Category Archives: Kent

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Dorset, Great War, Gunner, history, illness, Kent, Malta, photography, Royal Garrison Artillery, story, war

Gunner Simeon Powell

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Gunner Simeon Powell

Simeon James Powell was born on 18th October 1882 in Wootton Fitzpaine, Dorset. The oldest of three children, his parents were Francis and Elizabeth Powell. Elizabeth died when Simeon was just 7 years of age, and his father remarried, and went on to have five children with his new wife, Annie.

Francis was a farmer, and Simeon found employment as an estate labourer. The 1911 census found the family living on Dodpin Farm in Monkton Wyld, a village to the north of Lyme Regis: Francis, Annie, Simeon and his three younger siblings.

On 12th June 1913, Simeon married Mary Hodder. There is little information about her, but it seems the couple set up home on the outskirts of Charmouth, Dorset. Mary was six years older than her new husband, and they didn’t go on to have any children.

War was declared in the summer of 1914, and by the following autumn, Simeon had signed up to play his part. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall and weighed 188lbs (85.2kg).

Gunner Powell joined the Royal Garrison Artillery, and was formally mobilised on 31st May 1916. By November he was sent to Malta, returning to Britain in September 1917. His new posting was in Sheerness, Kent, and he would remain there for the next nine months.

In May 1918, Simeon fell ill. He had caught influenza, and when this developed into bronchitis, he was admitted to the local war hospital. His health began to deteriorate, and, on 10th June 1918, Gunner Powell passed away from a combination of bronchitis and haemoptysis. He was 35 years of age.

The body of Simeon James Powell was taken back to Devon for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St John the Baptist Church in Hawkchurch, near the family home just across the border in Dorset.

Cadet, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Midshipman, photography, Royal Navy, story, Sub Lieutenant, war

Sub-Lieutenant Denys Puttock

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Sub-Lieutenant Denys Puttock

Denys Ernest Puttock was born on 14th September 1895 in the Devon village of Halwill. The middle of three children, his parents were Edward and Alice Puttock. Edward was a vicar of the village’s St Peter & St James’ Church, but died tragically early:

The Red. E Puttock, Rector of Hallwill died on Wednesday, after a brief illness… Mr Puttock had been in charge… for six and a half years. He was much beloved by those among whom he labourer and universally respected. His devotion to the due performance of all his sacred duties was unceasing and his visitations among the poor and afflicted were much appreciated by the whole parish. He was fond of all manly sports, and under his captaincy the Cricket Club at Halwill attained considerable success. Up to the day of his death he could hardly believe that he was ill, and up to the last it was hoped that his wonderful constitution might have carried him through the illness. About a fortnight since he contracted a chill. He would not be deterred from carrying out his duties, and against the advice of his friends, he persisted in taking every service at the church long after he was fit for it. On Sunday, the 24th January, although then in a high fever, he took both the morning and evening services at Halwill Church unassisted, and also the Sunday School in the afternoon. Pneumonia set in at the end of last week, and on Tuesday evening, the 2nd February, the action of the heart failed. He leaves a widow and three young children to mourn their loss.

[Exeter and Plymouth Gazette: Friday 5th February 1897]

After Edward’s death, Alice moved the children to Okehampton. The 1901 census found the family living at 4 Brondage Park, Alice by this time living off her own means. She felt that learning was important, and Denys was sent to Twyford School and St Edmund’s School in Canterbury, Kent. From here he took up a career in the Royal Navy, enlisting in September 1913.

He served in the Highflyer as a Cadet, and was Midshipman in HMS Conqueror, and later Sub-Lieutenant in the destroyers Patriot and Valorous. Long exposure to the rough weather in the North Sea during the winters of 1916 and 1917 brought on tuberculosis, which incapacitated him for further war service. He was invalided our of the Navy and spent many months in a Sanitorium.

[Exeter and Plymouth Gazette: Friday 4th April 1919]

Denys Ernest Puttock’s health was failing him, and he passed away on 20th March 1919, while still admitted. He was 23 years of age. The report of his funeral included comments from those who knew him:

His Headmaster writes: “He has not lived in vain, for he has exercised the power of unconscious influence on all those around him. He knew the secret of happiness – purity of soul and unselfishness of heart.” His Commanding Officer has written: “He was a zealous and capable young officer. Possessed of great charm of manner, he was popular with both officers and men.”

