Category Archives: illness

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Northamptonshire, photography, Royal Army Service Corps, Sergeant, story, war

Serjeant George Twiselton

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Serjeant George Twiselton

George Twiselton was born in Milton Malsor, Northamptonshire, in the spring of 1878. The third of nine children, he was the second of two sons to Reuben and Eliza Twiselton. Reuben was a general labourer, working for the local railway and brewer, and his son was to follow suit, taking up employment as a drayman.

In 1903, George married Annie Branson. She was a cooper’s daughter from Northampton, and it seems likely that George and his future father-in-law knew each other through their combined work. By the time the young couple married, Annie was working as a domestic servant for the Burnham family, and was living at 50 Middle Street, Bradwell, Buckinghamshire (now part of Milton Keynes).

The 1911 census found George and Annie living in Milton Malsor. They had four children by this point: Edith, Doris, Reuben and Clara. George was still employed as a brewer’s drayman, and this would stand him in good stead when war broke out a few years later.

Details George’s time in the army have been lost to time, but it is clear that he had enlisted by 1916, and was assigned to the Royal Army Service Corps. His previous time with horses led him to be attached to the 381st Mechanical Transport Company, and he spent time in France, eventually rising to the rank of Serjeant.

George survived the war, and returned home after the Armistice. However, he contracted influenza early in 1919, and would succumb to the condition on 9th March: he was 40 years of age.

The body of George Twiselton was laid to rest with full military honours in the graveyard of Holy Cross Church, in his home village of Milton Malsor.

Serjeant George Twiselton
(from miltonmalsorhistory.org.uk)

With her husband dead, and six children to raise, Annie had to find the strength to continue. The 1921 census found her living with her four youngest – including her only son, Reuben. She was employed on home duties, while her 13-year-old boy was working as a farm servant.

Reuben’s story is a testament to his father’s determination:

At the outbreak of WW2 Reuben, the only son of George, joined his father’s old RASC regiment and went to France as an ambulance driver with the British Expeditionary Force. Along with many others, he withdrew to the Dunkirk beaches but turned down evacuation back to the UK, choosing instead to stay behind and give assistance to the many wounded. He was later taken prisoner and held a Prisoner of War for 5 years until released by American soldiers in 1945. He died in 1988 aged 81 years.

[Milton Malsor History website]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire Regiment, photography, Private, story, war

Private Thomas White

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Private Thomas White

Thomas White was born on 17th October 1889, and was the fourth of nine children to William and Minnie White. William was an agricultural labourer for Hartwell, Northamptonshire, but the family were raised in the village of Hardingstone, to the south of Northampton.

When they finished their schooling, Thomas’ older siblings also found work on local farms, and Thomas was to do the same. By the time of the 1911 census, the white family had moved to Wootton, and were living in a four-roomed cottage on the village’s high street.

On 25th July 1914, Thomas married Nellie Westbury. The daughter of a groom from Wootton, she was employed as a cook at The Hermitage in the village when they couple exchanged vows. They would go on to have a daughter, Phyllis, the following year.

Details of Thomas’ military service are a challenge to pull together. His entry on the Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects confirm that he enlisted on 20th July 1918, joining the 3rd Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment. This was a training and depot unit, and, by the time Private White signed up, they were based in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent.

Thomas’ time in Kent was to be brief. While training, he came down with a combination of influenza and pneumonia, conditions to which he would succumb. Private White passed away on 11th November 1918, the day that Armistice was signed: he was 29 years of age.

The body of Thomas White was taken back to Northamptonshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful surroundings of St George’s Churchyard in Wootton.

Nellie went on to make a life for herself and her daughter. The 1921 census found them living at 28 Alton Street, Far Cotton, Hardingstone, Nellie working as an office cleaner for the Midland Railway.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Driver, Great War, history, illness, Lancashire, Lance Corporal, Northamptonshire, photography, Quartermaster, Royal Army Service Corps, Sergeant, story, war

Company Quartermaster Serjeant Charles Frost

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Company Quartermaster Serjeant Charles Frost

Charles Albert Frost was born in Daventry, Northamptonshire, at during the winter of 1882/3. The third of eight children, his parents were William and Louisa Frost. William was a foreman at a shoe factory in Northampton and, at the time of the 1891 census, the family were living at what looks to be 47 Ardington Road or Abington Road (the return is not clearly legible).

