Category Archives: killed in action

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, County Antrim, Essex, Great War, history, Ireland, killed in action, Northern Ireland, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 2nd Class Frederick Sarell

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CWG: Stoker 2nd Class Frederick Sarell

Frederick Clifford Sarell was born on 6th July 1899, one of six children to James and Theresa. James was a general labourer from East London, and the family were born and brought up in West Ham, Essex.

The Sarell family were beset by tragedy: Frederick’s oldest brother, James, died in 1903, at the age of 23, while James Sr passed away three years later. By the time of the 1911 census, Theresa was raising her five remaining children in a small house in Fife Road, Canning Town, with her oldest three children bringing in some money to support the family,

In 1913, another of Frederick’s brothers, George, passed away, and the following year his oldest sister, Theresa Jr, also died. By the summer of 1917, with war raging across Europe, Frederick stepped up to play his part. It is unclear whether his motives were to support his mother, or because he was conscripted, but either way he enlisted in the Royal Navy.

Frederick had been working as a dock labourer when he signed up. He Employed as a Stoker 2nd Class, his naval records show that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. He was noted as having a scar on his right knee, a distinguishing mark that would tragically help to identify his body before the year was out.

Stoker Sarell was initially sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. On 10th October 1917, he was given his first posting, on board the destroyer HMS Racoon, which patrolled the seas between Ireland and Scotland.

Frederick was on board when, on 9th January 1918, the Racoon struck rocks off the coast of Northern Ireland in heavy seas and blizzard conditions. All of the crew – more than 90 men – were lost. Stoker 2nd Class Sarell was just eighteen years old when he died: he had been in the Royal Navy for less than six months.

The body of Frederick Clifford Sarell washed ashore near Ballintoy, County Antrim. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of the village’s church next to two other crew members, Ordinary Seaman Frank Green and Ship’s Cook Walter Griffin.

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, County Antrim, Essex, Great War, history, Ireland, Kent, killed in action, Northern Ireland, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, Surrey, war

Ordinary Seaman Frank Green

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Ordinary Seaman Frank Green

Frank Ernest Green was born in Stratford, Essex on 14th November 1889. One of nine children, his parents were printer’s compositor John Green and his wife, Susan. The family were raised in Leytonstone and, by the time of the 1911 census, they were living in a house in Elsham Road.

Frank found work as a clerk for a financial company when he finished his schooling. On 31st August 1912, he married sailor’s daughter Charlotte Greenland, who was four years his senior. The couple settled in Gibbon Road, Peckham, Surrey, where Frank continued his work.

When war broke out, Frank was called upon to play his part. On 3rd January 1917, he enlisted in the Royal Navy for the duration of the war. His service records show that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Green was initially sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for training. He spent short periods of time on two ships before being assigned to HMS Racoon, a Beagle-class destroyer,

Initially patrolling the Mediterranean, by the time Frank joined the crew the Racoon she was part of the Second Destroyer Flotilla, based from Northern Ireland. In January 1918, she struck harsh weather:

HMS Racoon, Lieut. George LM Napier RN, in command, struck some rocks off the north coast of Ireland at about 2am on the 9th [January], and subsequently foundered with all hands.

Nine of the crew had been left behind at her last port of call, and these are the sole survivors.

Seventeen bodies have been picked up by patrol craft, and are being buried at Rath Mullan. Five more bodies have been washed ashore, and are being buried locally.

All the next of kin have been informed.

Exeter and Plymouth Gazette – Monday 14 January 1918

Ordinary Seaman Frank Ernest Green was one of those to be washed ashore. He was just 28 years of age. He was laid to rest in the peaceful and picturesque graveyard of Ballintoy Church, County Antrim, not far from where he had come to land. He was buried next to two other crew members, Ship’s Cook Walter Griffin and Stoker 2nd Class Frederick Sarell.

Cheshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Cornwall, Great War, Gunner, history, killed in action, photography, Royal Marines, story, war

Private William Moore

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Private William Moore

On Saturday last an inquest was held at the Seaman’s Institute on the body of Gunner Wm. Moore, RNTS.

Mrs Brennan, sister of the deceased, stated that he was 43 years of age, and lived when off duty with her at Somerville, Seacombe, Cheshire. He joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry over 20 years ago.

Mr R Sussex Langford, Lloyd’s agent, stated that he saw deceased on landing. He help to get him into a cart, but found he was too ill to travel that way, so he had him put on an ambulance and taken to the Royal National Mission for Deep Sea Fishermen, and immediately sent for the doctor. Deceased was semi-conscious and very sick. He was a gunner from a torpedoed ship. Deceased died on Thursday [25th July 1918] at 6 o’clock.