[Exeter and Plymouth Gazette: Friday 4th April 1919]

Alice, having moved to Paignton by this point, laid her son to rest in the town’s cemetery. When she passed away in 1932, she was buried alongside him.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Sergeant, Somerset, story, war, Wiltshire

Serjeant Edward Davies

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Serjeant Edward Davies

Edward Victor Davies was born in the Weston area of Bath, Somerset, in the summer of 1897. The second of four children, and the only boy, his parents were Walter and Emily Davies.

Walter was a park keeper who died when Edward was just 9 years old. By the time of the 1911 census, Emily was working as a caretaker for a solicitor’s office, while her sone was a boarding student at the Duke of York’s School in Guston, Kent. This army school had more than 500 students, with a staff of 100 to train them. It is unclear whether Edward went voluntarily, or whether he was sent there by his mother’s employers because he was fatherless.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and Edward stepped up to play his part. Unfortunately, his service records have been lost to time, so it is unclear whether he went straight into the army after finishing his education. However, given that he held the rank of Serjeant by the end of the conflict, it seems likely that his military career began before the start of the First World War.

Edward – who was better known as Ted – joined the Wiltshire Regiment, and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion. His unit spent time on the Western Front, but there is no evidence whether or not he served overseas. He survived the war, but subsequently fell ill, as so many servicemen did:

DAVIES – March 28th, Sergeant Edward Victor (Ted) Davies, 2nd Wiltshire Regiment, at the Royal Military Hospital, of pneumonia, following influenza, aged 22 years.

[Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette – Saturday 03 April 1920]

Edward Victor Davies was laid to rest in the sweeping grounds of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery, not far from where he had grown up.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Gunner, history, injury, Kent, killed in action, photography, Private, Royal Marines, Somerset, story, war

Gunner Arthur Green

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Gunner Arthur Green

Arthur William Green was born on 27th August 1896, the middle of five children to William and Mary Green. William was a shoemaker, who was employed at the Clark’s factory in Street, Somerset, and this is where the family were born and raised.

Clark’s was the key employer in Street and, by the time of the 1911 census, five of the Green family were working for them. This included the 15 year old Arthur, whose job was a shoe cutter.

When war came to Europe, Arthur had already stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Marine Artillery in March 1914. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 8ins (1.72m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a scar on the back of his neck.

Private Green was initially under age for service in the regiment, only coming of age at the end of August 1914. He initially completed his training either in Chatham, Kent, or Plymouth, Devon, becoming a Gunner on 5th February 1915. That spring he was assigned to the battleship HMS Warspite, and would remain on board for the next four years.

In February 1918, Gunner Green was assigned to the 4th Battalion of the Royal Marines. Still serving on Warspite, on 23rd April he was involved in the Raid on Zeebrugge. A combined action by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, the aim was to block the entrance to the port of Bruges-Zeebrugge by sinking obsolete ships. A total of 1700 men were involved, and, in the ensuing battle, some 200 were killed and 400 wounded.

Gunner Green was one of those who was injured in the battle. When the Warspite returned home, he was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, Kent, but his injuries were to prove too severe for him to overcome. He passed away on 17th May 1918, at the age of just 21 years old.

Arthur William Green was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the Chatham base he had briefly known as home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, injury, Kent, killed in action, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, Suffolk, war

Ordinary Seaman John Diaper

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Ordinary Seaman John Diaper

John Dolby Diaper was born in Stowupland, Suffolk, on 1st June 1898. He was the second youngest of ten children to George and Martha, and the older of two sons. George was a cattleman turned gardener, and it seems that John went into farm work when he completed his schooling.

When war broke out, John was called upon to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 6th June 1917, joining as an Ordinary Seaman. His service records show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.63m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Diaper was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. The summer of 1917 was a particularly busy for the base, and temporary accommodation was set up in the Drill Hall; this is where John was billeted.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line as a wave of German aircraft bombed the town. The Drill Hall received a direct hit, and Ordinary Seaman Diaper was badly injured. He was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in the town, and would remain there for some time.

John’s injuries were severe and, although his treatment was ongoing, the impact on his overall health was detrimental. Ultimately, the air raid weakened his system, and his heart gave out. He died on 18th April 1918, more than seven months after the bombing: he was 19 years of age.

John Dolby Diaper was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, alongside those who had given their lives on 3rd September.

