry, while Thomas, now 15 years of age, was a labourer in the same ironworks.

Thomas falls off the radar for a few years, and it is only his service papers that brings things together again. He enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserve in June 1915, joining up as a Trimmer. The document confirms that he was 5ft 6ins (1.77m) tall with blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Over the next eighteen months, Thomas served on four ships, returning to HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – in between voyages. His conduct seems to have been average and, in November 1916, he was jailed for 7 days and docked a day’s pay for an unrecorded misdemeanour.

By that winter, Trimmer Davis’ health was faltering, and he was admitted to the Sailor’s Home in Chatham, Kent, suffering from pneumonia. The condition was to get the better of him, and he passed away on 1st February 1917, just a week after his 51st birthday.

The body of Thomas Davis was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the naval base he had come to call home.

There is scant information about Thomas’ family. While the 1881 census notes he had a younger brother, Phillip, his service papers give his next-of-kin as cousin William Jones of Wellington Street, Toronto, Canada. (It also notes that communications sent to him were returned unopened.)

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war, Yorkshire

Stoker 2nd Class Frank Waterhouse

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Stoker 2nd Class Frank Waterhouse

Frank Waterhouse was born in Keighley, Yorkshire, on 14th September 1889. The second of four children, including two younger sibling who both died before their first birthdays, his parents were Waddington and Jane Waterhouse.

Waddington was an engineer for a worsted mill in nearby Bingley, and when Frank finished his schooling, he found employment as a fireman for the same mill. By the time of the 1911 census father, son, Frank’s sister Fanny and her husband Arthur were all employed at the factory.

In the spring of 1915, Frank married Alice Greenbank. She worked at a mill in Haworth and the couple set up home together. They would not go on to have any children.

War was raging across Europe by this point, and Frank stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Navy and his trade made him ideal for an initial role of Stoker 2nd Class. He was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training and his service record confirms the man he had become. He was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker 2nd Class Waterhouse was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. At the beginning of May 1917, he was assigned to the cruiser HMS Crescent, and spent the next four months aboard.

During this time, Frank fell ill. When Crescent docked back at HMS Pembroke at the end of September, he was disembarked, and taken to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham. He was suffering from endocarditis, and the heart condition would prove fatal. He passed away the day after he was admitted – on the 2nd October 1917 – at the age of 28 years old.

Hundreds of miles from home, it is likely that Frank’s family would not have been able to foot the bill for bringing his body back home. Instead, Frank Waterhouse was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, not far from the base at which he had been based.

Able Seaman, Boatman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, County Durham, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Seaman, Northumberland, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, story, Surrey, war

Petty Officer 1st Class Edward Grant

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Petty Officer 1st Class Edward Grant

The early life of Edward Grant is a challenge to piece together. Born on 14th May 1863 in Newington, Surrey, he was the son of Thomas and Eliza Grant. The family do not appear on any census records, and it is only when Edward joined the Royal Navy in 1878 that he appears on any documents.

Edward’s service papers tell the story of a young man focused on his career. Underage when he joined up, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent to HMS Impregnable, the school ship based in Devonport, for his initial training. He remained on board for over a year, and rose to Boy 1st Class during that time.

Edward’s first full sea-going assignment was on board the screw corvette HMS Ruby. He would be assigned to her for eighteen months, during which time he came of age. Formally inducted into the Royal Navy, he took the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service records show that he was a little over 5ft (1.53cm) tall, with brown hair, great eyes and a fair complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Grant’s contract was for ten years. During this time, his commitment to the job was clear: serving on a total of right vessels, he was promoted to Able Seaman in December 1882, Leading Seaman in October 1888 and Petty Officer 2nd Class in December 1889.

When his contract came to an end, Edward did not hesitate to re-enlist. He completed another decade of service, spending much of that time as a Boatman for the Coastguard on the Northumbrian coast.

It was while he was serving in Crastor that he met Elizabeth Smailes. She was a grocer’s daughter from nearby Dunstan, and the couple married in Alnwick on 14th February 1893. Edward and Eliabeth would go on to have five children, all girls, between 1896 and 1907.

By the time of the 1901 census, the Grants family were living in the Royal Naval Reserve Barracks in Hartlepool, County Durham. That November Edward was formally stood down to reserve status, having completed 20 years with the Royal Navy.

