Category Archives: Able Seaman

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.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Kent, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, war

Petty Officer 2nd Class George Ball

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Petty Officer 2nd Class George Ball

The early life of George John Ball is a challenge to piece together.

His naval records confirm that he was born in Bedminster, Somerset, on 11th October 1865. There are census records that link his name to parents coal miner Luke Ball and his wife, Ann, but these cannot be confirmed.

George’s papers show that he found work as a butcher when he finished his schooling. He was set on a life at sea, however, and, on 25th November 1880, he joined the Royal Navy. Given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, he was sent to the training base HMS Impregnable for his induction. The Devon establishment would remain his home for the next two years, and, during this time, he rose to the rank of Boy 1st Class.

On 10th October 1882, George was given his first sea-faring assignment, on board the armoured cruiser HMS Northampton. He stayed with her for the next two years, during which time he came of age. Now formally inducted to the Royal Navy, he was promoted to Ordinary Seaman. His service records from the time give an indication as to the man he had become. Short of stature, he was just 5ft 1.5ins (1.56m) tall, and had light brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Ball signed up for a ten-year contract. Over that time, he would serve on a total of eight vessels, rising to the rank of Able Seaman in January 1889. George’s slate was not completely clean, however, and his record notes three serious demeanours in that time.

In the spring of 1888 George spent 27 days in Canterbury Gaol for ‘breaking out of [the] ship’ he was then serving on, HMS Duncan. He was sent to the brig for a further fourteen days in January 1892 for an undisclosed crime.

Able Seaman Ball was also fined £3 10s (£575 in today’s money) for staying away beyond his allotted shore leave. His papers note an absence of seventeen weeks from 10th October 1893, and this time would have been added to the end of his contract.

George re-enlisted on 9th February 1894, and his service record noted that he had grown half and inch (1.3cm) since he enlisted. He had also had a number of tattoos in that time, including an anchor on his right arm and a bracelet and sailor on his left.

Over the next decade, Able Seaman Ball continued his steady progression through the ranks. He would serve on seven ships, returning to what had become his shore base – HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – in between assignments. In October 1897, George was promoted to Leading Seaman: by the following July he was given the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class.

On 29th April 1904, after more than twenty years in service, George was formally stood down to reserve status. The next document for him – the 1911 census – gives an insight into his life away from the sea. By this point, George was living in a small terraced house at 234 Luton Road, Chatham, Kent.

The document confirms he had been married for fourteen years, to a woman called Sarah. The couple had a daughter – six-year-old Doris – and Sarah’s son from a previous marriage, Albert, was also living with them. George had not distanced himself too far from the sea, however. He was employed as a Ship’s Canteen Manager, a position his stepson also held.

When war came to Europe, George was called upon to play his part once more. Taking up the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class again, he would be based at HMS Pembroke – Chatham Dockyard – and he remained in service for the next two years.

In August 1916, George was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, with a combination of pychtis and a stricture. The conditions were to prove fatal: he breathed his last on 31st August 1916, at the age of 50 years old.

George John Ball was laid to rest in the military section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the dockyard that had been his home for many years.

Able Seaman, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hertfordshire, history, killed in action, Merchant Navy, Middlesex, photography, story, Sussex, war

Able Seaman F Hall

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Able Seaman F Hall

In Highgate Cemetery, Middlesex is a headstone dedicated to Able Seaman F Hall, who served in the Mercantile Marine during the First World War.

Able Seaman Hall served on board the cargo ship SS Cairndhu, which transported coal from Northumberland to Gibraltar. At 9pm on 15th April 1917, while 25 miles west of Beachy Head, Sussex, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-40.

Cairndhu immediately began to list, and her captain, Robert Purvis, ordered all 38 of his crew into the lifeboats. He took charge of one of the boats, while the Third Mate, Thomas Healy, was given responsibility for the second.

The German submarine, captained by Oberleutnant Karl Dobberstein, had moved away, but returned a few minutes later. In a seemingly deliberate act, it rammed into Healy’s boat, cutting it in half and throwing most of those on board into the water.

A passing ship reached the site and rescued what remained of the Cairndhu’s crew. Eleven men had been lost.

What role Able Seaman Hall had in the incident is unclear. The survivors were taken to safety in the Sussex port of Newhaven, and it is evident that he was one of those who had perished.

