Category Archives: Devon

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Second Lieutenant, story, Tyne & Wear, war, Worcestershire Regiment

Second Lieutenant Clement Edwards

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Second Lieutenant Clement Edwards

Clement Edward Arthur Edwards was born in the summer of 1898, and was the oldest of six children to Clement and Caroline Edwards. Clement Sr was a colonel in the army, and had been born in Dublin, Ireland. His wife hailed from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, but it is clear that the family travelled as it grew, as each of the Edwards children were born in a different location. Clement Jr was born in Devon, while Caroline had given birth to his younger siblings in locations as distant as Sussex, Hampshire and the West Indies.

By the time of the 1911 census, Clement Sr had retired from duty. The family had settled back in Devon, and were living in the 12-roomed North Grange in the village of North Lew. Clement and Caroline employed five staff, including a cook, a nurse, a housemaid, a kitchen/parlour maid and a stable boy.

It seemed inevitable that Clement Jr would have followed his father into the army. Sadly his service records are lost to time, but a later newspaper report gives an insight into this time in the army:

Colonel and Mrs Edwards of Townsend House, Halberton, have the sympathy of all their friends and neighbours in the loss they have sustained by the death of their eldest son, 2nd-Lieut. Clement Edwards Alexander Edwards, of the Worcestershire Regiment, from pneumonia, following influenza, at the Northern General Hospital, Newcastle-on-Tyne [sic]. Edwards was formerly at Blundell’s School. He joined up at the earliest possible opportunity, obtaining a commission in his father’s regiment. He was a great favourite with all who knew him.

[Tiverton Gazette: Tuesday 10th December 1918]

Clement Edward Alexander Edwards died on 5th December 1918: he was just 20 years of age. His body was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Andrew’s Church in Halberton.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, story, Tyne & Wear, war

Private George Babb

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Private George Babb

George Henry Babb was born on 6th October 1900 in the village of Halberton, Devon. One of ten children, his parents were stonemason Clem Babb and his wife, Emily.

There is little documented about George’s life. The 1911 census records that he was still at school, and there is nothing to confirm the work he found when he completed his education.

George was not yet 14 years old when was was declared, and the Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects suggests that he didn’t enlist until the late spring of 1918. He was assigned to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and was attached to the 5th Battalion.

Private Babb was sent to the north east for training, and it seems that he became unwell while there. He was admitted to the 1st Northern General Hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, suffering from a combination of influenza and pneumonia. The conditions were to prove fatal: Private Babb passed away on 8th November 1918, a month after his eighteenth birthday.

George Henry Babb was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Andrew’s Church in his home village of Halberton.

Bedfordshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, injury, photography, Royal Engineers, Sapper, story, war

Sapper William Harris

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Sapper William Harris

William Arthur Edward Harris was born in the spring of 1896 in Uffculme, Devon. The second of four children, his parents were William and Louisa. William Sr was a ganger on the railways, and by the time of the 1911 census, the family has moved to Halberton, near Tiverton, as that was where the work had moved to.

The same census return confirmed the work that William Jr had taken up, noting that he was an apprentice to an agricultural implement maker. This was not to last for long, however, as storm clouds were brewing over Europe.

When war broke out in the summer of 1914, William Jr was keen to play his part. He enlisted the following year, and his apprenticeship seems to have stood him in good stead. He joined the Royal Engineers as a Sapper, and was attached to the 77th Field Coy. His unit arrived in France on 15th July 1915.

Details of William’s time in the army is lost to time, but a newspaper report of his funeral sheds a little light on his time overseas: “Sapper Harris was among the first from Halberton to join up, and had seen much active service in France, being wounded at Arras on Sept. 16, 1917.” [Tiverton Gazette: Tuesday 25th June 1918]

Sapper Harris seems to have returned to Britain by the summer of 1918, although it is unclear whether he was on leave, based back in the UK or was being medically treated here. “At the early age of 22, [William] passed away in Kempston Military Hospital after a brief illness” [Tiverton Gazette: Tuesday 25th June 1918]

William Arthur Edward Harris had died in hospital in Bedfordshire on 13th June 1918. His body was taken back to Devon for burial, and he was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Andrew’s Church, Halberton.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, injury, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private Charles Gregory

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Private Charles Gregory

Charles Gregory was born in Buckfastleigh, Devon, early in 1879, the son of John and Mary Gregory. There is next to no information about his early life and, in fact, there is very little documentation for him at all.

