Christina Jack was born in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland, on the 19th December 1882. One of eight children, her parents were Donald and Margaret Jack. Donald was a merchant and rope maker, and the family lived on Bank Street, to the north of the town centre.
Margaret died in 1907, by which point Christina had taken a job in nursing. The 1911 census found her in Govan, Lanarkshire, where she was employed as a registered general nurse. When war broke out, she volunteered to do her duty, and joined the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service.
Sister Jack remained on home soil, and was attached to the 1st Birmingham War Hospital in Rednal. Nursing staff were vulnerable to the infections and diseases of the men they were treating, and it appears that Christina was not immune to this. She passed away on 22nd October 1918, at the age of 35 years old.
The body of Christina Jack was taken back to Caithness for burial. She was laid to rest in Thurso Cemetery, on the outskirts of the town in which she had been born and raised.
Neil Moore was born on 17th April 1882 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire. One of twelve children, he was the second son to John and Jane Moore. John was a cabinetmaker and, according to the 1891 census, the family lived in rooms at 13 Melville Street in the city’s Govan district.
Although little is known about Neil’s early life, his enlistment in the Royal Naval Reserve on 26 July 1904 offers the first clear insight into the young man he had become. His service papers describe him as twenty-two years old, 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) tall, with grey eyes and fair hair.
Over the next decade, Stoker Moore travelled the world, taking in Canada and South America. There were times when he was out of work – he was recorded as seeking employment over the winter of 1912 – but his work appears to have been steadfast.
Intriguingly, after a stint on the SS Sardinian, Neil left the Royal Naval Reserve on 17th November 1913. He was re-engaged on 17th December, but is then reported as having deserted just three days later. He was then recorded as being assigned to HMS Wildfire – a shore base in Northwood, Middlesex – on 3rd February 1914.
It is possible that it was around this time that Neil got married. His wife was called Elizabeth, but there is little further information about her.
When war broke out, Stoker Moore appears to have been formally mobilised once more. Over the next three years, he served on half-a-dozen vessels, before finally being attached to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, in the spring of 1917.
Over the course of that summer, Pembroke was hit by two significant challenges. The battleship HMS Vanguard was sunk in Scapa Flow, leaving its planned replacement crew stuck in the Kent dockyard with nowhere to go. At the same time, a bout of spotted fever broke out and more space was needed to slow the transmission of the contagious disease.
Pembroke’s Drill Hall was brought into use as temporary accommodation, and this is where, in September 1917, Stoker Moore found himself billeted.
On the night of the 3rd September, the German air force carried out an audacious raid on North Kent. Four aircraft bombed Chatham, and two devices landed direct hits on the Drill Hall. The glass roof shattered, raining shards onto the sleeping men below. Stoker Moore was badly injured, and he was transported to the town’s Royal Naval Hospital for treatment. Sadly, this would prove ineffective, and Neil died from his injuries on 8th September 1917. He was 35 years of age.
The body of Neil Moore was taken back to Scotland for burial. He was laid to rest in St Kentigern’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, to the north of the city centre.
[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]
Samuel Hadley was born in Bilston, Staffordshire, on 1st July 1892. The fifth of six children, his parents were Edward and Mary Hadley. Edward worked in the local iron works and, the family lived on Cross Street, to the south of the town centre.
Opportunities awaited elsewhere, however, and by the time of the 1911 census, the Hadley family had moved to Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham. Iron foundries were a key industry in the area, and census found four members of the household – Samuel, his two older brothers, Edward Jr and Matthew, and father Edward Sr – all employed at the Bowesfield Steel Works. The house at 28 Grove Street was crowded, with Thomas Green, another foundry worker, also boarding there.
When war broke out, all three brother enlisted. Samuel joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 15th January 1915, and was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. His papers show that he was a little under 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, with brown eyes and a fair complexion. He had a scar on his left leg following an operation for varicose veins.
Over the next two years, Stoke Hadley served on three vessels – the depot ships HMS Tyne, HMS Crescent and HMS Royal Arthur. All three served in Scottish waters, and Samuel spent time in the Firth of Forth and Scapa Flow. By the summer of 1917, however, he was back in Kent, billeted at HMS Pembroke while he awaited his next posting.