Dr Sargent stated that he was called on the 23rd to see deceased, and found him semi-conscious, complaining of great pain in the abdomen and vomiting. He lay in that condition until the 25th, when death took place. The cause of death was acute traumatic peritonitis, the result of injuries received by the explosion of an enemy torpedo.

[Newquay Express and Cornwall County Chronicle – Friday 02 August 1918]

Other than the details outlined in the newspaper report, little concrete information is available about the life of William Moore. The name does crop up in the 1891 census in Seacombe, Cheshire, and, if this relates to Gunner Moore, then he was one of five children to widowed lithographer Margaret Moore. Beyond that one census, however, it is not possible to find any more specific details.

William was on board the steam ship SS Anna Sophie in the summer of 1918, which was sailing from Rouen to South Wales, On 23rd July, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-55 off Trevose Head, Cornwall. The Anna Sofie was sunk, Gunner Moore was one of those who subsequently passed from their injuries.

William Moore’s sister may not have been able to pay for her brother to be brought back to Cheshire for burial. Instead, he was laid to rest in Padstow Cemetery, and shares his resting place with another member of the crew, Lance Corporal William Whitmore.

William’s headstone reads: “In honoured memory and grateful remembrance of William Moor [sic] who lies here, and all others who in the Great War 1914-1918, perished at the enemies hands off this coast. RIP.”

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, killed in action, photography, story, war

Lance Corporal William Whitmore

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Lance Corporal William Whitmore

William Henry Whitmore was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, on 21st May 1875. One of nine children, his parents were William and Mary Whitmore. He was not the first of their sons to be called William – a brother born nine years previously was also called by that name, but he died when just a few months old.

William Sr was a journeyman joiner, and seems not to have played much of a part in his family’s life. The 1881 and 1891 census returns found Mary raising her children as the head of the household, and this seems to have paid a toll. By the time of the 1901 census, she was one of 150 patients at the North Staffordshire Infirmary in Stoke-on-Trent. She died in 1907, at the age of 67 years old.

William Jr, meanwhile, had been making a life for himself. On 28th August 1895, he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry, set on a career at sea. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. The document also highlights two tattoos on his left forearm, one of a crossed heart.

Private Whitmore was sent to Walmer in Kent for his initial training. He spent nine months on site, before moving to what would become his shore base, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth. Over the twelve years of his contact, he would go on to serve on six ships, each time returning to the Hampshire port.

On 18th February 1904, William married Margaret Cook. She was the daughter of a farm labourer from Somerset, but the couple wed in the parish church of Eastry, near the Royal Marines base in Walmer.

William’s term of service came to an end in September 1907, and he was placed into the Royal Fleet Reserve. He and Margaret, together with daughter Kathleen, settled in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. Their home was a small terraced cottage on Salisbury Road, close to the train station. William had found employment as a labourer in a blast furnace not far from home. A second child, daughter Nora, was born in 1910, and the family was complete.

Private Whitmore was called into service once more when war was declared. After initially returning to Portsmouth, he was assigned to the converted liner HMS Carmania, spending nearly two years on board. After a brief spell back on dry land, William found himself assigned to the steam ship SS Anna Sophie.

On 23rd July 1918, the ship was en route from Rouen to South Wales, when she was torpedoed the German submarine U-55 off Trevose Head, Cornwall. The Anna Sofie was sunk, and one member of the crew died. Others subsequently passed from their injuries, including the now Lance Corporal Whitmore. He was 43 years of age.

William Henry Whitmore’s body was recovered, but his family were unable to cover the cost of bringing him back to Northamptonshire for burial. Instead, he was laid to rest in Padstow Cemetery, in a shared grave with fellow crewman Gunner William Moore.

Lance Corporal William Whitmore
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Australia, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, killed in action, Lincolnshire, photography, Pioneer, Royal Engineers, Sapper, Somerset, story, Sussex, war

Sapper Arthur Naile

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Sapper Arthur Naile

Arthur Edward Naile was born in the summer of 1888, the youngest of ten children to James and Mary Naile. Both of his parents were born in Bath, Somerset, and this is where they raised their growing family.

The Nailes lived in the Camden area of the city, consecutive census returns showing different addresses, as the children grew and then left home. In 1891, they lived at 11 Malvern Buildings, a small terraced house on a steep hill. Ten years later, they had moved to 3 George’s Road, to another terraced cottage close to their old home. By 1911, only Arthur was still living at home, which was now the four-roomed terrace at 51 Brooklyn Road, in the more built up Larkhall area no the northern outskirts of the city.

