Category Archives: Corporal

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

Serjeant Alfred Pollard

Leave a comment
Serjeant Alfred Pollard

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Corporal John Ashton

Leave a comment
Corporal John Ashton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Corporal Herbert Snook

Leave a comment
Corporal Herbert Snook

Herbert Snook was born in the spring of 1895 in the village of Thurlbear, Somerset. The fourth of nine children, he was the second son of Henry and Clara Snook. Henry was employed as a stockman and cowman and by the time of the 1911 census, the family had moved to Bishop’s Lydeard, to the west of Taunton.

When Herbert completed his schooling, he found work as a postman. When war broke out, Herbert stepped up to play his part. Sadly, full details of his time in the army are no longer available, but the documents that remain give an indication about what he did.

Private Snook enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry, and was assigned to the 8th (Service) Battalion. His unit served in France, but there is no evidence that Herbert went with them. During his time with the regiment, however, he was promoted, reaching the rank of Corporal.

In the summer of 1918, Herbert married Alice Webber. There is little information about her, but the wedding took place in Taunton. That winter, Herbert fell ill, contracting a combination of influenza and pneumonia. His health deteriorated quickly, and he passed away at his in-laws’ home on 3rd March 1919. He was just 24 years of age.

Herbert Snook’s body was taken to Ash Priors, near Bishop’s Lydeard, for burial. He was laid to rest in the tranquil graveyard of Holy Trinity Church, not far from where his family were living.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Egypt, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Lance Corporal, London, photography, Royal Engineers, Sapper, Sergeant, Somerset, Sri Lanka, story, Surrey, war

Serjeant George Bartraham

Leave a comment
Serjeant George Bartraham

George Bartraham was born in the autumn of 1868 in the Somerset village of Sampford Brett. One of seven children, his parents were George and Sarah Bartraham. George Sr was a farm labourer and, while his son initially followed suit, he sought a life of adventure in the wilder world.

George Jr had found work as a tailor, and was apprenticed to a Charles Taylor, who lived in the village. That bigger and better life was niggling away, however, and, on 11th June 1888, he enlisted in the Royal Engineers. His service records show that he was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall, with black hair, dark eyes and a fair complexion. Sapper Bartraham was also noted as having a scar on his left foot.

George initially signed up for seven years’ service, with an additional 5 years on reserve status once that was completed. The 1891 census recorded him as being based at Fort Blockhorse in Alverstoke, Hampshire. Early in 1894, he married Mary Bowden, in Portsmouth: the couple would go on to have two children, George and Albert. The following year, Sapper Bartraham opted to remain on full service with the Royal Engineers, partially, it is fair to assume, as the pay would be better to support his family than on reserve.

By 1901, George had been moved to barracks in Pembroke Docks, Wales. Mary and the children remained in Hampshire, living with her parents in Unicorn Street, close to the town’s naval base. Wales was not to be the last stop for George, however, and in October 1902, he was sent to Ceylon, where he remained for the next three years.

During his time in the army, George did not sit on his laurels. He received a certificate as a master tailor, became skilled in submarine mining, and also received a qualification in signalling. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in 1899, and full Corporal four years later.

George returned to Britain in January 1906, and seems to have returned to a base in Hampshire. It was here, on 28th December 1908, that an altercation led to him being convicted of assault. He was charged with ‘unlawfully and maliciously wounding one Albert Edward Bartraham, by stabbing him with a pair of scissors, at Aldershot… and counts for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault’ [Calendar of Prisoners, 1868-1929]

Albert was George’s older brother, and he was convicted to six months’ hard labour for the assault. Corporal Bartraham returned to base on 6th June 1909, and was discharged a few days later, having completed 21 years’ service in the Royal Engineers.

The next census record, taken in 1911, found a family divided by work or circumstance. Mary and the children remained firmly ensconced in Portsmouth with her parents, while George was living in Aldershot, where he was employed as a tailor. His employer is noted as being the Government, so it seems likely that he was still connected to the army camp there.

When war came to Europe, George was called upon to play his part once more. Promoted to the rank of Serjeant, he was attached to the 136th Fortress Company of the Royal Engineers. He arrived in Egypt in June 1915, although it is unclear how long he remained overseas.