Most of the details for Charles come from his First World War service records. These confirm that he was living in Australia, having emigrated there with his parents. His father had died by the time Charles joined up, but Mary was living in Welshpool, to the east of Perth.

Charles was 37 years old when he joined up in March 1916: his records show that he was 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall and weighed 160lbs (72.5kg). He had light brown hair, grey eyes and a dark complexion, possibly from the time he spent outside, working as a groom.

As part of the Australian Imperial Force, Private Gregory sailed from Fremantle on 13th October 1916. He arrived in Plymouth, Devon, exactly two months later, and was assigned to the 4th Battalion of the Australian Infantry. He was sent to France on 8th February 1917 and, over the next few months, transferred between the 14th and 16th Battalions.

On 22nd September, Private Gregory was caught up in a bomb attack and badly injured. After initially receiving treatment to his shattered left ankle and lower ribs, he was medically evacuated to Britain for further medical intervention.

Charles was admitted to the Bath War Hospital in Somerset, but his injuries were to prove too severe. He died from tetanus on 29th October 1917, at the age of 38 years old.

With his family in Australia, the body of Charles Gregory was instead laid to rest in the military section of Bath’s sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery, next to where the war memorial would be constructed.

Private Charles Gregory
(from findagrave.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Essex, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, story, war

Private Walter Mitchell

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Private Walter Mitchell

Walter Soper Mitchell was born in the summer of 1878 in Newton Abbot, Devon. The fourth of nine children, his parents were Frederick and Mary. Frederick was a house painter and handyman, and records seem to suggest that he took the family to where the work was. The 1881 census found the family living in Chelsea, West London, and it seems that they stayed in London until 1890.

By the time of the 1891 census, the Mitchells were back in Devon, living at 10 Orchard Terrace in Paignton. Frederick was now working as a plumber, while Walter’s older siblings – brothers Frederick Jr, William and Alfred – were variously employed as a sailor, a painter and a plumber.

Walter, who was 12 years old by this point, was nearing the end of his schooling. When he left, he followed the family trade, and as soon employed as a house painter. The 1901 census found him as the oldest sibling still to be living with Frederick and Mary, although his circumstances were about to change.

In September 1903, Walter married Emily Jeffery. She was a couple of years younger than her new spouse, but, sadly, there is little information about her parents. The 1891 census found her living with her grandparents, while the 1901 return noted her boarding with her aunt and uncle.

Walter and Emily went on to have three children. By the time of the 1911 census, the family were living at 25 Norton Terrace in Paignton, Walter being employed as a house painter by this point.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and Walter was called upon to play his part. Full details of his military service have been lost in the mists of time, but from what remains it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps at some point after July 1915. He was attached to the 67th Coy., but it is unclear whether he saw any action overseas.

Private Mitchell’s time in the army was not to be a lengthy one. He seems to have been based in Essex, and a later record confirms that he contracted bronchitis and anaemia. This would prove to be his undoing: he passed away in Colchester on 17th February 1916, aged 36 years old.

The body of Walter Soper Mitchell was brought back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in what would become the family plot in the sweeping Paignton Cemetery.

Buckinghamshire, Canada, Canadian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, injury, photography, Private, South Africa, story, Suffolk, war

Private Edward Brooke-Smith

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Private Edward Brooke-Smith

Edward Charles Brooke-Smith was born in Muizenberg, South Africa, on 2nd March 1892. The eighth of nine children, his parents were mariner Alfred Brooke-Smith and his wife, Louisa.

Little further information about Edward’s early life is available. The 1901 census recorded the family as having returned to Britain – where both Alfred and Louisa had been born. The family had set up home in a cottage in Woodbridge, Suffolk, but by the spring of 1911 Edward had moved again, emigrating to Canada to make a life as a farmer.

When war came to Europe, the empire was called upon to fight for peace. Edward, who was working as a merchant in Valcartier, Quebec, by this point quickly stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 17th September 1914 as a Private.

