Category Archives: Surrey

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Captain Percy Rawlings

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Captain Percy Rawlings

Percy Townley Rawlings was born on 22nd September 1887 in Clapham, Surrey. Details of his early life are sketchy, and most of the information comes from second hand accounts. His baptism record gives his parents as Edward and Lizzie Rawlings. Edward was listed as being a gentleman, but there is no record of the family on the 1891, or 1901 census returns.

He was educated at Westminster School and Cambridge University, where he obtained honours in the Mechanical Sciences Tripos.

In 1910 he went to Woolwich Arsenal as [an] advanced workshop student, and in the following year he obtained a Commission in the Royal Engineers…

In 1912 he entered the Public Works Department of the Sudan Government, and during 1913-14 acted as engineer to the Egyptian Irrigation Service on the construction of the Blue Nile Dam.

On the outbreak of the War he was sent to France [as a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers], in the 2nd Field Co., being transferred in the following year to the [Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve], for engineering duties with the [Royal Naval Air Service].

In 1917 he flew to Constantinople in a Handley-Page machine, and bombed the Goeben, for which he received the DSC.

[1921 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Obituaries]

By the end of the conflict, Percy had been promoted to Captain. After the Armistice he remained involved in the Royal Air Force, and was involved in testing the rapidly changing technology of flight.

A Tarrant triplane, constructed at the Royal Aircraft Factory, Farnborough, was wrecked on a trial flight on Monday. The machine, which had six engines, each developing 500 horse power, after running along the ground toppled forward and seemed to bury itself in the earth. One of the pilots… Captain Rawlings, has died, and the other, Capt. Dunn, is in a very grave condition.

[Waterford Standard: Wednesday 28th May 1919]

Captain Percy Rawlings’ Tarrant triplane after the crash

Captain Dunn also died in the crash, which happened on 26th May 1919. Percy was 31 years of age when he died.

A close friend, Henry Edmunds, wrote to the Flight Magazine to express his sympathy at the loss:

As a boy, Rawlings was always interested in scientific matters, particularly photography and motors..

He was manly, open, and frank, fearless and honest, of an enquiring mind, and fond of experimenting. I remember his pre-heating paraffin vapour electrically, as a fuel for explosive engines…

It was at my house at Brighton that Rawlings met Mr. W. G. Tarrant, who was spending the week-end with me. Rawlings had just returned from the famous flight in the Handley Page to Constantinople, where he bombed the ‘Goeben.’ I remember his describing vividly his impressions of that memorable journey. If I recollect correctly, he motored down to Folkestone somewhat rapidly. He told me he believed the police were on the look-out for him for exceeding the speed-limit; but he went from Folkestone by air, proceeding to Naples. It was delightful to hear him recount that remarkable voyage. Their fears lest they should not be able to cross some of the high mountain ranges with the heavy load they were carrying, and where, had anything happened, they would have been out of the reach of all human aid. How he availed himself of a special camera for photographing portions of his trip, the results of which he feared it might be unwise to disclose at that time, so he brought the negatives back with him, and I believe they wore kept personally until after the War.

He and Mr. Tarrant were mutually attracted to each other, and discussed with much seriousness the construction of a new type of bombing-plane, which eventuated in the great Tarrant machine. Rawlings joined Tarrant shortly afterwards, and devoted all his energies to carrying on the work of design and construction. On several occasions he came down to see me, and related his experiences. He was full of confidence as to the future of his work; and invited me to take my first flight with him.

Townley Rawlings was a gallant gentleman. Those whom the gods love are taken early.

[Flight Magazine: 29th May 1919]

The speeding incident is an interesting anecdote, another similar incident recorded in a separate newspaper report:

Chauffeur Summoned for Fast Driving

Capt. Rawlings, who was killed in the Tarrant triplane accident, should have appeared as a witness yesterday in the Kingston court.

His chauffeur, Arthur B Cogger, of West Byfleet, summoned for exceeding the limit, was driving Captain Rawlings to Farnborough on Saturday, before the accident.

He said the captain told him he wanted to get along as quickly as possible as he was going to test an aeroplane. He had intended to come to court.

The summons was dismissed.

[Dublin Daily Express: Saturday 31st May 1919]

Percy Townley Rawlings was laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery, possibly close to where he or his family had been living.