By the start of 1916, Serjeant Bartraham was back in Britain, primarily because of ill health. He had come down with nephritis, or inflamed kidneys. Admitted to hospital in South London, he died from the condition on 14th January 1916, at the age of 47 years old.

Brought back to Somerset, George Bartraham was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St George’s Church in the village of his birth, Sampford Brett.

This was a time of tragedy for the Bartraham family.

George’s father, George, had died around the same time as his son, and was buried near him.

George and Mary’s son, George, had enlisted in the Hampshire Regiment when war was declared and, by the summer of 1916, was based in Iraq. He died on 23rd September 1916, through causes unclear, and was laid to rest in Baghdad War Cemetery.

Three generations of Bartrahams, all called George, had passed away within nine months.

In the summer of 1917, Sarah Bartraham also passed away. She was laid to rest with her husband and son in St George’s Churchyard.

Commonwealth War Graves, Company Sergeant Major, Corporal, County Cork, County Wicklow, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Lancashire, photography, Private, Royal Artillery, Royal Defence Corps, Sergeant, Somerset, story, Surrey, war

Serjeant Thomas Wood

Leave a comment
Serjeant Thomas Wood

Thomas Wood was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, in the summer of 1862. The third of ten children, he was the oldest son to Thomas and Emma Wood. Thomas Sr was a cabinet maker, but his son was not to follow in his father’s footsteps, seeking a life of adventure instead.

Thomas enlisted in the army and, while documents relating to his early life are not readily available, the 1891 census recorded him as being billeted at the Cambridge Barracks in Portsmouth, Hampshire. A member of the Royal Artillery, he seems to have been enlisted for a while, as he had risen to the rank of Corporal.

In 1894, Thomas married Leah Barrett, who was born in Oxfordshire. The army life underscored where the family would settle. They had four children and, according to their ages, the Woods were in Liverpool by 1895, Gosport, Hampshire, in 1896 and Cork in Ireland by 1899. The 1901 census found the family living in Wicklow, with Thomas having now achieved the rank of Company Sergeant Major.

Ten years later, and Thomas had stepped away from the army life. Now 48 years of age, he and Leah had been married for 17 years. The couple had settled in the Worle, on the outskirts of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, where Thomas had set himself up as a butcher, with Leah assisting him.

War came to Europe in 1914, and it seems that Thomas felt drawn to play his part once more. He joined the Royal Defence Corps as a Serjeant when it was formed in the spring of 1916, and was assigned to the regiment’s 263rd Company.

Little information is available about Serjeant Wood’s army service, but by the autumn he had been admitted to the Shell Shock Hospital (now the Maudsley Hospital) in Denmark Hill, London. His entry to the hospital, however, was actually due to kidney disease, and this was what would claim his life. Thomas died from a combination of nephritis and uraemia on 21st November 1916. He was 54 years of age.

Thomas Wood was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Martin’s Church in Worle.

Serjeant Thomas Wood
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, history, Labour Corps, Lance Corporal, Military Police Corps, photography, Somerset, story, unknown, war

Corporal Herbert Wear

Leave a comment
Corporal Herbert Wear

Herbert Francis Wear was born in the summer of 1895, one of twelve children to Charles and Harriet Wear. Charles was a farmer from Congresbury, and when he died in 1907, aged just 51 years old, it fell to Harriet and her children to keep the farm running.

At this point, however, much of Herbert’s trail goes cold, and it is a challenge to piece together anything concrete. When war broke out, he stepped up to play his part, enlisting in January 1917. He was assigned to the Military Police Corps and initially served in the Military Foot Police.

However, at some point during the conflict, Corporal Wear transferred to the Labour Corps, where he was attached to the 449th Agricultural Company. This meant he remained relatively close to home, as he was based in the Taunton area of Somerset.

The next record for Herbert is the British Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects, which confirms that he passed away in Somerset. An entry in the Bristol Times and Mirror (Wednesday 4th December 1918) states that “The funeral of the late Lance-Corporal HF Wear, Stonewell Farm, Congresbury, will take place to-day… 2:30pm.”

Herbert’s death certificate confirmed that he died at home from a combination of influenza and pneumonia. He was 23 years of age when he breathed his last.