Edward’s service record give an insight into the man he had become. He was noted as being 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall, with dark brown hair, grey eyes and a dark complexion. Private Brooke-Smith was also noted as having vaccination scars on his left arm, a small scar on his right knee and two moles on the centre of his back.

Details of Edward’s travel back to Europe are lost to time, but he was attached to the 7th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry and, by the spring of 1915, he was in Northern France. In March he had a bout of bronchitis, which was quickly followed by influenza, and he was hospitalised in Rouen.

Private Brooke-Smith returned to his unit in May 1915, but he was dogged by flu for the next couple of months. Sadly, things were not to improve for him.

On 19th August 1915, Edward’s unit was fighting at Wimereux, France, when he was shot. The bullet shattered the top of his right thigh and pelvis, and, after treatment on site, he was evacuated to Britain for further medical support.

Edward was to spend the next sixteen months in hospital. He was initially admitted to the Cambridge Hospital in Aldershot, Hampshire, where his primary treatment took place. In November 1915, he was moved to the Duchess of Connaught Canadian Red Cross Hospital in Taplow, Buckinghamshire for ongoing recuperation.

On 13th March 1916, Private Brooke-Smith was moved to the Auxiliary Hospital in Torquay, Devon. Here further physiotherapy and recuperation took place, before an operation to correct the position of his thigh was undertaken 9th December. Despite the precautions that had been put in place, Edward did not come round from the procedure: he was 24 years of age.

Alfred and Louisa had settled in Paignton by this point – given the year their son had spent in the hospital, it seems likely that they had moved to be nearer to him. Edward Charles Brooke Smith was, therefore, laid to rest in the family plot in the town’s cemetery. When Alfred died nine months later, he was buried alongside his son.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Gunner, history, illness, Isle of Man, photography, Royal Garrison Artillery, story, war

Gunner Francis Carter

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Gunner Francis Carter

An inquest was held at Plymouth on Monday on Francis Albert Carter, 27, [Royal Garrison Artillery], late of 45 Lang-road, Paignton, auctioneer and valuer. Deceased was visiting his wife, who was staying with friends at St Hilary-terrace, St Jude’s, Plymouth, on the 8th inst., and died suddenly. Dr Ward said death was due to valvular disease of the heart. Deceased had only been in the artillery about three weeks. Deceased… was formerly in business with his brother as a house and estate agent…

[Western Times: Friday 15th December 1916]

Tracing the details of Francis Albert Carter’s life is a bit of a challenge, although the 1911 census records him living at 11 Shirburn Terrace, Torquay, Devon. At 21 years of age, he is noted as having been born in Lezayre, on the Isle of Man. He was living with his mother – the widow Sarah Carter, who was living on independent means – and his brother, 14-year-old Louis, who had been born in Halifax, Yorkshire. Francis was employed as a house agent, while Louis seems to have been his apprentice.

The previous census had recorded the family of three living in Torquay, and confirms that Sarah had been widowed by the time her youngest was four years old.

There is no information about Francis’ marriage, nor any indications as to who his wife might have been.

With regard to his time in the army, it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery as a Gunner in November 1916, and was on a break from his training when he visited his wife and her friends on the day he died.

There is little more detail available for Francis Albert Carter. He was laid to rest in Paignton’s sweeping cemetery, not far from where his mother and brother were still living.

Chief Officer, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, India, Merchant Navy, photography, Scotland, Somerset, story, unknown, war

Chief Officer Percival Boyce

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Chief Officer Percival Boyce

Percival Osmond Bean Boyce was born in Calcutta, India, in January 1887. The oldest of seven children, his parents were Edward and Mary. While details of his early life are not readily available, it would seem that Edward had some military connections. He had been born in Calcutta in 1859, while Mary was Welsh. Most of Percival’s siblings had been born in India, although two – Cecil in 1891, and Dorothy in 1896 – had been born in Somerset.

The 1901 census recorded Percival as boarding at Keyford College in Frome, Somerset. His family do not appear on that census return, nor does he appear on any other census document. He went on to study at Bristol Grammar School, Gloucestershire, making the First XI rugby team.

