William Ewart Badman, whose first names appear interchangeable, was born in the summer of 1888, the older of two children to Francis and Elizabeth Badman. Francis was a builder from Holcombe in Somerset, and this is where the family were born and raised.
Francis died in 1905 and, after William’s sister, Cristabelle moved to Cardiff to take up work as a milliner, he stayed to help support his mother. The 1911 census recorded Elizabeth and William living in Holcombe, where he had found employment as a carpenter.
On 14th November 1915, William married dressmaker Amy Talbot. The couple were living in a terraced house in St Leonard’s Road, Bristol, where he was still finding work as a carpenter.
War had come to Europe by this point, and William was soon to play his part. He enlisted as a Private in the 11th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, in November 1916. Full details of his military service are lost to time, but a local newspaper report give a little information:
Mr Ewart Badman, who… had undergone a slight operation, had passed away.
Somerset Standard: Friday 13th July 1917
No detail of the need for William’s operation are evident, nor does the report expand on his condition any further. His entry in the Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects confirm that he died at the War Hospital in Bath. He passed away on 1st July 1917, at the age of 29 years old.
William Ewart Badman’s body was brought back to Holcombe for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Andrew’s Church in the village.
George William Taylor was born on 14th July 1884 in Holcombe, Somerset. He was one of ten children, and his parents were John and Martha Taylor. John was a coal miner and for a while after finishing school, George followed his father to the pit. But he wanted bigger and better things, and was drawn to a career in the army.
On 16th September 1901, George enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 7ins (1.69m) tall, and weighed 131lbs (59.4kg). It was also noted that he had brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion, and that he had a scar on his right shin and another on his left arm.
Private Taylor was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, and spent the next ten months training on home soil. In July 1902, however, he set off on his first big adventure, travelling to South Africa with his troop. He returned home in the spring of 1903, and spent the remainder of his seven years’ term of service on British soil.
On Christmas Day 1906, George married Ellen Hitchcock. She was the daughter of a blacksmith from Bath, and their marriage certificate adds further details to George’s life. He was living in Plymouth, Devon, when they married, and he gave his trade as a Bugler in the Somerset Light Infantry.
During the rest of his army contract, George had a number of admissions to hospital, for recurring conjunctivitis, a sprained ankle in November 1905 and a bout of scabies in January 1908. That autumn, having served for seven years, he was stood down to reserve status.
By the time of the 1911 census, George had settled back into civilian life. The young couple set up home in Holcombe, and George took up work back in the colliery there, where he was employed as a carter. A boarder helped them bring in a bit more money, but the document shows evidence of tragedy as it notes that Ellen had given birth to two children, but that both had died.
When war came to Europe in 1914, George was called back into active service. Initially assigned to the 1st Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, he arrived in France in July 1915. He only remained there for a matter of months, however, and, by October Private Taylor was back in Britain and reassigned to the 3rd Battalion.
It appears that his repatriation may have been for health reasons. On 31st January 1916, George was admitted to the 4th Southern General Hospital in Plymouth. The handwriting in the notes for this admission is difficult to read, but the basic headline is starkly clear: ‘bronchitis and subsequently mental’.
Private Taylor remained in hospital for a couple of weeks, before being moved to the Wells Asylum in Somerset. He was assessed by the military doctor after a couple of months’ treatment, and was declared unfit to continue in active service, due to ‘general paralysis of the insane’ or shellshock/PTSD as it is known today. His illness was wholly attributed to his military service, and sheds some light on what he must have gone through during his short time in France, compared to his previous seven years’ service. George’s last day in the army was on 13th April 1916, and he had served for a total of 14 years, 211 days.
George’s trail goes cold at this point. He passed away on 22nd December 1916, at the age of 32 years old. Although records do not confirm this, it seems likely that he died while he was still admitted to the asylum, as his death was recorded in Wells.
George William Taylor was brought back to Holcombe for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in the graveyard of St Andrew’s Church.
