Arthur Coward was born in the village of Faulkland, near Radstock, Somerset, on 6th November 1888. One of twelve siblings, of which only five survived childhood, his parents were Henry and Mercy Coward.
Henry was an agricultural labourer, who was 62 years of age when Arthur was born. By the time Arthur had finished his schooling, the family had moved west, to Writhlington, and he took up work in the local colliery.
Arthur was a keen motorcyclist, and when war came to Europe, he enlisted in the Royal Engineers. Working as a dispatch rider, Sapper Coward was assigned to the 34th Division Signal Company, and soon found himself in France.
Arthur returned home for a fortnight’s leave on 22nd October 1918. “He should have returned to France again on the 4th [November] but had a few days previously contracted influenza and this was followed by double pneumonia. Everything possible was done for him, but despite a robust constitution he gradually sank and died peaceful a few hours before the public learnt that the war in which he had taken part was ended.” [Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer: Friday 15th November 1918]
Sapper Coward had died on 11th November 1918, having celebrated his thirtieth birthday just five days previously. His father, Henry, had lost another child, at the age of 91.
Arthur Coward was laid to rest in the tranquil Writhlington Cemetery.
Harry Izzard was born early in 1900, in Chiswick, London and was one of six children to Albert and Florence Izzard. Albert was a groom, but when he died in 1905, Florence, left with a young family to raise, remarried. Things seem not to have gone well between Harry and his stepfather, Richard Warren, and he soon found himself resident of the Church Army Home in London.
In 1914, his schooling complete, he was sent to the village of Clandown in Somerset, where he was employed at the local colliery. He seemed to have flourished in his new life, and he “made friends with all he came in contact with, being of a bright and cheerful disposition and associated with the football club, Wesleyan Young Men’s Bible Class and an ardent temperance worker.” [Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer: Friday 26th April 1918]
Harry was one of the village’s batch of miners passed for the Army ballot, but seemed eager not to wait to be officially called up. On the day of the ballot, he instead joined up voluntarily, enlisting in the 86th Training Reserve Battalion.
On enlistment he was sent to Clipstone Camp, Notts, where he quickly made friends. He, however, was placed on the sick list… and underwent [an] operation for appendicitis from which operation he never recovered.
Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer: Friday 26th April 1918
Private Izzard died on 20th April 1918, aged just 19 years old, a life of new promise cut tragically short. His connection with Clandown, and his disconnection from his family in London, was such that his body was brought back to Somerset for burial.
Harry Izzard was laid to rest in the quiet Holy Trinity Churchyard, his sister Mabel being the only family member represented at the service.
Harry’s older brother Herbert Izzard also served in the army. He had found work as a laundry labourer when he left school, and went on to marry Maud Woodage on 14th February 1915. The couple had a daughter, Winifred, later that year.
Herbert enlisted in the London Regiment as a Rifleman, and was assigned to the 17th Battalion, also known as the Poplar and Stepney Rifles. He soon found himself in France and was killed at the Somme on 19th April 1916. He is buried at the Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery in Souchez.
Tragically, Herbert’s widow died in Oxfordshire in December 1918, leaving young Winifred an orphan at just three years old. She went on to live a long life, dying in 1997, at the age of 81.
Reginald Charlie Day was born in the spring of 1891, the sixth of thirteen children. His parents – George and Charlotte Day – were born and raised in Gloucestershire, but had moved to Wellow in Somerset by the time Reginald was born.
George was originally a shepherd, but Wellow had two key industries – mining and the railways – and it was into the former that he went, presumably to bring in a regular wage for the expanding Day family.
When he left school, Reginald initially followed his father to the pit, but in April 1913, he opted for a more prestigious career, and enlisted in the army. He joined the Somerset Light Infantry as a Private but, because of his profession, he was not formally mobilised until 1916. His service records give away little about his stature, only that he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with good vision and good physical development.
In January 1916, Private Day was moved to the North Somerset Yeomanry and, within a matter of weeks was bound for France. By that October, however, he was moved again, and became attached to the 5th (Service) Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment. He was assigned to one of the regiment’s depots, and remained close to the Western Front until the end of July 1917.
At this point, Reginald’s health was beginning to suffer, and he was moved back to the UK for treatment. He was admitted to hospital suffering from a pelvic abscess, and this was later diagnosed as carcinoma of the rectum. No longer fit for military service, he was dismissed from the army on 17th February 1918, his medical records noting that he had been fitted with a colostomy belt.
At this point, Reginald’s trail goes cold. It is likely that he returned home, but whether he was able to take up his previous employment – or work at all – is unclear. His headstone records that he died in Bath War Hospital, although again it is uncertain whether he was admitted from the point of leaving the army, or only in later months as his condition deteriorated. He passed away on 18th October 1919, at the age of 28 years old.
Reginald Charlie Day was laid to rest in the family plot in the peaceful Wellow Cemetery.
Edward Owen Bending was born early in 1891, one of seven children to Edward Bending, who was from Bath, Somerset, and Emma, who came from Castle Cary.
Edward Sr worked on the railways, and the family moved across the county with his work: the 1891 census recorded them living in Edington, while he worked as a signalman in nearby Ashcott; ten years later, the family had moved to Bridgwater with his job. The 1911 census return recorded the Bendings as living in Station House, Wellow, with Edward now employed as the station master.
