Category Archives: Somerset Light Infantry

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

Private Lawrence Sweet

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Private Lawrence Sweet

Lawrence Allen Sweet was born on 28th May 1895, one of fourteen children to Thomas and Caroline Sweet. Thomas was a farm labourer from Somerset, and the family were raised in the village of Norton-sub-Hamdon, near Yeovil.

Lawrence found work on the farm – the 1911 census shows him living with his now-widowed mother, where he was employed as an ‘improver to poultry house and building’. Three of his older brothers were also living there, and all were employed in farm work.

War was coming to Europe, and Lawrence played his part. Full details of his military service no longer remain, but those that remain confirm that he enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry in the spring of 1915, and was assigned as a Private to the 6th (Service) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry.

Sent to France on 21st May, Private Sweet saw action on the Western Front. His regiment was involved in the Battles of the Somme, Arras and Ypres and he earned the Victory and British Medals and the 1915 Star for his service.

Towards the end of 1917, Lawrence contracted pleurisy; invalided home, he was ultimately discharged from the army on medical grounds the following January.

At this point, Private Sweet’s trail goes cold. The next document confirms that he passed away on 15th December 1920, at the age of 25 years old. No cause of death is evident, but is seems likely to have been connected to his previous lung condition.

Lawrence Allen Sweet was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church in his home village of Norton-sub-Hamdon.

Lawrence Sweet1
Lawrence Allen Sweet
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, photography, Private, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, story, unknown, war, Wiltshire

Private William Sweet

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Private William Sweet

William Frank Sweet was born towards the end of 1897 and was the youngest of seven children. His father, Richard, was a groom and, together with his wife, Mary, he raised the family in the Somerset town of Yeovil.

When William left school, he found work as an errand boy for a tailor; by the time of the 1911 census, Richard was working as a coachman for a hotel, and the family were living in a house on the north side of the town.

There is very little other documentation on young William’s life. When war broke out, he enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry, and was assigned to the 5th Battalion, who were based in Taunton.

Further information on Private Sweet is scarce; given when he died, it is likely that he enlisted as part of the first wave of voluntary recruiting. It is also likely that, when he was training at the Tidworth Barracks on Salisbury Plain, he came down with some illness, and it was this to which he succumbed.

William Frank Sweet died on 4th October 1914, at the age of just 17 years old. His body was brought back to Yeovil, and he was buried in the town’s cemetery on 10th October, the day after his Battalion set sail across the English Channel to join the onslaught.

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

Private Edgar Rattle

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Private Edgar Rattle

Edgar Albert Rattle was born in Yeovil, Somerset, in 1895, the youngest of three children to Alfred and Charlotte Rattle. Alfred was a railway porter from Yatton, who raised his family in a cottage near the centre of the town.

When he left school, Edgar found employment as an accounts clerk; by the time of the 1911 census, Alfred has moved from being a porter to collecting passengers’ tickets; the family lived in a terraced house next to the station where he worked.

War was on the horizon by now and, although Edgar’s full service records are no longer available, the documents that do remain give an indication as to his time in the army.

Private Rattle enlisted in the early stages of the war; he joined the Somerset Light Infantry in October 1914, although it is not clear which battalion he was assigned to. Later in the conflict, he had been attached to the Labour Corps, and spent some time working on a farm in Ilchester.

It was while in Ilchester in October 1918, that Edgar had some leave, and travelled to Dorset. He was taken down with pneumonia and admitted to the Bournemouth Military Hospital, but subsequently died, breathing his last on 24th October 1918. He was just 23 years of age.

Edgar Albert Rattle’s body was brought back to Yeovil for burial. He lies at rest in the town’s cemetery.

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

Private Clarence Tucker

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Private Clarence Tucker

Clarence Endicott Tucker was born in the summer of 1895 and was the oldest of eight children (six of whom survived) to Samuel and Emma Tucker. Samuel was a sign writer from Axminster in Devon, although he had lived in Nottingham in the early 1890s, where he had met and married Emma, and this was where Clarence was subsequently born.

Within a couple of years, the family had moved to Yeovil, Somerset, where Clarence’s siblings were born and the family were raised. The 1911 census recorded the family as living in a house in the centre of town, the household comprising of Samuel, Emma, their six children and Samuel’s sister. Clarence, having left school, was working as a junior clerk for a cheese and butter merchant.

When war broke out, it was clear that Clarence was keen to play his part. He enlisted in September 1914 and joined the Somerset Light Infantry as a Private. It must has seemed an overwhelming experience as, within a month he was on board a ship headed for India.

Private Tucker spent more than two years serving with the 5th Battalion, before contracting tuberculosis. After six weeks in hospital, he was evacuated to Egypt and then back to England again. He was admitted to the Southern General Hospital in Bristol, where an assessment identified that he was no longer medically fit enough to serve in the army. He was discharged on 2nd April 1917, having served for three and a half years.

