Herbert George Millard was born on 8th February 1897 in Wells, Somerset, and was the second of six children to John and Alice Millard. John was a cowman, and, as Herbert grew, the family moved with his father’s work.
By the time of the 1911 census, the family had set up home at the Castle of Comfort Public House in East Harptree, to the south of Bristol. John, by now, was recorded as being a farmer and inn keeper, while his three oldest sons, Herbert included, were all employed as farm hands.
When the war broke out, Herbert was keen to play his part. He enlisted on 8th February 1915, his eighteenth birthday, and was assigned to the Royal Field Artillery. Initially posted for training in Glasgow, within a couple of months, Gunner Millard had been transferred to the Somerset Light Infantry.
The now Private Millard was sent to France in July 1915, and ended up serving three separate periods on the Front Line: July 1915 to October 1916, May 1917 to August 1917 and March 1918 to June 1918.
At some point during his service, he received gunshot wounds to his chest and ‘upper extremities’. It is unclear when this happened, but it may have been what led to Private Millard’s ultimate discharge from service in August 1918.
At this point Herbert’s trail goes cold. He appears to have returned to Somerset, and was living with his family, who had now moved to Baltonsborough, to the south of Glastonbury. The next record for him is that of his passing: he died on 13th March 1921, aged just 24 years old.
Herbert George Millard was laid to rest in the quiet St Dunstan’s Churchyard in Baltonsborough.
George Edward Brown was born on 26th June 1898 in South Petherton, Somerset. An only child, his parents were Escourt and Alice Brown. Originally a millstone dresser, by the time of the 1911 census, Escourt had turned his hand to farm work, while Alice made shirts and did housekeeping to bring in a little more money for the family.
George was only 16 years old when war broke out, but he was keen to play his part as soon as he was able to. In the spring of 1917, he enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery, and was assigned to the 105th Company.
Little information remains of Gunner Brown’s military service, but it is evident that he did his training in Norfolk. While here, he came down with appendicitis, and was admitted to the Norfolk War Hospital in Norwich. He was operated on, but sadly died following the procedure. He passed away on 29th June 1917, having just turned 19 years of age.
George Edward Brown’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the family grave in South Petherton Cemetery. He was reunited with his parents, when they passed away, Escourt in 1924 and Alice some time later.
Louis Blake Stevens was born in the spring of 1870 in Pilton, now a suburb of Barnstaple, Devon. One of nine children, his parents were Devon-born sawyer John Stevens and his wife Mary, who was from Swansea.
When he left school, Louis found work in the leather industry, working as a parer and grinder. In the autumn of 1890, he married an Edith Turner, the couple went on to have two children – Edith and Albert – although they seem to have parted company soon after.
On 4th April 1896, Louis married again, this time to a Mary Webber. The couple set up home in Stoke-under-Hamdon (now Stoke-sub-Hamdon), Somerset, and went on to have seven children of their own. By the time of the 1911 census, the family had moved to South Petherton, Somerset, where Louis and Albert were working as a glovers.
Storm clouds were brewing over Europe and, despite his age, Louis was keen to step up and play his part and, on 7th August 1915, he enlisted in the Army Veterinary Corps. His service records confirm he was 42 years old, 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with a dark complexion, dark brown hair and brown eyes.
After some initial training at the Army Veterinary Corps depot, Private Stevens was sent to France. Arriving there on 25th October 1915, he spent the next nine months overseas. During this time, he had issues with his teeth, breaking several on the hard biscuits the army were provided with.
Private Stevens was sent to a camp hospital in Boulogne, where his teeth were extracted, and he was then sent back to Britain to recover. The operation identified epithelioma (a malignant tumour) on his tongue and face, caused by the state of his teeth. He was initially sent to a hospital in Epsom, before being transferred to the Horton City of London War Hospital in Woolwich.
Treatment was ongoing, and, in the end, Private Stevens was finally discharged from the army on medical grounds on 2nd July 1917. The report noted permanent total incapacity, and that treatment was required.
At this point, Louis’ trail goes cold. He returned home to Somerset, and, died there on 23rd January 1918, aged 47 years old. Louis Blake Stevens was laid to rest in South Petherton Cemetery, within walking distance of his widow and family’s home.
Ernest Rowsell was born in the spring of 1894, in the Somerset town of South Petherton. One of nine children, his parents were John and Bessie Rowsell. Builder and wheelwright John had been married before Bessie, and Ernest had five half-siblings as well.
When Ernest left school, he found work with a blacksmith – presumably, a connection made through his father. In his spare time, he joined the West Somerset Yeomanry, building on his skills and training.
War came to Europe in 1914, and it was a natural progression for Ernest to play his part, He formally joined the regiment he had previously trained with, enlisting on 24th September 1914. Given the rank of Farrier, Ernest was sent to a camp in Minehead for training.
His service records show that he was 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall, had good vision and was of good physical development. Something came up during the medical examination, however, which was held on 1st February 1915. Farrier Rowsell was deemed medically unfit for army service and discharged.