Boy, Chief Yeoman of the Signals, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Isle of Wight, Kent, Leading Signalman, Middlesex, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, Signalman, story, Surrey, Tyne & Wear, war, Yeoman of Signals

Chief Yeoman of Signals Charles Welling

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Chief Yeoman of Signals Charles Welling

Charles James Welling was born on 23rd October 1860, and was the oldest of three children to Charles and Ann Welling. The Wellings were a military family, Charles Sr employed as a Serjeant Instructor of Musquetry in the Parkhurst Barracks on the Isle of Wight when his son was born.

Ann had been born in South Africa while her Irish parents were based out there. She and Charles Sr married in Farnham, Surrey, presumably where the families were based by that point.

Charles Jr’s mother died in 1863, just a month after giving birth to his youngest sibling. His father married again, to Sarah Ash, and by 1871, the Wellings were living in barracks at the School of Musketry in Hythe, Kent.

Being his father’s son, Charles Jr was set to make his own mark on the world and, on 21st January 1876, he joined the Royal Navy. Too young to formally enlist, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent off to HMS Impregnable, the shore base in Devonport, Devon, for his training.

Over the next eighteen months, Boy Welling learnt his trade, spending time at HMS Ganges – another shore base near Ipswich, Suffolk – and the sloop HMS Penguin. It was here that Charles came of age in 1878, and he officially joined the Royal Navy with the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service papers show that he was just 4ft 10.5ins (1.49m) tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Welling career was to take a turn in 1880, when he began training as a signaller. His initial contract with the navy was for ten years, and, by the time that came to an end in May 1889, he had served on eight ships in all, rising through the ranks from Signalman 3rd Class, to Signalman 2nd Class in August 1881 and Qualified Signalman seven years later.

When Charles’ term of service came to an end, he immediately renewed it, and with the new contract came a promotion to Leading Signalman. The next decade saw him travel the world, returning to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, in between voyages. His commitment to the role paid off: in March 1894 he was promoted to 2nd Class Yeoman of Signals. Just eight months later he took the rank of Yeoman of Signals.

It was around this time that Charles married the love of his life, Harriet Carlaw. Born in London, the couple exchanged vows in St Pancras, Middlesex, on 13th January 1894 and had a son, also called Charles, the following year.

Charles’ naval career continued its upward trajectory, and on 1st March 1898, he was awarded the rank of Chief Yeoman of Signals. By this point HMS Pembroke had become his permanent base and, at the end of his contract in 1899, he was stood down to reserve status.

The 1901 census shows what may have been a downward step for the Wellings: it recorded the family living in rooms at 136 Bayham Street, Camden, Middlesex, where Charles was working as a messenger.

Opportunities come in the most unexpected of places, however, and the following census found them living at Pier House, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, where Charles was employed as a lighthouse keeper.

By this point, Charles had been invalided out of the navy for medical reasons. The writing on his service papers is unclear, and his dismissal seems to have been as a result of disease of gestes, possibly the neurological disorder dystonia.

When war broke out in 1914, however, anyone with experience was called upon to play their part. Given his age at the time, it seems likely that Charles volunteered for service, reporting to HMS Pembroke on 2nd August 1914. He was given his old rank of Chief Yeoman of Signals, and remained at the naval base for the next two years.

Charles’ health was definitely suffering by this point, and he was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, in September 1916. Suffering from the heart condition endocarditis, this would take his life. He passed away on 16th September, at the age of 55 years old.

With Harriet still living in Sunderland, Charles’ body was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the base he had called home for so long.

Charles and Harriet’s son had also stepped up to play his part when war broke out. Enlisting in the Royal Engineers, Pioneer Welling soon found himself in the Middle East. While serving in Palestine, he contracted malaria, and passed away from the condition on 16th October 1918. Charles was just 23 years of age, and was laid to rest in Haifa War Cemetery.

It is tragic to note that Harriet had lost her husband and her son within two years.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Middlesex, Ordinary Seaman, photography, story, Surrey, war

Able Seaman Harry Vince

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Able Seaman Harry Vince

Harry Cooper Vince was born in Battersea, Surrey, on 14th January 1896. The 1901 census noted he was the son of Elizabeth Vince, a cook for barrister and solicitor Robert Purvis. The next census found Harry, Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s husband Harry, as one of four families to have taken rooms at 47 Bessborough Place, Pimlico.