At this point Clarence’s trail goes cold. He died on 18th February 1918, at the age of 22 years old. There is no confirmation of the cause of his death, although it seems likely to have been related to the problems he had with his lungs.

Clarence Endicott Tucker lies at rest in the cemetery in the Somerset town he called home, Yeovil.

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

Private Charles Samways

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Private Charles Samways

Charles Samways was born in Yeovil, Somerset, in the summer of 1893, the oldest of three children to leather dresser George Samways and his wife Martha.

Sadly, little documentation on Charles’ life remains. The 1911 census lists him as living in a small house to the north of Yeovil town centre with his mother and younger brother – his sister Nellie having passed away in 1903 when she was just a toddler. Martha was working as a dressmaker, Charles as a glove cutter, but George does not appear on the document.

War was approaching, and Charles was keen to do his bit. While full details are not available for his military service, it is evident that he enlisted as a Private in the Somerset Light Infantry, and that he did so at some point before the summer of 1918. He joined the 12th (West Somerset Yeomanry) Battalion, which was initially based in the Middle East. The battalion arrived in France in May 1918, and soon became embroiled on the Western Front, including at the Second Battle of the Somme.

The Western Chronicle reported that “Private C Samways… [was] in hospital at Warrington, Lancashire, suffering from wounds in the head and hands. He was struck by a piece of shell when going ‘over the top’, and the fact that he was wearing a steel helmet undoubtedly saved his life.” [Western Chronicle: Friday 13th September 1918] It went on to state that he was “progressing favourably.“

Within weeks, Charles was recovering at home, although this was sadly not to last. He passed away from ‘disease’ on 6th November 1918, aged just 25 years old.

Charles Samways was laid to rest in Yeovil Cemetery, finally at peace.

The specific cause of Charles’ death is not documented. However, given that his father George also died at home around the same time, it seems likely to have been one of the many lung conditions – influenza, tuberculosis, pneumonia – that became prevalent as the war came to a close.

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

Private James Plympton

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Private James Plympton

James Plympton was born in the spring of 1875, one of four children to Richard and Mary Plympton from Yeovil, Somerset. They raised the family in a cottage to the south of the town centre, where Richard was a labourer and Mary a glover. When they left school, James and his two brothers followed in their father’s footsteps, finding labouring work in the local area.

In the summer of 1899, when James was 24, he married Elizabeth Maria Holt, an agricultural labourer’s daughter from the village of Misterton, near Crewkerne. The couple would go on to have six children, but, according to the 1901 census, they had set up home near the centre of Yeovil, with their first born, Dorothy, and James’ recently widowed mother.

Mary, at 69, was no longer working, and so Elizabeth found employment as a cloth ripper – presumably for the local glove industry – earning a little extra money to support James’ labouring work. This was a job that he continued to do: the 1911 census found James and Elizabeth living in a five-roomed cottage in Yeovil; Mary had by this time passed away, as had young Dorothy, but the couple were surrounded by their other five children, Elizabeth looking after them and James working as a jobbing mason.

By now war was imminent, and James enlisted to play his part. While full details of his service are no longer available, it is evident that he had joined up by the summer of 1915. He was a Private in the Somerset Light Infantry and was assigned to the 7th (Service) Battalion. He was shipped to France on 24th July 1915, and, for his service, was awarded the 1915 Star and the British and Victory Medals.

Private Plympton returned from France at the start of 1916; he was suffering from nephritis – inflamed kidneys – and was admitted to St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. Sadly, it seems that his treatment came too late; he passed away on 31st January 1916, at the age of 41.

James’ body was brought back to his home town; he was laid to rest in Yeovil Cemetery.

A local newspaper, the Western Chronicle, reported on James’ funeral; interestingly it gave his rank as Sergeant, although none of the official military documentation corroborates this.

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

Private Frederick Jury

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Private Frederick Jury

Frederick Jury was born in 1882, the oldest of four children to William and Lucy. William was a farm labourer from Minehead, Somerset, and this is where the young couple raised their family.

When he left school, Frederick found work as a labourer for a stonemason, but he had his sights on a higher calling. In March 1903, he enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry and, after two years’ service, he was assigned to the Army Reserve.

By the time of the 1911 census, Lucy has been widowed; she was working as a charwoman in Minehead and living in a small cottage with her youngest daughter – Frederick’s youngest sister – Alice. Sadly, there is no record to confirm where Frederick was at this time.

When war broke out, Private Jury was called back into service. He was dispatched to France on 19th September 1914, and served there with his regiment for eight months before returning to England in May 1915 and transferring across to the Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps.

Private Jury’s time in the army seems to have been a troubled one. He was pulled up at least six times between 1903 and 1905, for being absent from parade, and for smoking in the stables. He was subsequently censured for failing to attend training during both 1910 and 1911, and the list went on into his time on active duty. He was punished for overstaying his pass in July, October and November 1915, for having a rusty rifle on inspection in August 1915 and for quitting his guard duty in January 1916. On each of these latter occasions, he was brought back by the Military Police and fined.

