Category Archives: Somerset

Canada, Canadian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, killed in action, Leading Stoker, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, Stoker, story, United States of America, war

Stoker Petty Officer Charles Lavis

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Stoker Petty Officer Charles Lavis

Charles Walter Lavis was born in Iowa, USA, on 2nd April 1888. The second of eleven children, his parents were James and Martha Lavis. The only census record Charles appears from – the return from 1901 – shows that James was an agricultural labourer from Long Sutton in Somerset. The family’s move to America seemed not to have lasted for long – Charles’ immediate siblings – Mabel, who was two years older, and George who was two years younger – were both born in Long Sutton.

Charles was drawn to a life of adventure and, on 11th April 1906, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 5ins (1,65m) tall, with brown hair grey eyes and a fresh complexion. As a Stoker 2nd Class, he was initially sent to the training ship HMS Nelson, before moving to what would become his shore base, HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

Over the next year, Charles serves on HMS Hecla and HMS King Edward VII, where, on 17th May 1907, he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. He remained on the King Edward VII for more than four years, before returning to Portsmouth in August 1911.

Back on shore, Stoker 1st Class Lavis was promoted to Leading Stoker, and spent the next nine months training for the role at HMS Fisgard, also in Portsmouth. He spent six months on the battleship HMS Revenge, before moving again to another battleship, HMS Britannia.

Charles spent two years on the Britannia, and it was while assigned to her that he got married. He wed Bessie Patten on 31st May 1914 in Martock, Somerset: the couple would go on to have a daughter, Eileen, who was born the following April.

It was while Charles was serving on HMS Britannia that was broke out. In November 1914, he returned to Victory for further training and, in the spring of 1915, he was promoted to Stoker Petty Officer.

Over the next three years, Charles served on three more vessels, before finally returning to Portsmouth in April 1918. The reason for his return was because of his health, and he was soon admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Haslar, Gosport, suffering from tuberculosis of the neck. The condition necessitated an operation, but Stoker Petty Office Lavis was not to survive the procedure. He suffered from heart failure, and died on 2nd May 1918. He had not long turned 30 years of age.

Charles Walter Lavis was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of All Saints’ Church in Martock.

Records suggest that the Lavis family could not settle. Passenger lists from March 1912, show James and Martha travelling with nine children to Portland, Maine, before moving on to Huron in Ontario. James was still recorded as being a farm labourer, so it seems that opportunities for the family were better in North America than in Britain.

When war broke out, citizens of the Commonwealth were called upon to play their part and, despite being under age, Charles’ younger brother Arthur, stepped up to serve. Details of his time in the army are scarce, but he was assigned to the 14th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry. His troop set sail for Britain in October 1914: Arthur was just 14 years old at this point, and had lied when he joined up, giving his date of birth as 20th May 1897.

Private Arthur Lavis was in France by August 1916, taking up position on the Front Line at Coucelette. They met heavy troops, even before a full offensive got underway on 16th September. Ninety-two soldiers from the 14th Battalion were killed during the attack, Arthur included. He was just 16 years old, and his remains were never recovered. He is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial in France.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, injury, Lance Corporal, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war, Worcestershire

Lance Corporal Frederick Beaven

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Lance Corporal Frederick Beaven

Frederick Henry Jacob Beavan was born in Street, Somerset, in the summer of 1891. There is little information available about his early life, although later records suggest that his parents were Mr & Mrs Tom Beaven.

Frederick married a woman called Elsie late in 1910 or early in 1911 and, while there is little information about her, they went on to have three children, Harwood, Hubert and Tom. The 1911 census noted that Frederick was working as a boot and shoe maker in the town’s factory, Clark’s.

The only other documents for Frederick relate to his passing. When war broke out, he enlisted in the Worcestershire Regiment, although it is not possible to determine which battalion he was assigned to. Private Beaven did serve overseas, however, and, by the summer of 1918, had been promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal.

Frederick was injured during a German gas attack that summer, and was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment. His weakened condition was to prove too severe, however, and he passed away on 10th July 1918, from double pneumonia. He was 27 years of age.