Harry sought a life of adventure and, on 21st March 1912, he gave up his work as a kitchen boy to enlist in the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class. He was dispatched to the training ship HMS Impregnable.

On 6th September 1912, having been promoted to Boy 1st Class, Harry was assigned to the battleship HMS Vanguard. Over the next couple of years he learnt his trade, and would come to be based out of HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – in between voyages.

Harry came of age on 14th January 1914, and was formally inducted into the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman. His service records note that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also recorded as having small moles on his right buttock,

By the late spring of 1916, Harry had been assigned to the submarine depot ship HMS Bonaventure. He would remain on board for two years, during which time he was promoted to Able Seaman.

The next four months would go by in a bit of a blur for Able Seaman Vince. During this time he moved between three ships – the submarine depot ships HMS Dolphin and HMS Maidstone. The last of the three was HMS Lucia, originally the British-built steamship Spreewald, captured from the German Navy in 1914.

In September 1916, Harry was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, suffering intestinal obstructions. These would prove too severe, and he succumbed to peritonitis on 13th October 1916. He was 20 years of age.

The body of Harry Cooper Vince was laid to rest in the military section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the naval base he had called home.

Interestingly, Harry’s service records not an irregularity in his name: “Registered at Somerset House in the name of Ball. Boy kept in ignorance of the fact for obvious reasons.” It would seem that Elizabeth may not have been married at the time her son was born. It also throws some potential doubt as to who his father was.

Commonwealth War Graves, County of London Yeomanry, Egypt, Great War, history, injury, Northumberland Fusiliers, photography, Private, Second Lieutenant, story, Surrey, war

Second Lieutenant Dudley Weedon

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Second Lieutenant Dudley Weedon

Dudley Harry Weedon was born in Islington, Middlesex in the spring of 1891. The second of two children, his parents were solicitor’s clerk Thomas Weedon and his wife, Frances.

When Dudley finished his schooling, he also found work as a clerk. The 1911 census recorded the Weedon family living at a prestigious address – an eight roomed Victorian villa at 59 Canonbury Park North, Islington. Thomas was still employed as a solicitor’s clerk, Dudley as a clerk for a corn merchant, and his older brother, Horace, as a clerk for a mining company.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and Dudley was keen to step up and play his part. He enlisted early on, joining the 1st/2nd County of London Yeomanry, also known as the Westminster Dragoons. The regiment spent most of the war in the Middle East, and by November 1914, Private Weedon found himself in Egypt.

Dudley would spend the next year or so overseas, and was sent to, and evacuated from, Gallipoli. In February 1916, he received a promotion – to the rank of Second Lieutenant – this increase in rank coming with a transfer to the Northumberland Fusiliers. His new unit – the 8th (Service) Battalion – had also served in the Dardanelles, but by that summer they had moved to France.

Second Lieutenant Weedon spent the next eighteen months on the Western Front, fighting at Messines and at Ypres. It was here, possibly at the Battle of Polygon Wood, that Dudley was injured. Details are unclear, but his wounds were sever enough for him to be medically evacuated to Britain for treatment.

Dudley was admitted to a hospital in Roehampton, Surrey, but his injuries were to prove too severe. He passed away on 20th November 1917, at the age of 26 years old.

Dudley Harry Weedon was laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery, not far from his grieving family’s home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, injury, Middlesex, Pembrokeshire, photography, Sergeant, story, Surrey, Wales, war, Welch Regiment

Serjeant James Barrington

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Serjeant James Barrington

James Barrington was born in Westminster, Middlesex, on 1st June 1890. One of twelve children, his parents were Alfred and Hetty Barrington. Alfred worked in a soap factory, and the family seemed to move around: the 1891 census found them living in rooms at 3 Charles Buildings, St Martin-in-the Fields, while a decade later there were at 6 Lyric Place in Kennington, Surrey.

With so many mouths to feed, Alfred and Hetty were keen to get their children to work. The 1911 census found James working as a cowman on a farm in Mathry, Pembrokeshire, which must have come as a huge culture shock.

James soon settled in, however, and, on 9th November 1912, he married Elizabeth Thomas, the daughter of a labourer from nearby. The couple had a daughter, Hilda, who was born the following February.