Alfred Taylor was born in the summer of 1888 in Crewkerne, Somerset. The second of twelve children, his parents were Henry and Selina Taylor. Henry, who was also known as Harry, was a stone mason, but when Alfred and his siblings left school, they went into the weaving industry, a key employer in the area.
War came to European shores in the summer of 1914, and Alfred was keen to play his part. He had already been a part of the 3rd (Special Reserve) Dorset Regiment, but formally enlisted on 9th December 1915, joining the Royal Garrison Artillery. His service records note that he was 5ft 9ins (1.77m) tall and weighed 149lbs (67.6kg). The document also confirms his next of kin as his father, who, at 48 years old, had also joined up, and was serving in the Royal Engineers in Canterbury, Kent.
Gunner Taylor was not mobilised until September 1916, and served the next eighteen month on home soil. He did his initial training in Hilsea, Portsmouth, before moving around the country. He finally made it to France in February 1918.
During his time in France, Alfred was caught up in a couple of gas attacks, and was evacuated to Britain at the end of August because of the impact on his lungs. Admitted to the 2nd Eastern General Hospital in Brighton, Sussex, his body finally succumbed to pneumonia. He passed away on 25th January 1919, at the age of 30 years old.
The body of Alfred Taylor was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the Townsend Cemetery of his home town, Crewkerne. “…All the members of Gunner Taylor’s family were present, except his father and his brother George, who [were] with the Army of Occupation in Germany.” [Western Chronicle: Friday 7th February 1919]
Charles James Anderson Newbery was born in Misterton, a stone’s throw from Crewkerne, Somerset, in the spring of 1895. The oldest of eight children, his parents were Benjamin and Edith Newbery. Benjamin was a farmer, who passed away in 1908, when his son was just 13 years of age.
Charles seems not to have spent a great deal of time in the family home, however: the 1901 census found him living with his paternal grandmother, while the 1911 census, taken three years after his father’s death, recorded him as living with his paternal aunt, and working on their farm.
The farming life seemed to suit Charles: indeed he emigrated to Australia to pursue the life. When war broke out in Europe, however, he returned to England’s shores to better serve King and Country. He enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery on 18th October 1915, and was given the rank of Gunner.
Charles’ service records confirm that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall and weighed 140lbs (63.5kg). He was noted as having a mole on his left shoulder and an upper denture.
Private Newbery was sent to France in April 1916 and, a little over a year later, was promoted to Bombardier. He was attached to the 137th Heavy Battery and all seemed to be going reasonably well for him. He had ten days’ in England in July 1917, and a further two weeks’ in March 1918.
On 13th August 1918, possible during the Battle of Amiens, Charles was injured by a gun shot wound to his right leg. He was initially treated at the 47th General Hospital at Le Treport on the French coast, but was medically evacuated to Britain for further treatment.
Charles was moved to the 4th Northern General Hospital in Lincoln. To complicate matters, he had contracted bronchitis and, while his injury was being managed, it was a combination of the lung condition and cardiac failure to which he succumbed. Private Newbery passed away on 2nd September 1918, his mother and sisters by his side. He was just 23 years of age.
Charles James Anderson Newbery was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in Crewkerne’s Townsend Cemetery, not far from the family home.
Bombardier Charles Newbery (from ancestry.co.uk)
Edith had to write to the regimental office three times to get her late son’s belongings back, and in the end it took more than six months to do so. She received the items he had on him in Lincoln in April 1919: they included and “upper row [of] teeth, cigarette case, wallet containing letters, hair brush [and] comb, disc, letter, wristlet watch, note paper and envelopes.”
Frederick Walter Coombes was born in 5th July 1891 in Chard, Somerset. He was the oldest of eight children and his parents were mason’s labourer Walter Coombes and his wife, Sarah.
The family moved to nearby Crewkerne and, when he left school, Frederick found work as a weaver. He quickly realised, however, that he needed a career, and the the military could offer one. On 18th October 1909, he enlisted in the the Royal Field Artillery, signing up for three years with the regiment, followed by nine years on reserve.
