Herbert – or Bertie – Smart was born on 9th February 1885, and was the middle of five children to John and Lucy. John worked as a gardener and the family were raised in the Kent town of Sidcup.
By the early 1900s, Bertie had moved to London, and had settled in Islington, Middlesex. He was working as a fruiterer and, on 19th May 1907, he married Lucy Purton, a policeman’s daughter from the east of the capital.
The couple set up home in Kensington, and went on to have four children: Frank, Herbert, Kathleen and Frederick. The 1911 census found the family renting three rooms in a tenement at 36 Netherwood Road. They were sharing their home with Lucy’s younger brother, Frederick.
When war broke out across Europe, Bertie was called upon to play his part. Full service details have been lost to time, but it is clear that he enlisted in the second half of 1916, and was assigned to the Northumberland Fusiliers. Attached to the 2nd/4th Battalion, it seems that he may have been sent to the South West for training.
Private Smart’s time in the army was not to be a lengthy one. He came down with cerebrospinal meningitis, and was admitted to the War Hospital in Bath, Somerset. The condition was to get the better of him: he passed away was still admitted, on 11th January 1917. He was 31 years of age.
Herbert Smart was laid to rest in the sweeping grounds of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery.
These were tragic times for the Smart family. Lucy’s brother died just four months after her husband, and Lucy herself passed away in February 1918. In just over a year, the four children – Frank, Herbert, Kathleen and Frederick – had become orphans.
John Adams Boura was born in the spring of 1868 in Kensington, Middlesex. The middle of three children, his parents were Julien and Esther Boura. Julien was the son of a French immigrant, who had built up two businesses as a dyer and cleaner (the first business having failed).
John followed in his father’s line of employment, and, by the time of the 1891 census, he was living with business partner Isabel Knight, at 3 St Mark’s Place in Wimbledon, Surrey. Work and pleasure were obviously mixing, though, and, on 3rd October that year, the couple married in the nearby Queen’s Road Chapel.
The newlyweds would go on to have a son, also called John, in March 1895. By the start of the new century, the family has moved out of the capital, relocating to Aldershot, Hampshire, where they set up a new business at 111 Victoria Road, in the town centre.
Within the next decade, however, the Bouras had moved back to the London suburbs, setting up home and business in Merton, Surrey. A new alliance was forged at 106 Kingston Road, with the three sharing their home with Henry and Adelaide Shelley. All four adults were involved in the business, while the now 16-year-old John Jr was employed as a dentistry improver.
Julien – who was also known by his middle name, Aimé – and Esther had moved to Maidenhead in Berkshire by this point, and in September 1910, it seems that their son visited them. An argument seems to have erupted, and John was arrested. Taken before the Maidenhead Petty Sessions, he was tried for unlawfully and maliciously damaging the glass of certain windows, exceeding he amount of £5 to wit £8 6s., the property of Aimé Boura. John was find a total of £10 for the damage.
When war broke out, John stepped up to serve his country. While his service documents are long since lost, other records suggest that he had enlisted by the summer of 1916, and likely volunteered, give he was in mid-40s by this point. Private Boura was assigned to the Royal Army Service Corps, and was to be based at the Supply Depot in Bath, Somerset.
It is probable that John’s dying and cleaning background meant that he was involved in uniforms in some way, although nothing concrete remains to document his time in the army. During the early part of 1917, he fell ill, coming down with bronchitis. He was admitted to Bath War Hospital, but the condition was to get the better of him. Private Boura passed away on 9th February 1917, at the age of 48.
The body of John Adams Boura was laid to rest in Bath’s majestic Locksbrook Cemetery, not far from the hospital in which he had passed.
Robert Jenkins Kelway was born in the autumn of 1897 in the Devon town of Torquay. The oldest of four children, his parents were Robert and Rosina Kelway. Robert Sr had been born in Paignton and, when a job working as a carter for Hollicombe Gas Works came up in around 1900, he moved the family back down the coast.
By the time of the 1911 census, the Kelways were living at 3 Hollicombe Terrace, on Torquay Road: their home was one of a row of terraced houses build specifically for the gas works employees, and all of their neighbours were employed there in one form or another.
Robert Jr was 13 years old at this point, and seemed to have completed his schooling: his entry on the census confirms he was employed as a telegraph messenger for the Post Office.
Everything was to change when war was declared and, on 22nd April 1915, Robert Jr voluntarily stepped up to play his part. Lying about his age – he said he was 19, when he was, in fact, two years younger – he was nonetheless taken on his word. His service records show that he was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall and weighed 141lbs (64kg). He was noted as having brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.
Assigned to the Devonshire Regiment, Private Kelway was initially attached to the 3rd Battalion. At the end of October 1915, however, he was transferred to the 8th (Service) Battalion, and dispatched to France. His unit was caught up in the Battle of Loos, but it was at the Somme the following year that Robert would really have cut his teeth in fighting.