When war broke out, James was called upon to play his part. There is little concrete information about his service, but he was assigned to the Welch Regiment, as was attached to the 18th (Service) Battalion (2nd Glamorgan). He had attained the rank of Sergeant by the summer of 1917.

Sergeant Barrington’s unit fought in some of the key battles of the early stages of the conflict, including the Battle of the Ancre in 1916, and the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line the following spring. It was during fighting on the Western Front that summer, though, that he was wounded, and medically evacuated to Britain for treatment.

James was admitted to a hospital in London, but his wounds would prove too severe: he passed away on 31st August 1917, at the age of 27 years old.

The body of James Barrington was taken back to Wales for burial. He was laid to rest in Mathry Church Cemetery, not far from where his widow still lived.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Naval Instructor, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Navy, story, Surrey, war

Naval Instructor George Carter

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Naval Instructor George Carter

George Leslie Lewis Carter was born at the start of 1891 in New Cross, Kent. The oldest of three children, his parents were laundry managers William and Isabel Carter.

The Carters’ work seemed to take them across South London and the 1891 census found them living in Hammersmith. George’s two siblings had been born by this point, one in Gravesend, Kent, the other in Richmond, Surrey.

By 1911, William and Isabel had moved the family to Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. That year’s census recorded them as living at 142 London Road, which was noted as being a 12-roomed property. The couple were managing a laundry – possibly living in at the laundry itself. George was recorded as being a university student, while his younger brother Lionel was at school. The family also had a housekeeper, Frances Stoke, living with them.

When George finished his studies, he found employment as an Assistant Paymaster with the Royal Naval Reserve. On 15th February 1916, he married Ada Ritchie. She was a merchant’s daughter from Long Ditton, Surrey, and the couple exchanged vows in her local parish church.

At this point, George’s trail goes cold. He became attached to the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon – also known as HMS Pomone – and took on the role of Naval Instructor. It is unclear what type of instructing he was doing, but it seems likely to have been connected with the administration or financial part of the Royal Navy.

The funeral of Naval Instructor George Leslie Lewis Carter, Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, who died on Monday from pneumonia following an attack of influenza, took place on Wednesday morning…

The mourners were Mrs Carter (widow), Mrs Carter, Surbiton (mother), Mr Carter (brother), and Mr Jamieson Ritchie, London (brother-in-law)…

[Dartmouth & South Hams Chronicle: Friday 2nd August 1918]

Naval Instructor Carter was 27 years of age when he died on 29th July 1918. The newspaper article’s distinction between Ada and Isabel would suggest that Ada may have been living in Dartmouth at the time as well.

George Leslie Lewis Carter was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Clement’s Church in Dartmouth, Devon.

Able Seaman, Berkshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, injury, Leading Seaman, London, photography, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, story, Surrey, war

Leading Seaman Frederick Tillier

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Leading Seaman Frederick Tillier

Frederick Francis Charles Vizzard was born on 12th December 1894 in Ottershaw, Surrey. The younger of two children, his parents were nurseryman Frederick Vizzard and his wife, Frances.

Details of Frederick Jr’s life are a challenge to unpick. Frederick Sr had died in 1909, and is seems that from this point on, he used his mother’s maiden name, Tillier, as his own. He found work as a labourer, and this is what he was doing when war broke out.

By this point Frederick had moved to Reading, Berkshire, and he was living in a small terraced house at 12 Highgrove Street. He enlisted in the Royal Naval Division on 18th October 1915, and was mobilised six months later.

Frederick’s records show that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, with brown hair and grey eyes. He joined as an Able Seaman, which would suggest some previous experience, although there are no records to confirm this.

Able Seaman Tillier’s time in the navy seems to have been spent on shore. He was initially sent to Portsmouth, Hampshire, where he served on HMS Victory and HMS Excellent. On 19th December 1916, Frederick was reassigned to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a Leading Seaman, and sent to HMS President, the unit’s shore base near Tower Bridge in London.

Frederick would remain attached to HMS President for the next couple of years. The next entry on his service papers states that he was admitted to the Cottage Hospital in Dartmouth, Devon, as he was very seriously injured. What those injuries were, and how he received them is unclear, but Leading Seaman Tillier would succumb to them on 26th May 1918. He was 23 years of age.

Frederick Frances Charles Tillier was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Clement’s Church in Dartmouth.

