Category Archives: unknown

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Dorset Yeomanry, Great War, history, illness, killed in action, photography, Private, Somerset Light Infantry, story, unknown, war

CWG: Private William Biddlecombe

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Private William Biddlecombe

William Charles Biddlecombe was born in the spring of 1896, and was the third of nine children to Robert and Eliza. Both of his parents came from Hampshire, but their older children – William included – were born and raised in Poole, Dorset. Robert was a police constable there, but moved to the village of Longburton, near Sherborne, in around 1910.

According to the 1911 census, William was two of the household of eight to be employed, having found work as a gardener when he finished his schooling. Storm clouds were brewing across Europe, however, and he would be called upon to play his part.

Full service details have been lost to time, but it is clear that William had joined the Dorset Yeomanry (Queen’s Own) by the summer of 1915. He was attached to the 3rd/1st Battalion. The unit was based on home soil and there is no evidence that Private Biddlecombe saw any action overseas.

At this point, William’s trail goes cold and, in fact, the next record for him is that of his passing: “The funeral took place on Wednesday amid every token of respect and esteem of Trooper W Biddlecombe, of B Squadron (3/1st Dorset QO Yeomanry, son of PC and Mrs Biddlecombe of Westhill Police-station.” [Western Gazette – Friday 18 February 1916]

William Charles Biddlecombe died on 15th February 1916: he was 20 years of age. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St James the Great Church in Longburton, close to where his grieving family lived.

William’s was not the only passing that his grieving mother would have to attend to. On 18th December, Robert was on duty, which had taken him into Sherborne. He was suddenly taken ill, and rushed to the town’s Yeatman Hospital, but died the same day. He las laid to rest close to his son in Longburton.

William’s younger brother, Robert, also served during the First World War. As a Private, he was attached to the 8th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, and spent time fighting in Northern France. He was caught up and was killed in the Second Battle of Cambrai. He died on 9th October 1918, and was laid to rest in Naves Communal Cemetery Extension.

Channel Islands, Commonwealth War Graves, Egypt, Great War, Gunner, history, Jersey, photography, Royal Garrison Artillery, story, unknown, war

CWG: Gunner Herbert Cudlipp

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Gunner Herbert Cudlipp

Herbert Henry Cudlipp was born in St Peters, Jersey, in around 1891. He was one of ten children to farmers John and Louisa Cudlipp. The family had moved to Mont à L’Abbé, on the outskirts of St Helier, by the time of the 1911 census, at which point the whole family were involved in the farm in one way or another.

Little information is available about Herbert’s military life. He enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery at some point during the war, and was attached to the 38th Siege Battery. The unit was based in Egypt from December 1915, and later moved to France. However, records are unclear as to when and where Gunner Cudlipp served.

Details of Herbert Henry Cudlipp’s later life are also lost to time. Herbert survived the war, but died on 4th June 1919, at the age of 28 years old. He was laid to rest in the family plot in Macpela Cemetery, St John’s, Jersey.

Gunner Herbert Cudlipp
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Dorsetshire Regiment, Great War, history, North Somerset Yeomanry, photography, Private, Somerset, story, unknown, war

CWG: Private Charles Morris

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Private Charles Morris

Charles William Morris was born in the summer of 1887, the third of four children – and the only son – to James and Emily Morris. James was a house painter: both he and Emily came from Bath, Somerset, and this is where the Morris family were born and raised.

When he completed his schooling, Charles found work as a clerk: by the time of the 1911 census, he was employed by the Urban Sanitary Authority. Only two of the children were still living at home by this point, and so James and Emily had taken in a boarder, 25-year-old motor engineer Zackarias MacPherson Jackson, to bring a little more money in.

When war was declared, Charles quickly stepped up to play his part. A later newspaper report provides an insight into his service:

The death occurred on Saturday midnight, at 11, Margaret’s Buildings, Hedgmead, of Mr Charles W Morris, at the age of 33. Previous to joining the forces in 1914, he was a member of the Coleford (Somerset) Cricket Club. Joining the North Somerset Yeomanry as a trooper, he went to France, afterwards being transferred to the 5th Dorsets (Cyclist Corps). Eventually he was taken prisoner and was in Germany for two years suffering great hardships. On his return to his native city he joined the St Stephen’s Rugby FC. He was a member of the Walcot Liberal Club, and at the time of his death was employed by his brother-in-law (Mr Z McJackson [sic], motor engineer). Another brother-in-law us Mr W Hollick, headmaster of Coleford schools, and formerly an assistant master at Holy Trinity School, Bath.

The funeral took place at Locksbrook Cemetery on Thursday. The deceased was extremely well known in the neighbourhood in which he resided, and quite a large number of friends attended the cemetery to pay their last respects.

Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette: Saturday 4th June 1921

Zackarias had married Charles’ younger sister, Gladys, in 1915, the one time lodger having literally become a member of the family.

