Category Archives: Devon

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Kent, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, war

Petty Officer 2nd Class George Ball

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Petty Officer 2nd Class George Ball

The early life of George John Ball is a challenge to piece together.

His naval records confirm that he was born in Bedminster, Somerset, on 11th October 1865. There are census records that link his name to parents coal miner Luke Ball and his wife, Ann, but these cannot be confirmed.

George’s papers show that he found work as a butcher when he finished his schooling. He was set on a life at sea, however, and, on 25th November 1880, he joined the Royal Navy. Given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, he was sent to the training base HMS Impregnable for his induction. The Devon establishment would remain his home for the next two years, and, during this time, he rose to the rank of Boy 1st Class.

On 10th October 1882, George was given his first sea-faring assignment, on board the armoured cruiser HMS Northampton. He stayed with her for the next two years, during which time he came of age. Now formally inducted to the Royal Navy, he was promoted to Ordinary Seaman. His service records from the time give an indication as to the man he had become. Short of stature, he was just 5ft 1.5ins (1.56m) tall, and had light brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Ball signed up for a ten-year contract. Over that time, he would serve on a total of eight vessels, rising to the rank of Able Seaman in January 1889. George’s slate was not completely clean, however, and his record notes three serious demeanours in that time.

In the spring of 1888 George spent 27 days in Canterbury Gaol for ‘breaking out of [the] ship’ he was then serving on, HMS Duncan. He was sent to the brig for a further fourteen days in January 1892 for an undisclosed crime.

Able Seaman Ball was also fined £3 10s (£575 in today’s money) for staying away beyond his allotted shore leave. His papers note an absence of seventeen weeks from 10th October 1893, and this time would have been added to the end of his contract.

George re-enlisted on 9th February 1894, and his service record noted that he had grown half and inch (1.3cm) since he enlisted. He had also had a number of tattoos in that time, including an anchor on his right arm and a bracelet and sailor on his left.

Over the next decade, Able Seaman Ball continued his steady progression through the ranks. He would serve on seven ships, returning to what had become his shore base – HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – in between assignments. In October 1897, George was promoted to Leading Seaman: by the following July he was given the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class.

On 29th April 1904, after more than twenty years in service, George was formally stood down to reserve status. The next document for him – the 1911 census – gives an insight into his life away from the sea. By this point, George was living in a small terraced house at 234 Luton Road, Chatham, Kent.

The document confirms he had been married for fourteen years, to a woman called Sarah. The couple had a daughter – six-year-old Doris – and Sarah’s son from a previous marriage, Albert, was also living with them. George had not distanced himself too far from the sea, however. He was employed as a Ship’s Canteen Manager, a position his stepson also held.

When war came to Europe, George was called upon to play his part once more. Taking up the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class again, he would be based at HMS Pembroke – Chatham Dockyard – and he remained in service for the next two years.

In August 1916, George was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, with a combination of pychtis and a stricture. The conditions were to prove fatal: he breathed his last on 31st August 1916, at the age of 50 years old.

George John Ball was laid to rest in the military section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the dockyard that had been his home for many years.

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

Private Frank Buck

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Private Frank Buck

Frank Ernest Brydgnes Buck was born in Islington, Middlesex, early in 1889, his mother’s name was Rosina, but his father’s details have been lost to time, the 1901 census confirming that she was a widow. The document notes that Frank was the youngest of four children, and the family had taken rooms in a three-storey house on Yerbury Road.

By the summer of 1917, Frank had emigrated to Australia. Settling in the town of Inverell, New South Wales, he took employment as a clerk. However, when war came to Europe, he was called on to play his part, and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 16th July 1917.

Private Buck’s service records confirm that he was 5ft 11.5ins (1.82m) tall and weighed 11st 4lbs (71.7kg). He was recorded as having dark hair, blue eyes and a dark complexion. He had a burn scar on his right forearm, and a third nipple on the right side of his chest.

Frank’s unit departed from Sydney on 31st October 1917, and he spent the next two months on board the SS Euripides. During that time he was promoted to Acting Corporal and, when he disembarked in Devonport, Devon, on 26th December, he marched to the ANZAC camp in Fovant, Wiltshire.

Assigned to the 5th Training Battalion, Frank seems to have taken this unexpected return to Britain as a free ticket home: on 6th February 1918 he went AWOL, and only surrendered back to his unit on 9th April. Help in detention for a day, he forfeited 63 days’ pay, and was demoted to the rank of Private for his actions.

On 13th May, Private Buck was dispatched to France. He was assigned to the 17th Battalion of the Australian Infantry, but his time overseas was not to be a lengthy one. In July he was admitted to the 5th Australian Field Ambulance with gastritis: he was then transferred to the 5th Casualty Clearing Station, then the 3rd General Hospital in Le Treport. Medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, he ended up in Reading War Hospital for ongoing treatment.