Leading Seaman Tillier
(from ancestery.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, story, Suffolk Regiment, Surrey, war, York and Lancashire Regiment

Private Gilbert Smyth

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Private Gilbert Smyth

Gilbert Rowland Locke Smyth was born in the summer of 1897, and was the oldest of three children to Charles and Elizabeth. Charles was a postman and bootmaker and both he and his wife came from North Molton in Devon. The 1901 found the young family taking rooms in Dobbs Cottage on East Street, midway between two pubs: the Poltimore Arms and the Miner’s Arms.

Gilbert – who was better known as Roy – found work as a clerk she he finished his schooling. By the time war broke out, he was had moved to East Sheen, Surrey, and was employed by the civil service. He was keen to play his part, and enlisted in the army on 10th December 1915.

Initially assigned to the Suffolk Regiment, Private Smyth’s service records give an insight into the young man he had become. At eighteen years of age, he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall, and weighed 112lbs (50.8kg). While he had worn spectacles for a couple of years, he was noted as being of fair physical development. The document confirms that he had a mole on the top of his right arm.

Roy was not formally mobilised until October 1916. After four months’ training on home soil, his unit, the 14th Battalion, was sent to France. Private Smyth remained overseas for nearly a year, during which time he transferred to the 12th Battalion of the York & Lancashire Regiment.

At the end of July 1918 Roy was caught up in a German gas attack, and this would have a long-term effect on his health, particularly his eyesight. He returned to Britain on 30th November 1918, and, after a couple more months spent in France, he was formally discharged from the army on medical grounds on 5th April 1919.

The deepest sympathy is extended to Mr and Mrs C Smyth in the loss of their eldest son, Roy… Deceased, who was employed in London in the Civil Service, was taken ill with pneumonia, and died before his father could arrive.

[Exeter and Plymouth Gazette: Friday 6th August 1920]

Gilbert Rowland Locke Smyth died on 3rd August 1920: he was 22 years of age. He was brought back to Devon for burial, and was laid to rest in All Saints’ Churchyard in his home village of North Molton.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Devon, Devonshire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Labour Corps, Lance Corporal, London, Middlesex, photography, Private, story, Surrey, war

Corporal Alexander Sturrock

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Corporal Alexander Sturrock

Alexander Albert Sturrock was born in the autumn of 1877. The second of two children, he was the only son of Alexander and Elizabeth Sturrock. Alexander Sr was a plasterer from Scotland, while his wife had been born in Bristol. It was in the Pimlico area of Middlesex, however, that the couple would raise their two children: Alexander and his older sister Eleanor.

The 1891 census found the family living at 253 Wellington Buildings, on Ebury Bridge Road. According to the next census, however, they had taken rooms at 52 Warriner Gardens, south of the Thames in Battersea.

By 1901, the Sturrocks had moved north again, and were living at 7 Fulham Place in Paddington. One of three families in the house, Alexander Sr and Elizabeth shared the rooms with their son and Eleanor’s son, Leslie. Alexander Sr was still working as a plasterer, while his son was now employed as a clerk.

Alexander Jr married Edith Concanen in 1910. A widow, she had a son, Douglas, and the three of them lived in her family home on Camden Road, Sutton, Surrey. Alexander was working as a commercial accountant, and at some point in the next five years, the family moved to Paignton, Devon.

When war came to Europe, Alexander stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in Exeter on 17th November 1915, and joined the Devonshire Regiment. His service records note that he was 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall and weighed 185lbs (83.9kg). He was also recorded as having Edith’s name tattooed on his left forearm.

Private Sturrock was mobilised the following June, and was attached the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in August 1916, and transferred to the 8th (Service) Battalion. Shipped to France in December, he would spend the next eighteen months overseas.

Alexander had ongoing issues with his health, however, and was hospitalised at least three times with diarrhoea. In July 1918, he was transferred to the Labour Corps, and reassigned to home soil. Promoted to Corporal by this point, he was attached to the 114th unit, although it is unclear where he served.

Corporal Sturrock’s health continued to dog him. The Armistice signed, he was medically discharged with nephritis on 14th June 1919, and returned home. Sadly, his reunion with Edith was not to be a lengthy one. Alexander passed away on 25th July 1919: he was 41 years of age.

Alexander Albert Sturrock was laid to rest in Paignton Cemetery, overlooking the town he had most recently called home.

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

Sergeant Reginald Brown

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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.