Category Archives: Devon

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, Lancashire, photography, Private, story, unknown, war

Private Michael O’Hara

Leave a comment
Private Michael O’Hara

In Paignton Cemetery, Devon, is a headstone dedicated to Private Michael O’Hara of the East Lancashire Regiment. There is little concrete information available about Michael, and a lot of what exists is contradictory.

The British Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects states Private O’Hara was attached to the regiment’s 7th Battalion, and confirms that his next-of-kin was his sister, Margaret Barrus.

An entry in the 1881 census suggests that Michael and Margaret’s parents may have been William and Mary O’Hara. The family were living in rooms a 5 Shed Street in Habergham Eaves, Lancashire, and 14-year-old Michael, who had been born in Bacup, was working as a mule spinner in a local cotton mill.

At this point the Michael’s story becomes vague again, and subsequent census returns throw up too many inconsistencies to corroborate a definite path for his life.

When war came to Europe, Michael stepped up to play his part. Again, full service details have been lost, but it is evident that he was sent to France on 17th July 1915. By the following spring Private O’Hara was back on British soil again, and had been admitted to the American Women’s Hospital at Oldway House in Paignton, Devon. The reason he was there is unclear, but it was to prove fatal: Michael passed away on 13th May 1916. Based on the 1881 census, he would have been around 49 years of age.

The body of Michael O’Hara was laid to rest in Paignton Cemetery, much of his life story buried there with him.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, India, photography, Private, Sergeant, South Africa, story, unknown, war

Serjeant Samuel Dymond

Leave a comment
Serjeant Samuel Dymond

Samuel John Dymond was born in Broadhempston, Devon, in 1878. The son of Samuel and Jane Dymond, his childhood appears to have been disjointed: the 1881 census found him living with his uncle and aunt, while a decade later he was under his grandmother’s roof.

This background may have driven him to a more stable life and, on 22nd May 1896, he enlisted in the army. Joining the Devonshire Regiment, his service records show that he was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall and weighed 126lbs (57.2kg). He had fair hair, grey eyes, a fresh complexion and two scars on his right kneecap.

Private Dymond spent the first couple of years on home soil. In February 1898, however, he journeyed overseas, serving in the East Indies and South Africa, for which he was awarded the South Africa Medal, with a clasp for the defence of Ladysmith. By January 1902, Samuel was on the move again, and he spent the next two years in India.

At the beginning of 1904, Samuel returned to Britain. He remained on home soil until his contract came to an end on 21st May 1912.

Away from the army life, love beckoned. Samuel married Alice Reynolds on 9th October 1904 in the parish church at Marldon, Devon. The couple went on to have three children: Dorothy, Annie and Albert.

By the time of the 1911 census, Samuel was working as a labourer, and the family were living at Vine Cottage on Church Street, Paignton, Devon.

When war broke out, Samuel was called into service once more but, frustratingly, it is at this point that his trail goes cold. Returning to the Devonshire Regiment, he was certainly in France by 11th December 1914. Later on in the war he transferred across to the regimental depot, but whether this was on home soil of overseas is unclear.

The next record for Samuel is that of his passing. He died in a military hospital in Devonport on 13th January 1920, the British Record of Soldiers’ Effects only at that point confirming that he had reached the rank of Serjeant. He was 42 years of age.

Samuel John Diamond was laid to rest in Paignton Cemetery, overlooking the town that had become his home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Labour Corps, photography, Private, story, war

Private Thomas Legg

Leave a comment
Private Thomas Legg

Thomas John Gladstone Legg was born in Dunster, Somerset, on 30th July 1898. The fourth of six children, his parents were John and Louisa Legg. John was a baker, and the family lived on West Street in the village.

By 1911, the Leggs had moved south, settling in Winsford, on the outskirts of Exmoor. Thomas was still in school, but his two older brothers were helping their father with the bakery business, and they had taken in a boarder – road worker John Jeffrey – to help bring in a bit of additional income.

When war broke out, Thomas stepped up to play his part. There is little information available about his military service, but it is clear that he had enlisted in the Devonshire Regiment by the spring of 1918.

Private Legg was assigned to the 15th Battalion, although he soon transferred to the 474th Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps.

