Category Archives: Devon

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Gibraltar, Great War, history, Kent, photography, Private, Royal Marines, Shropshire, story, Suffolk, war

Private George Wilson

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Private George Wilson

George Wilson was born on 1st February 1879 in the village of Worfield, Shoprshire. Details of his early life are unclear, although his father’s name was John.

When he completed his schooling, George found work as a porter. However, he was keen on adventure and a decent career, and so, on 31st May 1898, he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His service papers show that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a dark complexion. He was also noted as having a birth mark above his navel.

Private Wilson signed up for a period of twelve years and, during that time, he would serve around the world. Initially sent to barracks in Walmer, Kent, he would become based at Plymouth, Devon, in between assignments. Time overseas would include two years attached to HMS Magnificent (the 1901 census recording the battleship being moored in Gibraltar), two years on board HMS Spartan and three aboard HMS Encounter.

Away from the military, love blossomed and, in January 1909, George married Annie Curtis. She had a daughter, Gladys, who was either George’s, or was adopted by him. The couple set up home in Plymouth, and went on to have a son, Leslie, in 1911.

By this point, Private Wilson had renewed his military contract, and would go on to serve for a further seven years in the Royal Marines. In June 1915, he was assigned to the light cruiser HMS Carysfort. Part of the Harwich Force, her role was to patrol the waters off the east coast of England. During his time on board, George would have been involved in a number of sorties, including an attempt to intercept an enemy raid on Sunderland in August 1916, and another attempt to make contact with German ships off Zeebrugge, Belgium, that October.

In December 1917, while patrolling off Orford Ness, Suffolk. the Carysfort collided with the SS Glentaise, a collier ship. Two crew were killed in the incident, including Private Wilson: he was 37 years of age.

Carysfort sailed to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Navy Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. From here the body of George Wilson was taken to Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham, and he was laid to rest in the naval section there.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Seaman, London, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, story, war, Yorkshire

Leading Seaman William Coombes

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Leading Seaman William Coombes

William Henry Marsh was born on 6th September 1879 in Whitstable, Kent. An only child, his parents were William and Maria Marsh, and, based on the census records, his early life seemed to have lacked some stability.

The 1881 census recorded William and his mother living on Beach Walk in the town. Marias was recorded as being a mariner’s wife. By 1891, William and his father was living with Maria’s sister and son. Still a mariner, with his son also working as a seaman, William Sr was listed as being a widower.

A decade on, and William Jr’s life had taken a different turn and the 1901 census listed him living on Whitstable High Street. Working as a labourer in the harbour, he is recorded as having a wife, Julia, and a two-year-old son, also William. Sadly, there is no further information about either of them.

The next document for William Jr is his First World War service papers. It shows that he enlisted on 10th March 1915, his previous time at sea making him an ideal candidate for the Royal Naval Reserve. His is noted as being 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He also had a tattoo of clasped hands on his right forearm. The most interesting thing about this document, however, is the fact that William had chosen to go by the surname of Coombes.

Given the rank of Leading Seaman, William would spend the next couple of years serving mainly on shore, at bases in London and Devonport. By the spring of 1918, while attached to the SS Eastville, he was admitted to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. Suffering from anaemia and malaria, the conditions would take his life. He died on 19th March 1918, at the age of 38 years old.

The body of William Henry Coombes was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the dockyard he would have known.

William’s will left £114 (around £8200) to his widow Julia, who was by now living in Leeds, Yorkshire. At his request, however his war pension, however, was given to his aunt, Mrs Rose Rout, of Hull, Yorkshire.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Kent, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, Surrey, war

Able Seaman Frederick Couling

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Able Seaman Frederick Couling

Frederick Henry Couling was born in Lambeth, Surrey, on 15th October 1878. The oldest of five children, his parents were Frederick and Martha Couling. Frederick was a harness maker, and when he died in 1889, Martha was left to raise the family on her own. The 1891 census found she was living with her parents and Frederick’s sister Louisa, while he had moved in with his maternal aunt, Esther and her husband, fishmonger Frederick Dorey.

With his father dead and his schooling completed, Frederick was keen to find a better life for himself and, on 11th January 1894, he joined the Royal Navy. Just fifteen years of age at this point, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent to HMS Impregnable, the teaching ship in Devonport, Devon, for his training. By the end of the year he had been promoted to Boy 1st Class, and in the summer of 1895 he transferred to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent.

In September 1895, Frederick was assigned to the screw sloop ship HMS Icarus. She would remain his home for the next two years, and during this time he came of age, and was formally inducted into the Royal Navy. His service records from the time confirm that he was 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall, had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Couling’s naval career didn’t get off to the best of starts. On 5th November – just three weeks after formally enlisting, he broke the terms of his leave and was sent to the brig for 42 days. He seems to have learnt his lesson from this point on, however, and the rest of his service was blemish-free.