Private Kelway saw out the Somme relatively unscathed, but, on 27th December 1916 his luck was to run out. He was shot in the back, damaging one of his lower vertebra, and was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment.
Robert was admitted to King George’s Hospital in South London, and it was quickly ascertained that the damage to his spine was permanent. Paralysed from the waist down, he was, not surprisingly, no longer able to continue in the army in any capacity. His discharge papers noted that he was a ‘steady, sober and honest’ person.
From this point, details of Robert’s life are sketchy. It is unclear whether he was able to return home, although he was definitely back in Devon by the spring of 1919, as this is where he died. Admitted to the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, he passed away from pneumonia on 18th April, aged just 21 years old.
Robert Jenkins Kelway was laid to rest in Paignton Cemetery, a short distance from where his family lived, in the Preston area of the town.
Melbourne Linas Mumford was born on 13th June 1898, and was one of seven children to William and Fanny. William was a Gunner in the Royal Artillery, and while Melbourne and his siblings were born in the Kent village of Cliffe, the family soon moved to rented rooms in Stafford Street, not far from his new barracks in Gillingham, Kent.
It seems that William’s term of service came to an end, and he moved the family to Devon, where he had been born. Fanny died in 1909, at the age of just 33, and he was suddenly left to raise the family alone. The1911 census found William and his three sons – including Melbourne – living in a cottage in Paignton. William was by now working as a nurseryman, while Melbourne’s older brother, also called William, was bringing in some money as a paperboy for Smith & Sons.
When war came to European shores, Melbourne stepped up to play his part. Full service details have been lost to time, but later documents confirm that he had enlisted in the Devonshire Regiment on 9th August 1915. Attached to the 9th (Service) Battalion, papers confirm that he was 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, and weighed 99lbs (44.9kg).
Private Mumford’s unit fought as Loos in 1915, and at the Somme in 1916, but it was at Ypres, on 7th October 1917, that he was badly injured. Melbourne was shot in the left thigh, which caused a compound fracture in his femur. Medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, he spent time hospitalised in Manchester.
Recuperation was ongoing, but was not to prove successful, and Private Mumford was eventually discharged from the army on 22nd January 1919.
Melbourne’s treatment would continue, however, and he had a further operation on his leg that summer. Tragically, however, his body had been weakened, and he passed away following the procedure, on 27th August 1919. He was just 21 years of age.
The body of Melbourne Linus Mumford was laid to rest in Paignton Cemetery, not far from the family home in Corsham Road.
Private Mumford’s Dependant’s Pension was assigned to Mrs Kate Mumford, who was recorded as his mother. This would suggest that William had remarried after the 1911 census, although there are no records to confirm this.
Thomas Fidler was born on 15th May 1881 in Newbury, Berkshire and was the fourth of eight children to Charles and Sarah. Charles was a groom, who travelled where the work was, and, by the time of the 1901, the family has relocated to Whitchurch in Hampshire.
When he finished his schooling, Thomas found work as a dairyman. However, he had always had his sights on bigger and better things, and, having been a volunteer for the local militia, he was keen to become a full soldier. Things did not go immediately to plan though, and he was initially turned down because he was under height – he was just 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall when he turned 18.
But Thomas was persistent, and, on 27th June 1898, he was formally enrolled in the Hampshire Regiment. Along with his height, his service records confirm other details about the young man he had become. The document show that he weighed 124lbs (56.2kg), and that he had brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. The records advise that he was considered fit for duty, but also note that he was given special authority to enlist, presumably to bypass the concerns about his height.
Private Thomas Fidler would go on to build up quite a military career for himself. He spent nearly two years on home soil, before his unit was shipped out to South Africa. During his time in the colony, he served in a number of the campaigns, and was awarded with the Queen’s South Africa medal, including clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal, and the King’s South Africa Medal 1901-1902.
After more than two years spent overseas, Thomas’ unit returned to Britain. He would remain on home soil until 1903, extending his service beyond the five compulsory years, and choosing to remain on active duty, rather than being stepped down to reserve status. In September of that year, his unit was on the move again, and he was transferred to Malta.
It would not be until September 1905 that Private Fidler saw home soil again. He was formally stood down from duty the following June and assigned to the Army Reserve. Interestingly, his transfer papers recorded that his conduct was indifferent, disobedient… inclined to drink.
Thomas’ attitude over the years was evidenced by his entries in the Regimental Defaulter Book. He was disciplined no fewer than twelve times during his military career. His offences included being absent from parade and using insubordinate language. While stationed in Malta, he was punished for being drunk four times. Over the years, Private Fidler spent 125 days confined to barracks, and was fined a total of £1 2s 6d for his crimes.