Charles also found work in the shoe trade when he completed his schooling, but his is not a career he wanted to make for himself. Instead he was drawn to the army and, on 26th January 1900, he joined up. The now Driver Frost’s service records show that, at 18 years of age, he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.63m) tall and weighed 127lbs (57.6kg). He had brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Assigned to the Army Service Corps, Charles spent the next few years on home soil. Attached to the 17th Company, he would work hard and that dedication would pay off. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in April 1902, and 2nd Corporal just six months later. By January 1903 he had risen to Corporal, extending his term of service the same month.

Interestingly, in March 1904, Charles reverted to the role of Driver at his own request. He would remain at that rank until for the next four years, when he was stood down to reserve status.

The 1911 census found Charles living back home with his parents and siblings. By this point there were six adults and three children living at 74 Hood Street, Northampton, a seven-roomed terraced house on the east of the town centre. Charles had found work as a blouse cutter in a local factory, and with his father and older siblings all involved in factory work in some way.

Life on civvy street seemed not to appeal, however, and in November 1911 Charles was re-engaged with the Army Service Corps. This was initially planned to be for four years, but he would remain in the army for nearly twice that long.

In August 1914, Driver Frost was shipped out to France. and, barring leave, he would remain there for the next three years. In the summer of 1915, he returned home briefly, marrying Daisy Harris at St Edmund’s Church in Hardingstone, Northamptonshire, when he did so. He was soon sent back out to France, however, and remained on the other side of the Channel until April 1917.

Back on home soil, Charles’ career had taken a surprising turn. In January 1915 he was promoted to Acting Corporal, rising to Acting Sergeant just four months later. By November 1916 he had been promoted to Acting Quartermaster Sergeant, a role that was formalised just four months later.

In May 1918, Daisy gave birth to their first – and only – child, a boy they called Eric. Tragically, he passed away just three weeks later, from a combination of pemphigus and asthma: with Charles away, Daisy had to register the death.

Quartermaster Sergeant Frost survived the war, but was admitted to the Mill Road Hospital in Liverpool, Lancashire, on 28th June 1919. He was suffering from a cerebral tumour, but his treatment would prove ineffectual. He died at 3:20am on 4th July 1919: he was 37 years of age.

The body of Charles Albert Frost was taken back to Northamptonshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Edmund’s Church, Hardingstone, alongside Eric: a father and son reunited.

Daisy had not lost her son and husband in just over a year. The 1921 census found her back living with her father and sister, carrying out home duties while they worked.

Cambridgeshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, London, Middlesex, Midshipman, Northamptonshire, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, war

Midshipman Gervase de Bless

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Midshipman Gervase de Bless

Gervase Anthony David Herewyt de Bless was born on 20th October 1897 in Westminster, Middlesex. One of two children, he was the surviving son of barrister Alfred de Bless and his wife Maud, born Maud Cary-Elwes. Both were renowned families – Maud’s brother going on to become the Bishop of Northampton. The family do not appear in the 1901 census, but by 1911 Gervase’s parents were living at 156 St James’ Court, with French lady’s maid Henriette Forestier.

Alfred died not long after the census was taken. Gervase, meanwhile, was installed as a boarder at Downside College, Somerset. One of 168 students, he was taught by twelve schoolmasters and a handful of Roman Catholic priests from the local abbey.