Chatham Dockyard was a bustling and packed place at that point in the war. The battleship HMS Vanguard had been sunk, and its replacement crew were stuck at Pembroke while the authorities organised alternative attachments. There was also an outbreak of spotted fever, and the precautions were taken to space out the crowded barracks. Stoker Hadley found himself billeted in temporary accommodation in the base’s Drill Hall.
On the 3rd September 1917, the first night air raid carried out by the German Air Force bombarded Chatham. Two bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Stoker Hadley was among the dozens of sleeping men to be killed. He was just 25 years of age.
The body of Samuel Hadley was taken back to Stockton-on-Tees for burial. He was laid to rest in the town’s Oxbridge Lane Cemetery.
Samuel’s older brother Matthew chose the army when he enlisted. A Private in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, he was attached to the 11th Battalion. By the spring of 1917, he was caught up in the Arras Offensive. He was killed on the opening day of the First Battle of the Scarpe. Private was 27 years of age, and is commemorated Arras Memorial.
[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]
John Kerr Foreman was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, on 18th December 1878. The son of Thomas and Jessie, details of his early life are sparse. The 1881 census records him living on York Street with Jessie, while the next return notes him as living just round the corner at 4 Links Street with his paternal grandfather, Jessie Kerr.
Thomas’ absence from the documents would suggest that he was away at the time the details were taken. John’s grandfather was a fish labourer, and the family lived next to the port. It is likely that Thomas was a fisherman or part of a boat crew, and a life at sea was something that his son also fell into.
John does not appear on either the 1901 or 1911 census returns. In the early 1900s he married Lily Craig, the daughter of another fish worker. They went on to have five children between 1905 and 1916 but, like her husband, there is no record of Lily or the family in the early 20th century.
When war broke out, John stepped up to play his part. Joining the Royal Naval Reserve – another hint at an undocumented life at sea – on 36th May 1916, his papers note that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, with grey eyes and a fair complexion. He was also recorded as having a number of tattoos: a pierced heart, thistle and the word Scotland on his right arm, and an anchor and his initials on his left.
Engineman Foreman’s time in the navy was actually spent on shore. For eighteen months he was attached to HMS Gunner, the shore base at Granton Harbour, near Edinburgh. In August 1917, however, he was transferred south. He arrived at his new home, HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, on 4th August 1917.
The dockyard was a particularly busy place that summer, and temporary accommodation was set up. John found himself billeted at Chatham Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.
On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Engineman Foreman was badly injured. He was taken the naval hospital in the town, but died from his injuries the following day. He was 38 years old.
The body of John Kerr Foreman was taken back to Scotland for burial. He was laid to rest in Aberdeen’s Trinity Cemetery, a short walk from where his family still lived.
Engineman John Foreman (from findacrage.com)
[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]
Alexander Cursiter Shurie was born in Orkney, in 1886. The youngest of seven children, his parents were farmers James and Maria Shurie. The family were born and raised in West Grenigoe, a small hamlet between Orphir and Scapa, on the Orkney mainland.
There is little information about Alexander’s young life. James died in 1902, and it is likely that his son helped with the running of the farm. When war broke out, he did not enlist immediate and, while his service records have been lost to time, it seems likely that he did not join up until the autumn of 1916.
Private Shurie’s unit – the 6th Battalion or the Seaforth HIghlanders – served on the Western Front during the conflict, but there is nothing to show that Alexander spent any time overseas himself. By March 1917, he had fallen ill, and was admitted to the Norwich War Hospital in Norfolk. His condition is unclear, but it would prove fatal: he passed away on 18th March 1917, at the age of 31.
The body of Alexander Cursiter Shurie was taken back to Orkney for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in the graveyard of St Magnus’ Cathedral, Kirkwall.
James – or Jim – Mackay was born in Kirkwall, Orkney, in 1897, and was the youngest of six children to John and Margaret Mackay. John was a stone mason, and the family lived in a small cottage at 14 Victoria Road, close to the town centre.
Little information survives about Jim’s life, and the family do not appear on the 1911 census. He would have been too young to enlist when war broke out, but at some point during the conflict, he enlisted in the army, joining the Seaforth Highlanders as a Private. His unit – the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion – was a depot unit, and was based at Cromarty, to the north of Inverness, for the duration.
In the closing weeks of the war, Jim fell ill, and was admitted to the military hospital in Cromarty, suffering from pneumonia. The condition would prove fatal, and he passed away on 11th November 1918, the day the Armistice was signed. He was just 21 years of age.