When he was not confined to barracks, Private Fidler would likely be found in a sick bay. Between January 1901 and September 1905, he spent 342 days in hospital with conditions ranging from fevers, psoriasis, scabies and gonorrhoea.
On 22nd March 1905, while serving in Malta, Thomas was admitted to hospital having suffered a fractured jaw following a scuffle. The cause of the injury is recorded in detail in an eleven-page report, which outlined that Private Fidler had been out in Valetta, and ended up quite drunk. He was approached by a couple of military police officers, and became abusive towards them. While trying to take off his boots, a private from another regiment, who was also drunk, came along and punched him in the face, fracturing his jaw. Both men were arrested and taken back to barracks. The investigation in to the incident found that, while Private Fidler was off duty at the time, he was to blame for the altercation.
In June 1906, Thomas returned to civvy street, and to his former job as a dairyman. On 5th February 1907, he married Tryphena Snook, who was the daughter of his employer. The couple had had a son the previous year, and would go on to have three more children in the next few years.
The 1911 census found the young family living in Sparsholt, Hampshire, the household being made up of Thomas, Tryphena and their older two children, Tryphena’s parents, William and Emma, and a boarder, William Clark, who was a carter on the farm.
By the summer of 1914, Thomas had been formally stood down from the army, his contract coming to an end on 26th June. A storm was brewing over the Channel, however, and he would soon be called upon to play his part once more.
Details of Thomas’ re-enlistment into the army have been lost to time. It is likely that he was called upon quite quickly. He was assigned to the South Wales Borderers, and, with the experience he had under his belt, was given the rank of Lance Corporal.
Thomas’ unit – the 4th (Service) Battalion – was initially sent to France, and he arrived there early in July 1915. Within a matter of weeks, however, the battalion moved on to the Eastern Mediterranean, ending up at Gallipoli.
Lance Corporal Fidler’s time in on the peninsula would have been fraught with danger. In the autumn of 1915, he was badly injured and was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment. Admitted to hospital in Devon, his wounds were to prove too severe, and he passed away on 5th November, at the age of 34.
The funeral rook place at Paignton… of Lance-Corpl. Thos. Fidler, of the 4th South Wales Borderers, who died at Oldway Hospital on Friday as a result of wounds sustained at Gallipoli. The widow and other mourners followed, and the Matron of the Hospital (Miss Blackmore) was among those present. Wounded convalescents from Oldway and a Company of the 7th Devons, under Capt. Brearley, attended, and the Devons provided a firing party.
[Exeter and Plymouth Gazette – Tuesday 09 November 1915]
Thomas Fidler was laid to rest in Paignton Cemetery.
In amongst the rows of naval headstones in the Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, is one dedicated to James Williamson, a Private in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. He was killed in action on 27th May 1915, while attached to the ship HMS Princess Irene, and was 32 years of age when he passed.
There is little specific documentation relating to Private Williamson’s life, but what remains allows us to piece together something of the man he was.
James was born in the Dennistoun area of Glasgow in around 1883, and was one of five children to William and Jane Williamson. When he finished his schooling, he seems to have had a pull to the sea: whether this was because he was following in his father’s footsteps, or because of his home’s proximity to the river and docks is unclear.
By the time of the 1911 census, James was already serving in the Royal Marines. He was based on the cruiser HMS Philomel, which was in the Gulf of Oman on the day the census was taken, and was one of 19 Royal Marines on board our of a total compliment of 244 crew.
There is little more concrete information about Private Williamson’s life. By the spring of 1915, he had been assigned to the HMS Princess Irene, an ocean liner requisitioned during the war and converted into a mine layer. On 27th May, she was moored off Sheerness in Kent, when a series of explosions ripped her apart. More than 270 crewmen were killed: this included the 32-year-old James.
The crew whose bodies were not able to be identified were laid to rest in a communal grave in Woodlands Cemetery: James Williamson was laid to rest nearby, in a burial of his own.
Interestingly, James’ entry on the Royal Navy and Royal Marines War Graves Roll gives his next of kin as a friend, Miss J Malone of 3 Ashview Terrace, Newton Mearns, near Glasgow. There is no other information about her.
William Robert Preston was born on 2nd January 1888, and was the oldest of six children to William and Alice Preston. William Sr was a blacksmith from Norwich, Norfolk, and this is where the family were initially raised.
The 1901 census saw a move to Northamptonshire, however, the document confirming that the family were living at Tanner Cottages in the village of Walton.
When he finished his schooling, William Jr found work as a painter’s labourer. However, he sought bigger and better things and, on 5th June 1905, he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His service records show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall, with dark brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a number of tattoos on his arms.
Private Preston was sent to barracks in Deal, Kent, for his initial training. He spent the best part of a year there, before being transferred to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in April 1906. He was given his first ocean-going posting in January 1907, when he joined the crew of the cruiser HMS Terrible.