The profound sympathy of parishioners goes out to Mr and Mrs J Legg… who have sustained a double bereavement. On October 22nd their daughter, Miss Ivy Marion Legg, aged 23, succumbed to pneumonia. Their son, Pte J Legg, came home from training to attend his sister’s funeral, and he was attacked by pneumonia and died in a few days. Amid general tokens of respect and sympathy, the interments were made in Highbray Churchyard. Both father and mother have been seriously ill, but are now recovering. There are still several critical cases of complications following influenza in the parish.

[North Devon Journal: Thursday 14th November 1918]

Thomas passed away on 2nd November 1918: he was 20 years of age. He was laid to rest alongside his sister in All Saints’ Churchyard, High Bray.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Dorset, Great War, history, illness, London, photography, Private, Somerset Light Infantry, story, war, Wiltshire

Private William Hasley

Leave a comment
Private William Hasley

William George Hasley was born on 14th June 1897. He was the oldest of three children to William and Sarah Hasley. William Sr, a former soldier, worked as a commissionaire, and the family lived at 11 Coach & Horses Yard, St James, Westminster.

Things had changed by 1900, and William Sr was employed as an engineer’s labourer. The family had moved to Dorset, setting up home in the village of Bourton, and their daughter, Susan, was born there at the turn of the century. Susan Sr came from just up the road in Zeals, Wiltshire, and it is likely that she was staying there when her youngest child, Sidney, was born in 1902.

By the time of the 1911 census, the family of five were living at Beach Cottage, Bourton. William Sr was drawing his army pension, but still employed at the engineering foundry; his eldest son, while still at school, was also listed as a news boy, possibly selling the periodicals to villagers.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and William Jr was quick to step up and play his part. Giving up his job as an engineer’s fitter, enlisted on 1st September 1914, and joined the Somerset Light Infantry. His service records show that he stood 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall, and weighed 124lbs (56.3kg). Private Hasley was noted as having brown hair, brown eyes and a sallow complexion. He also had a scar on the tip of the middle finger of his left hand.

Assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Private Hasley’s unit moved to Devonport, Devon, at the start of 1915. It was here that he contracted tuberculosis, which would ultimately lead to his medical discharge from the army in July. He served just 308 days.

At this point, William’s trail goes cold. It is likely that he returned to Bourton, although he had regular check-ups by the army inspection board. He was deemed totally incapacitated by the illness on 3rd January 1917.

William George Hasley’s lung condition would seal his fate. He passed away on 23rd March 1917: he was just 19 years of age. He was laid to rest in Bourton Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, photography, Sergeant, South Africa, story, war

Serjeant Edwin Huxtable

Leave a comment
Serjeant Edwin Huxtable

Edwin Huxtable was born in the summer of 1863, the youngest of eight children to William and Sarah. William was a tailor and Sarah a dressmaker, and they raised their family in their home village of South Molton, Devon.

William’s two younger sons followed him into tailoring, although the family disappears from records for more than 20 years. William passed away in 1889, and a later newspaper report suggests that Edwin enlisted in the army in some capacity, serving in South Africa during the Second Boer War.

Back in Britain, Edwin married Hester Cole in 1904. She was a dressmaker from South Molton as well: the couple set up home and their business at 10 Broad Street in the village. They had two children: Sidney was born in 1905, and Herbert in 1906, although their younger boy passed away when just a babe-in-arms.

When war broke out, Edwin was called back into service. Details of his military career have been lost, but it is clear from what remains that he enlisted in the Devonshire Regiment, and served in the 11th (Reserve) Battalion. His previous time in the army was taken into account, and he was given the rank of Serjeant.

It is unclear whether Edwin saw any time overseas as part of the First World War, but his age and health were against him. Suffering from pneumonia, he was admitted to a hospital in Torquay. The lung condition got the better of him, however, and he passed away on 14th April 1915. He was 52 years of age.

Taken back to South Molton for burial, Edwin Huxtable was laid to rest in the village’s cemetery.

The 1921 census showed that Hestor was keeping up the family business. She was living in East Street, South Molton, and listed as a dressmaker and employer.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, India, Mesopotamia, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire

Private Samuel Harris

Leave a comment
Private Samuel Harris

Samuel John Harris was born in the spring of 1895, and was the oldest of three children to Samuel and Annie Harris. Samuel Sr was a cabinet maker from South Molton, Devon, and this was the village in which he and Annie raised their family.

The 1901 census found the Harrises taking rooms at 24 North Street, a house they shared with two other families. Move forward, and they were living four doors down the road at No. 28, a smaller cottage, but one they had to themselves.