Placed on furlough on 16th September, Private Buck went AWOL again on just two weeks later. Arrested on 26th November 1918, he was hauled before a judge at Highgate Police Court: his crimes amounted to being absent without leave, but also stealing three blank cheques and forgery. Pleading guilty, he was sent to Wormwood Scrubs for nine months.

Frank would not end up serving his time, however. He was admitted to the infirmary with a perforated duodenal ulcer, and died from exhaustion on 16th May 1919. He was 29 years of age.

Frank Ernest Brydgnes Buck was laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery.

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

Leading Seaman Arthur Read

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Leading Seaman Arthur Read

Arthur William Read was born on 5th February 1886 in Lyndhurst, Hampshire. The fourth of nine children, he was one of five sons to James and Mary Read. James a builder’s labourer-turned-yardman, although his son wasn’t to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Instead, Arthur rook on work as a baker’s boy, but this was not enough for him. He sought a career at sea and, on 10th April 1901, he took a job in the Royal Navy. Given the rank of Boy 2nd Class because of his age, he was sent to HMS St Vincent, the shore-based training establishment in Devonport, Devon. Over the next eighteen months he learnt the tools of his trade, and was promoted to Boy 1st Class after just ten months.

On 5th February 1904, Arthur turned 18, and came of age. Now able to formally enlist in the Royal Navy, he took that opportunity, and was given the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service papers show that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

At this point, Ordinary Seaman Read was serving on board the battleship HMS Irresistible. She would be his home for two years and, just a couple of weeks before changing vessels, he was promoted to Able Seaman.

Arthur would serve up to and during the First World War. He was assigned to a total of seven ships after the Irresistible, returning to what would become his home port, HMS Victory in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in between voyages. His character was regularly noted as being very good, while his ability was repeatedly found to be superior. By 1st October 1915, with war raging across Europe, he was promoted again, to the rank of Leading Seaman.

Away from his seafaring, Arthur had found love. In the last quarter of 1909 he married Alice Philpott. Sadly, details about her have been lost to time, but the couple would go on to have two children – Ivy and Gladys.

When war came to Europe, Arthur’s younger brother Harry stepped up to serve. He enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment, and was assigned to the 12th Battalion. Private Read was caught up in fighting on the Western Front, and was killed in action on 25th April 1916. He is buried in Bronfay Farm Military Cemetery, in Bray-sur-Somme, Picardie.

Leading Seaman Read, meanwhile, was continuing his naval career. From November 1916 he was assigned to the light cruiser HMS Birkenhead. Used to patrol the North Sea, she had come away from the Battle of Jutland unscathed.

As the war entered its closing months, Arthur’s health was becoming impacted. Suffering from diabetes, he was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Edinburgh in summer of 1918. The condition was to better him, however, and he passed away on 10th August: he was 31 years of age.

The body of Arthur William Read was taken back to Hampshire for burial. He was laid to rest in Lyndhurst Cemetery.

After her husband’s death, Alice was left to raise two children under 5 years old. Unable to do this without support, on 8th July 1920, she married Jack White. A Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy, it is unclear whether his path had ever crosser her late husband’s. The following year’s census found her and her two daughters living in a house on Clarence Road in Lyndhurst: her husband was away at sea.

Leading Seaman Arthur Read
(from ancestry.co.uk)

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, injury, New Zealand, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, photography, Rifleman, story, war, Wiltshire

Rifleman William McMullan

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Rifleman William McMullan

William McMullan was born in Okaihau, on New Zealand’s North Island, on 10th May 1896. One of three children, his parents were James and Rose McMullan.

There is little concrete information about William’s early life. By the beginning of 1916, he was working as a bushman and volunteering for the local militia. The First World War provided an opportunity to put his skills to use, and he enlisted in the New Zealand Rifle Brigade on 15th January 1916.

Rifleman McMullan’s service records show that, at 19 years and 8 months of age, he was 6ft (1.83m) tall and weighed 12st 6lbs (79kg). A Roman Catholic, he had brown hair, blue-grey eyes and a medium-dark complexion.

William left New Zealand in May 1916, bound for Britain. The journey took ten weeks and, after disembarking in Devonport, Devon, his unit marched to Sling Camp, near Bulford, Wiltshire, arriving there on 29th July. Just a few weeks later, however, Rifleman McMullan was on the move again, and he found himself on the Western Front towards the end of September.

On 16th November 1916, while fighting at the Somme, Rifleman McMullan received a gunshot wound to his thigh. A blighty wound, it saw him medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, and he was admitted to the No. 1 New Zealand General Hospital in Brockenhurst, Hampshire. A few weeks later, he was moved to Codford, Wiltshire, for recuperation at the No. 3 NZ General Hospital.