Frederick Henry Jacob Beaven was brought back to Street for burial. He was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, history, injury, Lance Corporal, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Lance Corporal Frederick Gilbey

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Lance Corporal Frederick Gilbey

Frederick James Gilbey was born on 1st September 1888 in Walthamstow, Essex. The oldest of nine children, his parents were Alfred and Emily. Alfred was a general labourer, and the family initially lived on Chingford Road, before moving to an end-of-terrace house at 41 MacDonald Road.

On 28th August 1910, Frederick married Katherine Heathorn. Little more information is available about her, although the young couple’s marriage seemed to be the start of something bigger: the newlyweds emigrated shortly afterwards, arriving in Fremantle, Australia, in October 1910. Frederick’s immigration records noted that he was employed as a salesman, while Katherine was working as a dressmaker.

The couple settled into their new life well. The 1916 Electoral Records found the family living at 20 Oswald Street in the leafy Victoria Park suburb of Fremantle. Frederick was now working as a tram conductor, while Katherine was busy raising their two children, Leslie and Arthur.

By this point, Europe was two years into a bloody conflict. Frederick’s younger brother William, a Private in the Royal Fusiliers, had been killed at Gallipoli in August 1915, and it would seem that he also felt pulled to serve his King and Empire.

On 12th September 1916, Frederick enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. His service documents note that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall and weighed 140lbs (63.5kg). Private Gilbey had auburn hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

After initial training, he left Fremantle for the two-month journey back to Britain. Assigned to the 13th Training Battalion, his unit was based in Codford, Wiltshire. In November 1917, Frederick attended the 15th Rifle Course at the School of Musketry in Tidworth, where he qualified as 1st Class, with a fair working knowledge of the Lewis Gun.

The following February, Private Gilbey was transferred to the 51st Battalion of the Australian Infantry, and sent with his unit to France. On 20th April, days before the Battle of Villers Bretonneux, he was promoted to Lance Corporal.

The battle, however, was to prove to be his last. Wounded in the right thigh by gun shot, he was medically evacuated to Britain, and admitted to Bath War Hospital, Somerset, for treatment. His wounds were too severe, however: Private Gilbey passed away on 2nd May 1918, at the age of 29 years old.

With his widow and children on the other side of the globe, Frederick James Gilbey was laid to rest in the military section of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Cornwall, Egypt, Great War, history, illness, injury, Kent, Middlesex, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war

Private Albert Sweetland

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Private Albert Sweetland

Albert Graham Sweetland was born on 6th January 1895 in Kensington, Middlesex. The oldest of seven children, his parents were mechanical engineer Albert Sweetland and his wife, Edith.

A work ethic was instilled into Albert Jr from an early age. By the time of the 1911 census, he had been sent to Truro, Cornwall, where he worked as a servant to the Faull family, tending to their poultry.

Albert was set on developing a life for himself and, in the next few years, he emigrated to Australia. He settled in the town of Liverpool, now a suburb of Sydney, and found work as a station hand. War was on the horizon, however, and people of the empire were called upon to serve their King.

Albert enlisted on 22nd January 1916, joining the 18th Battalion of the Australian Infantry. His service records tell a little about the man he was becoming. He was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, and weighed 143lbs (64.9kg), with fair hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. The document also notes that he was a Methodist, and that he had tried to enlist in the British army before emigrating, but that a slight defect in his right eye had prevented him.

Private Sweetland set sail for Europe on 9th April 1916. His unit sailed via Suez, reaching Folkestone, Kent, that November. His time back in Britain was to be brief, however: within a matter of days he was in Etaples, France.

Albert was thrown into the thick of things. On 5th May 1917, he was wounded while fighting at Arras. He was shot in the legs, and medically evacuated to Britain for treatment and recuperation. He was to remain on home soil for the next year, before returning to his unit in June 1918.

On 3rd October 1918, Private Sweetland was injured during the Battle of the Beaurevoir Line. His unit’s push forward was initially successful, but ultimately failed to capture the the village. The German forces attacked with gas, and Albert was caught up in it, receiving a gun shot wound to his back.

By the time Beaurevoir was in Australian hands three days later, more than 430 Allied soldiers had been killed. Albert was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery during the battle.

Private Sweetland was medically evacuated to Britain once more, and was admitted to Bath War Hospital for treatment. This time, however, he was not to be as luck as he had been eighteen months previously. He died on 7th November 1918, from a combination of appendicitis, pneumonia and heart failure. He was just 23 years of age.

Albert Graham Sweetland was laid to rest in the military section of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery, not far from the facility where he had passed. His parents and his sister Winifred attended the funeral.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Devon, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, Hampshire, Hampshire Regiment, history, illness, India, Lance Corporal, Lance Serjeant, photography, Private, Sergeant, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, war

Serjeant Alfred Pollard

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Serjeant Alfred Pollard

Alfred Pollard was born in the spring of 1869 in Hinton Charterhouse, Somerset. His early life seems to have been a little disjointed. The son of Harriett Pollard, who had him out of wedlock, his baptism record gives no details of his father.

The 1871 census found him living with his mother and her widowed father, Thomas Pollard. Ten years later, Harriett is living with her husband, Walter Hayden, and four children, including Alfred – who has also taken the name of Hayden. Thomas is also recorded as living with the family.

Alfred is missing from the 1891 census return. Harriett, however, is now listed as married and the head of the household. She and Walter had a further three children – their youngest, Percy, being just three months old. Times must have been tough for her: the same census recorded Walter as being an inmate of the Somerset and Bath Asylum, where he is listed as being a lunatic.

Harriett died at the start of 1892, aged just 46 years old: Walter died three years later, at the age of 55. Both are buried in the graveyard of St John the Baptist Church, Hinton Charterhouse.

The passing of his mother and the diminishing health of his stepfather seems to have spurred Alfred into building a career to support his siblings. Having been working as an engine driver, on 7th December 1892, he enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry.

Alfred’s service records give his height as 5ft 7ins (1.7m) and his weight as 137lbs (62kg). He was noted as having black hair, bark eyes and a coarse complexion. He also had a number of tattoos, including a cross on his right forearm; a circle of dots on his right wrist; crossed flags, an anchor and Jubilee 1887 VR and crown on his left forearm; and a bracelet on his left wrist. The records also noted the loss part of the middle finger on his right hand.

Private Pollard quickly became a career soldier. Over 21 years, he rose through the ranks to Lance Corporal (July 1902), Corporal (April 1906), Lance Sergeant (November 1907) and Serjeant (June 1911). He spent more than 14 years in India, and was involved in the Mohmand Campaign of 1897. He was formally discharged on 6th December 1913, having served as a signaller for eleven years, and a Provost Sergeant for three. His discharge papers confirmed his exemplary character, and that he was “thoroughly hardworking, sober and reliable.“

Back on civvy street, Alfred found work as a labourer in an iron foundry. This was not to last long, however, as he stepped up once more when war was declared in the summer of 1914. Joining the Somerset Light Infantry on 12th October, he retook his previous rank of Serjeant.

Alfred served on home soil during this second period in the army. Initially attached to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, his unit was based in Devonport, Devon. In September 1916, Sergeant Pollard was transferred to the 2nd Garrison Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, which was based in nearby Plymouth. In January 1917, he moved again, to the Hampshire Regiment. He spent most of the year with 18th (Home Service) Battalion in Aldershot, Hampshire, and by December had moved to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, which was based in Gosport.

Sergeant Pollard remained on active service until the end of February 1919, when he was formally demobbed. At this point, his trail goes cold, although he seems to have settled in Bath, Somerset. He went on to marry, although details of his wife are limited to the name Mrs AE Pollard and her date of birth, 15th March 1879.

Alfred Pollard died of cardiac failure on 7th March 1921: he was 52 years of age. He was laid to rest in the army section of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery.

Bandsman, Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Egypt, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Lance Corporal, Lance Serjeant, photography, Private, Somerset, story, The Lancers, Trumpeter, Tyne & Wear, war, Wiltshire

Corporal John Ashton

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Corporal John Ashton

John Gordon Ashton was born at the start of 1885, and was one of at least two children to John and Elizabeth. Little information is available about his early life, although later records confirm that he was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and that the family were living on Elswick Road, leading west out of the city, by 1900.

John found work as a musician, but sought a bigger and better career for himself. On 3rd October 1900, he enlisted in the army, joining the 21st (Empress of India’s) Lancers. His service records show that, at not yet sixteen years of age, he was just 5ft 1in (1.55m) tall, and weighed 101lbs (46kg). He had brown hair, grey eyes and a dark complexion, and two moles on the front of his left shoulder.