Over the next eight years, Frederick would serve on eight ships, returning to HMS Pembroke in between assignments. In November 1899 he was promoted to Able Seaman, the rank he would hold for the rest of his naval career.

On 11th August 1905, Frederick was stood down to reserve status and returned to shore. The 1911 census found him living in rooms at 27 Fortescue Road, Colliers Wood, Surrey. Employed as a window cleaner, the document suggests he is married by this point. A later record gives his wife as Edith Annie Reeve, the daughter of a labourer from Kent.

When war broke out, Frederick was called upon to serve his country once more. Taking the rank of Able Seaman once more, he returned to HMS Pembroke. Over the next couple of years he remained on shore and, from the summer of 1915, was attached to HMS Vernon, a base in Portsmouth, Hampshire,

While there, Frederick became unwell. He returned to Chatham, and was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in the town. He was suffering from chronic mastoid disease – an inner ear infection – and this would ultimately take his life. He passed away on 4th July 1917, at the age of 38 years old.

The body of Frederick Henry Couling was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the base he had called home for so long.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Dorset, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Kent, Leading Seaman, Middlesex, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, Suffolk, Surrey, war, Warwickshire

Leading Seaman Henry Hudson

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Leading Seaman Henry Hudson

Henry John Gerrard Hudson was born in Whitechapel, Middlesex, on 11th November 1873. The fourth of seven children – and one of five boys – his parents were John and Emma Hudson. John was a paper stainer, and the family were raised in rooms at 62 Fern Street, Tower Hamlets.

Money was seemingly tight, and Henry sought an escape. On 5th January 1889 he enlisted in the Royal Navy, and was sent to the Devon school ship, HMS Impregnable, for his training. As he was below the age to full enrol, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class.

Over the next couple of years, Henry learnt the tools of his trade. He spent a year training at HMS Ganges, the shore establishment near Ipswich, Suffolk, and rose to the rank of Boy 1st Class. On 20th November 1890, he was given his first sea-faring assignment, aboard HMS Ruby, and she would remain his home for the next eighteen months.

During his time with Ruby, Henry came of age. His service records show that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall with light brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion. He was also noted as having a number of abscess scars under his left arm.

The now Ordinary Seaman Hudson definitely showed signs of promise as, after just three months, he was promoted to Able Seaman, a rank he would hold for the next five years. During that time, he served on four further ships, including the torpedo boat depot ship HMS Vulcan.

On 1st June 1897, Henry was promoted to Leading Seaman, although he reverted to his previous role just nine months later, at his own request. In October 1898 he transferred to HMS Caesar and, presumably with further support, he was promoted to Leading Seaman again in August 1899.

By May 1902, Henry’s initial term of service came to an end, and he was stood down to reserve status.

In January 1907 Henry married Alice Martin. She was a carpenter’s daughter, and the couple were living on Grosvenor Terrace in Newington, Middlesex, when the exchanged vows. They would go on to have three children.

The 1911 census found the Hudsons living in Weymouth, Dorset. Henry, by this point, was working as a motor boat driver, and the family had a small cottage on South View Road, not far from the town centre. The document shows how they had travelled to where Henry’s work took them: their first child, Nancy, had been born in Walworth, Surrey, in 1908, while her sister, Gladys, was born in nearby Camberwell the following year.

The next couple of years provided a big upheaval for the Hudsons and, by the spring of 1914 the family had moved to Rugby, Warwickshire. There seems to be no family connection to the area on either Henry or Alice’s side. It can only be assumed, therefore, that an opportunity of work arose.

In June 1914, Alice gave birth to the couple’s third son, John. Just two months later, war was declared, and Henry was called back into service. Taking up his previous role, Leading Seaman was to spend the next few years on land. Initially sent to HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire. From there he moved to a base in Gorleston, Norfolk, and would remain there until the autumn of 1916.

Leading Seaman Hudson spent six month at HMS President in London, before moving to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, also known as HMS Pembroke. By this point – the spring of 1917 – his health was suffering and, that May, he was admitted to the town’s Royal Naval Hospital, suffering from tuberculosis.

The condition was to prove too severe for Henry: he passed away from a combination of the lung condition and a gastric ulcer on 20th May 1917. Henry was 43 years of age.

Alice was still living in Warwickshire at this point. Her husband, Henry John Gerrard Hudson, was therefore laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.