Ernest returned home, but, whatever the condition was, it was to swiftly get the better of him. He passed away at home on 13th February 1915, at the age of just 21 years old.
Ernest Rowsell was laid to rest in South Petherton Cemetery, a short walk from where his parents lived.
Arthur William Gentle was born in 1867 in Whitelackington, Somerset. The son of Maria Gillard, his father is not noted, although he was accepted as one of the family when Maria married Richard Gentle in 1873. The couple went on to have eleven children of their own, giving Arthur a large family of siblings.
Richard was an agricultural labourer, and this was a trade into which Arthur followed. On 23rd October 1897, Arthur married Mary Marsh, a labourer’s daughter from South Petherton. The couple tied the knot in her local church, the illiterate Arthur marking his intent with a cross.
The couple set up home just off Silver Street in South Petherton, and went on to have ten children of their own. The 1911 census recorded Arthur still employed as an agricultural labourer, his oldest son following suit, and Mary – who was also known as Polly – raising the family.
War came to Europe, and, despite his age, Arthur felt a need to play a part. While full service records are no longer available, what remains confirms that he had enlisted by the summer of 1916, and had joined the 300th Protection Company of the Royal Defence Corps.
Sadly, Private Gentle’s military career was to end in the same way as so many of his army colleagues. He contracted pneumonia during the winter of 1916, and passed away at home on 21st February 1917. He was 49 years of age.
Arthur William Gentle was laid to rest in the cemetery of his adopted home town, South Petherton.
Arthur’s brother Frank Gentle also fought in the Great War. Assigned to the 1st Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, he was caught up in the fighting in the Somme, and was killed on 14th July 1916. He was just 26 years of age.
Private Frank Gentle is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial in Northern France.
George William Allen was born in the spring of 1887, in the hamlet of Over Stratton, near South Petherton, Somerset. One of eight children, his parents were farm labourer William Allen and his wife, Martha. When he left school, George also found agricultural work and, by the time of the 1911 census, was the only one of his siblings still living with his parents.
On 12th October 1912, George married Ellen Mary Osborne, a labourer’s daughter from Norton-sub-Hamdon, and it was in her parish church – St Mary’s – that the young couple tied the knot. The couple went on to have a daughter – Dorothy – who was born the following year.
War came to Europe in 1914, and George stepped up to play his part. conscripted towards the end of 1916, he joined the 4th (Reserve) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry. Full details of his service are no longer available, but Private Allen appears to have contracted bronchial pneumonia not long after he was called up.
Sadly, the lung condition was to prove unassailable, and Private Allen passed away on 24th February 1917. He was just 30 years of age.
George William Allen was brought back home for burial. He was laid to rest in South Petherton Cemetery, not far from the hamlet of Yeabridge, where his widow and daughter were now living.
Frederick John Dymond was born in early 1888 in the Devon village of Dalwood. One of ten children, his parents were farmers Harry and Ellen Dymond. By the time of the 1911 census, the family had moved to Somerset and were running the Crock Street Farm near Ilminster.
When war came to Europe, Frederick was called upon to play his part. Full details of his military service are no longer available, but by the summer of 1916, he had joined the Middlesex Regiment.
Private Dymond was assigned to the 2nd/7th Battalion, which was a territorial force at that point in the conflict, based in Barham, Kent, midway between Dover and Canterbury.
In the autumn of 1916, Private Dymond was taken to the Military Hospital in Canterbury, although the reason for his admission is not clear. Whatever the cause, it was too much for his body to bear: he passed away while in hospital, on 13th December 1916. He was just 28 years of age.
Frederick John Dymond was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St George’s Church in Hinton St George – presumably because his family had moved to the area.
William John Lydston Poulett was born on 11th September 1883, in Belsize Park, London. The oldest child to William Poulett, 6th Earl Poulett, and his third wife, Rosa, William Jr was known by the title Viscount Hinton.
When William’s father died in January 1899, a battle ensued for the title of the 7th Earl Poulett. The 6th Earl had married his first wife, Elizabeth, in 1849, separating from her within a couple of months, when he learnt that she was pregnant. The alleged father was Captain William Turnour Granville, and when the 6th Earl died, Elizabeth’s son, another William Poulett, claimed the right to take the title. In July 1903, the judge decreed that William and Rosa’s son held the valid claim, and William John Lydston Poulett succeeded him, becoming the 7th Earl. At this point, he was living in Ayston, Rutland, expanding his education and boarding with a Clerk in Holy Orders.
In 1908, William married Sylvia Storey. She was the daughter of actor and dancer Fred Storey, and was herself an actress and Gaiety girl. Given Earl Poulett’s status, it seems this might not have been the most appropriate of matches, as a contemporary newspaper reported:
Another marriage alliance of the stage with the aristocracy, and one of the most remarkable of them all, was brought about yesterday by a quiet ceremony at St James’ Church, Piccadilly, uniting Earl Poulett and Miss Sylvia Lilian Storey, the well-known comedienne.