Able Seaman Hall’s name does appear on the Register of Deaths of Passengers and Seaman at Sea. This confirms his connection with the Cairndhu, and give his age as 20 years old. His birthplace is noted as Hertfordshire, and records his last address as 7 Clarendon Road, Leeds, Yorkshire. However, even with this additional information it has not been possible to pinpoint any exact details about his life, or his connection to the North London cemetery in which he was buried.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, injury, Kent, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, Scotland, story, Suffolk, war

Able Seaman Frederick Dennington

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Able Seaman Frederick Dennington

Frederick Dennington was born in Wrentham, Suffolk, on 18th February 1877. The youngest of eleven children, his parents were William and Eliza Dennington. William was a house painter, and the family lived in a cottage on Southwold Road on the outskirts of the village.

Frederick was not to follow his father’s trade, and when he completed his schooling he found employment as a groom. Working with horses was one thing, but he wanted to make a bigger splash in the world, and so, on 28th April 1892, he joined the Royal Navy.

Too young to formally enlist, Frederick was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and was sent to HMS Impregnable, the training ship moored at Queensferry on the Firth of Forth, for his induction. Over the next three years, Boy Dennington would learn the tools of his trade, and spent time on another training vessel – HMS Lion – and at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent.

In June 1893, Frederick was promoted to Boy 1st Class, and the following January he was assigned to HMS Satellite. She was a composite screw corvette, and would remain his home for the next three years. During this time, he proved he came of age, and was formally inducted into the Royal Navy.

Give the rank of Ordinary Seaman, Frederick’s service papers give an insight into the man he was becoming. Short of stature – he was noted as being 5ft 1.5ins (1.56m) tall – he had dark brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion. He was also noted as having tattoos on both of his forearms, and rings tattooed on the fingers of his his right hand.

Ordinary Seaman Dennington seemed to impress his superiors and on 5th December 1895 – just ten months after coming of age – he was promoted to the rank of Able Seaman. His contract had tied him to the navy for twelve years, and during that time, Frederick would serve on five further ships. In between each of his assignments, he returned to Chatham, and this would become his longer-term base.

Frederick’s term of service came up for renewal in February 1907, and he immediately re-enlisted. His papers show that he was now 5ft 8ins (1.72m) tall, and his eyes were more grey-blue than grey. While he remained at the rank of Able Seaman, his character was always noted as being very good, and his ability as superior.

Able Seaman Dennington went on to serve on five ships over the next nine years, including three years of HMS Blenheim, and the same length of time on board HMS Duncan. By the autumn of 1916, with war raging across Europe, Frederick had clocked up 24 years in naval service.

By this point, Frederick was unwell. He was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, Kent, with a stricture of the urethra. This was to be a condition that that he would succumb to, and he passed away on 9th December 1916, at the age of 39 years old.

The body of Frederick Dennington was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, not far from the naval base that has become his second home.

Frederick never married. His probate record confirms that his effects – totalling £147 2s (worth £16,350 in today’s money) – was left to his father, William.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, Scotland, story, war

Leading Seaman Arthur Read

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Leading Seaman Arthur Read

Arthur William Read was born on 5th February 1886 in Lyndhurst, Hampshire. The fourth of nine children, he was one of five sons to James and Mary Read. James a builder’s labourer-turned-yardman, although his son wasn’t to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Instead, Arthur rook on work as a baker’s boy, but this was not enough for him. He sought a career at sea and, on 10th April 1901, he took a job in the Royal Navy. Given the rank of Boy 2nd Class because of his age, he was sent to HMS St Vincent, the shore-based training establishment in Devonport, Devon. Over the next eighteen months he learnt the tools of his trade, and was promoted to Boy 1st Class after just ten months.

On 5th February 1904, Arthur turned 18, and came of age. Now able to formally enlist in the Royal Navy, he took that opportunity, and was given the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service papers show that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

At this point, Ordinary Seaman Read was serving on board the battleship HMS Irresistible. She would be his home for two years and, just a couple of weeks before changing vessels, he was promoted to Able Seaman.

Arthur would serve up to and during the First World War. He was assigned to a total of seven ships after the Irresistible, returning to what would become his home port, HMS Victory in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in between voyages. His character was regularly noted as being very good, while his ability was repeatedly found to be superior. By 1st October 1915, with war raging across Europe, he was promoted again, to the rank of Leading Seaman.

Away from his seafaring, Arthur had found love. In the last quarter of 1909 he married Alice Philpott. Sadly, details about her have been lost to time, but the couple would go on to have two children – Ivy and Gladys.