During all of this time, James had worked as a printer’s compositor. By 1911 he was 64 years of age, and was employed by a newspaper in the area. Arthur, meanwhile, was working as a grocer’s assistant.

On 9th August 1914, he married soldier’s daughter Bessie Brine. She was working as a dressmaker, and lodging with Charles and Eleanor Richman, in a small cottage in Dover Place. Their marriage certificate shows that Arthur was living three doors down, so it is likely she caught his eye not long after he moved in. They went on to have a son, Leslie, in November 1916.

War was raging across Europe by this point, and Arthur had stepped up to serve his country. He joined the Royal Engineers as a Sapper, but there is little concrete information about his time in the army. He was awarded the Silver War Badge, which was given to men medically discharged from military service during the conflict, which would suggest that he was badly wounded at some point. He died in a hospital in Hastings, East Sussex, an annexe of which was dedicated to personnel who had been blinded during the war.

Sapper Arthur Edward Naile passed away from a combination of influenza and diabetes on 31st October 1918: he was 30 years of age. His body was taken back to Somerset for burial, and he lies at rest in a peaceful corner of Bath’s sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery.

After Arthur’s death, Bessie was left to bring up their young son. In the autumn of 1923, she married again, to John Forman, and not long afterwards the three of them emigrated to Australia, in search of a better life. They settled in Bunbury, Western Australia, and went on to have two children, Ron and Nan.

When war broke out again, Leslie was old enough to step up, and joined the Royal Australian Air Force. By 1943, he found himself as a Flight Sergeant in Waltham, Lincolnshire. He had joined 100 Squadron of Bomber Command and, on the night of 25th June 1943, was piloting a Lancaster over the Netherlands. His plane was hit and destroyed, killing all those on board. Father and son both lost to war, Flight Sergeant Naile was just 26 years of age when he passed. He was buried in Westbeemster, and commemorated on memorials in Runnymede, Surrey, and Canberra, Australia.

Bessie lived on until her early 70s. She died on 8th December 1960, and is buried in the family plot in Bunbury Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Cornwall, Great War, history, killed in action, Merchant Navy, photography, Sailor, Scotland, story, war

Sailor Angus MacIver

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Sailor Angus MacIver

Angus MacIver was born in 1887 in the isolated hamlet of Geshader (Geisiadar), on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. His parents were Murdo and Marion MacIver, and he was one of seven children.

Detail of Angus’ early life are a challenge to uncover. It would seem that he worked with boats when he completed whatever schooling he undertook. Given Geshader’s proximity to the coast, it is likely that Murdo was a fisherman, and that his three sons – Angus included – followed suit.

By the time war broke out in 1914, Angus had joined the Canadian Merchant Navy. He held the rank of Sailor: records suggest that he would have been an Able Seaman, had he been in the Royal Navy.

In the spring of 1918, Sailor MacIver was serving on board the SS Tagona, a Canadian steamer, ferrying goods across the Atlantic. The ship was en route for Glasgow, having sailed from Bilbao, Spain, and, on 16th May she was passing close to the North Cornish coast. Five miles (8km) from Trevose Head, Tagona was torpedoed by the German submarine U-55, and sank. Eight crew members, including Angus, drowned. He was 31 years of age.

The body of Sailor Angus McIver washed ashore in the Camel Estuary: the remains were identifiable, but his family were unable to bring him back to Lewis. Instead, he was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Menefreda’s Church in St Minver, Cornwall.

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, killed in action, photography, Royal Air Force, Second Lieutenant, story, Surrey, war, Wiltshire

Second Lieutenant Henry Fleming

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Second Lieutenant Henry Fleming

On Tuesday morning another member of the Royal Flying Corps, Second Lieutenant Henry Roland Fleming, lost his life at Upavon. Lieutenant Fleming, who was 28 years of age, and married, having his home at Ripley, Surrey, was attached to the Central Flying School early last month, having volunteered for service on the outbreak of war, joining the Special Reserve Air Service. Nearly four years ago he gained the Aero Club’s certificate at Brooklands, but for nearly two years prior to the outbreak of war had not practiced aviation. On Tuesday morning the conditions were very favourable for flying, and the deceased’s flight was watched by Major Webb-Bowen, assistant commandant at the school, and Captain Stopford, who was flying at the same time. Lieutenant Fleming was about 1200ft [365m] up when the attitude of his machine first attracted the attention of the officers. They noticed it dive in an almost vertical position, after which it turned over on its back and glided for some distance upside down. Then it turned its nose to ground again, and from a height of some 450 feet [137m] dived straight into the earth. Death was instantaneous. The officers found Mr Fleming dead in the remains of the machine, with the strap broke in the fall still about his waist. Medical examination showed that he had dislocated his neck and fractured his skull. Lieutenant Fleming, who comes from a well-known family, was one of the first in the country to take up aviation. His father went through the Crimean Campaign in the 4th Irish Dragoon Guards, and a brother was killed in the South African War.