Frederick’s service record confirms the man he had become. His medical examination gave his height as 5ft 6ins (1.68m) and his weight as 139lbs (63kg). He was noted as having brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also recorded as having a tattoo of a man’s head on the back of his right wrist and a small scar on his left hip.
After a year on home soil, Driver Coombes was sent to South Africa. He was to spend a little over two years in the country, the 1911 census recording him at the Roberts Heights Barracks in Transvaal, as part of the 98th Battery.
When his initial three year contract came to an end, Frederick was placed on reserve status and returned home. His trail goes cold for a couple of years, but when war was declared in 1914, he was immediately brought back into active service.
By the middle of August 1914, Driver Coombes was on the Western Front in France. Within a matter of weeks he was caught up in the Retreat from Mons, and was gassed in the process.
He soon recovered and, in December 1915 his troop was moved to Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. Within a month, Frederick fell ill again, having contracted malaria. He was treated at the base and, eventually remained in the Middle East for a year.
By December 1916 Frederick was on the move again, this time to India. His lungs had had a battering by this point, however, and he fell ill once more, this time having developed tuberculosis. Initially treated in India, by February 1917 he had been medically evacuated back to Britain. The condition was seen as unlikely to improve, and he was eventually discharged from the army as being no longer fit enough to serve.
Driver Coombes’ medical report confirmed that the condition was fully the result of his army service, and treatment at a sanatorium was recommended. His last day with the Royal Field Artillery was 7th May 1917: his career had lasted 7 years 202 days.
Again, Frederick’s trail goes cold at this point. It seems likely that he would have returned to Somerset and would possibly had been admitted to a medical facility for treatment and recuperation. The next record for him is that of his death, which happened at home on 26th March 1919. He was just 27 years of age.
Frederick Walter Coombes was laid to rest in Crewkerne’s Townsend Cemetery.
Henry – or Harry – Sweet was born on 31st July 1887 in the Somerset village of Merriott. He was the fourth of seven children to Edward and Emma Sweet. Emma had married Edward after her first husband, John, had died, and so Harry also had three half-siblings.
Edward was an agricultural labourer by trade, but by the time of the 1901 census he had turned his hand to brewing, and listed his trade as a maltster. Harry’s older brother John, was also recorded as a maltster, while he had left school and was noted as being a brewery hand.
The next census, in 1911, found Emma and Edward heading up the family in Crewkerne, brewing for, and working at, the Volunteer Inn. Harry was working with his father, while two of his sisters – Prudence and Beatrice – were still living at home and working as shirt and collar machinists. Making up the household were Harry’s other sister, Ellen, who was a shirt ironer, and her husband George, who was recorded as a web weaver. In all there were seven wages coming into the household, meagre salaries though they may have been.
On 26th December 1911, Harry married Rosina Woodland in the parish church in Crewkerne. She was the daughter of Walter Woodland, a local labourer, although there is little further information on her family.
When war came to Europe, Harry wanted to play his part. Full details of his military service are lost to time, although he had certainly enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps by the start of 1917. Driver Sweet served in the Eastern Mediterranean, and was ensconced in Salonika, in Northern Greece, for nearly two years.
Harry suffered on and off with dysentery, and was moved to the 4th Scottish General Hospital in Glasgow in January 1919 for treatment. This was initially successful, but while was was admitted he contracted a combination of bronchitis and pneumonia, and these were ultimately to take his life. Driver Sweet passed away on 13th February 1919, at the age of 31 years old.
Henry Sweet’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the Townsend Cemetery in his home town of Crewkerne.
Albert Lowman was born in Crewkerne, Somerset, in the autumn of 1876. He was the younger of two children to Charles and Sarah Lowman. The 1881 census recorded the family – Charles, Sarah and their boys Charles Jr and Albert – living in Back Lane. Charles Sr was noted as being a labourer, although in the column highlighting any medical conditions (‘deaf-and-dumb’, ‘blind’, ‘imbecile or idiot’, ‘lunatic’), is one word: “afflicted”.