When war came to Europe, Arthur’s younger brother Harry stepped up to serve. He enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment, and was assigned to the 12th Battalion. Private Read was caught up in fighting on the Western Front, and was killed in action on 25th April 1916. He is buried in Bronfay Farm Military Cemetery, in Bray-sur-Somme, Picardie.

Leading Seaman Read, meanwhile, was continuing his naval career. From November 1916 he was assigned to the light cruiser HMS Birkenhead. Used to patrol the North Sea, she had come away from the Battle of Jutland unscathed.

As the war entered its closing months, Arthur’s health was becoming impacted. Suffering from diabetes, he was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Edinburgh in summer of 1918. The condition was to better him, however, and he passed away on 10th August: he was 31 years of age.

The body of Arthur William Read was taken back to Hampshire for burial. He was laid to rest in Lyndhurst Cemetery.

After her husband’s death, Alice was left to raise two children under 5 years old. Unable to do this without support, on 8th July 1920, she married Jack White. A Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy, it is unclear whether his path had ever crosser her late husband’s. The following year’s census found her and her two daughters living in a house on Clarence Road in Lyndhurst: her husband was away at sea.

Leading Seaman Arthur Read
(from ancestry.co.uk)

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Able Seaman Isaac Veal

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Able Seaman Isaac Veal

Isaac Veal was born on 18th November 1874, the seventh of eight children to Joseph and Frances Veal. When he was born, his parents were the publicans at the Waterloo Arms in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, and this is the town in which they would raise their family.

Frances died in 1890, and by the following year’s census, Joseph had stepped back from being a landlord, he was living with three of his children on a farm to the north of the town centre. Now employed as a domestic gardener, Isaac was working with him.

Isaac sought bigger and better things, however, and, on 21st December 1891, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. Intriguingly, though, he gave his date of birth as 10th July 1875. Below the age to formally sign up, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and was sent to HMS St Vincent in Devonport, Devon, for training. He remained on board for the next two years, rising to Boy 1st Class in March 1893.

On 26th August 1893, Isaac was promoted to Ordinary Seaman: this would normally mark a boy’s coming of age, but the date doesn’t match Isaac’s given date of birth, or his actual one. It is likely, therefore, that his true age had become known.

Ordinary Seaman Veal’s service documents confirm that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, with auburn hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion. He signed up for a period of twelve years and, during that time, he would serve on a total of eleven ships. Isaac travelled the world, returning to HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in between voyages.

On 11th March 1895, Isaac was promoted to the rank of Able Seaman, and his annual reviews generally marked him of very good character. From April 1901 he was assigned to the battleship HMS Revenge, and she would remain his home for more than four years. During his time assigned to her his contract came to an end and he immediately re-enlisted.

On 18th October 1909, Isaac married Ethel Maud Astridge, a caretaker’s daughter from Basingstoke, Hampshire. When they wed, Ethel – who was better known by her middle name – was working as a housemaid for a miller in North Stoneham. The couple would go on to have three children – Beatrice, Mary and Florence – and while her husband was away at sea, Ethel lived in their cottage on Queen’s Road in Lyndhurst.

Back at sea, Able Seaman Veal would continue to travel the world. During the second term of his contract with the navy, he was assigned to a further dozen ships. In August 1912, Isaac was assigned to HMS Dolphin, the shore base in Gosport, Hampshire, which was the home of the Royal Navy Submarine Service. Over the next five years he would split his time between Dolphin and HMS Maidstone. The submarine depot ship, which operated out of Harwich, Essex, would be his home for the majority of the First World War. Able Seaman Veal’s commitment to the navy was being recognised, as was his ability, which was recorded as superior in each of his annual reviews from 1911 onwards.

As the conflict entered its closing months, Isaac’s health was becoming impacted. In the spring of 1918, he was admitted to the sick quarters in Shotley – just across the river from Harwich – suffering from pernicious anaemia and rheumyalgia. The combination of conditions would prove fatal: Isaac passed away on 11th April 1918, at the age of 43 years old.

The body of Isaac Veal was taken back to Hampshire for burial. He was laid to rest in Lyndhurst Cemetery, just a few minutes’ walk from his family home. Conveyed to the cemetery in a motor ambulance van, he funeral was supported by a firing party from the local Bombing School Camp, tributes including “a token of respect from the men of the 8th and 9th Submarine Flotillas.” [Hampshire Advertiser – Saturday 20 April 1918]

After the death of her husband, Maud remained living in Myrtle Cottage, the family’s home for the rest of her life. The 1921 census recorded her as being an apartment House Keeper, while the 1939 Register noted that both she and her daughter Florence, were carrying out unpaid domestic duties.