Salisbury and Winchester Journal: Saturday 28th November 1914

Henry Roland Fleming was born in the summer of 1884 in Farnham, Surrey. There is scant information about his early life, but the 1911 census recorded him as boarding at the New Inn in Amesbury, Wiltshire, where he was employed as an aviator.

Henry gained his wings on the 25th April 1911 – shortly after the census – flying a Bristol biplane. He married Ivy Wyness-Stuart, a widow six years his senior, in the spring of 1913, but after this, the couple’s trail goes cold.

When war broke out, Henry stepped up to play his part. He gained a commission to the Royal Flying Corps and, once again found himself based on Salisbury Plain. Tragically it was only a matter of months because the fatal accident.

While his widow was living in Surrey, her Henry Roland Fleming was laid to rest in Amesbury Cemetery, not far from airfield where he had developed his flying skills.

Second Lieutenant Henry Fleming
(from findagrave.com)
accident, Canada, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, killed in action, photography, Royal Air Force, Second Lieutenant, story, United States of America, war, Wiltshire

Second Lieutenant Forrest Evans

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Second Lieutenant Forrest Evans

The life of Forrest Dinnett Evans is a challenge to uncover, although his service records shed tantalising glimpses into his history.

Forrest enlisted in the Canadian Royal Flying Corps on 8th August 1917. He joined up in Toronto, Canada, but gave his address as 26 Leicester Drive, Boston, Massachusetts.The same document gives his middle names as Dennett, and that his father was called George William Evans. It also suggests that both men were British subjects. While it’s not clear when the Evans family moved to North America, there are no UK census or birth records for either man.

Forrest was 19 years 9 months old when he enlisted and stood 5ft 10ins (1.77m) tall. He gave his trade as an student aviation cadet. He was mobilised straight away, and sent to Britain. His time in the Canadian Royal Flying Corps came to an end on 18th December 1917, when he received a commission in the Royal Flying Corps.

Second Lieutenant Evans, as he was now known, was based at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. It was here, on 27th March 1918, that he was in charge of an Armstrong Whitworth FK8 two-seater biplane. Shortly after take off, the aircraft span into the ground: Forrest was killed instantly. He was 20 years of age.

With his family overseas, Forrest Dinnett Evans was laid to rest in Amesbury Cemetery, just a few miles from Boscombe Down.

accident, Carpenter's Crewman, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Scotland, Shipwright, story, war

Shipwright 1st Class Thomas Collins

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Shipwright 1st Class Thomas Collins

Thomas Collins was born in the Blackfriars area of Glasgow on 12th March 1877. His was a common name, and it is a challenge to find identify much about his early life. He did, however, have a brother called Andrew, and, when he finished his schooling, he found work as a carpenter and joiner.

Thomas sought new opportunities and, on 21st January 1899, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. Working as a Carpenter’s Crew, he was initially assigned to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Barracks in Devonport, Devon. His service records show that he was 5ft 5ins (1,65m) tall, with dark brown hair, grey eyes and a dark complexion.

Devonport was to become Thomas’ base, but, over the twelve years of his initial navy contract, he went on to serve on eight separate vessels. He records suggest that he was good at what he did, and his moved up through the ranks as a result. However, he seemed to have another side to him, which occasionally revealed itself.

Thomas was promoted to Leading Carpenter’s Crew on 19th December 1901, but what had been noted as a very good character seemed to take a downturn at this point. He was committed to cells for two weeks in January/February 1903, while serving on HMS Highflyer, with an incident leading to his demotion to Carpenter’s Crew once more. This also appears to match with a drop in his character: noted as Very Good in his reviews of 1899 to 1901, he slipped to Good in 1902 and fair in 1903 and 1904.

His imprisonment seems to have been the shake up Thomas needed. From here on in, his character was consistently recorded as Very Good and, by August 1909, he had regained the rank of Leading Carpenter’s Crew. There was, however, a serious blip in this good behaviour, noted in his service records:

This man was tried for the manslaughter of Richard Ernest Bell, blacksmith, on [illegible date], who died from injuries received in a fight with Collins on HMS Cambridge. Verdict of Jury at Assizes: “Not guilty”. Judge in summing up stated that he considered Collins was technically guilty of manslaughter.