The 1911 census found Edward and the family living at the Guardians Offices at Hart Road in Hartlepool. A naval pensioner, he was employed as a caretaker for the town’s Board of Guardians, and the accommodation came with the job. Also living with them was Elizabeth’s mother, 83-year-old widow, Jane Smailes.

When war broke out, Edward stepped up to play his part once more. Now 51 years of age, he took on the role of Petty Officer 2nd Class once more: his papers show that he was now 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall and had tattoos of a sailor woman and the words True Love on his left arm.

Petty Officer Grant remained firmly shore based, and was billeted at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. He served for three years, and was promoted to Petty Officer 1st Class in May 1916.

On 9th April 1917, Edward Grant collapsed at his barracks. His passing was quick: he died of an aortic aneurysm and haemorrhage. He was 53 years of age. His body was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, not far from the naval base he had known for so many years.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Kent, photography, Plumber's Mate, Royal Navy, story, war

Plumber’s Mate William Hodge

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Plumber’s Mate William Hodge

William James Hodge was born on 23rd November 1896 in Portsmouth, Hampshire. The oldest of seven children, six of whom were boys, his parents were James and Edith Hodge. James was a carpenter and labourer and, when he finished his schooling, William initially found work as a grocer’s errand boy.

William went on to find work as a plumber’s mate and, when war was declared, he saw an opportunity to put his stills to good use. The Royal Navy offered career prospects and, on 14th December 1915, he enlisted. His service papers show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall, with black hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion.

Initial training took place not far from home at the Portsmouth shore based HMS Victory and HMS Fisgard. In November 1916, however, Plumber’s Mate Hodge was given his first sea-faring assignment, on board the battleship HMS Zealandia. She would remain his home for the next six months.

In the spring of 1917, William came down with tuberculosis. He was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, Kent, but the condition would prove too severe. He passed away on 19th April 1917, aged just 20 years old.

The body of William James Hodge was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Clarence Jennings

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Private Clarence Jennings

Clarence Albert Carrison was born on 6th June 1896 in Port MacDonnell, South Australia. His early life is a challenge to uncover: his father is noted as being Robert Carrison, while his mother was Mary Jennings. His parents had eleven other children, whose surnames vary between Carrison and Jennings.

Papers confirm that Clarence went to Mount Schank School from 29th July 1902 to 10th November 1904, although his attendance seems to have been a little haphazard. Intriguingly, his parents are not recorded, but Mr H Ulrich, a carpenter, is noted as being his guardian.

When he finished his schooling, Clarence found work as a labourer. War broke out on the other side of the world in the summer of 1914, and he was called upon to play his part. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 30th June 1917, and, Robert having passed away nine years earlier, he seems to have reverted to his mother’s name, Jennings.

Private Jennings’ service papers outline the young man he had become. He was a little over 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, and weighed 168lbs (76.2kg). He was recorded as having brown hair, blue eyes and a medium complexion.

Clarence spent the next three months training. On 30th October 1917, his unit left Australia for Europe, a journey that would take some eight weeks. The voyage was not uneventful for Private Jennings: he spent a night in the ship’s hospital with seasickness, then three weeks back there with mumps. His gratitude to be back on dry land when the HMAT Aeneas docker in Devonport on 27th December is likely to have been palpable.

Private Jennings was marched into camp in Sutton Veny, Wiltshire. Attached to the 33rd Battalion of the Australian Infantry, he moved to the nearby ANZAC base in Codford on 2nd January 1918, and would remain there for the next few months. This was not without its hiccups either, and he went AWOL from midnight on 7th February until 9:30am on 12th February. For this offence, he forfeited thirteen days’ pay.

By the end of that month, Clarence had fallen ill again. He was admitted to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital in Codford, suffering from measles and bronchitis. This combination of ailments would prove Private Jennings’ undoing: he passed away on 22nd March 1918, at the age of just 21 years old.

Thousands of miles from home, the body of Clarence Albert Jennings was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford.

Interestingly, Clarence’s burial report presents a clean slate to his family. He was noted as being “a keen soldier [whose] conduct was exemplary. He was very popular and his loss is very keenly felt.”