Charles William Morris died on 28th May 1921, through causes unknown. He was laid to rest in a peaceful corner of the sprawling Bath cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, photography, Private, Royal Engineers, Sapper, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, unknown, war

CWG: Private Stanley Newman

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Private Herbert Newman

Stanley Herbert Newman was born on 14th May 1890 in the Walcot area of Bath, Somerset. One of at least six children, his parents were Charles and Sarah Newman. Charles was a stonemason and, when Sarah died in 1904, he married again, to widow Matilda Shearn, raising her children as part of the family.

When Stanley left school, he found work as a mason’s labourer – presumably either assisting his father, or having found work through him. On 3rd August 1912, he married Rosa Bean, a farm worker’s daughter from Bathwick, to the east of the Bath. The couple set up home at 7 Margaret’s Hill, and went on to have two children, Mabel and Albert.

With a growing family to support, Stanley’s work as a labourer was not going to bring enough money in, and he sought a more reliable career. On 2nd September 1912, he enlisted in the army, joining the Royal Engineers. His service record shows that he was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall.

Detailing Sapper Newman spent just over two years in the Royal Engineers, his time there coming to an end on 11th December 1914 when he was deemed medically unfit to serve.

At this point Stanley’s trail goes cold. At some point he joined the Somerset Light Infantry, although his service documents for this period of time in the army as lost to time. Attached to a Depot Battalion, it seems likely that he remained in Somerset, although this is not conclusive.

Private Newman died in a military hospital on 28th July 1917, through causes unknown. He was 27 years of age.

Stanley Herbert Newman was laid to rest in the family plot in Bath’s sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery. He was reunited with his mother, who had been buried there thirteen years before. His father, Charles, was buried with them in 1921.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, Lance Serjeant, North Somerset Yeomanry, photography, Private, Reserve Cavalry Regiment, Somerset, story, unknown, war

CWG: Lance Sergeant John Legg

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Lance Sergeant John Legg

John Thomas Legg was born in the summer of 1885, the oldest of five children to Benjamin and Sarah Legg. Benjamin was a carpenter from Dorset, and it was in Bridport that John was born. Within a year or so, however, the young family moved north to Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, and this is where they settled.

When he completed his schooling, John found a job as a clerk. By the time of the 1911 census, he was working as a political assistant/clerk, and five of the six members of the Legg household were gainfully employed. Benjamin was still working as a carpenter, while John’s two sisters were dressmakers, and his younger brother Percy was a tailor’s assistant.

In the summer of 1914, war came to Europe, and John was one of the first to step up and serve his King and Country. He initially enlisted in the North Somerset Yeomanry, and was assigned to the 1st/1st Battalion. Private Legg’s unit was quickly sent to France, and fought at the Battle of Nonne Bosschen that November.

John’s service records are sparse, and so it is not possible to confirm exactly when and how he served. He moved from the North Somerset Yeomanry to the 6th Battalion of the Reserve Cavalry Regiment: his promotion to Corporal and then Lance Sergeant suggests that this move enabled him to share his skills with incoming recruits. It is unclear whether he was based in Somerset by this point, but it is certainly where he ended up by the start of 1917.

The remains of Sergeant JT Legg, North Somerset Yeomanry, were buried at Weston-super-Mare Cemetery on Wednesday. The first portion of the service was held at St Saviour’s Church, which the sergeant formerly attended, and the interior of which bears many evidences of his skill as an amateur wood-carver… Sergeant Legg was formerly chief clerk in the offices of the Well Division Conservative Association.

Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette: Saturday 10th March 1917

John Thomas Legg passed away on 2nd March 1917: he was 31 years of age. He was laid to rest in the sweeping grounds of Milton Road Cemetery, Weston-super-Mare, a short walk from where his family still lived.

Commonwealth War Graves, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, photography, Private, Royal Army Service Corps, Somerset, story, Surrey, unknown, war

CWG: Private Horace Broderick

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Private Horace Broderick

Horace Sydney Broderick was born in the summer of 1880, and was the youngest of ten children to Edward and Sarah Broderick. Edward was a clothier from Newport Pagnell, Bedfordshire, but the family were born and raised in Horfield, Gloucestershire.

By the time of the 1891 census, the family had moved to the south of Bristol, setting up home at Rugby House in Walton-in-Gordano, Somerset. Horace was still at school, and of the four other siblings living at the family home, only one, Horace’s older brother, Walter, was gainfully employed, assisting his father in the cloth trade. The Brodericks were supported by two live-in staff, a cook, Elizabeth Phipps, and a housemaid, Ada Perrett.

The next census, taken in 1901, found Horace and three of his sisters still living at Rugby House with their parents. Edward was now employing his son as a clerk to the family business, and two new staff had come on board, cook Lily Collier and housemaid Florence Hadeley.