Thomas had been on the mess deck of HMS Cambridge on 26th August 1905, when he became embroiled in a fight with Petty Officer Bell. Medical evidence showed that Bell died as a result of a blow behind his ear, the punch delivered by Leading Carpenter’s Crew Collins. While it seems likely that he unintentionally caused the Petty Officer’s death, he was cleared by the jury, and remained assigned to HMS Cambridge until November 1905.

Thomas’ initial term of service came to an end on 20th January 1911, and he had no hesitation in re-enlisting. On board HMS St George at the time, his new contract brought with it the rank of Shipwright 2nd Class. Over the next five years, he served on four more ships, and rose a rank to Shipwright 1st Class.

On 8th January 1916, Thomas married Flora Peacock. Little information is available about here, although the wedding took place in Harwich, Essex. Thomas was serving on board the cruiser HMS Conquest by this point, and was based out of the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent.

On Tuesday evening, March 28th, a cutter belonging to HMS Conquest, which was taking forty liberty men off to the ship, was caught in a blizzard and nothing was seen or heard of her again till the morning, when she was found cast up on shore many miles away. All hands were drowned.

The cutter was being towed out by a steam-launch. The hawser broke and the boat drifted away ad capsized.

Westerham Herald: Saturday 8th April 1916

Shipwright 1st Class Thomas Collins was one of those lost from the cutter. He had not long turned 39 years of age. He was laid to rest in the Roman Catholic section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the dockyard at which he had been based.

Thomas’ headstone incorrectly gives his surname as Collings.

Canada, Canadian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, killed in action, Leading Stoker, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, Stoker, story, United States of America, war

Stoker Petty Officer Charles Lavis

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Stoker Petty Officer Charles Lavis

Charles Walter Lavis was born in Iowa, USA, on 2nd April 1888. The second of eleven children, his parents were James and Martha Lavis. The only census record Charles appears from – the return from 1901 – shows that James was an agricultural labourer from Long Sutton in Somerset. The family’s move to America seemed not to have lasted for long – Charles’ immediate siblings – Mabel, who was two years older, and George who was two years younger – were both born in Long Sutton.

Charles was drawn to a life of adventure and, on 11th April 1906, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 5ins (1,65m) tall, with brown hair grey eyes and a fresh complexion. As a Stoker 2nd Class, he was initially sent to the training ship HMS Nelson, before moving to what would become his shore base, HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

Over the next year, Charles serves on HMS Hecla and HMS King Edward VII, where, on 17th May 1907, he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. He remained on the King Edward VII for more than four years, before returning to Portsmouth in August 1911.

Back on shore, Stoker 1st Class Lavis was promoted to Leading Stoker, and spent the next nine months training for the role at HMS Fisgard, also in Portsmouth. He spent six months on the battleship HMS Revenge, before moving again to another battleship, HMS Britannia.

Charles spent two years on the Britannia, and it was while assigned to her that he got married. He wed Bessie Patten on 31st May 1914 in Martock, Somerset: the couple would go on to have a daughter, Eileen, who was born the following April.

It was while Charles was serving on HMS Britannia that was broke out. In November 1914, he returned to Victory for further training and, in the spring of 1915, he was promoted to Stoker Petty Officer.

Over the next three years, Charles served on three more vessels, before finally returning to Portsmouth in April 1918. The reason for his return was because of his health, and he was soon admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Haslar, Gosport, suffering from tuberculosis of the neck. The condition necessitated an operation, but Stoker Petty Office Lavis was not to survive the procedure. He suffered from heart failure, and died on 2nd May 1918. He had not long turned 30 years of age.

Charles Walter Lavis was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of All Saints’ Church in Martock.

Records suggest that the Lavis family could not settle. Passenger lists from March 1912, show James and Martha travelling with nine children to Portland, Maine, before moving on to Huron in Ontario. James was still recorded as being a farm labourer, so it seems that opportunities for the family were better in North America than in Britain.

When war broke out, citizens of the Commonwealth were called upon to play their part and, despite being under age, Charles’ younger brother Arthur, stepped up to serve. Details of his time in the army are scarce, but he was assigned to the 14th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry. His troop set sail for Britain in October 1914: Arthur was just 14 years old at this point, and had lied when he joined up, giving his date of birth as 20th May 1897.

Private Arthur Lavis was in France by August 1916, taking up position on the Front Line at Coucelette. They met heavy troops, even before a full offensive got underway on 16th September. Ninety-two soldiers from the 14th Battalion were killed during the attack, Arthur included. He was just 16 years old, and his remains were never recovered. He is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial in France.