William would spend the next few weeks in Wiltshire, but after initially being discharged from hospital, he was re-admitted on 25th January 1917. He had contracted broncho-pneumonia, and this would be the condition to which he would succumb. Private McMullan passed away on 13th February, at the age of just 20 years old.

Thousands of miles away from home, William McMullan was laid to rest in the ANZAC extension to St Mary’s Churchyard in Codford, close to the camp he had most recently called home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, New Zealand, New Zealand Wellington Regiment, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private John Kelland

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Private John Kelland

John Bodley Kelland was born on 4th June 1895 in Otakeho, on New Zealand’s North Island. The fifth of eight children, his parents were George and Mary Kelland. George died in 1902, and John’s mother married again: she and new husband Albert Bowers would have two further children.

There is little additional information available about John’s early life. He found work as a carrier when he left school, and by the time war broke out he was living in the town of Taumarunui. In his spare time, he seems to have volunteered for a local army brigade.

John formally enlisted on 24th July 1916. He joined up in Trentham, and was assigned to the New Zealand Wellington Regiment. His service records show that he was 5ft 9ins (1.75cm) tall and weighed 152lbs (68.9kg). A Roman Catholic, he had brown hair, grey eyes and a dark complexion.

Attached to B Company of the 19th Reinforcements, Private Kelland left his home country on 15th November 1916. He spent the next ten weeks on board the troop ship Tahiti, finally disembarking in Devonport, Devon, on 29th January 1917. From there his unit marched to Sling Camp near Bulford, Wiltshire, where many of the ANZAC troops were billeted.

Private Kelland’s time there was to be limited. His health had been impacted during the sea voyage, and he was admitted to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital in Codford, Wiltshire, on 8th February. Suffering from pneumonia, his condition worsened: he passed away on 8th February 1917, at the age of just 21 years old.

John Bodley Kelland was thousands of miles from home. He was laid to rest alongside his comrades in the newly-extended graveyard to St Mary’s Church in Codford.

Private John Kelland
(from findagrave.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, New Zealand, New Zealand Canterbury Regiment, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Edward Boland

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Private Edward Boland

Edward James Boland was born on 14th August 1885 in the town of Darfield, on New Zealand’s South Island. Details of his early life are sketchy, but he was the fourth of nine children to Francis and Annie Boland.

When he finished his schooling, Edward found work as a farm labourer. In 1906, he married Ellen – or Nellie – Shea: their first child, son Raymond, was born the same year, and they would go on to have three more children by the time war was declared.

On 18th June 1916, Edward answered the call to serve the Empire. Enlisting in Trentham, he joined the New Zealand Canterbury Regiment as a Private. His service record notes that he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall and weighed 144lbs (65.3kg). A Catholic, he had light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. A scar on his right thigh was also recorded as a distinguishing mark.

On 16th October 1916, Private Boland left from Wellington on board the steam ship Willochra. His unit – the 18th Reinforcements – arrived in Devonport, Devon, ten weeks later. They were then marched to their base at Sling Camp near Bulford, Wiltshire.

The journey from New Zealand, impacted Edward’s health. At the end of January 1917, he was admitted to the 3rd NZ General Hospital in Codford, Wiltshire, suffering from broncho-pneumonia. His condition deteriorated and would take his life. Private Boland died on 4th February 1917: he was 31 years of age.

As he was thousands of miles from his home, Edward James Boland was instead laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard attached to St Mary’s Church in Codford.

Private Edward Boland
(from findagrave.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, New Zealand, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, photography, Rifleman, story, war, Wiltshire

Rifleman Bertram Winterburn

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Rifleman Bertram Winterburn

Bertram Winterburn was born in the city of Hutt, on New Zealand’s North Island, on 23rd April 1877. The oldest of eleven children, his parents were Arthur and Ada Winterburn. Arthur was a postmaster from South Island, and it would be here that he and Ada would raise their family.

There is little concrete information about Bertram’s life. The 1913 Post Office Directory records him as working as a labourer, and living in Otaki, a town back on North Island. He seems to have moved wherever the work took him, however, and, by the time war broke out, he was living in Hunterville, 110km (68 miles) further north.

Bertram stepped up to serve the empire when the call came. He enlisted in Trentham on 27th June 1916, and was assigned to the New Zealand Rifle Brigade.

Rifleman Winterburn left from Wellington on board the steam ship Willochra on 16th October 1916. His unit – H Company, 18th Reinforcements – would not arrive in Devonport, Devon, until 29th December. They were then marched to their base at Sling Camp near Bulford, Wiltshire.