By the time of the 1911 census, Edward and Sarah had been living in Rugby House for more than twenty years. Both now in their 70s, they still had their oldest daughters living with them, but Horace is nowhere to be found. Indeed, there is no sign of him on any of the UK census returns, and it is not until six years later that he seems to surface again.

When war broke out, Horace stepped up to enlist. He joined the Army Service Corps and, based on his service number, was employed as a Driver Mechanic. Beyond this, Private Broderick’s time in the military is lost to time.

New has been received in Bristol of the death at the Royal Herbert Hospital, Woolwich, of Pte. Horace Sydney Broderick, youngest son of the late Mr Edward Broderick (of the firm Broderick & Co,. Limited, St James’s Barton, Bristol) and of Mrs Broderick, of Walton Park, Clevedon. Deceased soldier was in his 37th year.

Bristol Times and Mirror – Thursday 15 March 1917

The report appeared in a dozen or so contemporary newspapers and, as no specific detail is given, it is likely that Horace passed away from illness, rather than injury or any unexpected cause. He died on 13th March 1917, at the age of 36 years old.

Horace Sydney Broderick’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Walton Clevedon, next to Edward, who had passed away two years before.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Jersey, photography, Private, South Africa, South African Infantry, story, unknown, war

CWG: Private John Payn

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Private John Payn

John le Caux Balleine Payn was born in South Africa in 1892. The sixth of seven children, his parents were Jersey-born Philip Payn and his wife, Mary, who came from the Eastern Cape.

There is tantalisingly little information available about John’s life. When war was declared in Europe, he answered the call from King and Empire, and enlisted in the South African Infantry. His regiment – the 1st – fought in North Africa and at the Somme, but it is not clear when and where he was based.

It is likely that Private Payn either had a base in the UK, or that he was hospitalised there following an illness or an injury. He passed away, through causes unconfirmed, on 4th March 1916. He was just 24 years of age.

It was impractical to repatriate John le Caux Balleine Payn’s body to South Africa for burial. Instead, he was laid to rest close to his father’s family, in St Martin’s, Jersey.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Jersey, photography, Private, Royal Jersey Militia, story, unknown, war

CWG: Private Henry Roberts

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Private Henry Roberts

The life of Henry George Roberts is destined to remain shrouded in mystery.

His entry in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records reads: “ROBERTS, Pte. HG, 668, Royal Jersey Garrison Bn. Channel Islands Militia. 29th Oct, 1918. In North-West corner [St Martin Churchyard]”, but there are no details of his next-of-kin.

No related military records are available for him, and, without Henry’s age an online search identifies too many results to be of any practical use.

Private Roberts lies at rest in the peaceful churchyard, his life lost in the mists of time.

Channel Islands, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Jersey, photography, Private, Royal Jersey Militia, story, unknown, war

CWG: Private Wilfred le Breton

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Private Wilfred le Breton

Wilfred John le Breton was born in Trinity, Jersey, on 25th August 1888. The fifth of eleven children, his parents were Thomas and Mary Ann le Breton. Mary died in 1898, and the family pulled together to support each other. Thomas was a mason, and when he finished his schooling, Wilfred followed suit.

On 8th January 1916, Wilfred married Louisa Allo. The daughter of a labourer from St Lawrence, she was working as a domestic servant when the couple wed: Wilfred, by this point was employed as a plasterer.

At this point, Wilfred’s trail goes cold. War was raging across Europe, and he enlisted in the Royal Jersey Militia. Private le Breton remained stationed on the island, but his specific role is unclear.

The next document relating to Wilfred’s life is that of his passing. He died on 23rd November 1916, at the age of 28 years old. The cause of his demise is unclear.

Wilfred John le Breton was laid to rest in Trinity Churchyard, Jersey. His exact grave is unknown, but a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone commemorates his life.

Commonwealth War Graves, Cornwall, Great War, history, photography, Royal Engineers, Sapper, story, unknown, war, Yorkshire

CWG: Sapper John Mably

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Sapper John Mably

John Leslie Mably was born on 21st May 1899, the only son to Elizabeth Janie Mably. Elizabeth lived with her widowed mother and two older brothers, in the Cornish parish of St Minver.

There is scant information available for John’s short life. The 1911 census showed that he was still at school, and when war broke out, he enlisted in the Royal Engineers, although the date for this happened is unclear. Sapper Mably was assigned to the 69th Division Signal Company, but records do not confirm whether he served overseas or on home soil.

At some point later in the conflict, John was in Yorkshire, as he was admitted to the general hospital in Sheffield. Again, details are sketchy, and it is not possible to identify if he was based in the area, or medically evacuated there from overseas. Either way, it was in the hospital that he breathed his last, passing away on 15th August 1918, at the age of just 19 years old.

John Leslie Mably’s body was taken back to Cornwall for burial. He was laid to rest in the picturesque setting of St Michael’s Churchyard in the village of Rock.