Samuel Jr, at this point, was sixteen years old, but had completed his schooling and was working as a hotel waiter. His younger brother, Albert, had also started work, and was employed as an apprentice coach builder. Samuel Sr, meanwhile, was continuing with his cabinet making.

When war broke out, Samuel Jr was one of the first to enlist. While full details of his time in the army have been lost, it is clear that he joined the Devonshire Regiment, and he was initially attached to the 1st/6th Battalion.

Pte. SJ Harris proceeded to India and Mesopotamia with the Territorials. The hardships of campaigning and the trying climate in Mesopotamia proved too much for his constitution.

[Western Times: Friday 9th November 1917]

Samuel returned to Britain, and was admitted to the military hospital in Sutton Veny, Wiltshire. He passed away on 29th October 1917, from a combination of tuberculosis and a cyst in his back. He was 22 years of age.

Despite the apparent weakness in his constitution, the Western Times reported on his youth in South Molton:

The young man was very popular among his comrades in arms, and at Sutton Veny a general favourite. Prior to th war he was a familiar figure at football matches, having played for various teams at [South Molton] and in the district.

[Western Times: Friday 9th November 1917]

The body of Samuel John Harris was brought back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in the South Molton Cemetery, just a sort walk from his grieving family’s home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, India, photography, Sergeant, story, Surrey, war

Sergeant Reginald Brown

Leave a comment
Sergeant Reginald Brown

Reginald William Brown was born in South Molton, Devon, the summer of 1873. The second of four children – all boys – his parents were William and Mary Brown. William died when Reginald was just a child, and the 1881 census found Mary supporting her children by working as a mangler.

Details of Reginald’s early life are sparse. In the autumn of 1898 he married Elizabeth Mayne and the couple set up home at 13 Cook’s Cross. The couple went on to have six children, and Reginald supported his family with work as a gardener.

Alongside his gardening work, Reginald volunteered for army service. Again, full details are unclear, but he was attached to the Devonshire Regiment from 1908. Initially for a year’s contract, he seemed to renew this on-and-off for the next six years.

When war broke out, Reginald was formally called into service. HIs time in the army resulted in him being given the rank of Sergeant, and by October 1914, his unit – the 4th Battalion – was sent to India.

Reginald spent the next couple of years overseas, before being posted back to Britain in the spring of 1916. That November he spent six weeks admitted to the Manor County of London War Hospital in Epsom, Surrey, suffering from bronchitis. This was the result of malaria, and he would continue to suffer from lung complaints for the next few years.

In September 1917, Elizabeth passed away, and Reginald was left, at a distance at least, to raise his children. By now, his health was being severely impacted, and in April 1919, he was medically discharged from army service.

Reginald returned home, but he would quickly succumb to illness. He passed away at 43 South Street, South Molton, on 22nd April 1919. He was 45 years of age.

Reginald William Brown was laid to rest in South Molton Cemetery. His was a family plot, and he was reunited with his beloved Elizabeth.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, injury, Labour Corps, London Regiment, photography, Private, story, war

Private George Whiteway

Leave a comment
Private George Whiteway

George William John Whiteway was born in Paignton, Devon, on 4th February 1893. The youngest of three children, and the only son, his parents were William and Sarah Whiteway.

William was a journeyman painter, and from at least when his son was born, the family lived in a small terraced house, 9 Tower Road, on the outskirts of the town centre.

By the time of the 1911 census, George had completed his schooling, and was working as an apprentice painter. It is unclear whether this was under his father’s tutelage, as he gave his employment as verger and caretaker of the local parish church.

When war broke out, George stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in Torquay on 1st December 1915, and his service records note that he was of good physical development, stood 5ft 6.25ins (1.68m), and weighed 126lbs (57.2kg). He was also recorded as having light brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion.

Initially assigned to the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, Private Whiteway was transferred to the London Regiment and attached to the 3rd/21st Battalion. By the summer of 1916 George had transferred to the 1st/21st (County of London) Battalion, also known as the First Surrey Rifles. On 15th June his unit was sent to France, and he soon found himself in fighting on the Somme.

Private Whiteway’s time in France was to be a brief one. Caught up in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, he was wounded in the back and neck, and, after initial treatment on site, he was medically evacuated to Britain.

It is unclear where George was first admitted, but by February 1917, he was being tended to in the Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital in his home town, Paignton. He remained there for a couple of month, before being released back to duty.