The body of James Mackay was taken back to Orkney for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Magnus’ Cathedral, a short walk from where his family still lived.
Private James Cooper, a native of Kirkwall, died in the Red Cross Hospital at Netley last Thursday from a wound received at the Dardanelles. Private Cooper, who was 35 years of age, was a son of Mrs Cooper, School Place, Kirkwall (with whom much sympathy is felt), and of the late Capt. Charles Cooper. After being employed for some tim in a shop in Kirkwall, he decided to follow his father’s vacation [sic] and went to see for some years, during which time he served in the Naval Reserve. He was in New Zealand when the war began, and at once enlisted in the 6th Hamaki Coy. With the New Zealand contingent he went to Egypt and took part in the fighting with the Turks near the Suez Canal. In April the contingent was sent from Egypt to the Dardanelles, and towards the end of that month Private Cooper received a gunshot wound in the left arm. With other wounded he was sent to the base hospital at Alexandria, and thence, after a few weeks, was sent home to the hospital at Netley. In all his letters home he wrote cheerfully and made light of his wound, but the nurse wrote that the wound was a serious one. At Netley the arm was amputated. Private Cooper gradually sank and died last Thursday.
[Orkney Herald: Wednesday 30th June 1915]
James Cooper was born on 9th October 1879 in Kirkwall, Orkney. He was one of seven children – and the youngest of three sons – to Charles and Jane Cooper. With her husband being away at sea a lot of the time, Jane was used to raising her family on her own.
In August 1905, tragedy struck the family:
At an early hour on Friday morning last, the town of Stromness was thrown into a stat of alarm by the report that a sad burning fatality had taken place on board the barquentine Brazilian on Ness patent slip. To accurately describe how the accident took place is impossible, but from careful enquiries we learn that on Thursday evening Captain Charles Cooper, belonging to Kirkwall, accompanied by an acquaintance, left the town and went on board the vessel, where they lit a fire and make a cup of coffee, after which friend left him. At that time the fire was very low, and no danger apprehended. At an early hour of the morning, the vessel was observed to e on fire, and an alarm given. In a short time the fire hose from the town was on the scene, and two two streams playing on the burning vessel. The fire was fortunately confined to the cabin and companion way, where the rescue party discovered the body of Capt. Cooper terribly burned and disfigured, to such an extent that it was quite unrecognisable… There can be no doubt but that death was caused by suffocation, but what led to the fire is not known. It is supposed, however, that after the friend left the vessel, Capt. Cooper had taken the paraffin oil flask to put some oil on the nearly burnt-out fire, when possibly an explosion took place, and the cabin got suddenly full of smoke.
[Orkney Herald: Wednesday 16th August 1905]
Charles was 64 when he died. Jane brought his body across the island, and he was buried in the family plot in the churchyard of St Magnus’ Cathedral.
By this point, James was serving in the Royal Navy. The exact details are unclear, but he seems to have bought his way out, after completing six years. He travelled to Australia, and worked as a cook for a while, before moving on to New Zealand, setting up home in the town of Thames, on the country’s North Island.
When war was declared, he was quick to step up, and, joined the Auckland Regiment of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. His service papers show that he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall and weighed 159lbs (72.1kg). He had brown hair, grey eyes and a medium complexion. He had a tattoo of a naval coat of arms on his right forearm, and one of a full length woman on the back of his left forearm.
Private Cooper’s unit left New Zealand on 16th October 1914, heading for Egypt. As the newspaper report stated, he moved from there to Gallipoli, before being medically evacuated to Egypt, and then to Netley Hospital, Hampshire.
After his passing, the body of James Cooper was taken back to Orkney for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot at St Magnus’ Cathedral, reunited with his father after ten years.
Albert Edward Thorne was born on 30th April 1874. The fourth of eight children, his parents were George and Rosanna Thorne. George was born in Nether Compton, Dorset, and this is where the family were raised. He worked as a stone mason, the 1884 census confirming he employed six men and two boys.
When Albert completed his schooling, he found work as a domestic gardener. This was not something he wanted to do long-term, however, and, on 30th May 1892, he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His service records show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was also noted as having a mole on the right of this abdomen and a scar on the right of his waist.