In May 1915, Percival married Florence Cooper. There is little information available about her, but the couple exchanged vows in Paignton, Devon.

Percival seemed to have taken to a life at sea by this point, and was the Chief Officer of the cargo ship SS Indore. On 25th July 1918, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-62, off the Irish coast. The Indore was beached, and two of the crew were killed. Chief Officer Boyce managed to get the ship re-floated and safely back to shore. 

At this point, Percival’s trail goes cold again. He survived the war, but died in Scotland on 27th November 1918, the cause of his passing unknown. He was 30 years of age.

In a traditionally Edwardian obituary, it was noted that “great sympathy is felt for Mr JH Cooper, Chairman of Paignton District Council, in the death of his son-in-law, Mr Percival OB Boyce, master mariner, at Glasgow. Both of Mr Cooper’s daughters are now widows, and he lost a son not long since.” [Western Times: Tuesday 3rd December 1918]

Percival Osmond Bean Boyce was laid to rest in Paignton’s sweeping cemetery.

Chief Officer Percival Boyce
Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Herefordshire, history, illness, Lieutenant, Pembroke Yeomanry, photography, story, Surrey, Uncategorized, war

Lieutenant William Karslake

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Lieutenant William Karslake

William Reginald Karslake was born in the spring of 1867 in the Surrey village of Westcott. The oldest of three children, his parents were William and Annie Karslake. William Sr was the vicar of the village’s Holy Trinity Church, and the family had a retinue of five servants to look after the household.

By the time of the 1891 census, the Karslakes had moved to Eastbourne in East Sussex. Their house, on the corner of Carlisle and Granville Roads, was a grand affair, and, while William Jr’s siblings, Henry and Mary, were 22 and 19 years old, there was still a live-in retinue of four staff to support them. William Jr is absent from this record, and he may well have been studying in Oxford at the time.

In the autumn of 1896, William Jr married Laura McKenzie. She was an admiral’s daughter who had been born in Glasgow, but their couple exchanged vows in Faringdon, Berkshire. The 1911 census found the family living in the 19-room Moorend Court in the Herefordshire village of Mathon. The couple had two children – Sam and Bridget – by this point and had a governess, parlourmaid, two housemaids, a kitchen maid and a cook to keep them in the right lifestyle.

The census recorded William’s employment as ‘formerly resident land agent’, which suggests he may have spent time overseas before marrying. His father had passed away by this point, and his brother Henry had taken up holy orders.

When war was declared, William was quick to volunteer his services. Initially acting as a driver for the British Red Cross, he found himself in France within weeks of the conflict starting. By January 1915, Lieutenant Karslake was moved to the Balkans, and at this point seems to have transferred to the Pembroke Yeomanry.

Little additional information is available to William. He passed away following an illness on 29th December 1917: he was 50 years of age.

It would seem that William Reginald Karslake was either hospitalised in Devon, or that there are additional family connections in the area. He was laid to rest in Paignton Cemetery, far from his substantial Herefordshire home.

Lieutenant William Karslake
(from findagrave.com)
Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, war

Boy 1st Class Sidney White

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Boy 1st Class Sidney White

Sidney James White was born on 9th April 1899 in Bath, Somerset. The second of six children – and the oldest son – his parents were Sidney and Ann White. Sidney Sr was a butcher by trade and, by the time of the 1911 census, the family were living in Walcot Buildings in the city.

Sidney Jr was only 15 years of age when war came to Europe. However, he was still keen to do hit bit and, on 13th October 1915, he gave up his job as a fitter’s mate and enlisted in the Royal Navy. As he was underage, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, his service records showing that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.61m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Boy 2nd Class White was dispatched to the ship HMS Impregnable for his initial service. Moored in Devon, she was a training vessel, used to school young recruits in the art of seamanship. In May 1916, Sidney was promoted to the rank of Boy 1st Class, but his time in the Royal Navy was to be cut tragically short.

Holed up in cramped billets, disease often ran rife in military barracks, and Sidney was not to be immune. He contracted meningitis, and was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Plymouth. While initially appearing to recover, the condition was to prove too severe, and his young body succumbed on 18th June 1916: he was just 17 years of age.

Sidney James White’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in a shady spot in Bath’s sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery.