Category Archives: Somerset

Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Mechanic, photography, Royal Air Force, Somerset, story, war

Boy Mechanic William Mackay

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Boy Mechanic William Mackay

William James Mackay was born in Bath, Somerset, on 2nd January 1900. The son of a woman called Matilda, the following year’s census found him living as a nurse child in the home of John and Elizabeth Logie. The household was made up of the Logies, their five children, a boarder, and another nurse child, Harold Fellows.

The next census, taken in the spring of 1911, shows a change in circumstances for the family. Matilda and William were living in the Walcot area of the city, with Matilda’s husband, William Smith. The document suggests that the couple had been married for twelve years, but this would not account for the younger William’s original surname. The census return states that he had taken the name of Smith as well, and there was a fourth resident in the household, widow Elizabeth Clarke.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and William Jr was keen to step up and play his part. Because of his age he was unable to enlist immediately, and it was not until the start of 1917, that he was able to enlist.

William – who had returned to the name Mackay by this point – was working as a clerk when he joined the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) on 23rd January 1917. His service records show that he enlisted as a Boy Mechanic, and that he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall. He had brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Boy Mechanic Mackey was assigned to HMS Daedelus, one of the RNAS shore-based facilities: it was here that he was to receive his training over the spring and summer. Military barracks were notoriously cramped and hotbeds for illness and disease, and William was not to be immune to health issues. He contracted cerebrospinal meningitis within months of arriving at the base, and passed away on 5th August 1917. He was just 17 years of age.

William James Mackay was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the sweeping grounds of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, Lance Serjeant, North Somerset Yeomanry, photography, Private, Reserve Cavalry Regiment, Somerset, story, unknown, war

Lance Sergeant John Legg

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Lance Sergeant John Legg

John Thomas Legg was born in the summer of 1885, the oldest of five children to Benjamin and Sarah Legg. Benjamin was a carpenter from Dorset, and it was in Bridport that John was born. Within a year or so, however, the young family moved north to Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, and this is where they settled.

When he completed his schooling, John found a job as a clerk. By the time of the 1911 census, he was working as a political assistant/clerk, and five of the six members of the Legg household were gainfully employed. Benjamin was still working as a carpenter, while John’s two sisters were dressmakers, and his younger brother Percy was a tailor’s assistant.

In the summer of 1914, war came to Europe, and John was one of the first to step up and serve his King and Country. He initially enlisted in the North Somerset Yeomanry, and was assigned to the 1st/1st Battalion. Private Legg’s unit was quickly sent to France, and fought at the Battle of Nonne Bosschen that November.

John’s service records are sparse, and so it is not possible to confirm exactly when and how he served. He moved from the North Somerset Yeomanry to the 6th Battalion of the Reserve Cavalry Regiment: his promotion to Corporal and then Lance Sergeant suggests that this move enabled him to share his skills with incoming recruits. It is unclear whether he was based in Somerset by this point, but it is certainly where he ended up by the start of 1917.

The remains of Sergeant JT Legg, North Somerset Yeomanry, were buried at Weston-super-Mare Cemetery on Wednesday. The first portion of the service was held at St Saviour’s Church, which the sergeant formerly attended, and the interior of which bears many evidences of his skill as an amateur wood-carver… Sergeant Legg was formerly chief clerk in the offices of the Well Division Conservative Association.

Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette: Saturday 10th March 1917

John Thomas Legg passed away on 2nd March 1917: he was 31 years of age. He was laid to rest in the sweeping grounds of Milton Road Cemetery, Weston-super-Mare, a short walk from where his family still lived.

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, Lance Corporal, photography, Royal Engineers, Somerset, story, war

Lance Corporal George Carey

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Lance Corporal George Carey

George Edward Carey was born at the start of 1877 and was the oldest of eight children to Samuel and Hester Carey. Samuel was a solicitor’s clerk from Clevedon in Somerset, and this is where the family were born and raised. Samuel was not one to sit on his laurels, however, and the 1891 census recorded his occupations as law clerk, innkeeper and insurance agent.

George followed a different path to his father, and found work as a printer’s apprentice when he finished his schooling. He worked up to being a full compositor quite quickly, and was employed as such when, on 30th January 1899, he married Lizzie Taylor. A civil engineer’s daughter, she was working as a teacher when the couple wed: they set up home in Clevedon, and went on to have four children.

By 1911, the Carey family were living in a seven-room house on Strode Road, Clevedon. George was still working as a compositor, but was employed by the local sanitary works. His widowed brother, Albert, who was lodging with his brother and sister-in-law also did the same job.

With storm clouds brewing over Europe, George stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Engineers in the autumn of 1914 and was attached to the 503rd Field Company in Exeter. Little information is available about his time in the army, and he only comes to light again a year or so later.

Lance-Corporal Carey, 2nd Wessex RE, who has been employed at the office in Colleton-crescent, Exeter, was found dead, with his neck broken, at the bottom of a flight of stairs at the Grapes Inn, South-street, on Thursday morning. The discovery was made by Mrs Dorothy, wife of the licensee of the inn. Information was given to the police, and Dr Pereira visited the scene, and subsequently the body was removed to the mortuary by PCs Wise and Barrett. Carey was fully dressed. He was about 48 years of age, and leaves a widow and four children. For about fourteen months he had been engaged on the Wessex RE staff, and was billeted at a house in the Friars. His home is at Clevedon, Somerset, where he was engaged as a compositor before mobilisation with the Territorials. He was under orders for transfer to another station.

Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser: Wednesday 12th January 1916

George Edward Carey died on 4th January 1916: he was, in fact, not quite 39 years of age. His body was brought back to Somerset for burial and was laid to rest in the stunning graveyard of St Andrew’s Church in his home town of Clevedon.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, London Regiment, Oxfordshire, photography, Private, Somerset, story, war, Warwickshire

Private Wilfred Butler

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Private Wilfred Butler

Wilfrid Hinton Butler was born on 11th June 1895 in Cowley, Oxfordshire, one of four children to Alexander and Mary Butler. Alexander was a foreign stamp importer who, by 1899, had moved the family to the outskirts of Clevedon, Somerset.

The 1911 census found Alexander and Mary living in Clevedon, with Wilfrid’s two younger siblings. Wilfrid himself is missing from the document and, intriguingly, his parents are noted as having only two children: this is likely an misunderstanding over the number of children, and the number residing at home.

At this point, Wilfrid drops off the radar completely, and it is only through later documentation that we can identify what became of him. When war broke out, he joined up, enlisting in the London Regiment. Initially assigned to the 15th (County of London) Battalion (Prince of Wales’s Own Civil Service Rifles), he moved across to the 13th (County of London) Battalion (Kensington) at some point during the conflict.

Private Butler was firmly ensconced in northern France by 1916 and his unit fought in some of the bloodiest battled of the Somme. He was not to come out unscathed, however, and it is likely that he was wounded during the Battle of Morval.

The injuries Private Butler had received were severe enough for him to be medically evacuated back to Britain for treatment. He was admitted to hospital in Kings Norton, Birmingham, but his wounds were to prove fatal. He passed away on 2nd October 1916: he was 21 years of age.

Wilfrid Hinton Butler was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Walton Clevedon.

Commonwealth War Graves, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, photography, Private, Royal Army Service Corps, Somerset, story, Surrey, unknown, war

Private Horace Broderick

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Private Horace Broderick

Horace Sydney Broderick was born in the summer of 1880, and was the youngest of ten children to Edward and Sarah Broderick. Edward was a clothier from Newport Pagnell, Bedfordshire, but the family were born and raised in Horfield, Gloucestershire.

By the time of the 1891 census, the family had moved to the south of Bristol, setting up home at Rugby House in Walton-in-Gordano, Somerset. Horace was still at school, and of the four other siblings living at the family home, only one, Horace’s older brother, Walter, was gainfully employed, assisting his father in the cloth trade. The Brodericks were supported by two live-in staff, a cook, Elizabeth Phipps, and a housemaid, Ada Perrett.

The next census, taken in 1901, found Horace and three of his sisters still living at Rugby House with their parents. Edward was now employing his son as a clerk to the family business, and two new staff had come on board, cook Lily Collier and housemaid Florence Hadeley.

By the time of the 1911 census, Edward and Sarah had been living in Rugby House for more than twenty years. Both now in their 70s, they still had their oldest daughters living with them, but Horace is nowhere to be found. Indeed, there is no sign of him on any of the UK census returns, and it is not until six years later that he seems to surface again.

When war broke out, Horace stepped up to enlist. He joined the Army Service Corps and, based on his service number, was employed as a Driver Mechanic. Beyond this, Private Broderick’s time in the military is lost to time.

New has been received in Bristol of the death at the Royal Herbert Hospital, Woolwich, of Pte. Horace Sydney Broderick, youngest son of the late Mr Edward Broderick (of the firm Broderick & Co,. Limited, St James’s Barton, Bristol) and of Mrs Broderick, of Walton Park, Clevedon. Deceased soldier was in his 37th year.

Bristol Times and Mirror – Thursday 15 March 1917

The report appeared in a dozen or so contemporary newspapers and, as no specific detail is given, it is likely that Horace passed away from illness, rather than injury or any unexpected cause. He died on 13th March 1917, at the age of 36 years old.

Horace Sydney Broderick’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Walton Clevedon, next to Edward, who had passed away two years before.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, Hertfordshire, history, Kent, photography, Private, Somerset, story, unknown, war

Private Henry Preece

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Private Henry Preece

The early life of Henry George Preece is a challenge to piece together.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission give his father’s name as Edwin Preece, and suggest that the was the landlord of the George Hotel in Milverton.

The Army Register of Soldier’s Effects give the sole beneficiary of Henry’s estate as his sister Bessie.

The census record of 1911 appears to link the three members of the family, but give only a tenuous connection to Somerset. Edwin was a Coachman from Nunney, but the family – including Edwin’s wife Elizabeth, and two children, Henry and Bessie – were all living in Bayford, Hertfordshire, where the siblings had been born in 1900 and 1902 respectively.

It seems likely that the Preece family moved to Somerset not long after the census was taken, and this is potentially when Edwin took up his new role in Milverton.

War broke out in 1914, and Henry stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Devonshire Regiment, and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion. Full service details are lost to time, but Private Preece had joined up by April 1918.

Henry’s trail goes cold again at this point. He was admitted to a military hospital in Chatham, Kent, in the autumn1918, although the reason for this is unclear. He passed away there on 29th October: he was just 19 years of age.

The body of Henry George Preece was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Michael’s Church in Milverton.

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

Private William Whaites

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Private William Whaites

William Whaites was born on 12th April 1879 in Milverton, Somerset. One of nine children, his parents were George and Anne Whaites. George was an agricultural labourer, and that is work that all of his sons went into at some point.

By the time of the 1911 census, George and Anne were living at Court Bottom in the village, with three of their adult sons – William included – living with them – and doing farm work.

When war was declared, William was called upon to play his part. He enlisted at some point after October 1915, joining the Somerset Light Infantry. Assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Private Whaites was sent to the unit’s base in Devonport, Devon, for training.

Army barracks were cramped places, and often breeding grounds for illness and disease. William was not to be immune to this, and, in the spring of 1916, he contracted pneumonia. He was admitted to the military hospital in Devonport, but quickly succumbed to the condition. He died on 21st April 1916, having just turned 37 years of age.

William Whaites’ body was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Michael’s Church in his home town, Milverton.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, Lance Serjeant, Middlesex, Northern Ireland, photography, Scotland, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, Surrey, war

Serjeant John Chambers

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Serjeant John Chambers

John Dwelly Chambers was born on 21st August 1846, in Holborn, Middlesex. The second of four children, his parents were John and Sarah Chambers. John Sr was a tailor, and this was a trade into which his oldest son followed.

Unusually, John Jr travelled widely with his work and, by the late 1860s, he was based in Devon. It was here that he met and, on 5th March 1870, married Isabella Smith. She was born in Exeter, and couple initially made a life for themselves there.

The 1881 census return shows just how far the family moved in the coming years. John and Isabella were to have nine children: their first, Louise, was born in Exeter a hear after their marriage. The second child, son John, was born in Armagh, Ireland, though; their third, Emily, was born in Glasgow; while their fourth, George, was born in Surrey. It was only by the time their fifth and sixth children, Thomas and Charles, were born that they family returned to Devon. Their youngest three children – Percy, Victoria and Ivor, were all born in Somerset, when the family had settled in Taunton.