Private Ashton joined up for a period of 12 years’ service, and spent most of it on home soil. The army seemed to suit him, and he steadily rose through the ranks. By August 1901, John was promoted to Bandsman; five years later, he took the rank of Trumpeter; the start of 1908 brought with it a promotion to Lance Corporal.

In September 1910, John’s unit was sent to Egypt: the move brought him a further promotion. Corporal Ashton spent two years in Cairo, before returning to Britain in the autumn of 1912. He had completed his contract of service with the 21st Lancers, and was formally discharged from service on 4th October.

Back on civvy street, John once again found work as a musician. Life outside of the army seemed not to suit him, however, and he joined the reserve forces in March 1913. The now Lance Sergeant’s service records show the man he had become: he now stood 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, and bore a large oval scar on the underside of his right knee.

When war was declared the following summer, John was formally mobilised once more. He was attached to the 9th (Queen’s Royal) Lancers and, by 27th August 1914, was in France. Lance Sergeant Ashton’s time overseas was not to last long, however; he returned to Britain just before Christmas that year, and was based at Tidworth Camp in Wiltshire.

John’s military record was not without its hiccups. On 11th March 1910, while based in Canterbury, he was severely reprimanded for being in neglect of his duty whilst in charge of a barrack room. In 1915, however, he received a more severe punishment: on 23rd January, he was found guilty of using insubordinate language to his superior officer – in front of six ranking witnesses – and was demoted to Corporal.

It would seem that John’s health was beginning to suffer, and, after a career of nearly sixteen years, he was medically discharged from the army because of a heart condition.

At this point, his trail goes cold. He remained in the Wiltshire area, and seems to have been receiving ongoing medical treatment. At some point, he married a woman called Mary, although no other information is readily available for her.

Early in 1921, John was admitted to the Pensions Hospital in Bath, Somerset, having contracted pneumonia. He passed away there on 25th February following an aneurysm of the heart. He was 36 years of age.

John Gordon Ashton was laid to rest in the sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery in Bath.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Kent, London, photography, Private, Royal Marines, Somerset, story, Surrey, war

Private James Kendall

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Private James Kendall

Much of the early life of James Kendall is destined to remain shrouded in the mists of time. Born on 10th June 1883 in Stalbridge, Dorset, his parents are recorded as James Kendall and Anna Louisa Yeatman.

The 1901 census recorded James as being the head of a household, despite being only 17 years old. He was working as an agricultural labourer, and was living with his maternal grandmother, Mary Ann Yeatman, and her daughter, Louisa (the census recorded her as James’ aunt, although she shared a name with his mother).

James sought a proper career, however, and, on 19th July 1901, he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His service records show that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, with brown eyes, light brown hair and a fresh complexion.

Private Kendall was sent to Deal in Kent for his training: he remained here for nine months, before being transferred to Portsmouth, Hampshire. Over the next twelve years, he served on ten ships – including the HMS Duke of Wellington, HMS Egmont and HMS Renown – returning to the HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, in between each assignment.

James was billeted at HMS Victory when war was declared. During the conflict he remained based in Portsmouth, while being assigned to HMS Cornwall and HMS Birmingham for spells. It seems likely that his shore service helped support new recruits: Private Kendall’s experience would have been invaluable.

In 1915, James married a woman called Edith: there are no other details for her, other than that she his named as his next of kin on his service records.

When the armistice was declared, Private Kendall was serving on HMS President III, a shore base split between Bristol, Windsor and London. He returned to Portsmouth in the summer of 1919 and was formally stood down the following January, having been invalided out of the Royal Marines. He had served for more than eighteen years, and consistently received notices of high levels of character and ability.

James’ dismissal from service was as a result of an unrecorded illness, likely to be one of the lung conditions prevalent at the time. The next record for him is that of his passing, on 24th May 1920, at Bath War Hospital, Somerset. He was 36 years of age.

James Kendall was laid to rest in the city’s Locksbrook Cemetery. He was interred in the military section on the graveyard, often reserved for those servicemen whose families were unable to afford to bring their loved ones home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, injury, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war, Worcestershire Regiment

Private Walter Mutter

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Private Walter Mutter

Walter John Mutter was born in the spring of 1899, the youngest of four children to William and Sarah. William was a lime burner from Pitminster in Somerset, but the family had settled in nearby Corfe by the time Walter was born.