Commonwealth War Graves, Domestic, Great War, Hampshire, history, injury, Kent, Malta, Officer's Cook, Officer's Steward, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Officer’s Steward Giovanni Teuma

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Officer’s Steward Giovanni Teuma

Giovanni Teuma was born on 25th December 1878 in Valetta, Malta. There is little information about his early life, but documents confirm that his parents were Paulo and Vinza Teuma.

Most of the information about Giovanni comes from his service records. He enlisted in the Royal Navy on 13th February 1898 as a Domestic 3rd Class. He was noted as being 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, with brown eyes, black hair and a dark complexion.

Giovanni’s first posting was on the cruiser HMS Venus. He remained on board for more than three years, which would be his longest assignment. Over the next fifteen years, he would serve on another dozen vessels, returning to shore at HMS Victory and HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyards in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and Chatham, Kent, respectively – in between voyages.

Giovanni continually attained a Very Good rating at his annual reviews, and rose through the ranks over the years. He was promoted to Domestic 2nd Class in March 1905 and Officer’s Steward 2nd Class in October 1907. At this point, however, his ranks started to vary, spending just over a year as Officer’s Cook 1st Class before returning to the rank of Officer’s Steward 2nd Class.

On 21st January 1914, Giovanni was stood down: he seems to have requested extended shore leave. He returned to action three months later, retaking his previous rank. On 11th August, just a few weeks after war was declared, he was assigned to the light cruiser HMS Arethusa, as Officer’s Steward 1st Class.

The Arethusa had been launched in the autumn of 1913, and was confirmed as the flotilla leader of the Harwich Force when was was declared. Within weeks of Officer Steward Teuma boarding her, she was involved in the Battle of Heligoland Bight. Severely damaged by two German cruisers, a number of the crew were killed and injured, and she had to be towed home.

When the Arethusa docked at HMS Pembroke, those who were injured were taken to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham. Officer’s Steward Teuma was one of those treated there but, sadly, his wounds were to prove too severe. He passed away on 29th August 1914, the day after the battle: he was 35 years of age.

Givoanni Teuma was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the Kent naval base he had visited regularly.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, India, Kent, Leading Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Petty Officer John Baker

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Petty Officer John Baker

John Patrick Baker was born on 20th March 1883, the only child to Henry and Mary Baker. Henry was naval pensioner-turned-labourer from Belfast, Ireland, while Mary was born in Queenstown, Ireland. By the time of the John’s birth, however, they had moved to Kent, settling in the village of Cheriton.

John is noticeable by his absence in the coming years. The 1901 census return found his parents living in the same home, but the only other resident was boarder Jesse Fuller.

The 1911 census, however, helps explain this disappearance. The document records John as being one of more than 500 crew on board the cruiser HMS Highflyer. He was notes as being a Leading Seaman and, on the day that the census was taken, the ship was in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of western India, to the south of Goa.

John is also noted as being married, and it seems that he wed a woman called Adela the previous year. Her entry in the 1911 census noted she was living in a room at 206 Risboro Lane in Cheriton, Kent. The house was also occupied by the Leach family – William, Hannah and daughter Margaret – and a Christina Hawkes, who was also married. Whether they were all related is unclear, but Adela, at 30 years of age, was working as a domestic servant to pay her way.

Adela and John would go on to have two children: John Jr was born on 31st July 1911 – just four months after the census. His younger brother Ernest was born on 21st May 1914, four months before the outbreak of war.

There is little further information available on the Baker Family. John progressed in his naval career, and had risen to the rank of Petty Officer by the end of 1915. That winter he became unwell, although the condition is not readily documented. He was posted at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, by this point, and he may well have been admitted to the nearby Naval Hospital.

His illness was to prove fatal, however, and Petty Officer Baker passed away on 13th January 1916. He was 32 years of age.

John Patrick Baker was laid to rest in the Roman Catholic section of the Woodland Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, not far from the base he had known so well.

Artificer, Commonwealth War Graves, County Tyrone, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, Kent, Northern Ireland, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Engine Room Artificer James Donnelly

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Engine Room Artificer James Donnelly

James Donnelly’s life is a challenging one to pin down. Based on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission information, he was born in 1888 in Cappagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and was the son of Owen and Mary Donnelly. Unfortunately, there are no baptism or census records to expand on his family background.