This latter document identifies three boarders to Myrtle Cottage, including Maud’s younger sister Thirza.

Ethel Maud Veal died on 17th October 1949, at the age of 62. She was buried in the family plot in Lyndhurst Cemetery, reunited with her husband Isaac after more than 30 years.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Scotland, story, war

Petty Officer 1st Class Frederick Morgan

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Petty Officer 1st Class Frederick Morgan

Frederick Morgan was born on 15th July 1871, the oldest of four children to Samuel and Selina. Samuel was a miner from Bristol, Gloucestershire, but it was in the Staffordshire town of Tipton that he and local girl Selina married and raised their family. The 1881 census found the Morgans living at 17 Brewery Street, to the south of the town centre.

Frederick was not destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, however, and had his sights set on a life at sea, rather than in the depths of a coal mine. On 23rd November 1896 he joined the Royal Navy, and was sent to HMS Impregnable, the training base in Devonport, Devon, for his induction.

Being too young to formally enlist, Frederick was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class. Over the next three years, he learnt the tools of his trade, and served at three further bases: HMS Lion, HMS Penelope and HMS Raleigh. During this time, he was promoted to Boy 1st Class and, on 15th July 1889, when he turned 18, he was formally inducted into the Royal Navy.

Ordinary Seaman Morgan’s service records show that he was just 5ft 2.5ins (1.59m) tall. He had light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He also had a tattoo by this point, of a dancing sailor on the inside of his right arm.

Frederick remained at HMS Raleigh for the next couple of years, and was promoted to Able Seaman on 1st July 1891. From the autumn, however, his sea-going life really took hold. Over the next ten years, he served on five ships, and was to be based at HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, in between voyages. His dedication to the service was recognised – his annual reviews regularly noted his character as very good, and he rose through the ranks to Leading Seaman in May 1898, Petty Officer 2nd Class that October, and Petty Officer 1st Class in January 1901.

Away from work, Frederick’s love life was blossoming. In the autumn of 1893 he married Zipporah Elizabeth Beatrice Griffiths. Better known as Beatrice, she was the daughter of waterman Thomas Griffiths and his wife, Zipporah. The family came from Dartmouth, and this is likely where the young couple got to know each other. They married in St Clement’s Church, Dartmouth, and went on to have two children, George and Kathleen.

On 15th July 1901, Petty Officer Morgan’s initial contract with the Royal Navy came to an end. He renewed it straight away, and would spend the next decade sailing the world. Again Frederick was based at HMS Vivid in between voyages. On 11th July 1911, after 21 years in service, he was formally stood down to reserve status, and he returned to shore.

Frederick’s trail goes cold over the next couple of years, but when war broke out, he was called into service once more. Petty Officer Morgan would serve on the depot ships HMS Leander and Cyclops, which served out of Scapa Flow. He also spent time at HMS Gunner, the naval base to the north of Edinburgh. By March 1919, with the Armistice signed, he found himself based back in Devon.

At the Royal Naval Hospital, Plymouth, on Saturday, an inquest was held relative to the death of Fredk Morgan, 47, a naval pensioner, who died suddenly in the train on Thursday last.

Wm. Griffiths, inspector, GWR, at Millbay, said that PO Morgan was removed from the 6.20 train from Saltash on Thursday, apparently in a fit. He was laid on a seat, and a doctor who was about to travel on another train pronounced life extinct.

Charles Evans Jenkins, surgeon-lieutenant at the Naval Hospital said death was due to fatty degeneration of the heart.

The Coroner, who expressed his sympathy with the widow, declared that death was due to natural causes.

[Western Times: Tuesday 1st April 1919]

Frederick Morgan died of a heart attack on 27th Match 1919. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Clement’s Churchyard, Dartmouth, where he and Beatrice had been married.

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)
Able Seaman, Boy, Coastguard, Commonwealth War Graves, County Clare, County Cork, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Pembrokeshire, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, Wales, war

Petty Officer 1st Class George Bailey

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Petty Officer 1st Class George Bailey

George Bailey was born in Bedminster, Somerset, on 20th August 1871. One of six children, his parents were George and Anna (or Hannah) Bailey. George Sr was a labourer and, when he died in 1876, Anna moved the family to Clifton, near Bristol.