Charles Sr passed away in 1886, when Albert was just 9 years old. The next census, in 1891, found Sarah working as a charwoman, while her youngest, who had left school by this point, was employed as a labourer. Mother and son also had a lodger, Alice, who was a dressmaker. Charles Jr, by this point, had left home, and was living in Penarth, Glamorganshire, where he was apprenticed to his paternal uncle, who was a tailor.
On 28th November 1896, Albert married Sarah Ann Dodge, a weaver’s daughter who was also from Crewkerne. Albert recorded his job as a drayman, although this seems to have been piecemeal employment.
The next census found more permanent work, as he was cited as being a shirt factory packer, while Sarah was employed by the factory as a machinist. Making up the household was young Charles Lowman, the couple’s first son, who was just a month old although sadly, he survived only a couple of months more before dying.
Further tragedy is highlighted by the 1911 census, as it highlights that the couple had had a further child, who had also died when just a babe-in-arms. The Lowmans were now living on Hermitage Street near the centre of the town. Albert was still a shirt packer, and, even though their cottage was small, they had two boarders and a visitor staying. The lodgers brought the couple a little rent, which meant that Sarah no longer had to work.
War was closing in on Europe and, while his full military records are lost to time, it is clear that Albert had stepped up to play his part. He had enlisted by January 1918, and was attached to the Devonshire Regiment, through which he served with the 380 Company of the Labour Corps.
Private Lowman was barracked on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, and in July he was admitted to the military hospital in Salisbury itself, suffering from appendicitis. He was operated on, but died following complications. He passed away on 10th July 1918, at the age of 41 years old.
Albert Lowman was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the cemetery of his home town, Crewkerne.
Private Lowman’s pension ledger record shows the beneficiaries of his army service. The document identified Sarah as his widow, but also Phillis Annie Matilda Denning, the couple’s adopted daughter, who had been born in August 1904.
Sarah was not to outlive her late husband for long, however.
The death occurred with tragic suddenness on Sunday afternoon, January 7th, at her residence in Hermitage-street, of Mrs Sarah Ann Lowman… The deceased, who was of middle age, was about as usual attending to her ordinary household duties in the morning. Just before dinner hour, however, she complained of not feeling well and went upstairs to lie down. Her niece took her up a cup of how water, and she then apparently went to sleep. She awoke about 3:40pm, and then had to get out of bed owing to sickness. Upon going back into bed again she expired almost immediately. Dr Wolfenstein was called, but he could only pronounce life extinct.
Langport & Somerton Herald: Saturday 20th January 1923
Sarah was 47 years of age when she passed away. It is likely that she was laid to rest near her husband, although records to confirm this have been lost.
Albert’s brother, Charles, survived his sibling by less than six months. He had left tailoring behind him in South Wales, and instead embarked on a military career. He joined the Royal Field Artillery in 1895 and, over the course of his twelve years’ service, served in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
Charles married Florence Dodge in 1908, and the couple went on to have two children – Cecil and Freda. When war broke out in 1914, he stepped up once more. Having already risen through the ranks from Gunner to Bombardier and Corporal, he re-entered service as a Sergeant in the Royal Garrison Artillery.
Based in Le Harve, Northern France, Sergeant Lowman was admitted to a hospital in Harfleur, having contracted bronchial pneumonia. Sadly, he passed away while admitted, on 8th November 1918, just three days before the end of the conflict. He was 43 years of age.
Charles Lowman was laid to rest in the Sainte Marie Cemetery, near the centre of Le Harve.
The life of William Henry Harris is destined to remain shrouded in the mists of time. His headstone, in the Townsend Cemetery in Crewkerne, confirms he was a Private in the Essex Regiment, and that he died on 19th April 1911, at the age of 31 years old.
The Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects confirms that he was attached to to the 1st/5th Battalion and that he died of sickness in Rugeley Camp, Staffordshire. His widow, who is noted as Ada Harris, received a war gratuity, which suggests that he had enlisted prior to October 1918.
Private Harris’ Pension Ledger shows that Ada was living in Hermitage Street, Crewkerne, and that the couple did not have any children.