Besides contracting parties, there were only one or two persons present, including the family solicitor and Lady Violet Wingfield, sister of the bridegroom [who was also a Gaiety girl]. There were no bridesmaids.
Before the ceremony, some consternation was caused by an untoward event. The wedding ring was dropped, and there were some perturbing moments while a scrambling hunt was made for it on the floor. Finally it was discovered and pounced upon by the verger.
The time and place of the ceremony had been kept quite a secret, and the bride and bridegroom were on their way from London before the news of their marriage became known. The sudden announcement which was then made greatly enhanced the romance of the affair.
The Earl is just twenty-five years of age, and the new Countess is eighteen…
Shields Daily News: Thursday 3rd September 1908
The secret nuptials couple went on to have two children – George and Bridget – and, by the time of the 1911 census, the family were living in some luxury at Hinton House in Hinton St George, Somerset.
William had also had a distinguished military career by this point. In 1903 he received a commission as Second Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, before being transferred to the 4th Highland Light Infantry.
On 26th February 1913, he was recommissioned, as a Second Lieutenant in the Warwickshire Royal Horse Artillery and, when war broke out, he was sent to France. By November 1915, he had been promoted to Captain, but after three years on the Western Front, his health was beginning to suffer.
Captain Poulett was transferred back to Britain, and assigned to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. By 1918, he was serving as part of the Anti-Aircraft Corps in Middlesbrough, when he contracted pneumonia. This was to take his life, and he breathed his last on 11th July 1918, at the age of just 34 years old.
William John Lydston Poulett, 7th Earl Poulett, was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St George’s Church in Hinton St George.
Captain William Poulett (from ancestry.co.uk)
William’s death meant that his nine-year-old son, George, inherited his title and his £187,200 estate (worth £8.2m today). The 8th Earl served during the Second World War, working as an engineer at Woolwich Arsenal and becoming an Associate of the Institute of Railway Signal Engineers and the Institute of British Engineers.
George married three times: he divorced his first wife, Oriel, in 1941; outlived his second wife, Olga, who died in 1961; and was survived by his third wife, Margaret, when he passed away in 1973. When he died, with no children, all of his titles became extinct.
Alan James Howland was born in the spring of 1897 in Plymouth, Devon. One of nine children, his parents were pianist and musician Harman Howland and his Irish wife, Ellen.
The Howland family moved around as, presumably, Harman followed where his work was needed. The 1901 census records them living in Devonport: ten years later they had moved to Barnstaple. Alan, by this time, had left school and was working as an errand boy.
War came to Europe in 1914, and, at some point, Alan stepped up to play his part. Full details of his military service are no longer available, but from what remains it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery at some point before the summer of 1917.
Alan enlisted using his mother’s maiden name of Hardie, and was assigned to the 274th Siege Battery. His troop saw action at the Somme and Arras, and a later newspaper report confirmed that Gunner Hardie saw action overseas:
[He] had been previously wounded but was gassed and entered Leicester Hospital on November 2nd 1917.
Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser: Wednesday 30th January 1918
Gunner Hardie had been admitted to the 5th Northern General Hospital following his injury. He seemed to be improving, but developed pneumonia and the lung condition was to take his life. He passed away on 21st January 1918, at the age of just 20 years old.
Alan James Hardie/Howland was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the cemetery of the town where his family now lived, Ilminster, Somerset.
Alan’s older brother, William Harman Howland, also fought in the First World War. He enlisted in the 1st Battalion of the Hertfordshire Regiment, also using his mother’s maiden name. Again, details of his service are sparse, and Private Hardie seems to have transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps at some point during his military career.
William passed away on 18th August 1918, while in Germany. The cause of his death is not clear, but he was 28 years old. He was laid to rest in the Ohlsdorfer Cemetery in Hamburg.
William Hearn Moore – who became known as William Ernest Moore – was born in Churchstanton, Devon, in the summer of 1883. His mother, Mary, was only eighteen at the time but, when she married Henry Westcott in August 1891, he treated William as his own.
Henry found work as a coachman in Ilminster, Somerset, and, when he left school, William took on work as a gardener. In October 1903, he married carter’s daughter Charlotte Tucker: the couple set up home in the centre of the town, and went on to have three children – Gladys, Ethel and Henry.
William was working as a foreman for the Chard Lace Company when war broke out. While his full service records are lost to time, it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Engineers, and was given the rank of Driver.
Driver Moore was in Aldershot, Hampshire, by the autumn of 1915, when he fell ill. He contracted cerebrospinal meningitis, a condition which took his life on 18th October 1915. He was just 32 years old.
William Ernest Moore was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the cemetery in Ilminster, where Charlotte and the family were still living.
With three children to raise, Charlotte married again, to a William Dean, on 21st October 1916. They did not have children of their own and lived in Chard. Charlotte passed away in the winter of 1941, at the age of 57 years old.
Death and Service 