Military records are equally sparse. James enlisted in the Royal Navy as an Engine Room Artificer 4th Class. He was assigned to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent; given how early in the conflict, and his position at the lower end of the ERA rankings, is it likely that he was posted there for training.

James’ time in the military was to be brief. He was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, suffering from cerebrospinal meningitis. The condition was to prove severe: he succumbed to it on 19th May 1915, at the age of 27 years old.

Finances may have prevented the Donnelly family from bringing their boy back home. Instead, James was laid to rest in the Roman Catholic section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the naval base at which he had served.

Engine Room Artificer James Donnelly
(from findagrave.com)
Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Dorsetshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire Regiment

Private Reginald Lane

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Private Reginald Lane

Reginald William Lane was born in the autumn of 1886, the eighth of ten children to Joseph and Sarah. Joseph was an agricultural labourer and he and his wife raised their family in their home village of Thornford in Dorset.

When he finished his schooling, he found work as a gardener’s boy. He went on to make a career out of this and was employed as a gardener when he married Evelyn Sharp on 15th April 1914. The couple exchanged vows in St Swithun’s Church, Hinton Parva, Dorset, the marriage certificate noting that the groom’s father was now employed as a woodsman.

War came to Europe later that year, and Reginald enlisted to serve the King and Empire. Little information is available about his military career: he joined the Dorsetshire Regiment, but there is no confirmation that he spent any time overseas. Private Lane transferred over to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment, his new unit serving on home soil. Based in Kent, Reginald was part of the Thames & Medway Garrison.

Joseph died at the end of August 1915, and was laid to rest in the St Mary Magdalene Churchyard. Just weeks later, Reginald’s younger brother, Gilbert, a Private in the 3rd Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, was killed during the Battle of Loos. He was commemorated on the Loos Memorial in Dud Corner Cemetery in France.

Private Reginald William Lane survived the war, but only by eleven days. While based in Kent, he contracted influenza and pneumonia. He died on 22nd November 1918, aged 32 years. His body was brought back to Dorset, and was laid to rest alongside his father.

There is no further information available for Evelyn.

Reginald’s mother, Sarah, however, only lived for another couple of months. She passed away on 25th February 1919, at the age of 69 years old. She was reunited with her husband and son in St Mary Magdalene Churchyard, the family headstone commemorating Private Gilbert Lane as well.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Dorsetshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Private, story, war, Wiltshire Regiment

Private Ernest Brister

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Private Ernest Brister

The early life of Ernest Brister is a challenge to piece together. His baptism record – at St Mary Magdalene Church in Thornford, Dorset – suggests that he was born in the summer of 1891, but gives only the name of his mother, Rosina Brister.

The 1901 census identifies the 9-year-old Ernest as a visitor to the house of Eliza Brister, a 65-year-old widow working as a laundress. There are several other Bristers in the village – including Eliza’s own to children – but Rosina is nowhere to be seen.

The next census, taken in 1911, sheds a little more light on the situation. Ernest is still living with Eliza, but he is now recorded as being her grandson. Aged 75, she was still taking in laundry, but Ernest was employed as a mason.

In the autumn of 1913, Ernest married Beatrice Chalker. She was a shepherd’s daughter from Dewlish in Dorset. The couple wed in Dorchester and went on to have two children, Doris and Edwin.

When war broke out, Ernest stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Dorsetshire Regiment, and found himself in France by the summer of 1915.

There is little information about Ernest’s time in the army, but later in the war, he seems to have transferred over to the Wiltshire Regiment. Attached to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, his new unit served on home soil and, based in Kent, was part of the Thames & Medway Garrison.

Private Brister was based in Maidstone in the autumn of 1918, when he contracted influenza and pneumonia. He was admitted to the military hospital in Aylesford, but the conditions were to prove to severe. He passed away on 24th November 1918, aged 27 years old.

Ernest Brister’s body was taken back to Dorset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Mary Magdalene Church. His grandmother, Eliza, passed away just a month later, at the age of 82. She was laid to rest close to her beloved grandson.

The 1910s were harsh for Ernest’s widow, Beatrice. Her youngest son was born in March 1915, her mother dying a couple of months later. She lost her brother, Edwin, to the war – he was serving with the 1st Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, when he was killed on 28th August 1916. He was just 19 years of age. Two years later, she was widowed when Ernest passed away.