Private Thorne was sent to the Royal Marine depot in Walmer, Kent, for his training, and he remained there until the end of November. He transferred to Plymouth, Devon, and, over the next three years, split his time between there and Devonport.
On 26th December 1895, Albert married Rhoda Mills, the daughter of a local labourer, in Plymouth Register Office. The couple would have three children: Albert Jr, Arthur and Vera.
Private Thorne was a career marine, and remained in the service, based between Plymouth and Portsmouth, Hampshire, until the spring of 1914. Having completed 22 years, he was stood down to reserve status, although this was not to be for long, as storm clouds were brewing over Europe.
In August 1914, Albert was mobilised once more, and was assigned to the cruiser HMS Gibraltar. A depot ship, she would support other ships in and around the Orkney and Shetland Isles. The voyage north seems to have taken its toll, however, and Private Thorne was evacuated to the hospital ship Rohilla, suffering from appendicitis, which resulted in peritonitis. The conditions would prove fatal, and he passed away on 30th August 1914, at the age of 40 years old.
The Rohilla docked at Kirkwall on the Orkney mainland. Hundreds of miles from home, is seems that Rhoda may not have been able to afford to bring her husband’s body back to Devon. Instead, the body of Albert Edward Thorne was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Magnus’ Cathedral, Kirkwall.
Rhoda remained in Plymouth, in the rooms at 64 Durnford Street that she knew as home. The 1921 census found her living there with eldest son Albert – now a construction manager at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport – and daughter Vera. The family had a boarder, Irish-born merchant seaman William Arnold, whose sister, Margaret Fitzgerald, was also visiting.
John Harcus Brass was born in Kirkwall on the Orkney mainland in May 1900. He was the oldest child to Thomas and Margaret Brass. Thomas was a grocer, and the family lived at 3 Union Street, to the south of the town centre.
There is little information about John’s early life. Better known as Jackie, he was too young to enlist when war broke out, but joined up as soon as he came of age. He was assigned to the Seaforth Highlanders and, as a Private, was attached to the 4th Battalion.
Jackie was sent south for training, and was billeted in Glencorse, to the south of Edinburgh. Sadly, Private Brass’ war was not to be a lengthy one. He was admitted to the 2nd Scottish General Hospital in Edinburgh, suffering from influenza. The condition was to get the better of him, and he passed away on 30th October 1918. He was just 18 years of age.
The body of John Harcus Brass was taken back to Orkney for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Magnus’ Cathedral, in his home town of Kirkwall.
George Brent was born in the autumn of 1887 in Bratton, Wiltshire, and was the only child to George and Naomi Brent. Census records humbly record George Sr was a wool carder, although he actually ran Luccombe Mill, the family living in the substantial Luccombe House.
George had been widowed in the 1870s, and was thirty-four years older than his second wife, Naomi. When he died in 1900, she was left to raise her teenaged son. She was not on her own, however, the 1901 census recording her as living on her own means, and with servant Eliza Whately to support her.
Education was important to Naomi, and by the time of the 1911 census, George was working as a draughtsman and designer for an engineering company. War was on the horizon, however, and he would step up to serve his country.
George enlisted in the Army Ordnance Corps, and served in the Balkans from October 1915. Full details of his time in the army have been lost, but he rose through the ranks and, by the summer of 1918, he was a Staff Serjeant.
At some point love blossomed and, George married a woman called Edith. Sadly, her life is destined to remain a mystery: she is noted as being George’s widow on his probate record and his beneficiary in the Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects.
Staff Serjeant Brent’s health seems to have suffered after three years in the eastern Mediterranean. He was admitted to the military hospital in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, although his condition is unclear. He passed away on 3rd September 1918, at the age of 30 years old.
The body of George Brent was taken back to Wiltshire for burial. He was laid to rest in Bratton Baptist Chapelyard, not far from Luccombe House.
George left an estate of £978 16s 6d (approx. £58,000 in today’s money) to his widow. Naomi must have taken some comfort in Edith’s presence: the 1921 census found them living in Luccombe House.
The census sheds some light on Edith’s background, noting that she was born in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire. Interestingly, she and Naomi have two visitors: widow Helen Harrower (aged 65) and Helen Georgina Harrower (aged 32). The younger Helen was also born in Grangemouth, and it appears that the visitors were Edith’s mother and sister.
Death and Service 