Herbert Francis Wear was laid to rest close to his father in the graveyard of St Andrew’s Church in Congresbury.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, County Kildare, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Jersey, Lancashire, Lance Corporal, Lance Serjeant, photography, Private, Somerset, Somerset Light Infantry, South Africa, South Lancashire Regiment, story, war

Serjeant Andrew Fox

Leave a comment
Serjeant Andrew Fox

Andrew Michael Fox was born on 25th May 1871, the oldest of six children, to Michael and Eliza Fox. Michael was a Private in the 40th Regiment of Foot, and was based in Curragh Camp, Kildare, Ireland, when Andrew was born.

The family travelled where Michael’s work took him: Andrew’s oldest siblings were born in Uttar Pradesh, India, and the family were in England by the time of the 1881 census.

Given Michael’s military connections, it is no surprise that Andrew followed him into the army. He enlisted in August 1884, joining the South Lancashire Regiment. His service records give his age as 14 – he was, in fact, just 13 years old – and note his height as 4ft 9ins (1.44cm) and his weight as 73lbs (32.7kg). Andrew was recorded as having hazel eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion: his religion was also confirmed as Roman Catholic.

Andrew’s service records have become damaged over time, and a lot of his details are illegible. Because of his age when he enlisted, he was initially given the rank of Boy. In July 1887, he was formally mobilised, with the rank of Private. He remained on home soil for the next ten years, with the 1891 census listing him as being barracked in Fort Regent, Jersey.

It was in the Channel Islands that Andrew met Kathleen Dooling. The couple married on 7th January 1892, and went on to have ten children. Over the next couple of years, Andrew progressed through the ranks, achieving Lance Corporal in September 1892, Corporal in June 1894 and Lance Serjeant in August 1897.

In 1899, the Second Boer War led to the newly-promoted Serjeant Fox being posted overseas. He remained in South Africa for six months, while the conflict raged on. Andrew returned to Britain in April 1900, and was officially stood down from the army on 31st December that year, as he was deemed no longer fit for military service.

The 1901 census found Andrew and Kathleen still living in family barracks in Aldershot with their three eldest children, Andrew Margaret and Edith. Andrew was recorded as being an officer’s valet, likely now in a civilian role. The family remained in Aldershot until 1910, with five more of their children being born there.

Another change came at that point, however, as the following year’s census found the family living in Brighton Street, Warrington, Lancashire. Andrew was, by this point, working as a salesman for the Singer Sewing Machine Company, and the family were cramped into a four-roomed end-of-terrace house.

War came to Europe in the summer of 1914, and Andrew stepped up to play his part once more. Again, full details have been lost to time, but he took up the rank of Serjeant once more, and was attached to the Somerset Light Infantry. This necessitated another relocation for the family, and they moved to Cannington, near Taunton, Somerset.

Serjeant Fox was assigned to the 7th (Service) Battalion, but was not to remain in his role for long. He contracted phthisis, or tuberculosis, and passed away from the condition on 20th April 1915, just weeks before his regiment departed for the Western Front. He was 43 years of age.

Andrew Michael Fox was laid to rest in the peaceful Cannington Cemetery, not far from the family home.

Private Andrew M Fox

In the plot next to Serjeant Andrew Fox is another, similar headstone. Not quite having the same form as the Commonwealth War Grave Commission headstone that Serjeant Fox has, this is dedicated to a Private Andrew M Fox, of the 2nd South Lancashire Regiment.

Andrew Moyse Fox was the eldest son of Andrew and Kathleen. Born on 31st March 1894 in Ireland, he wanted to follow his father and grandfather into the army.

Andrew Jr enlisted in the South Lancashire Regiment in August 1908. His service records confirmed that he was just 14 years of age, standing 5ft (1.52m) tall, and weighing 5st 2lbs (32.7kg). He was noted as having dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion, and that he has a scar on his right buttock.

As is the case with his father, there is limited information about Andrew Jr’s army career. He spent just under six years serving with the regiment, and was formally mobilised when he came of age in 1912. On 27th March 1914, however, Private Fox was discharged from the army on medical grounds, for reasons unclear. The next record available for him is that of his passing, just nine days after his father. He was 21 years of age.