While William’s name is too common to try and identify family links through census records, his marriage index provides Ada’s maiden name, Furzer, which is easier to track.
Ada Furzer was born in Crewkerne on 22nd November 1887, the second of eight children to James and Ellen Furzer. James was a haulier, while Ada and her older sister Mabel, found work as machinists in a local shirt factory when they left school.
Ada did not remarry when William passed away: she died in Yeovil in the autumn of 1971, at the age of 83.
Albert Edward Horwood was born in Bath, Somerset, in the spring of 1864. The middle of five children, his parents were Joseph and Agnes Horwood. Joseph was a stone mason and, when Agnes passed away in 1872 he married again, this time to a woman called Elizabeth.
When he left school Albert – who became better known as Edward – found work in a local foundry. Joseph died in 1888, and just two years later, Edward married Emily Wheeler. She was the daughter of labourer from North Bradley, Wiltshire, and it was in the parish church that the couple exchanged vows.
The couple set up home in the Lyncombe area of Bath, and went on to have nine children, all but one of them girls. Edward continued with labouring work for the next twenty years, as his children grew in the family home in Cheltenham Street.
Despite his age, when was broke out in Europe, Edward stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry on 6th November 1914, and was assigned to the 4th Battalion. His service records show that he was 44 year of age and 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall.
Attached to one of the regiment’s supply companies, Private Horwood remained on the Home Front. He remained on active duty for more than eighteen months until, in June 1916, he was medically discharged because of a large ulcer and epithelioma (lesion) on his tongue. Edward’s medical notes suggest that he was offered an operation to remove the potentially malignant growth, but that he had declined.
At this point Edward’s trail goes cold. He returned home, and passed away on 28th March 1917 and, while the cause is not publicly documented, it seems likely to have been related to the growth in his mouth. He was 52 years of age.
Albert Edward Horwood was laid to rest in the St James Cemetery in his home town of Bath.
William Henry Dyer was born on 26th March 1895, in Bath, Somerset. He was the only child of William and Elizabeth Dyer. Elizabeth had had a son prior to her marriage to William Sr, and so William Jr had a half-brother, Sidney.
Elizabeth tragically passed away in December when her youngest was only a toddler. William Sr went on to marry again, to a Sarah Chivers. The couple went on to have a family of their own, giving William Jr and Sidney a further five half-siblings.
William Sr was a carman and, when his son left school, he also found carting work, the 1911 census recording him as being a milk carrier. He wanted bigger and better things, however, and, on 8th April 1913, a fortnight after his eighteenth birthday, he joined the Royal Navy.
William’s service records show that he was working as a van guard on the railway at the time of his enlistment. He was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with light hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. He joined as a Stoker 2nd Class, and was initially assigned to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport.
After six months’ training, William was assigned to the dreadnought battleship HMS Ajax. She became his home for the next four years, patrolling the North Sea during the conflict and, in June 1916, was involved in the Battle of Jutland. During his time on board, William rose through the ranks, becoming Stoker 1st Class in August 1914, Leading Stoker in August 1916 and Petty Officer Stoker in October 1917.
In January 1918, William returned to HMS Vivid for a few weeks He was then given a new posting, on board HMS Sandhurst, based at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys. Petty Officer Stoker Dyer was to spend the next ten months here, albeit with a short break that autumn.
It was during this period of leave that William married Lily Sarah Bethia Durbin. She was the daughter of a miner, and the couple married in Clutton, Somerset. Their time together was to be brief, however, as William soon returned to Scotland.
It was while Petty Officer Stoker Dyer was back at HMS Sandhurst that he developed pneumonia. Sadly, the condition was to get the better of him. He passed away on board on 27th November 1918, at the age of just 23 years old.
William Henry Dyer’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in St James’ Cemetery in Bath.
Lily had been a wife for just a matter of weeks, and was now left a widow. In 1926 she remarried, to baker and confectioner Albert Farmer. The couple lived a long and happy life, celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary before Albert died in 1985. Lily lived on, passing away in January 1997, at the ripe of age of 98 years old.
Death and Service 