The journey from New Zealand, would take its toll on the new recruits, with many falling ill before, or shortly after, they arrived. Bertram would not be immune from this and, at the end of January 1917, he was admitted to the 3rd NZ General Hospital in Codford, suffering from influenza. His condition worsened, developing into bronchitis, and this would take his life. Rifleman Winterburn died on 4th February 1917: he was 39 years of age.

Thousands of miles from his home, Bertram Winterburn was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard attached to St Mary’s Church in Codford.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Naval Instructor, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Navy, story, Surrey, war

Naval Instructor George Carter

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Naval Instructor George Carter

George Leslie Lewis Carter was born at the start of 1891 in New Cross, Kent. The oldest of three children, his parents were laundry managers William and Isabel Carter.

The Carters’ work seemed to take them across South London and the 1891 census found them living in Hammersmith. George’s two siblings had been born by this point, one in Gravesend, Kent, the other in Richmond, Surrey.

By 1911, William and Isabel had moved the family to Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. That year’s census recorded them as living at 142 London Road, which was noted as being a 12-roomed property. The couple were managing a laundry – possibly living in at the laundry itself. George was recorded as being a university student, while his younger brother Lionel was at school. The family also had a housekeeper, Frances Stoke, living with them.

When George finished his studies, he found employment as an Assistant Paymaster with the Royal Naval Reserve. On 15th February 1916, he married Ada Ritchie. She was a merchant’s daughter from Long Ditton, Surrey, and the couple exchanged vows in her local parish church.

At this point, George’s trail goes cold. He became attached to the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon – also known as HMS Pomone – and took on the role of Naval Instructor. It is unclear what type of instructing he was doing, but it seems likely to have been connected with the administration or financial part of the Royal Navy.

The funeral of Naval Instructor George Leslie Lewis Carter, Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, who died on Monday from pneumonia following an attack of influenza, took place on Wednesday morning…

The mourners were Mrs Carter (widow), Mrs Carter, Surbiton (mother), Mr Carter (brother), and Mr Jamieson Ritchie, London (brother-in-law)…

[Dartmouth & South Hams Chronicle: Friday 2nd August 1918]

Naval Instructor Carter was 27 years of age when he died on 29th July 1918. The newspaper article’s distinction between Ada and Isabel would suggest that Ada may have been living in Dartmouth at the time as well.

George Leslie Lewis Carter was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Clement’s Church in Dartmouth, Devon.

Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Boy 2nd Class Albert Sampson

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Boy 2nd Class Albert Sampson

Albert Frederick Sampson was born on 7th November 1900, and was the older of two children to Albert and Beatrice. Albert Sr was a steward in the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, and the family lived in a four-roomed cottage on Victoria Road.

When he finished his schooling, Albert found work as a cabin boy on a merchant vessel. When war broke out, the transition to the Royal Navy was an obvious one, and he enlisted at the start of 1916. His service records show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.62m) tall, with red hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. Still under the age to formally enlist, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class.

Albert’s time in the navy was to be tragically short. He was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Plymouth, Devon, with acute quinsy, and passed away quickly. He died on 13th February 1916, at the age of just 15 years old.

Albert Frederick Sampson’s body was taken back to Dartmouth for burial. He was laid to rest in St Clement’s Churchyard.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Ordinary Seaman Thomas Fleet

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Ordinary Seaman Thomas Fleet

Thomas Fleet was born on 3rd February 1879 in Kingswear, Devon, and was the sixth of nine children to Thomas and Emma. Thomas Sr was a fish dealer, and the family lived on Lower Street over the river in Dartmouth. Most of the family were involved in the fish industry, and by the time of the 1901 census, Thomas Jr was also working as a fisherman.

On Christmas Day 1901, Thomas Jr married Hannah Jury. She was a farm labourer’s daughter from Torquay, Devon. The couple married in Hannah’s home town, but settled back in Dartmouth. They had five children – Reginald, Elspeth, Edith, Florence and Thomas – and set up home in a five-roomed house on Victoria Road.

By the time of the 1911 census, Thomas had changed jobs, and was working as a yachtsman. The following year, Reginald died, at the age of just 9 years old. It is unclear how he died, but he passed in August 1912, and was buried on 2nd September, in St Clement’s Churchyard, Dartmouth.

When war broke out, Thomas would be called upon to serve. Unsurprisingly, given his job, he joined the Royal Navy, enlisting on 30th March 1917 as an Ordinary Seaman. His service records show that, at 5ft 2ins (1.57m) tall, he had brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Fleet was sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, Devon, for his formal training. Tragically, however, his time in the service was to be a brief one. He contracted lobar pneumonia and was admitted to the barracks’ sick quarters. He passed away from heart failure on 13th May 1917, at the age of 38 years old.

The body of Thomas Fleet was taken back to Dartmouth for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in St Clement’s Churchyard, reunited with his oldest son, Reginald.