The reason for these moves seem to have been because his tailoring work was for the army. The 1891 census found the family living in army barracks, where John was listed as being a soldier. Ten years on, and John was recorded as being a Lance Sergeant in the Somerset Light Infantry, the Chambers’ still being billeted in barrack accommodation in Taunton.

By this point, Percy, now 17 years of age, was employed as a gunsmith, and a later photo suggests that all six of John’s sons went into the army.

Isabella died in 1906, at the age of 58: the following year, John married Elizabeth Dunning, a widow with her own children to raise. The 1911 census found the extended family living in the barracks: John, Elizabeth, Ivor and Elizabeth’s two daughters, Kate and Beatrice. John, by now, was listed as being a master tailor (military), Ivor was now a gunsmith, and the two girls were employed as a book binder and dressmaker respectively.

John had officially been discharged from the army by this point, but it seems likely that the outbreak of war brought him back into service. His life over the next few years is largely undocumented, but it is fair to assume that Serjeant Chambers was called back to the army, possibly to train newer recruits in the trade he had been working in for decades.

John Dwelly Chambers died of a heart attack on 2nd August 1915: he was just short of his 69th birthday. John was laid to rest in the sprawling St Mary’s Cemetery in Taunton, not far from the barracks to which he had devoted his life.

Serjeant John Chambers (seated middle, with his sons)
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, war

Private Edwin Hawkins

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Private Edwin Hawkins

Another sudden death has occurred… when Edwin Giles Hawkins, Divisional Reserve company, 8th Divisional Train, BEF, passed away at the age of 38 years. Deceased… was called up with the National Reserves, and for some time he had been in France. On December 2nd he was granted eight days leave from the Front and arrived at home the same evening. He retired to rest at 10pm, apparently in his proper health. At 5am next morning he called his mother and complained of pains in the stomach. Hot water was applied and a doctor sent for but before the latter arrived he passed away.

Western Chronicle: Friday 10th December 1915

Edwin Giles Hawkins was bornin the autumn of 1877, the oldest of six children to Giles and Elizabeth. Giles had been born in West Coker, Somerset, and the family grew up in the Anchor Inn, Yeovil, where he was the innkeeper and glover.

By the time of the 1891 census, Giles had stepped down as landlord, and the growing family were living in a cottage next to the pub. He was working as a leather dresser and glover, working to feed his wife and five children.

Little information about Edwin’s time in the army before the First World War is available. However, his details are missing from the 1901 census, which would suggest that he was serving overseas at that point.

Edwin was called upon to due his duty once more when war was declared. Joining the Somerset Light Infantry, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, and, by December 1914, he was in France. Private Hawkins was caught up at Ypres the following spring and returned home on leave in December 1915.

The cause of Private Hawkins’ death was recorded as being heart failure. As the newspaper report noted, he was 38 years of age.

Edwin Giles Hawkins was laid to rest in Yeovil Cemetery, a short walk from where his parents still lived.

Commonwealth War Graves, Dorset, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, Somerset, story, Training Reserve Battalion, war

Private James Fone

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Private James Fone

James Walter Fone was born in Crewkerne, Somerset, late in 1878. The sixth of seven children, his parents were Edward and Emma Fone. Edward was an insurance agent who had moved the family to Yeovil by the mid-1880s.

When James left school, he found work as a clothier’s assistant. Emma died in 1906, and he moved to Bristol. By the time of the 1911 census, he was employed by, and boarding with, James Johnstone.

Details of James’ life become a bit sketchy from here on. He enlisted in the army when he received his call-up in the autumn of 1916. Joining the 46th Training Reserve Battalion, Private Fone was sent to a camp near Swanage in Dorset.

Barracks at this point in the war were tightly packed, and breeding grounds for illness and infections. James was not to be immune to this, and came down with cerebrospinal meningitis. He was admitted to the camp hospital, but died there on 22nd November 1916, at the age of 37 years old.

James Walter Fone’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in Yeovil’s sweeping cemetery.