Edward Jr, who was sometimes known by his middle name to avoid confusion with his father, was also employed at the station, where he was working as a clerk. War was coming to Europe, however, and he stepped up to play his part for King and Country.
Edward enlisted in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps as a Rifleman, and was attached to the 60th Rifles. Full details of his military service are lost to time, but a contemporary newspaper report notes that he served both in the Balkans and in France. During his time in the army, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, but contracted an illness, and was invalided out of service.
Whatever his illness, it was to get the better of him: Lieutenant Bending passed away at home on 24th January 1919. He was just 28 years of age.
Edward Owen Bending was laid to rest in the peaceful Wellow Cemetery, overlooking the village where his family still lived.
Edward’s was a family plot. When his younger sister Winifred died just three years later, she was buried with him. When his mother, Emma, passed away in 1924, she was laid to rest in a neighbouring plot.
Edward Bending Sr lived on until 1938. The newspaper report of his funeral, gives an insight into the family man he was:
A native of Combe Down, where his father carried on business as a tailor, Mr Bending spent all his working days in the employ of the Somerset and Dorset Railway. For a time he worked as a reliefman, and later was appointed stationmaster at Cole, being transferred in 1907 to Wellow, where he took part in all the village activities.
In 1920 he was transferred to Stallbridge, Dorset, but after about four years there had to relinquish work just before reaching retiring age, owing to an attach of rheumatoid arthritis. Since then he had been unable to get about and he stayed with his eldest daughter at Reading for a time.
For the past seven years he had stayed at the residence of his younger daughter at Burnham-on-Sea. Unfortunately the malady affected his sight, and for eight years he had been blind, yet throughout his last years his cheerful disposition never failed him, and he was his old self to the last, being keenly interested in his wireless, which brought him such happiness.
His wife died in 1924, and his younger son, Lieut. Edward Owen Bending, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, lost his life in the war; his name is to be found on the War Memorial at St Julian’s Church.
Mr Bending’s elder son, Hubert Alan Bending, is head master of St Julian’s school, Shoscombe. He is also survived by two of his four daughters.
Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer: Friday 24th June 1938
While Wellow Station was a bustling place, it is highly likely that Edward Jr would have known Leonard Luke, one of the porters at the time Edward Sr was station master. Leonard also went off to war, and his story can be found here.
Leonard Arthur Luke was born in the autumn of 1899 in Shepton Mallet, Somerset. He was the fifth of ten children to railway guard George Luke and his wife, Georgina.
By the time of the 1911 census, the family had moved north west, to the village of Wellow, where George continued his employment with the railway. The track and station have now since disappeared, but at the time, it was a busy stopping point for the mining village.
When Leonard left school, he found work as a porter with the Somerset & Dorset Railway, but by now war was raging across Europe, and he was keen to play his part. He initially enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry on 3rd January 1918, but moved to the Royal Flying Corps after a matter of weeks.
On 1st April 1918, Leonard transferred across to the Royal Air Force. Formally holding the rank of Air Mechanic 2nd Class, he was training to become a wireless operator in Winchester, Hampshire. He was admitted to the Red Cross Hospital in the city, having contracted rheumatic fever. Sadly, this was to take his life, and he passed away on 13th November 1918, two days after the Armistice. He was just 19 years of age.
Leonard Arthur Luke’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet Wellow Cemetery.
Air Mechanic 2nd Class Leonard Luke (from britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
While Wellow Station was a bustling place, it is highly likely that Leonard would have known Edward Bending, one of the clerks at the time he was there. Edward also went off to war, and his story can be found here.
Edwin Joseph Fricker was born on 2nd June 1898 in Vobster, Somerset. The youngest of nine children, his parents were Frederick and Ann, both of whom had been born just over the Wiltshire border in Zeals. Frederick was an agricultural labourer and, based on the places of birth of their children, it would seem that the family moved where his work took him.
Frederick died in the spring of 1911, at the age of 58. The census return, which was taken just a few months later, found the now-widowed Ann living at Stone Ash Cottage in Mells, with four of her children: Edwin and three of his older siblings: Pollie, James and Fred. Edwin’s brothers were bringing money into the home – James as a stone quarrier, and Fred as a pony boy, working underground in the local mines.
When war came to Europe, Edwin stepped up to play his part. While his service records have been lost, it is clear that he enlisted in the Devonshire Regiment, and was attached to the 10th (Service) Battalion.
The death of Pte. Edwin Joseph Fricker, of the Somerset Light Infantry, has recently taken place at the early age of 20 years. Deceased was called up from Bristol and was sent to India and after the signing of the Armistice was demobilised to return to his work in the mine. The cause of death was ague and pneumonia.
[Somerset Standard: Friday 28th February 1919]
The newspaper report of Edwin’s passing includes some inconsistencies: Private Fricker was not assigned to the Somerset Light Infantry, nor is there any evidence that he spent any time overseas. He did die from pneumonia, however, passing away on 16th February 1919: he was 20 years of age.
Edwin Joseph Fricker was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Edmund’s Church, Vobster, not far from where his mother still lived.
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.”
Death and Service 