Frederick’s service records also confirm that he was treated in hospital for gonorrhoea in January 1905, something that may well have been par for the course for young soldiers at the time.

The continuous lapses in duty, however, may have proved too much for his regiment, and Frederick was discharge from military service on 8th March 1916.

At this point, Frederick Jury’s trail goes cold. The only further information available is that he died on 13th January 1919, at the age of 38 years old. He was laid to rest at Yeovil Cemetery in his home county of Somerset.

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

Private Frederick Major

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Private Frederick Major

Frederick John Major was born in the spring of 1882, the oldest of seven children to John and Eliza Major. John was a farm labourer and he and Eliza – who was 20 years his junior – raised their family in the Dorset village of Batcombe.

John passed away in 1900, when Frederick was just 18 years old. He was already working as a carter, and continued to live with his mother, helping support her financially, along with his brother and sister.

With war on the horizon, Frederick was keen to do his part. He enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry, and was assigned to the 9th Battalion as a Private. This was a service battalion based in Plymouth, and it is unlikely, therefore, that Private Major saw any active service overseas.

Sadly, Frederick’s time in the army was to be short. He passed away in Somerset on 11th January 1915, aged just 33 years old. No evidence of the cause of his death is documented.

Frederick John Major was laid to rest in Yeovil Cemetery, in the town in which he died.

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

Private William Bartin

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Private William Bartin

William Bartin was born in the Somerset village of Montacute in the summer of 1893 and was the oldest of four children to Georgina Bartin. Georgina married George Gaylard in 1895 and, while the 1901 and 1911 censuses record William Gaylard as George’s son, later documentation suggests that George may not have been his father. George was a carter and labourer on a farm, and when he left school, William followed suit.

By the time of the 1911 census, most of the family were working – William was listed as a groom and gardener, while his mother and the oldest of his three sisters were employed as seamstresses.

Little specific information remains of William’s military career. He enlisted as a Private in the Somerset Light Infantry under his mother’s maiden name (and his birth name), Bartin. A local newspaper after he passed provides some information:

[He] enlisted in 1914, was badly wounded and for seven months was treated in the Bethnal Green Hospital, and then sent to the Southern General Hospital, Plymouth, where for 17 months he was treated for lung trouble. He was discharged in 1917 and has been practically ever since under treatment by the Ministry of Pensions. Much sympathy is felt with the bereaved widow and child.

Western Chronicle: Friday 19th November 1920

There are no details of William’s wife or child, albeit that his pension record refuses payment to them as he married after being discharged from the army.

There are similarly no details about the cause of his death, although, based on the newspaper report, it seems likely to have resulted from the lung condition that dogged the last few years of his life.

Private William Bartin died on 17th November 1920, at the age of 27 years old. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Catherine’s Church in his home village of Montacute.

George Gaylard had passed away in July 1919, at the age of 47. The Western Chronicle noted that:

There mourners were as follows: Mrs G Gaylard (widow), Mr WC Bartin (step-son), Misses Lucy, Florence and Edith Gaylard (daughters)…

Western Chronicle: Friday 25th July 1919

It was tragic for Georgina to lose both her husband and son within 18 months; it is also sad to note that George’s father – also called George – was still alive, and outlived both his son and step-son.

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

Private John Dyer

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Private John Dyer

John Frederick Dyer was born in Crediton, Devon, on 3rd July 1864. He was one of twelve children to William Dyer, a shoemaker, and his wife Sarah.

When he left school, John initially found work as a tanner – presumably helping with his father’s business. He soon moved on from this, however, and worked as a labourer and then a stone mason.

In 1888, aged 24, he married a woman called Emily; they went on to have four children. By the time of the 1901 census, John was a fully fledged mason, and the family had moved to Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.

From this point in, there is little information available relating to John’s life. The 1911 census records him as living in the centre of Weston-super-Mare, in a six-room house with his wife, two of his children and his niece.

Storm clouds were on the horizon in Europe, but not much documentation records his military service. He was 50 years old when war was declared, and he was old enough to be exempt from volunteering or conscription. However, he did put his name forward, and enlisted at some point at the beginning of 1915.

Private Dyer joined the 4th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry. This was a primarily territorial force, that served in India and the Middle East, although there is no confirmation that he was anywhere outside of the UK during his time in the army.

In fact, Private Dyer’s service was not destined to be a long one; the next available record shows that he died on 9th July 1915 at the 2nd Southern General Hospital in Bristol. He had just turned 51 years old. Sadly, no details of the cause of death exist.

John Frederick Dyer’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He lies at rest in the Milton Road Cemetery in his adopted home town of Weston-super-Mare.