An exceptionally clever boy of very active minds and many interests, during his time in the School he distinguished himself in all branches of study, winning the Gregorian Medal in 1912. He passed the Higher Certificate three times, twice gaining distinction in French and twice in Roman History. For three years he played in the Junior Cricket Eleven, which he captained in 1912. From 1908 to 1912 he sang in the choir as a treble, and he took a leading part with much success in “The Gondoliers,” and in “HMS Pinafore.” In 1914 he was Editor of The Raven, and he was on the committee of the Petre Library. In this year also he was awarded the Higher Certificate Latin Prose Prize given by St Gregory’s Society. On leaving Downside he spent two terms at Cambridge under the tuition of Mgr Barnes. Sensitive and somewhat retiring, and with health far from robust, he faced the situation created by the war with splendid courage, and obtained a cadetship in the Royal Navy. A skilful angler, fishing had ever been his favourite recreation, and on this pleasant pastime he wrote some charming verses which were afterwards collected in a little booklet.

[Baliol College War Memorial Book]

Gervase was given the rank of Midshipman in February 1916, and was assigned to the battleship HMS Revenge the following month. Before his posting he had suffered a bout of influenza, and had a relapse within days of boarding. He died from a combination of influenza and diabetes on 23rd March 1916, just two days after joining Revenge. He was just 18 years of age.

…rites of the Church… were administered to him by Dom Jerome Tunnicliffe, of St Mary’s, Liverpool, a monk of Downside.

[Baliol College War Memorial Book]

The body of Gervase Anthony David Herewyt de Bless was taken to Northamptonshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the ground of St Andrew’s Church, Great Billing, the last resting place of the Cary-Elwes family and de Bless families.

Midshipman Gervase de Bless
(from findagrave.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Northamptonshire, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker Herbert Barber

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Stoker Herbert Barber

The early life of Herbert Frederick Barber is a challenge to unpick. His navy service papers confirm that he was born on 12th December 1877 in Great Billing, Northamptonshire. His is not an uncommon name for the area, and Herbert Barbers appear on a number of census records. His parents are likely to have been shoe maker Frederick Barber and his wife, Jane.

In the summer of 1898, Herbert married Agnes Wood. He had found work as a bricklayer’s labourer by this point, and had set up home in Weston Favell, to the east of Northampton town centre. Agnes was a farm labourer’s daughter from nearby Great Billing: the couple went on to have six children – of whom four survived infancy.

The 1911 census found the Barber family – Herbert, Agnes and children Edith, Lilian, Fred and James – living in a five-roomed house in Weston Favell. Herbert was still labouring, but gave his employer as the navy.

When war broke out, Herbert stepped up to serve his country. He enlisted on 22nd September 1915, and his service records give his occupation as a gas stoker (although this was crossed out and replaced with “feller’s mate”). He was recorded as being 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall, with grey hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Herbert took on the role of Stoker 1st Class, and was sent to HMS Victory – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire – for his training. He remained there for six months – including ten days in the cells for an unrecorded offence – before being sent down the coast to Dartmouth in Devon.

Stoker Barber remained on-shore for his naval career. By July 1917 he had returned to Portsmouth, and this is where he would stay for the next fourteen months. In the summer of 1918 he fell ill, and was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Haslar with pneumonia. The condition would prove his undoing: he passed away on 7th September, at the age of 40 years old.

Barber, Pte. [sic] HF, husband of Mrs Barber of Weston Favell, and son of Mr and Mrs F Barber, Great Billing, died of pneumonia on September 7, after four days’ illness at RN Hospital, Haslar.

[Northampton Mercury – Friday 20 September 1918]

The body of Herbert Frederick Barber was taken back to Northamptonshire for burial. He was laid to rest in the Great Billing Roman Catholic Cemetery.

Agnes was left to raise her children alone. The 1939 England and Wales Register found her living at 10 High Street, Weston Favell, next door to her son Fred and his family. Working as a small shop keeper, she also had two boarders to bring in some additional money.

Agnes lived on until the age of 98: she died on 27th February 1975.

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

Stoker 1st Class Herbert Lee

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Stoker 1st Class Herbert Lee

Herbert Lee was born in the Herefordshire village of Dilwyn on 16th August 1896. The sixth of eight children, he was one of five sons to Charles and Frances Lee. Charles was a waggoner on a local farm and, when he finished his schooling, his son found work as a farm hand there.