The 1881 census found the family living in a small cottage at 5 Crosby Row in the then village. Hannah was listed as a late general labourer’s wife, while her three older children were all working for a dairy.

When George finished his schooling, he sought out a career. Joining the Royal Navy, this would prove a long-term role, bringing in a relatively decent wage for him and his family, but also gave him some adventure, not surprising given the number of ships he would have seen going to and fro from Bristol.

George was only 15 years old when he joined up on 25th September 1886, and so was below the age to formally enlist in the navy. Taken on with the rank of Boy 2nd Class, he was sent to HMS Impregnable, the training ship based in Devonport, Devon. Over the next three year he learnt his craft, and served on a few ships, including the battleship HMS Iron Duke.

In October 1887, George was promoted to Boy 1st Class and, on 20th August 1889, while assigned to the Iron Duke, he came of age, and was formally inducted into the Royal Navy. Ordinary Seaman Bailey’s service records show that he was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall, with auburn hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a spot tattooed between the finger and thumb of his left hand, a scar on his left leg and another in the centre of his back.

Over the next seven years, George served on a total of ten ships, and saw the world. In between voyages he returned to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport. In 1895 he married Elizabeth Bull, from Burrington, Somerset, and the couple went on to have six children.

George’s naval career continued, and he rose through the ranks, to Able Seaman in September 1890, Leading Seaman in June 1895, and to Petty Officer 2nd Class and 1st Class the following year.

In January 1899, George’s life took a different direction. After some time training at HMS Collingwood in Hampshire, he joined the Coastguard service, and would spend the next twelve years serving on the coast of Southern Ireland. This opportunity allowed him to have his family with him, and his and Elizabeth’s four youngest children were born in County Clare and County Cork.

By 1911, the family returned to Britain, setting up home in Brixham, Devon. That year’s census found the Baileys living at 6 Coastguard Station on the waterfront. The family remained there through to October 1913, when George was transferred to the Royal Naval Reserve, having served for 26 years.

George found work as the caretaker of the Electric Theatre in Tiverton, Devon, and this is where he and Elizabeth settled down.

Petty Officer Bailey’s time out of active service was to be limited, however, as, just nine months later, war was declared. Called back into action, he was sent to Western Stack Fort in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.

An interesting personality has passed away in First-Class Petty Officer George Bailey, who died suddenly on Tuesday… He came home about a fortnight ago on sick leave, and seemed to be improving in health, and on Tuesday went out for a walk. After retiring to bed his death came suddenly as a result of heart failure.

[Crediton Gazette: Saturday 24th March 1917]

George Bailey died on 13th March 1917: he was 45 years of age. He was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Petty Officer William Clark

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Petty Officer William Clark

William George Clark was born on 23rd November 1884, and was the oldest child to John and Harriet. John was an agricultural labourer from Exminster, Devon, and this is where the family were born and raised.

When he completed his schooling, William found work as a gardener. However, he wanted bigger and better things for himself, and sought out a career at sea. On 12th March 1900 he enlisted in the Royal Navy: being under the formal age to enlist, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class.

William was sent to HMS Impregnable, the training establishment in Devonport, for his induction. Over the next two years – until he turned 18 in November 1902 – Boy Clark started to learn his trade. He was promoted to Boy 1st Class in October 1900, and spent time on the frigate HMS Agincourt and the cruiser HMS Melampus.

When William came of age, he was formally inducted into the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman. His service records show that he was just under 5ft 1in (1.55m) tall, with black hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He was also noted as having a tattoo of an anchor in his left arm.

Over the next five years, William served on three further ships, returning to HMS Vivid – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport – in between voyages. He travelled the world and, in May 1904, was promoted to the rank of Able Seaman.

Away from the navy, love blossomed. In May 1907, William married Louisa Cosway in Tiverton, Devon. She was a few months older than her husband, and the couple would go on to have one child, William, who was born the following spring.

Back at sea, and Able Seaman Clark’s career continued. In November 1911 he was promoted to Leading Seaman, reaching the rank of Petty Office in January 1917. During his eighteen year career, he would serve on a total of eleven ships, but in the closing months of the war, William’s health was beginning to suffer. On 9th May 1918, he was medically discharged from service, suffering from heart disease.

William returned home to Tiverton. His time with his family was to prove tragically brief: he passed away from mitral disease and pneumatic fever on 13th May 1918, at the age of 33 years old.

William George Clark was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery. His grave was just a 15min walk from where his widow and son lived on Fore Street, in the town centre.