Captain, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Gibraltar, Great War, history, illness, India, Kent, Lieutenant, Lieutenant Colonel, Major, Malta, photography, South Africa, story, war, Wiltshire

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Bingham Day

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Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Bingham-Day

Thomas Hulkes Bingham Day was born on 2nd January 1855 in Frindsbury, Kent. The youngest of four children, his parents were Thomas and Emma Day. Thomas Sr was a banker and a justice of the peace. He died when his youngest was just a child, and Emma was left to raise the family, albeit with the help of five servants.

Thomas sought out a life in the military. After volunteering in the local militia, for a number of years, he gained a commission in the Dorsetshire Regiment. He took on the role of Lieutenant on 29th November 1876.

Over the next two decades, Thomas served around the world, spending time in Malta, Gibraltar, and the East Indies. He was also promoted through the ranks, rising to Captain in 1883 and Major in 1893.

On 25th March 1884, while serving in India, Thomas married Katharine Watts. The couple had a daughter, Winifred, who was born in July 1885, and, eventually they settled in Wiltshire as their base in Britain.

Major Bingham Day served in South Africa during the Boer War, taking part “in the operations at Parde Kraal, and in the operations at Poplar Grove… Vet River, Zand River, Johannesberg and Pretoria. He had the Queen’s and the King’s medals with five bars.” [Lincoln Leader and County Advertiser – Saturday 28 April 1917]

Thomas retired in 1903, and his trail goes cold until the time of the 1911 census. He and Katherine were on holiday when it was taken, and they were listed as boarding at the Beach Lodge on Roseville Street in St Helier, Jersey.

When war broke out, Thomas stepped up to play his part once more. He was put in charge of the 4th (Reserve) Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, which was based at Sutton Veny in Wiltshire. It seems that he lived off site, as he and Katherine moved into a house in nearby Warminster.

A military funeral took place… on Monday, when Lieutenant-Colonel TH Bingham-Day, in command of a regiment at Sutton Veny, was laid to rest in the churchyard. The deceased officer died suddenly while at mess, as the result of a seizure.

[Devizes and Wilts Advertiser: Thursday 19th April 1917]

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Hulkes Bingham Day was 62 years of age when he passed away on 11th April 1917. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Aldhelm’s Church in Bishopstrow, Wiltshire, not far from the base at which he had so dutifully served.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Edwin Beattie

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Private Edwin Beattie

Edwin Beattie was born on 14th March 1894, in the town of Coomera, Queensland, Australia. He was the youngest of three children to John and Mary Beattie.

There is little information available about Edwin’s early life, but when he completed his schooling, he took up farm work. When war broke out, he was keen to play his part, and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 28th March 1916.

Private Beattie’s service records show that he was 5ft 9.5ins (1.65m) tall, and weighed 136lbs (61.7kg). A Methodist, he was recorded as having brown hair, blue eyes and a medium complexion. He also had a birthmark on the small of his back, and scars on both knees.

Edwin was assigned to the 44th Battalion of the Australian Infantry. His After training, his unit boarded the SS Seang Choon in Brisbane, and set off on the ten month voyage to Britain, arriving in Devonport, Devon, on the 9th December 1916.

During the voyage, Private Beattie had fallen ill, and, on disembarking, he was taken to the local hospital for treatment. By 23rd December, he was moved to the Military Hospital connected to the ANZAC camp in Codford, Wiltshire. His condition – pneumonia – worsened over the coming days, and Edwin would eventually succumb. As a new year began, he breathed his last, passing away on 1st January 1917, at the age of just 22 years of age.

Thousand of miles from home, Edwin Beattie was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford.

Private Edwin Beattie
(from findagrave.com)
Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, photography, Private, story, Tipperary, war, Wiltshire

Private Lawrence Kinane

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Private Lawrence Kinane

Lawrence Kinane was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1896. One of eight children, his parents were Daniel and Catherine Kinane. Daniel was a farmer and, when Catherine died when Lawrence was just 10 years old, he was left to raise the support the family on his own.

At this point, the family’s trail goes cold, and it later picked up in an unexpected way. Daniel and some of the children seem to have emigrated to the United States, and he died in Brooklyn in March 1914. Lawrence, meanwhile, seems to have gone further, seeking a new life in Australia. A cousin, Mary Mulcahey, was living with her husband in Warwick, Queensland, and, by the time war broke out, he had moved to Brisbane.

Lawrence was working as a labourer when, on 10th June 1916, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. His service papers show that he was 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall and weighed 147lbs (66.7kg). A Roman Catholic, he had dark brown hair, grey eyes and a medium complexion. Under Distinctive Marks, he was recorded as having a large patch of scars on his left side, about 7ins (18cm) above his buttock.