Andrew Fox Jr was laid to rest next to his father in Cannington Cemetery. The heartbreak for Kathleen, to have lost husband and oldest boy within two weeks, must have been indescribable. While her son’s headstone is similar in design to her husband’s, he was not subsequently entitled to an official Commonwealth War Grave, as he had left the army before the outbreak of war: the Commission’s qualification dates (4th August 1914 to 31st August 1921).

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Great War, Hampshire, history, injury, Kent, photography, Royal Engineers, Somerset, story, unknown, war

Corporal Francis Rich

Leave a comment
Corporal Francis Rich

Francis Frederick Herbert Rich was born in Sherborne, Dorset, in the spring of 1896. The youngest of three children, his parents were Frederick and Alice Rich. Frederick was a grocer’s assistant, who had left Sherborne by the time of the 1901 census for Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, to find work. Alice remained with their children, but, by 1911, the family were back together and living in Bridgwater.

Frederick was now working as a grocer, and his two daughters were employed as pressers in a local blouse factory. Frederick, meanwhile, was apprenticed to an outfitter’s in the town.

War came to Europe, and Francis stepped up to service his King and Country. Full details of his time in the army are lost to time, but it is clear that he joined the Royal Engineers, and was attached to the 20th Territorial Force Depot. This was based in Pier Road, Gillingham, Kent, but it seems likely that he spent at least some time overseas.

A contemporary newspaper suggested that he worked as a dispatch rider for his battalion. The location of his passing – the Royal Victoria Hospital in Netley, near Southampton – would intimate that he had been brought there from the Western Front, having been wounded there.

Corporal Rich had been awarded the Military Medal before he passed, although again, the reason for this award is lost to the ages. He died, through causes unknown, on 16th May 1918, at the age of just 22 years old.

The body of Francis Frederick Herbert Rich was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in North Petherton Cemetery, not far from where his family still lived, on Taunton Road, Bridgwater.

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

Corporal John Parker

Leave a comment
Corporal John Parker

John Burge Parker was born in the spring of 1887, the second of eight children to George and Ann Parker. The family were raised in Huntspill, Somerset, where George was employed as a labourer in the local railway works.

When he finished his schooling, John found work on a farm and this is how he was employed when, on 30th April 1907, he married Alice Jane Grove in the parish church in Pawlett. The sleepiness of the area is underlined by the fact that this was both the only wedding to take part in the church that year, and for more than a year. John and Alice went on to have three children, Audrey, who was born in 1907, Elsie, who came along two years later, and Clifford, born in 1915.

With a growing family to support, John sought out more of a career. Indeed, by the time of the 1911 census, he was employed as a police constable, and the Parkers had moved to Bristol. When war came to Europe, however, John stepped up to play his part.

John enlisted on 17th November 1915, joining the Railway Troops Depot of the Royal Engineers. His service records show the kind of figure he must have cut in the police, and he was noted as being 6ft 1in (1.85m) tall, weighing 176lbs (79.8kg). Initially give the rank of Private, he was promoted to Lance Corporal in May 1916, just four months after being officially mobilised.

In October 1916, Lance Corporal Parker’s troop set sail from Southampton, their final destination being Alexandria in Egypt. He spent more than two years in North Africa, wand was promoted to full Corporal during this time.

John returned to Britain early in 1919. In February, John was visiting his brother in Highbridge, Somerset, and, on the evening of the 6th, he left to visit his father in Huntspill. He set off to Highbridge Station first, with the intention of checking the train times to return to Bristol, but that was the last time he was seen alive.

A painful sensation was created in Highbridge and neighbourhood… when it became known than on the previous evening.. the mutilated body of a soldier was found on the Great Western Railway metals, about a quarter of a mile below the Highbridge Station… The body was subsequently identified as that of John Parker… a corporal in the Royal Engineers, whose home it at Bristol and who leaves a wife and three children.

Central Somerset Gazette: Friday 14th February 1919

Nothing untoward was confirmed in the accident that killed John on the night of the 6th February 1919, and at the inquest the jury reached the conclusion that he had died through a tragic accident. He was 32 years of age.

The newspaper report gave more insight into the character of Corporal Parker: “He was a splendid specimen of manhood, standing over 6ft, and of proportionately fine physique… [He] was of a most genial temperament [and] was held in the highest respect both in the Highbridge district and at Bristol.”