Over the next eight years, Private Preston served on three further ships, returning to HMS Victory, Portsmouth, in between trips. In March 1915, he was assigned to HMS Princess Irene, an ocean liner converted to a minelayer at the start of the war.
On 27th May 1915, while Irene was moored off Sheerness, Kent, a series of explosions ripped through the ship, killing more than 350 crew. Private Preston was among those who perished, but whose body was identified: he was 27 years of age.
The body of William Robert Preston was buried in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent alongside the other victims of the disaster.
Ernest Patterson was born in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, in 1900. He was the oldest of six children to Robert and Matilda Patterson. Robert was a boot machinist when his son was born but, by the time of the 1911 census, he had turned his hand to farming.
When war came, Ernest stepped up to serve his King and Country and, in his eagerness to do so, he lied about his age. He enlisted in the Royal Irish Regiment on 1st September 1915, and stated that he was 19 years old. Given that his service records show that he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.64m) tall and that he weighed 130lbs (59kg), it is not surprising that the military were willing to take him on his word.
Private Patterson was initially posted to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion in Dublin. While there, he contracted German measles, and was hospitalised for two weeks. When he recovered, Ernest was moved to the 2nd Battalion, and shipped off to France with his new unit.
His time overseas was cut short, however, and he was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment on 9th March. He was noted as suffering from ‘debility’, and admitted to the Royal Surrey County Hospital for a week.
Out of hospital again, Ernest was re-assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion. As summer came and went and winter moved in, his health wavered again. On 19th December 1916, he was admitted to the Bath War Hospital in Somerset, suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. He remained in hospital for the next three months, the condition finally leading to his medical discharge from the army on 29th March 1917.
Private Patterson’s discharge from the army did not mean a discharge from hospital, however, and he remained there for the next week or so. His health was deteriorating by this point, and his body finally succumbed to tuberculosis on 8th April 1917. He was just 17 years of age.
It was not practical to return Ernest Patterson’s body to his family in Ireland. Instead, he was laid to rest in Locksbrook Cemetery in Bath, not far from the hospital in which he had died.
The early life of Hubert Naylor is a challenge to piece together. Later documents suggest he was born in Elsley (possibly Ilsley), Berkshire in around 1874.
The first census Hubert appears on dates from 1911. By this time he was living in Bath, Somerset and was employed as a general labourer. The document confirms that he was married to Mary, and had been for some eight years. The couple had four children – Isabella, Hubert Jr, Henry and Catherine – and the family were living at 1 Dover Court, in the Walcot area of the city.
When war broke out, despite his age, Hubert stepped up to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps on 27th June 1915. Mary may not have been happy with this turn of events, as she had had two further children – Bertha and Doris – by this point.
Hubert was given the rank of Driver, and was initially posted to the 12th Labour Battalion. Within a year, his unit was in France. He spent the next year overseas, transferring to the Reserve Supply Personnel Depot as a Private in the process.
By the summer of 1917, Hubert’s health was failing. He was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, and was admitted to the Bath War Hospital. He passed away from nephritis on 23rd July 1917: he was 42 years of age.
Hubert Naylor was laid to rest in the sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery in Bath, not far from the family home.
Willie Cyril Martin was born in December 1891 in the Dorset village of Almer. The son of Elizabeth Martin, his mother would go on to marry Edward Holloway nine years later, although it is unclear whether he was Willie’s father.
When he finished his schooling, Willie found work as a kitchen porter, and this led him to the Dorset coast. The 1911 census found him boarding with 35 others at Pryory Mansions in Bournemouth.
When war broke out, Willie stepped up to play his part. He enlisted on 9th October 1914, joining the Dorsetshire Regiment. Assigned to the 4th Battalion, his unit was soon sent to India, moving to the Middle East over the following years.
By the autumn of 1916, Private Martin was back in Dorset. On 7th November he married Edith Williams at St Clement’s Church in Bournemouth. She was the 26-year old daughter of a gas fitter, and the couple’s marriage certificate sheds some light on Willie’s background as well. It gave his father’s name as Richard Martin (deceased), who was a butler, although there is no other information to substantiate this, and Elizabeth had passed away some years before, so could not back up or refute the suggestion.
Private Martin returned to duty after his wedding. At some point he transferred to the Labour Corps, and was attached to 644 Company. His re-assignment may have been down to medical issues – he had contracted malaria while serving overseas – and by the autumn of 1917, he was sent to hospital because of his deteriorating health.
Willie was admitted to Bath War Hospital in Somerset, suffering from a bout of malaria. The condition was to get the better of him, and he passed away on 8th October 1917, from a haemorrhage on his lungs. He was 25 years of age.
Willie Cyril Martin was laid to rest in the military section of Bath’s sweeping Locksbrook Cemetery, not far from the hospital in which he passed away.
Death and Service 