The 1911 census recorded the Mutters as still living in Corfe; William and his two eldest sons – Harry and Francis – were working as farm labourers, while Walter was still at school.

When war came to Europe, Walter was keen to step up and play his part. Full details of his service are unclear, although he probably did not enlist early in the conflict, because of his young age. Private Mutter had joined the Worcestershire Regiment probably by the start of 1918, and soon found himself overseas.

An inquest was held at Bath… on Private Walter John Mutter, 8th [Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment]. It was stated that deceased was only 19, and had been a prisoner in German hands three months behind enemy lines carrying munitions. He told his brother he had been served badly by the Germans, and was kicked and struck with the butt end of a rifle. A doctor said his legs below the knees were covered with the scars of very severe sores. He was practically starved, his food consisting of two meals daily, a bit of black bread and a kind of turnip wash. He was admitted to Bath War Hospital in a starved, emaciated, and debilitated condition, and although he improved in health, he died in the hospital after spending Christmas at his home near Taunton. A post mortem revealed that the wall of deceased’s stomach, which was as thin as blotting paper owing to starvation, was ruptured. His appetite was good while home, and he had probably given his debilitated stomach too much work. Death was due to hemorrhage [sic], but the state of starvation was dur to ill treatment by the Germans. A verdict in accordance with the evidence was returned, the Coroner commenting on the German brutality to their prisoners that the case revealed.

Wells Journal: Friday 10th January 1919

Walter John Mutter died on 31st December 1918, aged just 19 years old. He was laid to rest in the army section of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery, not far from the hospital where he had passed away.

Cadet, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Air Force, Somerset, story, war, Warwickshire

Cadet Hubert Morley

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Cadet Hubert Morley

Hubert Arthur Morley was born on 28th July 1900, the second of two children to Arthur and Annie Morley. The family were raised in Coventry, Warwickshire, but Arthur had been born in Manchester. The 1901 census recorded him as working as a cycle works timekeeper, but by 1911 he had found other employment as a dealer in hosiery and hats.

By the summer of 1918, the war was showing hints of coming to an end, and Hubert was keen not to miss out on the action. On 9th July, a few weeks before his eighteenth birthday, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force. His service record show that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, with brown hair, greenish brown eyes and a fair complexion.

Cadet Morley had previously been employed as an engineer, and was sent to the No. 7 Observers School of Aeronautics in Bath, Somerset. His time here, however, was to be tragically short. Hubert contracted pneumonia, and was admitted to the Bath War Hospital. The condition was to prove his undoing: he passed away on 27th October 1918, at just eighteen years of age.

Finances may have limited Arthur and Annie’s ability to bring their son home. Hubert Arthur Morley was laid to rest in the military section of Bath’s sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Labour Corps, London, Middlesex, photography, Private, Somerset, story, unknown, war

Private Russell Smith

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Private Russell Smith

Russell David Smith was born in Shoreditch, London, in the summer of 1877. The second of four children, his parents were tailor Richard Smith and his wife, Emma.

When he finished his schooling, Russell found work as a bookbinder: by the time of the 1901 census, the family had moved to a small terraced house in Cassland Road, Hackney.

On Christmas Day 1902, Russell married Alice Stretch. A year younger than her new husband, she had been born in Islington, and was the youngest child to cabman Edwin Stretch. When the couple married, she was working as a mantle maker’s assistant, making elements for gas lamps.

The newlyweds settled in a cottage in Walthamstow, and went on to have three children. The 1911 census recorded the young family living at 39 Ritchings Avenue: they had taken in a lodger, Alice Carter, to help pay the bills.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914 and Russell was called upon to play his part. Details of his military service are sketchy, but from the documents available, it is evident that he had enlisted by the summer of 1917 joining the Labour Corps. Private Smith was attached to the 119th Labour Coy. which seems to be been based in Somerset.

It is impossible to trace Russell’s trail any further. The next record for him is that of his passing, on 17th October 1917. The cause of his death is not readily apparent, but he was 40 years old at the time.

Finances seem to have prevented Alice from bringing her husband home. Russell David Smith was, instead, laid to rest in Locksbrook Cemetery, Bath, probably as this might have been the closest burial ground to where he had passed away.