The body of John Burge Parker was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St Peter’s Church in his home village of Huntspill.

Commonwealth War Graves, Corporal, Drummer, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment), Great War, history, illness, India, Indian Supply & Transport Corps, Lancashire, Lance Corporal, photography, Private, Royal Irish Rifles, Sergeant, Somerset, story, war

Serjeant Frederick Reid

Leave a comment
Serjeant Frederick Reid

Frederick William Reid was born in January 1876 in Liverpool, Lancashire. Little information is available for his early life, and his trail only really becomes traceable when he joined the Royal Irish Regiment at the age of 16 years old.

Frederick’s service records confirm that his mother was called Elizabeth, who lived in Bedminster, near Bristol. He was already volunteering for the regiment when he enlisted, and was working as a musician when he joined up. His papers confirm that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, and weighed 112lbs (60.8kg). He had brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Frederick was given the rank of Drummer when he joined up and was attached to the Royal Irish Regiment’s 3rd Depot. He spent more than seven years on home soil, rising to the rank of Corporal in May 1898. The following January he reverted to the rank of Private at his own request, but his superiors obviously saw something in him, and he was supported in a new role – Lance Corporal – just a month later.

In October 1899, however, Frederick’s life was to take a new turn, when he was sent to India with his troop.

Corporal Reid was based in Lahore, and had found the life that he was seeking. Over the next forty months, he successfully took on a variety of clerical roles. He was promoted to Lance Sergeant in October 1901 and given oversight of the Officers’ Room.

In March 1903, Frederick returned to Britain. With the move came a further promotion, to the rank of full Sergeant, again, overseeing the Officer’s Room. He seems to have been based in Gloucestershire by this point, as, on 18th November 1903, he married Isabella Jane Parke at a Registry Office in Bristol. There is no further record for the young couple, however, so the new Mrs Reid is destined to remain a mystery.

Frederick was destined to return to India, and in January 1905, that is exactly what he did. His regiment returned to Lahore, and he was given the role of Clerk Steward at one of the Lawrence Memorial Asylum. The name is misleading, as the asylums were a series of four military-style boarding schools across India. Sergeant Reid’s records do not confirm which of the four he was attached to, but it would have been Sanawar, Mount Abu, Lovedale or Ghora Gali.

Given his military background, it seems that the role of clerk was something Frederick settled into quite happily. He was recalled back to army service in November 1909, and, within seven months, he requested a discharge from the army. This was granted, as he had, by this point, completed more than eighteen years’ service.

Frederick remained in India, however, and on 28th September 1913, he married Elizabeth Marshall in Lahore. They had two children, Florence, who was born in Quetta on 2nd September 1914, and Lily, who was born on 1st January 1916 in Lahore.

War had come to the world by this point, and in spite of his age – he was 39 by now – Frederick felt it only right to step up and play his part again. On 28th October 1914, he enlisted again, and was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment). His new medical noted that he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, and weighed in at 9st (57.2kg). His complexion was recorded as pale, while he had a number of tattoos on his left forearm: the crossed swords, harp and crown of the Royal Irish Regiment, along with the initials VR.

While part of the West Riding Regiment, Sergeant Reid was attached to the 3rd Mule Corps of the Indian Supply & Transport Corps. He was involved in arranging provisions for the various battalions who needed them.

By March 1916, his battalion had been sent to Salonika, and it was here that Frederick contracted tuberculosis. Medically evacuated to Britain, he was admitted to the Southwark Military Hospital. He was confirmed as no longer being medically fit for army service and was discharged on 16th August 1916. His medical report noted that he “is anxious to have sanatorium treatment, but is not an insured man, owing to having been stationed in India.”

On his discharge, Frederick moved to Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, which is where his mother was by now living. His wife and children also came to live in England and, the family settled in Pawlett, near Bridgwater.

After leaving the army, Frederick’s trail goes cold. The next confirmation of his life is that of his passing. He died on 12th October 1919, presumably from his lung condition. He was 43 years of age.

Frederick William Reid, who had been born in Liverpool, who had had two separate careers in the army, and who had lived and married in India, was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St John the Baptist’s Church in Pawlett, Somerset.