Private Whiteway’s time fighting was over. He was transferred to the 619th Home Service Employment Company of the Labour Corps, and would spend the next year in and around Winchester, Hampshire. It is evident, however, that George’s health had been impacted. By March 1918 he was in hospital again, this time close to his army base. Suffering from a combination of peritonitis and tuberculosis, the contagious nature of the latter condition would lead to his dismissal from military service, and he was formally stood down on 29th April 1918.

At this point, George’s trail goes cold. It seems likely that he returned home, as his death was recorded in Totnes, Devon. He breathed his last on 25th August 1918: he was 25 years of age.

George William John Whiteway was laid to rest in Paignton Cemetery, a short walk from his family home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Private, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, story, war

Private Alfred Ribbans

Leave a comment
Private Alfred Ribbans

Alfred Ribbans was born in Belvedere, Kent, in the summer of 1889. The sixth of nine children, his parents were Arthur and Sarah Ribbans. William was an iron turner from Ipswich, Suffolk, while his wife had been born in Jersey, Channel Islands. It is unclear how the couple met, but by the 1891 census the family were at No. 8 Coastguard Cottages in Erith.

When he finished his schooling, Alfred followed in his father’s stead, finding employment as a fitter and turner. By the autumn of 1908, he found an opportunity to turn this work into a career, and enlisted in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. His service records show that, at 19 years of age, he was 5ft 7ins (1.71m) tall, and weighed 132lbs (59.9kg). He had a fair complexion with brown hair and brown eyes. He was also noted as having a scar on his left eyebrow, another on the right side of his upper lip, and two noticeable moles: one on the left side of his navel and the other on the right side of his neck.

Private Ribbans’ initial term of service was for three years. He served on home soil, and when his contract came to an end on 27th October 1911, he was stood down to reserve status. When war broke out he was mobilised again, and by 14th August 1914, he found himself in France. It is unclear exactly where he served, but his time overseas was not to be a lengthy one.

By April 1915 Alfred was back on home soil, suffering from tuberculosis. The contagious nature of the condition meant he was no longer suited to the crowded barracks and billets of the Western Front, and so Private Ribbans was medically discharged from the army.

Alfred returned home to Kent, and, when he recovered, to his job as a fitter. On 3rd July 1916 he married dressmaker Armenia Tuckerman in the parish church in Erith. At the time, the couple were living at 9 Stanmore Road, but soon moved to Totnes in Devon, presumably to help with Alfred’s now-failing health.

The following January, Armenia gave birth to a daughter, Armenia Joy, but the young family’s happiness was to be short-lived: Alfred succumbed to his lung condition on 20th March 1917. He was 27 years of age.

Alfred Ribbans was laid to rest in Paignton Cemetery, Devon.

Private Alfred Ribbans
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Grenadier Guards, Guardsman, history, injury, photography, story, Sussex, war

Guardsman Frederick Madge

Leave a comment
Guardsman Frederick Madge

Frederick Walter Smith Madge was born on 29th April 1886 and was the youngest of three children to Walter and Elizabeth. Walter was a painter from Paignton, and it was in the Devon town that the family was raised.

When Frederick finished his schooling, he found employment as a errand boy. By the 1901 census, the family were living on Princes Street, and his older sisters were both working as domestic servants. The next census found Frederick as the only one of the Madge siblings still living at home: he was also now working a a painter, presumably assisting his father.

Early in 1913, Frederick married Sarah Bishop. Sadly, there is little information about her, but her father’s name was Nicholas, and she was living in Newton Abbot, Devon, at the time of the wedding, which took place in nearby Wolborough.

When war broke out, Frederick stepped up to play his part. His service records are long gone, but it is clear that he had enlisted before March 1917, and had joined the prestigious Grenadier Guards. Guardsman Madge definitely saw service overseas, and his unit was heavily involved in some of the key battles on the Western Front.

It was during this fighting, possibly at the Battle of Polygon Wood, that Frederick was injured. He was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, and admitted to the Kitchener Military Hospital in Brighton, Sussex.

The funeral took place, at Paignton, on Wednesday, Rev. AR Fuller officiating, of [Guardsman] FWS Madge, 31, Grenadier Guards, who died on October 6th in hospital at Brighton, following an amputation of the leg. Deceased, who was well known in Paignton, was a member of the town Fire Brigade, and highly respected.

[Western Times: Tuesday 16th October 1917]

Frederick Walter Smith Madge was laid to rest in Paignton’s sweeping cemetery.