When war broke out, Herbert was quick to step up and play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 14th October 1914, taking on the role of Stoker 2nd Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.64m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Lee was sent to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – also known as HMS Pembroke – for his training. Over the next five years, he seems to have been mainly shore-based, transferring between units in Chatham and at HMS Victory, the navy dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire. In August 1915, he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class, and his records note a very good character with a superior ability.

Herbert survived the war and, by the start of 1919, he was back in Chatham. He had fallen ill by this point, and, having contracted the highly contagious tuberculosis, he was medically discharged from navy service on 19th March 1919.

Herbert Lee battled his condition bravely, but would ultimately succumb to it. He passed away on 8th October 1920, at the age of 24 years old. He was laid to rest in the tranquil surrounds of St Mary’s Churchyard in his home village of Dilwyn.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, Hampshire Regiment, history, illness, Labour Corps, photography, Private, story, Surrey, war

Private Bertie Doe

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Private Bertie Doe

Bert Doe was born in Woking, Surrey, in 1881. One of twelve children, his parents were France and Louisa Doe. Francis – who went by his middle name, John – was a general labour and, over the years, his work took the family across the south of England. The 1891 census found the Does living in the village of Sopley, Hampshire, and this is where they seemed to settle.

There are large gaps in Bert’s early life, On 19th April 1916, he married Ellen Lackey. She was a broom maker’s daughter from Lyndhurst, Hampshire, and the couple had a son, Francis, who had been born a few weeks before they exchanged vows.

By the summer of 1918, Bert had enlisted in the army. He was attached to the Hampshire Regiment, but at some point had transferred over to the 441st Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps. Moves of this nature were often a way to rehabilitate injured or sick servicemen, and it is apparent that Private Doe fell into the latter category.

In October 1918, Bert had fallen ill with a combination of influenza and pneumonia. He was admitted to the Union Infirmary in Winchester, Hampshire, but the conditions were to prove too severe. He died on 22nd October 1918, at the age of 37 years old.

It would seem that Ellen was living in the East Boldre area of the New Forest by this point, and it was in the village’s St Paul’s Churchyard that her husband was laid to rest.

With a young son to raise, Ellen moved back in with her parents, Silas and Anna Lackey. The 1921 census found them living in Warsash Road, Sarisbury, Hampshire. Silas was employed as a labourer, while two of Ellen’s brothers were working as hawkers. Shockingly to today’s mindset, the census document records the family as ‘gipsies’.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Essex, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Leading Stoker, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Leading Stoker Percy Curtis

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Leading Stoker Percy Curtis

Percy John Curtis was born on 2nd January 1889, the second of twelve children to Tom and Sabina Curtis. Tom was a general labourer from Todber, Dorset, and this is where the family were born and raised.

Much of Percy’s life is a mystery. He found work at sea when he finished his schooling, and in October 1911 he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 1st Class. His service papers show that he was 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Curtis was initially assigned to the cruiser HMS Pathfinder, and remained on board until the summer of 1912. After a short sting at HMS Victory – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire – he was given another posting, aboard the battleship HMS King George V. She would become his home for the next four years, during which time Percy was promoted.

In September 1916, the now Leading Stoker Curtis returned to shore and to HMS Victory. He would remain at the base for the rest of his time in the navy.

On 5th November 1918, Percy married Kathleen Francis. She was the daughter of a Co-operative store manager from Dovercourt, Essex. She seems to have stayed with her family while her new husband was working, and a later census records confirms that she had returned (or remained) there after his death.

Percy’s service record gives a intriguing hint as to what happened, to him. By the end of the war he had been assigned to HMS Victory’s accounting branch. His papers simply state that he “Found dead on board 17 March 1919”. No cause of death is confirmed, although another naval document does confirm that it was due to illness, rather than any foul play. He was 30 years of age.

The body of Percy John Curtis was taken back to Dorset for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in Todber Churchyard, alongside his father, who had passed away the year before.

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.