Private Kinane’s unit – the 49th Battalion of the Australian Infantry – set sail from Brisbane on the 19th September 1916. His ship – the SS Seang Choon – would take ten weeks to reach its destination – Devonport, Devon, and Lawrence finally arrived at the ANZAC base in Codford, Wiltshire in mid-December.

The lengthy sea voyage had taken its toll on a lot of the soldiers being transported, and Private Kinane was not to be immune. Within weeks of arriving, he came down with pneumonia, and was admitted to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital in nearby Sutton Veny on 31st December. Lawrence’s condition worsened, and he finally succumbed to it on 6th January 1917. He was just 20 years of age.

Thousands of miles from Australia, and with no family close by, the body of Lawrence Kinane was instead laid to rest in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Codford, not far from the base that had been his home for just a few short weeks.

Private Lawrence Kinane
(from findagrave.com)
Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Driver, Great War, history, illness, photography, story, war, Wiltshire

Driver David McGregor

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Driver David McGregor

David Edward McGregor was born in Bega, New South Wales, Australia, in the summer of 1880. One of fourteen children, his parents were John and Isabella McGregor.

There is little information about David’s early life, but when he completed his schooling, he found work in a dairy, eventually becoming employed as a cheesemaker.

When war broke out, David stepped up to serve his King and Empire, enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force as a Driver on 7th July 1916. His service records show that he was 5ft 10.5ins (1.79m) tall and weighed in at 168lbs (76.2kg). A Presbyterian, he was noted as having black hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion.

Driver McGregor’s unit – the 15th Battalion of the Australian Infantry – set sail from Brisbane on the SS Boonah on 21st October 1916. Their journey would take ten weeks, arriving in Devonport, Devon, on 10th January 1917. From here David was marched in to the ANZAC camp at Codford, Wiltshire.

The lengthy sea voyage had taken its toll on a lot of the troops, and David was not to be immune. He came down with pneumonia and, after initially being treated in the camp hospital, he was admitted to the military hospital in Codford in a moribund condition. Driver Brooks’ move was to prove too little, too late, and he passed away on 23rd January 1917, just a day after being admitted. He was 36 years of age.

David Edward McGregor was laid to rest in the ANZAC extension to St Mary’s Churchyard in Codford, Wiltshire, not far from the base he had so briefly called home.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Harold Brooks

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Private Harold Brooks

Harold Vincent Brooks was born in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, in the spring of 1898. One of ten children, his parents were William and Mary Brooks.

Little information is available about Harold’s early life, but when he completed his schooling, he found work as a labourer. When war broke out, he was initially turned down for military service because of poor eyesight, but as the conflict rolled on, he tried to enlist again and was accepted into the Australian Imperial Force.

Private Brooks’ service records show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.63m) tall, and weighed 136lbs (61.7kg). A Roman Catholic, he had brown hair, hazel eyes and a medium complexion.

Assigned to the 47th Battalion of the Australian Infantry, Harold left his home country from Brisbane on the 27th October 1916. The ship his unit was sailing on – the Marathon – took just over ten weeks to reach Britain, eventually docking in Devonport, Devon. From there Private Brooks was marched to the ANZAC camp in Codford, Wiltshire.

Harold’s time in Britain was not to be a lengthy one. He contracted pneumonia, and was admitted to the nearby Sutton Veny Military Hospital on 24th January. Private Brooks’ condition worsened, and he passed away on 5th February 1917. He was just 19 years of age.

Thousands of miles from home, the body of Harold Vincent Brooks was buried in the newly extended St Mary’s Churchyard, Codford.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Alfred Parkinson

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Private Alfred Parkinson

Alfred Henry Parkinson was born in Reedy Creek, South Australia, on 20th October 1880. One of nine children, his parents were William and Isabella Parkinson.

There is little concrete information about Alfred’s early life, but when he finished his schooling he found work in the mines. When war broke out, however, he stepped up to play his part, joining the Australian Imperial Force on 2nd November 1916.

Private Parkinson’s service records show that he was 5ft 9ins (1.65m) tall, and weighed in at 10st 4lbs (65.3kg). He was noted as having brown hair brown eyes and a fair complexion. After a month’s training, he left Australia on board the SS Berrima, bound for Europe.

Alfred’s unit – the 16th Battalion of the Australian Infantry – arrived in Devonport, Devon, on 16th February 1917. Within a matter of days he arrived at the ANZAC camp at Sutton Veny, Wiltshire.

Illness amongst the Australian troops was rife by the time they arrived in Britain, and Private Parkinson was not to be immune. He was admitted to the Military Hospital connected to the camp on 20th March, suffering from bronchial pneumonia. The condition worsened, and he died just six days later. Alfred was 36 years of age.

Thousands of miles from home, the body of Alfred Henry Parkinson was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford, not far form the base in which he had breathed his last.